Showing posts with label gluten free ratio rally. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gluten free ratio rally. Show all posts

Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Angel Food Cake

Welcome to another Gluten Free Ratio Rally! If you're new to this particular baking challenge, have a look at Shauna's original post over at Gluten Free Girl and the Chef.


When I offered to host this month's Gluten Free Ratio Rally I was excited, I had never made angel food cake before; this would be fun! Or so I thought. I chose angel food cake because I love the idea of a cake raised with egg whites, leaving the choice of flour open to a wide range of opportunities. Having never seen or tasted angel food cake, I was at a disadvantage, I really didn't know where to start. So, I started with the ratio...

3:3:1

That's 3 parts egg white, 3 parts sugar and 1 part flour. Add a pinch of salt and some acidity to stabilise the egg whites, bake and you're all done. My first was a flop, literally! I took it out of the oven too soon and the whole cake fell. My next attempt welded itself to the cake tin, it was impossible to turn out! So, I decided to go smaller, and my star-shaped silicone moulds would help with the sticking issue, too.

When it did work, I was left with light, moist cakes with a sweet, slightly chewy crust. Success! Definitely a cake to make and enjoy time, and again.

I can't wait to see what heavenly delights the rest of the gang have come up with!

TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies Peach Angel Food Cake
Charissa | Zest Bakery Saffron Angel Food Cake
Caneel | Mama Me Gluten Free Angel Food Cake "Pudding" with Fresh Cherry Sauce  
Aunt Mae | Honey From Flinty Rocks Angel Food Cake with Lemon Glaze
Heather | Discovering the Extraordinary Coconut Lime Angel Food Cake Roll
Gretchen | kumquat Caramel Macchiato Angel Food Cake
Angela | Angela's Kitchen Grilled Lemon Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd and Berries
Adina | Gluten Free Travelette Cacao Spice Angel Food Cake
Pete & Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem Caramel Peach Angel Food Cake
Mary Fran | FrannyCakes Gluten-free angel food cake with roasted cherries and earl grey
Jonathan | The Canary Files Lavender Angel Food Cupcakes



Almond Angel Food Stars
After all my attempts at this cake, I resorted to using cartons of egg whites! They are brilliant as you can weigh them out without waste and you're not left with a mountain of yolks to contend with later.

150g egg whites, at room temperature
150g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • Add half of the sugar to the ground almonds and mix with a whisk to aerate and break up lumps.
  • Whisk the egg whites until they are frothy, add the salt and cream of tartar and continue whisking until they are at stiff peaks.
  • Sprinkle the almond-sugar mixture over the whisked egg whites, a little at a time, and gently fold in. Be careful not to knock any of the air out by stirring.
  • Once well combined, spoon into silicone cupcake moulds and bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, until a skewer comes out cleanly.

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Quinoa Naan

It's Ratio Rally time again (where did last month go?!) and this time, we're making bread.  Karen over at Cooking Gluten-Free is hosting the challenge, so pop over there and see what everyone has been up to.

The ratio for bread is 5:3 - 5 parts flour : 3 parts water, plus yeast, salt and sugar.  My ratio turned out more like 1:1, since my chosen flour, quinoa, absorbed so much water!  Quinoa is a protein rich food and I have learned, through much experimenting, that the most successful gluten free bread recipes use a high-protein flour mix.



My history with yeast-risen bread is rather hit-or-miss so I tend to bake soda bread (besides, with breads like Fria Gluten Free out there, why put myself through the heartache of another flopped loaf?)  So, what to make for the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally?  I have been attempting to make decent roti for a while now, but since we're tackling flatbreads later on this year I decided to save that recipe...



