Saturday 15 May 2010

Hazelnut Torte - Gluten, wheat and dairy free


For something really decadent to impress your friend if they are over for supper or a bbq, try this old recipe that have been rattling around in our family for donkeys years!


Hazelnut Torte

Gluten free, Wheat free and Dairy free

100g Hazelnuts

4 free range eggs

125g raw cane caster sugar (fairtrade)


For filling:

50g dairy free margarine

50g icing sugar

25g 'free from' dark chocolate


For topping:

75g raw cane granulated sugar (fairtrade)

3 tbsp water

8 hazelnuts


Preheat oven to 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4


Grease two, 7 inch sandwich tins - line the base and sides with grease proof paper. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor or even a coffee grinder.


Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy. Whisk the egg whites until it forms stiff peaks and you can hold the bowl above your head (love doing this stunt with the kids!)

Fold in the ground nuts and eggs whites alternatively into the egg yolk mix. Divide the mixture between the two tins. Bake for 30 mins or until set, leave in the tin for 10 mins and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.


Cream the marg and beat in the icing sugar. Melt the choc in a basin over a pan of hot water. Beat into the butter and icing mix. Spread the filling on one of the cooled cakes and sandwich the other ontop.


Put the sugar and water into a small pan and hea gently until the sugar has melted. Then boil rapidly until a golden caramel is reached. Using an oiled knife, spread the caramel evenly over the top of the cake. While it is soft you can mark into portions and decorate with nuts!


How hungry does that make you feel - yummy! Wondering whether we should do some cupcakes with hazelnuts?

Friday 14 May 2010

Tomato and Onion Tart let - Gluten, Wheat and Dairy free

Something I sometimes strangely miss is the quintessential quiche!


But I then make my lovely little tomato and onion tart lets and it all melts away. I actually prefer these to their dairy & wheat laden friends, as you are left feeling great after eating them rather than really heavy after lots of dairy!


Tomato and Onion Tart let
Gluten free, wheat free and dairy free


150g Rice flour
75g fine polenta
75g potato flour
1 tsp sea salt (optional)
1 heaped tsp xantham gum
150g Dairy free margarine
1 free range egg
2 tbsp water


filling
4 onions
24 baby or mini plum tomatoes halved
8 - 12 eggs
Local extra virgin rapeseed oil


Preheat oven to 180C

So sieve all dry ingredients into a bowl. Rub in the marg until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. then slowly mix in the gently whisked wet ingredients. Then squash into a ball & knead for a few minutes to really make the xantham gum, start to bind the dough. Pop into the fridge for half an hour.

Take an onion, chop in half & then into long strips & heat in local extra virgin rapeseed oil, slowly until the onions are really soft & sweet.


Then take eight, four inch lose bottomed tart tins and cut a little bit of pastry off & push the pastry into the tin. Make as thin as possible, without making holes! Split the cooked onion between all eight tarts and spread across the bottom. Pop one half of a tomato in the middle of one of the tart tins and then place another five halves around the edge. Crack an egg into a cup, whisk with a fork and pour into the tin. Repeat this process with the other 7 tins.


Pop them into the oven for 20 mins, the egg should have risen up and be golden brown. Let them rest for a few minutes and then remove them from the tins and let cool on a baking tray. Either eat them straight out of the oven, or I find the flavour of the tomato intensifies when cold - I especially love these as fast food instead of a sandwich - they are very easy to travel in some foil. What do you think - I just love them - can someone make them for me please!

Thursday 13 May 2010

Lemon Sponge Cake - Gluten, Wheat and Dairy free

Yum, yum my children are always asking for 'Lemon cake Mummy, Lemon cake'. For two four year old boys, our Lemon cake is the ultimate.

Give it a go:

Sponge
200g Dairy free margarine
200g Raw cane sugar (fair trade)
4 free range eggs
200g Dove's Self raising flour
1 Lemon - rind & juice

Icing
(for icing on top as well just double the amounts)
200g Icing sugar
80g Dairy free margarine
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or to as per your taste preference)t4



Preheat oven to 180C
Pop Marg and sugar into a bowl and beat with a hand whisk until it literally falls off the spoon - it will take a long time so be patient and think of those arm muscle building up!
Then one at a time beat in each egg (better if you whisk it slightly first with a fork).
Then fold in the flour, followed by the zest of the lemon and 1 tablespoon of juice.
Split mixture between two greased 7inch sandwich sponge tins. Pop into the oven for 20 mins or until the sponge springs back when touched. Try not to over cook. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for a few minutes and then remove from the tins & cool on a wire rack.
For icing pop icing sugar and margarine in a bowl and mix thoroughly (slowly to start with otherwise the whole kitchen will be covered in an icing sugar cloud!) then add in the 2 table spoons of Lemon juice.
Once the sponge cakes have cooled, pile the icing mix into the middle, spread & then place the second sponge on top. Yum yum, afternoon tea or pudding whatever takes your fancy!

Monday 10 May 2010

Asparagus, Chicken, Wild Garlic and Rhubarb Three course meal

For us at Pure Flavour, raising awareness of Coeliac disease is doing what we always do.... getting gluten eaters and non gluten eaters to eat gluten free food that tastes just like the real thing!


So as usual by using as much local and seasonal produce, this is what I have come up with today and it really is so deliciously yummy.
Asparagus with Hemp Oil


Serves 2 - Gluten, Wheat and dairy free

A very simple starter, for us who are lucky to have some asparagus growing in the veggie patch, we go with a sharp knife and cup some most evenings at the moment!

250g of Asparagus

Drizzle of Hemp Oil (or other Extra Virgin oils that you like)

Sea Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Snap off the end where the asparagus naturally lets you and you are left with the best bit! Place all the tips into a bamboo steamer (you can use other steamers, but I get on best with these). Pop over a quarter full saucepan of boiling water for 5 mins (or longer if large stalks).

