Puff Pastry

The Tefal Cuisine Companion is excellent for making buttery pastry, whether it's shortcrust or danish or puff pastry the Cuisine Companion mixes the ingredients in a matter of seconds. I like to make a double batch and freeze half for another time.

Note: Dice chilled butter in 1&1/2 cm cubes, this can be done the night before and refrigerated.
Note: Place 130 gms water in refrigerator to chill. This can also be done the night before.
Note: Keep a pastry brush handy to brush off excess flour when folding pastry.

Puff Pastry

500 gms Plain Flour
500 gms Chilled Butter diced
130 gms Chilled Water

Insert Kneading Blade, Stopper in.
Add plain flour and 350 gms diced butter.
Pulse 15 seconds (I had to gently press down on the handles to stop CC vibrating too much). You should still have some chunks of butter visible.
Remove Stopper.
Start Sp9:35sec adding chilled water through hole in lid until pastry just starts to come together.
Remove pastry and place on floured board or silicone sheet.
Knead lightly for a few seconds to shape into a log.
Roll out to approximately  50cm x 20cm.
Place remaining 150 gms diced butter over bottom 2/3 of pastry.
Fold top third of pastry over butter then fold bottom third over the top to enclose butter.
Turn the pastry so one open end is facing you. (1/4 turn).
Flatten slightly with your hands and squish together the 2 open ends.
Roll out to approximately 50cm x 20cm.
Fold top third over, then bottom third over the top.
Make 1/4 turn.
Repeat the rolling out, folding and 1/4 turn of the pastry twice more.
Wrap in cling wrap and freeze for 20 minutes.
Remove from freezer.
Repeat the rolling out, folding and 1/4 turns 3 times.
Wrap in cling wrap and freeze 15 minutes.
Repeat the rolling out, folding and 1/4 turns 3 more times.
Wrap in cling wrap and freeze 15 minutes.
Repeat the rolling out, folding and 1/4 turns 3 more times.
The pastry should be well laminated now and ready to use or divided in two and frozen until required.

Folding bottom third over top before 1/4 turn and rolling.

After freezing and rolling, folding top third towards centre.

After rolling the butter will be visible under the surface. 

1/4 turn, slightly flattened and edges squished together before rolling.

Folding bottom third of pastry over the top. 

Folding top third of pastry over butter.

Placing 150 gms butter over bottom 2/3 of pastry.

First roll approximately 55cm x 25cm.

Pastry just coming together in Cuisine Companion bowl.

Butter diced into 1&1/2 cm cubes.

Boscaiola

This is an easy one pot pasta recipe that can be served straight from the pot served with grated cheese and garnished with herbs or once completed in the Tefal Cuisine Companion the boscaiola can be placed in an ovenproof casserole, sprinkled with cheese and baked until golden. If you have the slicer attachment the mushrooms can be placed sideways in the feeding tube and evenly sliced in a matter of seconds.

1 tblspn Olive Oil
1 small Onion peeled and quartered
2 cloves Garlic
Chilli (optional)
275 gms Ham or Bacon diced
350 gms Mushrooms sliced (I used slicer blade H)
100 gms Vegetable Stock
290 gms (300 mls) Cream
230 gms Pennette
Salt and Pepper
10 gms Parsley chopped
Herbs of choice
Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
Insert Ultrablade
Add onion, garlic and chilli if using.
Turbo 5 sec. scrape down sides of bowl with spatula. Repeat Turbo 5 sec. and scraping bowl twice more or until ingredients are finely chopped.
Insert Stirring Blade
Add oil.
Slow Cook P1:5mins
Add ham or bacon.
Slow Cook P1:5mins
Add sliced mushrooms.
Slow Cook P2:8 to 10mins or until wilted.
Add stock, cream, pennette and seasonings.
Stir through with spatula.
Slow Cook P2:15mins or until pasta is aldente.
Remove Stirring Blade.
Stir through chopped parsley.
Garnish with herbs of choice.
Serve with grated Pecorino or Parmesan.

Impossible Salmon Pie

This is one of those quick impossible pie recipes for dinner on busy nights. The Mini Bowl chops the onions and herbs and the Tefal Cuisine Companion combines all the ingredients in no time.

1 onion quartered
1/4 cup Parsley
4 Eggs
125 gms Butter softened
80 gms  Plain Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 cups Milk
1 x 200 gms can Salmon, drained and flaked
1/2 cup Cheese grated
Salt and Pepper

Grease 25 cm ovenproof pie plate
Preheat oven 160 deg.

Insert Mini Bowl
Add onion and parsley.
Sp11: until onion and parsley are finely chopped, scrape mini bowl with spatula as required.