Quinoa Naan Bread


225g quinoa flour
75g arrowroot starch
30g psyllium husk powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp golden caster sugar
1 sachet dried yeast
1 tbsp vegetable oil
300-350ml tepid water

  • Mix the quinoa flour, arrowroot, psyllium husk powder, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl.  Add the oil and pour in about 250ml water and combine.  Add more water as required until you have a sticky dough. (It shouldn't be too firm, but still be malleable.)
  • Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with cling-film.  Leave for about 1 hour until the dough has increased in volume by about half.
  • Lightly oil a frying pan or skillet and place under a grill, turned up as high as it will go. (You'll probably want to open a window and switch on the extractor fan!)
  • Rub some vegetable oil on your hands to stop the dough from sticking to you.  Take cricket ball sized pieces of dough and flatten them as thin as you can get them without tearing.
  • Remove the frying pan from under the grill and place the dough in the pan and put back under the grill.  The dough will bubble and char as it cooks.
  • When the naan is cooked all the way through (it will lose the raw dough look and puff up) cover in a clean tea towel to keep warn while you cook the rest.

Here is some more bread-y inspiration for you:

Adina | Gluten Free Travelette  Seedy Sandwich Bread
Angela | Angela’s Kitchen  Our Family’s Basic Gluten Free Dairy Free Bread
Aunt Mae (aka ~Mrs. R) | Honey From Flinty Rocks  Chia Millet Bread
Brooke | B & the boy!  Buckwheat-Oat Bread

Charissa | Zest Bakery  Cherry Pecan Pot Bread, Gluten Free  
Claire | This Gluten-Free Life  German Vollkornbrot (Seeded Bread)
Erin | The Sensitive Epicure English Sandwich Bread (gluten-free & egg-free)   
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine  Gluten Free Boule
Jonathan | The Canary Files Gluten-Free, Vegan Mediterranean Soda Bread

Karen | Cooking Gluten Free!  Gluten Free Sandwich Bread/Gluten Free Naan
Meaghan | The Wicked Good Vegan  Vegan Gluten-Free Bread
Meg | Gluten-Free Boulangerie  Ciabatta (gluten-free, egg-free/vegan)
Monika | Chew on This!  amaranth skillet flatbreads, amaranth mini pita rounds
Morri | Meals with Morri No Knead Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Flatbread (yeast free/grain free) 

Pete & Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem  Gluten-Free Challah
Rachel / The Crispy Cook  Gluten Free Chickpea Sandwich Bread
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies  Gluten Free White Bread
Tara | A Baking Life  Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread & Boule

Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Bagels - Gluten Free!

Bagel related injuries account for around 2,000 visits to the emergency room in the USA, every year. Admittedly, the incidents are usually due to the act of slicing them, not making them - but that didn't stop me from approaching this month's Gluten Free Ration Rally with caution!




I'm not really a bagel person and even before going gluten free I only ate them occasionally.  Fortunately, Morri (our host for this Ratio Rally) sent us a link for a great article and recipe from Bruce Ezzel which demystified the process somewhat. I'm not experienced in what constitutes a great bagel - what with living about 3500 miles from my nearest New York deli -  but, I still had fun making them and I was pleasantly surprised by the results.  For bagel-purists, this is not quite a classic recipe, however, I love the combination of orange and caraway and I'm sure you will, too.


The bagel starts life as a sponge base, this is water, flour and yeast combined and left to prove.  The ratio for this worked out as 7:5 - 7 parts water to 5 parts flour.

Orange and Caraway Bagels (Adapted from a recipe by Bruce Ezzel)

For the sponge
1tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp just boiled water
25g psyllium husk powder
225g gluten free bread flour mix (I use Doves Farm)
350g water 

  • Mix the flaxseed and boiled water together to make a slurry, set aside to cool.
  • Weigh the psyllium husk powder and bread flour mix into a large bowl and stir with a whisk to mix.  Pour in the water, stirring as you do so, and combine well.
  • Cover the bowl with a clean tea-towel and leave at room temperature for at least 4 hours