Pop asparagus into a pile on a slightly warmed plate, drizzle with hemp oil and liberally season with salt and pepper.

Such a delicious, nutritious and healthy starter.

Wild garlic stuffed chicken


Serves 6 - Gluten, Wheat & can be dairy free

This recipe is adapted from Sarah Raven's Garden cookbook my take on 'Alastair Little's chicken with coriander pesto'. Fantastic for a spring evening and left overs are brilliant for a picnic the next day as the flavours intensify as the chicken sits in the wild garlic pesto.

1.5kg boned local free range chicken

2 free range chicken breasts

4 slices of local streaky bacon

Large bunch of tarragon

Sprig of lemon thyme

2 cloves of garlic

1 glass of dry white wine

Local Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil

Seasoning

A slice of lemon to serve

Pesto

50g freshly picked basil

150g freshly picked wild garlic

3 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of pinenuts

8 tablespoons of extra virgin rapeseed oil

3 tablespoons of finely grated parmesan cheese (just leave out if dairy free)


Preheat over to 200C/Gas Mark 6.

To make the pesto, pop all the ingredients except the cheese into a food processor, until finely chopped. Then fold in the cheese.

Flatten the deboned chicken and spread half of the pesto all over the inside. Then wrap the chicken breasts in 2 of the bacon slices and place these in the middle of the chicken pesto. Spread the rest of the pesto all over the chicken breasts and wrap the whole chicken around the breasts. Either secure with soaked cocktail sticks or sow up wtih string and big needle.

Into an oven proof dish or loaf tin that the chicken will just fit into. Put the herbs and unpeeled garlic into it, pop the chicken in and pour over the wine. Drizzle some Rapeseed oil over the bird, season with sea salt and pepper and place the rest of the bacon over the top. Cover with tin foil.

Roast for an hour and a half, but keep basting after an hour and remove the tin foil. Once cooked remove from the tin and let it sit for 1omins to rest in the tin foil. Then cut big thick slices and serve with a slice of lemon.












Heated Rhubarb with Booja Booja Vanilla ice-cream


Serves 6 - Gluten, Wheat and Dairy free

600g Rhubarb

4 tablespoons to Xylitol (or sugar)

Juice and zest of 2 oranges

Chop the rhubarb into 3 cm lengths pop into a saucepan, cover the base of the pan with orange zest and juice and add the xylitol (adjust the amount to suit your taste). Cook for 10 minutes. Serve with a large scoop of Booja Booja Vanilla Ice-cream - utterly delicious



See how many restaurants could also serve this delicious meal for those of us wanting or having to go without gluten, wheat and dairy. Delicious home cooked local and seasonal food as simple as that!

Friday 7 May 2010

Chocolate Cookies - (GF, WF & DF)


Well my lovely friend Amanda, emailed me a delicious cookie recipe which I have tweeked to be 'free from'. One of my boys decided he wanted to make them with me and we have a yummy success, after a huge amount of cookie dough splattered around the kitchen, the cooked cookies were so delicious that rather too many than needed have been consumed!


Chocolate cookies

350g Dairy free margarine

250g Raw cane caster sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp of vanilla extract (I thought this added a bit more depth to the flavour but not essential!)

375g Gluten free flour (I used Dove's Plain flour)

1 tsp of Xantham gum (this gave it a bit more strength but not totally essential)

50g Cocoa powder


Preheat oven o 190C/Gas 5.


Cream together margarine and sugar until it is really soft and nearly falls off the spoon.

Add egg, vanilla extract, flour, xantham gum and cocoa. Mix with the whisk on a low speed. Once all combined it should form a soft dough. If you are using a cookie press do not put into the fridge or it will become too firm.
Either make your cookies in a cookie press or roll into little balls and put onto a greased baking tray. Pop into the oven for 10-12 minutes
Cool on a wire rack - they will last in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
So what are you waiting for go get that kitchen covered in cookie dough!

Monday 3 May 2010

Rhubarb Cake (Gluten, wheat & dairy free cake)

We have some delicious asparagus popping through the soil, luckily we have neighbours, Judy and Steve who have lots of Rhubarb so we have been swapping! How lovely it is - so I peeked into Sarah Raven's lovely 'Garden Cookbook' - which by the way I absolutely love if you are growing veg & suddenly have a glut and really need inspiration to make your way through the pile of delicious produce!

So I have made a few adjustments to the recipe and it is now Gluten, Wheat & Dairy free & my word - utterly delicious!

480g rhubarb
60g brown raw cane sugar
60g dairy free marg
Grated zest of 1 orange
125g dairy free marg
175g raw cane caster sugar
3 eggs
175g Self raising Gluten free flour (I used Dove's)
1 tablespoon of rice milk (am sure you could use soya too! or even water, but it can make it crusty)

Preheat oven to 180C or Gas mark 4

Cut rhubarb up in to 5cm blocks. Melt 60g butter & 60g sugar in pan, add orange zest & remove from the heat. In a oven proof dish pour butter mix & cover the base with rhubarb.

Cream the rest of the butter and marg until light & fluffy. Beat each egg and gradually add each egg while still beating the creamed butter. Sift in the flour and milk and beat quickly into the mixture. Spread the mixture over the rhubarb with a spatula.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 - 50 minutes (the recipe said 30 minutes, but mine took 50 mins until a knife came out clean).

Serve with some Booja Booja Vanilla ice-cream - so utterly delicious and totally moreish!

Do not forget to take a look at our website at our amazing bespoke celebration cakes all Gluten, wheat and dairy free.