Insert Kneading Blade. Stopper in.
Add eggs, butter, flour and baking powder.
Sp10:until smooth.
Add all other ingredients including chopped onion and parsley.
Sp7:until combined. Scrape bowl with spatula as required.

Pour mixture into prepared pie plate.
Bake 1 hour or until mixture is firm and golden.

Blackberry Ripple Cheesecake Icecream

This is my all time favourite ice cream, it combines my love of cheesecake and all things berry and is the perfect creamy frozen treat for summer. The Tefal Cuisine Companion prepares the coulis and mixes the ice cream to perfection. I've used frozen blackberries but other frozen berries can be used if preferred.

Ingredients 

250 gms frozen Blackberries
200 gms Sugar
20 gms Water
250 gms chilled Cream Cheese
395 gms Condensed Milk
300 mls Thickened Cream
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste with seeds

Blackberry Coulis

Insert Ultrablade. Stopper out.
Add blackberries, sugar and water.
Sp3:120deg:18mins
Push mixture through fine mesh sieve placed over small bowl to remove seeds and set aside stirring from time to time whilst making cheesecake ice cream.

Wash and dry CC bowl, wipe lid with dampened paper towel.

Cheesecake Icecream 

Insert Kneading Blade. Stopper out.
Add cream cheese
Sp10:1min or until smooth scraping bowl with spatula as required.
Add condensed milk and vanilla bean paste.
Sp10:1min 15sec or until smooth scraping bowl and around Blade with spatula every 15 seconds.
Insert Whisk. Stopper out.
Add cream.
Sp7:1min 30sec or until thickened. Time will depend on how fresh your cream is. Start checking after 1 minute.
Empty mixture into freezer safe ice cream container.
Stir blackberry coulis and place dollops of sauce over ice cream mixture. (I only used 3/4 of the sauce).
Swirl through ice cream with blunt knife and freeze for 24 hours.

Raspberry Chambord Jelly Chocolates

These Chambord and raspberry jelly filled chocolates would make a lovely home made gift for someone special. They are quick and easy to make in the Tefal Cuisine Companion, most of the time taken is waiting for things to set. It is important to use a good quality chocolate with a high cocoa butter content to get the best results. Makes 45.

Note: Freeze your chocolate moulds overnight.
Note: I used 45% cocoa chocolate. 70% cocoa would work well too and make them a little less sweet.
Note: Tempered chocolate starts to set at room temperature so you must work quickly. You can gently reheat your chocolate if needed.
Things you will need: 3 (15 hole) silicone chocolate moulds, large plate, large metal spatula and 2 small squeeze sauce bottles or small jugs with a lip for pouring.

Chambord Raspberry Filling

4 Gelatine Leaves
200 gms frozen Raspberries
85 gms Water
85 gms  Chambord Liqueur
60 gms Caster Sugar

Place gelatine leaves in water to soak.

Insert Ultrablade. Stopper out.
Add frozen raspberries, water, Chambord and caster sugar
Sp3:70deg:2mins or until sugar has dissolved.
Sp3:95deg:3min 30sec.
Squeeze excess water from gelatine leaves and add to bowl with raspberry mixture.
Sp4:50sec.
Strain mixture to remove seeds through fine mesh sieve into heatproof jug.
Leave until room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

Tempered Chocolate 

400 gms good quality Chocolate broken into squares divided 

Insert Stirring Blade. Stopper out.

Add 280 gms chocolate.

Sp3:60deg:4 to 5 mins or until melted.

Add remainder 120 gms chocolate.

Sp5:2min 30sec only. Remove any chocolate that hasn't melted.
Have a large plate ready to catch the excess chocolate and a large metal spatula
Pour the tempered chocolate into a small squeeze bottle or small jug with a pouring lip and slightly overfill each hole in your chilled mould.
Once filled hold the mould about 15cm over the large plate, turn upside down for 20 seconds to let the excess chocolate pour out. Turn upright and run a metal spatula over the top of the mould to remove any excess chocolate sitting on the top. Place the excess chocolate back into the squeeze bottle. Repeat with remaining moulds.
Refrigerate the filled moulds until chocolate has set.

The remaining chocolate can now be poured into microwave safe bowl to be melted on gentle heat if necessary to pour over the top of the chocolates after filling has set.

Pour room temperature raspberry filling into squeeze bottle and fill chocolate shells to within 2mm of the top. Refrigerate until set.
Once filling is set, gently melt the remaining chocolate on very low setting in microwave if necessary and pour into squeeze bottle and slightly overfill each filled chocolate. Run a large metal spatula over the top to remove excess chocolate. Refrigerate until set.