To make the bagels
1 tsp salt
18g honey
1 tsp orange extract
225g gluten free bread flour mix
1 tbsp caraway seeds
  • Add the salt, honey, orange extract and flour (flour last) to the sponge.  Mix with your hands until you have a smooth, slightly wet - but not sticky - dough.  
  • Oil your worktop and hands and turn the dough out on to the worktop.  
  • Divide the dough into 6-8 pieces and mould each piece into a ball.  Use your thumb to make a hole in the centre of each and flatten each slighltly to make your bagels
  • Preheat your oven to 230°C and 3/4 fill a large pan (a wok or deep frying pan would be best) water.  Bring the water to boil (some recipes call for baking soda to be added to the water, but Kent water is pretty hard so I didn't feel the need to make it more alkaline!).
  • Drop the bagels into the water 3-4 at a time and simmer for about a minute on each side.
  • Remove the bagels from the water and place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle caraway seeds over the bagels and bake for 15-20 minutes.





For more bagel ideas, check out the rest of the Rally-ers:

Morri at Meals with Morri made Blueberry Oat Bagels
Jenn at Jenn Cuisine  made Sundried Tomato Parmesan Bagels
Mary Fran at FrannyCakes made Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Adina at Gluten Free Travelette made Garlic Egg Bagels
Heather at Discovering the Extraordinary made Gluten-Free Bagels, with variations
gretchen at kumquat made Cinnamon Raisin Teff Bagels
Jean Layton at GFDoctorRecipes made Gluten-Free Sourdough Bagels
Meaghan at The Wicked Good Vegan made Vegan Gluten-Free Bagels
Meg at Gluten-Free Boulangerie made Classic Poppyseed Bagels (Vegan/Food Allergy-Safe)
TR at No One Likes Crumbley Cookies made Classic Gluten-Free Bagels
Angela at Angela's Kitchen made Gluten Free Bagels with variations
Caneel at Mama Me Gluten Free made Just Plain Bagels
Pete and Kelli at No Gluten, No Problem made Faux Pumpernickel Bagels



Wednesday, 4 April 2012

White Chocolate Brownies

The gluten free brownie has often left a lot to be desired, in my experience.  Coffee shops, in particular like to stock a gluten free offering and very often that is a brownie.  Not a rich, chewy brownie, with just the right amount of slightly gooey centre.  No.  They are usually dense and sickly, with a cakey centre.  It is no surprise that I went off the notion of brownies for a while and I'll admit to approaching this challenge with more than a little trepidation.




During my research for this months' Gluten-Free Ratio Rally (hosted by Mary Fran of Franny Cakes), I found hundreds of brownie and blondie recipes, each with a different ratio.  I was completely overwhelmed!  In the end I put down the research and started baking - after all, that's the fun bit, right? My poor husband and his workmates almost drowned in the deluge of experimental brownies that I forced on them to test.  My husband claims to have gained weight last month as a result (I'll just add more salads to his packed lunches this month...) but happily, I found a ratio that I was confident with.  The ratio that I had most success with is 2:1:1:1:1, that's 2 parts chocolate : 1 part fat : 1 part sugar : 1 part egg : 1 part flour and it yielded good results with plain, milk and white chocolate.  I used marshmallow and chocolate to make up the "2 parts chocolate" in my recipe, but it works so I don't mind bending the rules a wee bit!




White chocolate brownies? Blondies?  What do I call these? As far as I can tell, blondies and brownies are made using different methods  and a blondie does not necessarily have chocolate in the recipe.  So, despite the fact that I used white chocolate in my recipe, I used the brownie method to make them and I stand by the name "brownie".  At most, I'll concede that they are "blonde brownies".

Whatever you want to call these, I hope you'll agree that these are deliciously chewy, fudgy and they taste great!

White Chocolate & Marshmallow Brownies

195g white chocolate
45g marshmallows
120g butter
2 eggs
120g light brown sugar
120g gluten free plain flour mix (I used Doves Farm)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

  • Melt the chocolate, marshmallows and butter together in a bowl placed over just simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the surface of the water).  Don't be too particular about melting the marshmallows completely.  Set aside to cool
  • In a bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla extract and sugar then add the flour and salt. Mix well until smooth.  Add the melted chocolate, marshmallow and butter mixture and combine. 
  • Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 20x20cm tin (even if you use a silicone mould, I recommend greasing it, too).
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes at 170°C.  Allow to cool in the tin before turning out and cutting, you'll get about 16 squares from this recipe.


Here are the rest of the fantastic recipes from the Ratio Rally gang:

Adina from Gluten Free Travelette made Chocolate Brownie Pie with Orange Zest 
Angela from Angela's Kitchen made Gluten & Dairy Free Cream Egg Brownies 
Brooke from B & the boy! made Triple Chocolate Brownies 
Caitlin from {Gluten Free} Nom Nom Nom made Peppermint Brownie Bars 
Caneel from Mama Me Gluten Free made Triple chocolate brownies 
Charissa Luke from Zest Bakery made Slutty gluten-free brownies 
Claire from My Gluten Free Home PB&J Brownie Whoopee Pies 
Claire from This Gluten-Free Life made St. Patty's Day Marshmallow Swirl Brownies 
Erin from The Sensitive Epicure made Mexican Cocoa Brownies with an Almond & Pepitas Crust 
gretchen from kumquat made salted caramel brownies 
Heather from Discovering the Extraordinary made Nutmeg Blondies 
Irvin from Eat the Love made Blueberry Citrus Marble Brownies 
Jean from Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes made Blue Ribbon Brownies 
Jenn Cuisine made Grain free brownies with no-bake ricotta cheesecake cream 
Jonathan from The Canary Files made Vegan Marbled Banana Walnut Brownies 
Karen from Cooking Gluten Free! made GF Chewy Crackled Top Brownies with Raspberry Puree 
Mary Fran from FrannyCakes made Gluten-Free Hazelnut (Nutella) Brownies 
Morri from Meals with Morri made Oaxacan Brownies & Mesquite Cacao Blondies 
Mrs. R from Honey From Flinty Rocks made Black Bean S'More Brownies 
Pete and Kelli from No Gluten, No Problem made Caramel Mexican Chocolate Mesquite Brownies 
Rachel from The Crispy Cook made Co-Co Nut-Nut Blondies 
Shauna from Gluten-Free Girl made Gluten-Free Brownies 
Tara from A Baking Life Mint made Chocolate Flourless Brownies 
TR from No One Likes Crumbley Cookies made Gluten Free Berry Fudge Brownies



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Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Banana Cinnamon Crepes

When I first met the man who would be my husband, I had no idea about the rich culture that he carried with him, in fact I had given it no thought whatsoever.  I had heard him talk about his cousins in Trinidad, and soon after we started dating I learned about the Sri Lankan side of his family.  Before long, I was intrigued.  My husband's heritage is a vibrant and interesting one and I was keen to learn more about it.

I was particularly fascinated by the food (natch), and after sampling Sri Lankan food (thanks to a couple of very talented Aunties and one Sri Lankan restaurant) I was hooked.  The deep, intense roasted curry powder, heavy use of chillies and, of course, cinnamon seduced me and I was determined to cook this cuisine for myself.  I have found that most Sri Lankan dishes that use flour call for rice or lentil flour, so are naturally gluten free.  I am still learning and discovering new ingredients (I'm Scottish - before all of this, coconut was just part of the coating on a Tunnocks Snowball) and I'm enjoying every moment.

That said, any Sri Lankans reading this post might want to look away now.  This recipe is very loosely inspired by hoppers, which use a fermented batter made with yeast, rice flour and coconut milk.  I say loosely, and I mean it, this is in no way an authentic recipe.


This month, the Gluten-Free Ratio is focusing on crepes.  T.R. over at No One Likes Crumbley Cookies is hosting this event, so pop over there to see the full round-up.