Remove chocolates from silicone moulds by gently popping them out.

Creme de Menthe Cheesecake Slice

I love using liqueurs in my cooking and I particularly like mint flavours. This Creme de Menthe cheesecake slice has a Tim Tam biscuit base and a Creme de Menthe jelly topping. The Tefal Cuisine Companion has helped me prepare the biscuit base and the cheesecake filling. The jelly topping can also be made in the Cuisine Companion but I found it easier to mix the ingredients in a glass bowl. I've used Tim Tam biscuits but you can substitute with any biscuit you desire.

Note: I used the Mini Bowl to crush the biscuits but you can use the Kneading Blade inserted in the Cuisine Companion to pulse the biscuits until finely crushed then add melted butter and select Speed 6 until combined.

Biscuit Base

Line a 30 x 20 cm slice tin with baking paper extending the paper over the long sides of tin to help remove slice when ready.

330 gms Tim Tam Biscuits or biscuits of choice

50 gms Butter Melted

Place half the biscuits in Mini Bowl and pulse until crushed . Remove crushed biscuits to separate bowl, repeat with remaining biscuits and add melted butter stirring with metal spoon until combined.

Press the biscuit mixture into prepared tin and refrigerate.

Cheesecake Mixture

70 gms Creme de Menthe
10 gms gelatine powder
250 gms cream cheese
395gm condensed milk
300 mls thickened cream
1/4 teaspoon peppermint essence or to taste (optional)

Pour Creme de Menthe into a small heatproof bowl, microwave on medium high until boiling (this will only take a few seconds) remove from microwave and start stirring vigorously with fork, add gelatine quickly and keep stirring until gelatine dissolves. Set aside stirring regularly until cooled to room temperature. If the mixture starts to thicken, microwave for a few seconds on low setting until liquid and stir until room temperature again.

Insert Kneading Blade
Add cream cheese, Speed 11 until smooth, scraping down sides with spatula every 10 seconds.
Add condensed milk, Speed 10 until fully combined, scraping down sides and around blade with spatula every 10 seconds.
Insert Whisk.
Add cream.
Speed 7 for 1 min 30 sec or until mixture thickens, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula every 20 seconds.
Add combined Creme de Menthe and gelatine mixture.
Speed 6 for 15 seconds.
Taste and add peppermint essence if using,
Speed 6 for 5 seconds
Remove whisk, give a light stir with spatula and pour onto biscuit base.
Refrigerate until set.

Jelly Layer

285 gms Boiling Water

25 gms Caster Sugar 

15 gms Gelatine 

130 gms Creme de Menthe 

Place boiling water into heatproof bowl. Add sugar and stir with metal spoon until dissolved.

Stir water and dissolved sugar vigorously with fork, add gelatine and continue to stir until combined.

Strain mixture through fine wire mesh sieve into heatproof jug or bowl. Add Creme de Menthe and stir to combine. Refrigerate 45 minutes or until jelly thickens slightly and pour over cheesecake layer.

Refrigerate 2-3 hours until set.

Decorate as desired.

Savoury Soda Bread

I love a savoury bread and I especially love a bread that requires no proving or kneading and can be ready within an hour to serve with a homemade soup for lunch or served warm spread with butter for afternoon tea. This bread has cheese and spring onions added to the dough but anything can be added,  for example olives, cooked bacon, jalapeños or herbs and spices. The Tefal Cuisine Companion mixes all the ingredients in under 2 minutes and baking only takes 30 minutes. I have used
wholemeal  and plain flour but all plain flour or bread flour can be used.

Makes 1 small cob.

Preheat oven 220 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Ingredients 

100 gms Wholemeal Flour

175 gms Plain Flour

3 gms Salt

7 gms Baking Powder

45 gms Butter softened and diced 

200 gms Buttermilk 

5 gms Sugar 

60 gms Spring Onions or brown onion chopped finely

45 gms Cheddar cheese grated

Extra Buttermilk for brushing on top of dough before baking

Method

Insert Kneading Blade. Stopper out.

Add all ingredients in order listed except extra buttermilk.

Pastry P1: 1 min 30 sec or until mixture starts to form a ball. Scrape bowl with spatula as required.

Remove dough from bowl and shape into a cob by rolling dough between your hands.

Place on paper lined baking tray and flatten to 5 cm high.

Brush top with extra buttermilk.

Place in preheated oven and reduce temperature to 210 degrees.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until dark golden and cooked through.

Place on wire cooling rack until warm.

Serve spread with butter if desired.