The ratio for crepes is 1:2:2.  That's 1 part flour : 2 parts egg : 2 parts liquid.  This ratio worked well for me, but some of the others in the rally have altered theirs in some way.  You are basically looking for a batter with the consistency of heavy cream, so depending on what flour you use you might have to adjust the amount of liquid slightly.  I was a little worried that the coconut milk I was using might change the way the batter cooked, but I was pleased to see that it worked in the same way as milk, but with the pleasing aroma of coconut wafting from the crepe pan!

Banana Cinnamon Crepes

2 eggs
56g brown rice flour
114ml coconut milk (the thin stuff - if you have coconut cream, dilute it with equal parts water)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 bananas, sliced
3 tbsp golden caster sugar mixed with 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

  • Whisk together the eggs, flour and cinnamon until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps.
  • Add the coconut milk and whisk again until smooth.  Leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes, to allow the flour to absorb some liquid.
  • Heat a non-stick frying-pan on a medium flame and brush lightly with oil (or use a piece of kitchen towel) to just coat the pan.  Give the batter a quick mix and pour approximately a quarter of it (about 1/3 cup) into the pan and swirl the pan to cover the surface with the batter.
  • You will know the crepe is ready to turn when the surface begins to bubble and the crepe comes away from the pan easily.  Turn the crepe and cover half of the, now cooked, surface with slice banana and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the whole surface.
  • Fold the crepe in half to cover the banana and turn out on to a plate.  
  • Brush the pan with a little more oil before starting the next crepe.
Crepe - ready to turn over


Here are the links to the rest of the rally's delicious crepes:

Adina ~ Gluten Free Travelette ~ Breakfast Crepes Three Ways
Angela ~ Angela's Kitchen ~ Savory Buckwheat Crepes with Sweet Potato, Mushroom and Kale Filling
Caitlin ~ {Gluten-Free} Nom Nom Nom ~ Buckwheat Crepes
Caneel ~ Mama Me Gluten Free ~ Slightly Sweet Crepes with Caramelized Bananas and Nutella Sauce
Charissa ~ Zest Bakery ~ Black Pepper Crepes with Chicken Tikka Masala
Erin ~ The Sensitive Epicure ~ Socca with Za'atar & Sumac (Garbanzo Flour Crepes)
Ginger  ~ Fresh Ginger ~ Sweet 'n Savory
gretchen ~ kumquat ~ nutella crepe cake
Heather ~ Discovering the Extraordinary ~ "Southwestern" Crepes
Jenn ~ Jenn Cuisine ~ Braised Duck, Fennel and Chestnut CrĂŞpes
Karen ~ Cooking Gluten-Free! ~ Gluten Free Crepes Savory or Sweet
Mary Fran ~ FrannyCakes ~ Gluten-free Peanut Butter Crepe Cake
Mary Fran ~ FrannyCakes ~ Gluten-Free Vanilla Bean CrĂŞpes SucrĂ©es
Monika ~ Chew on This! ~ Dessert crepes with caramelized plantains, toasted coconut and chocolate sauce
Morri  ~  Meals with Morri ~ Russian Blini for Two
Pete and Kelli ~ No Gluten, No Problem ~ Key Lime Crepes
Shauna ~ gluten-free girl ~ Gluten Free Buckwheat Crepes
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Brownie Crepes with Strawberry Wine sauce
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Basil Tomato and Feta Crepes
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Fresh Fruit Crepe
Tara ~ A Baking Life ~ Breakfast Crepes with Eggs and Kale
Jonathan ~ The Canary Files ~ Vegan Crepes for Filipino Spring Rolls
Rachel ~ The Crispy Cook ~ Raspberries and Cream Crepes
~Mrs. R ~ Honey From Flinty Rocks ~ Crepes - Spinach & Dessert



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Wednesday, 4 January 2012

Not biscuits, but biscuits

Oscar Wilde said of the UK, "We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language."  Writing a food blog has made this very apparent to me over the years.  Using sugar? In the UK it's icing sugar, in the USA confectioners sugar, in the USA you have superfine sugar, in the UK we have caster sugar.  Ask for chips in the UK and you'll receive deep fried potato sticks (or, french fries for you in the USA), in the USA you'll get deep fried potato slices (or, crisps for you in the UK)...  Do you see what I mean?!

So when I saw that the theme for this month's Gluten Free Ratio Rally was biscuits... well, I knew I was in trouble.  In the UK, biscuits are the same thing as cookies (although they tend to be crisp and crunchy instead of soft and chewy) so I had to seek help.  The Husband's parents live in North Carolina, and biscuits are on his "must eat" list any time he visits them, however his description was sketchy at best!  

"Something like a scone, but not a scone, savoury, not a dumpling, but fluffy."

Great. Loads to work with then!  Armed with this sparse knowledge, and having seen a few photos on Google Images,  I hit the kitchen.  Since this was my first attempt at biscuits, I decided to keep it simple.  My efforts were definitely thinner than the photos I'd seen, but the insides had promise, nearly fluffy.  So I read and reread Ruhlman's description of biscuits in his book, Ratio, then I tried again...

The ratio is actually pretty simple, 3:1:2 - 3 parts flour : 1 part fat : 2 parts liquid.  Ruhlman suggests that the lift is created by rolling and folding the dough (as you would with rough-puff pastry), but I added baking powder to help it along!  
While this batch was baking, I spent the whole time with head in hands and bum in the air, peering into the oven to check that the biscuits were rising.  The finished product were still a bit thinner than the photos, but when the Husband tasted them his eyes lit up!  They were fluffy!  They tasted like biscuits should!  Then, the Husband told me that they should be eaten with sausages and scrambled eggs.  Now, this could have easily been a ruse, he might have just fancied scrambled egg and sausage, but they did go well together.

For the round-up of the Ratio Rally this month, head over to Gretchen's blog at Kumquat.

American Style Biscuits


110g butter, chilled
330g all purpose gluten free flour mix (I used Dove's Farm Plain GF Flour)
1tsp salt
2tsp caster (superfine) sugar
2tsp baking powder (make sure it's gluten free)
220g milk
cornflour, for dusting
a little extra milk

  • Weigh the flour into a bowl and add the salt, sugar, and baking powder and mix gently to combine.  Add the butter and rub together with your fingertips, until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. 
  • Add the milk and combine well until a wet-ish dough forms.  Tip out on to a floured surface and knead gently, be careful not to knead away those little lumps of butter.  
  • Dust your worktop with cornflour and roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick, fold into thirds and roll out again.  Repeat this rolling and folding 2 or 3 more times.  Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Remove dough from the fridge and pat out to 1/2 inch thick and cut out rounds with a 3 inch cutter.
  • Place on a baking sheet, brush the tops with a little milk, and bake for 10-13 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius.
  • Eat while still warm.

Oh, and my favourite UK/USA word-definition difference?  Pants.


And here's the rest of the gang!
Amanda at Gluten Free Maui made Classic Biscuits and Gravy
Amie at The Healthy Apple made  Gluten-Free Wasabi Parsley Biscuits
Caneel at Mama Me Gluten Free made Whole Grain Pecan Drop Biscuits
Charissa at Zest Bakery made Eggnog Biscuits with Grated Nutmeg
Erin at The Sensitive Epicure made Scallion Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
Gretchen at Kumquat made Sweet Buttermilk Biscuits
Heather at Discovering the Extraordinary made Almond Coconut Tea Biscuits
Jean at Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes made Jammers
Jonathan at The Canary Files made Vegan Sesame Shiso Biscuits
Karen at Cooking Gluten Free! made Biscuit Template with Dairy Free Substitutions
Lisa at Gluten Free Canteen made Fluffy Biscuits, Gluten Free
Mary Fran at FrannyCakes made Gluten-Free Espresso Orange Biscuits
Mrs. R at Honey From Flinty Rocks made Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping - Gobbler Cobbler!
Rachel at The Crispy Cook made Hummus in a Biscuit
Silvana at Silvana's Kitchen made Gluten-Free Sausage-n-Cheddar Bialy Biscuits
TR at No Ones Likes Crumbley Cookies made Lemon Basil Biscuits

Wednesday, 7 December 2011

Mulled Spice Cookies

Nothing says Christmas like the scent of mulled wine.  Not just Christmas - winter.  I remember the snowboarding holiday (actually, for me it was a sitting-on-my-bum-in-the-snow holiday) where I first tried vin chaud - warm, spicy wine, cradled in frozen hands, it was almost as beautiful as the scenery.  All I need now to be transported back to that snowy mountain-top is a whiff of mulled wine!
This month, the Gluten Free Ratio Rally are making cookies.  Head over to Caroline at The G Spot Revolution to see the results.  The ratio for cookies is 3:2:1 - 3 parts flour : 2 parts fat : 1 part sugar.  What could be simpler?

Since it's nearly Christmas, and the weather has (finally) turned frosty, I found myself wondering -  could I make cookies with some of the appeal of mulled wine?  To achieve this I used some of the spices that give GlĂĽhwein, Glögg, and all their friends their aromatic goodness.  (Doesn't the fact that practically every cold weather country has its own variation of mulled wine tell you just how wonderful this particular beverage really is?!) 


All I need now is some snow!


Mulled Spice Cookies


70g light brown sugar
10g maple syrup
160g butter, softened
160g brown rice flour
80g white rice flour
1tsp vanilla extract
pinch ground cloves
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/4tsp ground ginger
1 star anise, seeds only
1 green cardamon pod, seeds only

  • Grind the anise seeds and cardamon seeds until they are a fine powder.  Mix with the other spices then combine with the flours.
  • Beat the butter, sugar and maple syrup together until light and fluffy, add the vanilla extract  and combine well.
  • Add the flour and spice mix and fold in until you have a stiff-ish dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
  • You can either roll the dough into a sausage and slice 1/2cm thick rounds off that, or roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut shapes.  Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
Variation: before you put the cookies in the oven, place a blob of marzipan on top of each cookie, then bake as before.

Clementine Icing: Juice one clementine (you can also zest it if you like) and add the juice to 3-4 heaped tbsp of icing sugar (powdered sugar) mix well to make a smooth, runny icing. Spoon over cooked and cooled cookies, or use as "mortar" to hold together a cookie-tree like the one above.



Amanda | Gluten Free Maui | Simple Shortbread
Amie Valpone | The Healthy Apple | Grapefruit Sugar Cookies
Brooke | B & the boy! | Candy Cane Shortbread
Caneel | Mama Me Gluten Free | Cardamom Date Cookies
charissa | zest bakery | Coconut Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Caroline | The G-Spot | Double Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies
Claire | Gluten Freedom | Chai Latte Cashew Cookies
Erin | The Sensitive Epicure | Spritz Cookies with Jam
gretchen | kumquat | Classic Sugar Cookies
Irvin | Eat the Love | Apple Brown Butter Bay Leaf Spice Cookies
Jean |Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes | Chocolate Reindeer Cookies 
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine | Basler Brunsli
Jonathan| The Canary Files | Vegan Salted Oatmeal Cherry Cookies
Karen | Cooking Gluten Free! | Mexican Wedding Cakes
Lisa from Gluten Free Canteen | Molasses Rum Raisin Cookies
Mary Fran | frannycakes | Pinwheel Cookies
Meaghan | The Wicked Good Vegan | Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Meredith | Gluten Free Betty | Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Morri | Meals With Morri| Stevia Sweetened & Grain-Free Thumbprint Cookies with Apricot Preserves
Pete & Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem| Belgian Speculaas Cookies
Rachel | The Crispy Cook | Melomakarona
Shanua | Gluten Free Girl & the Chef | Gluten-Free Soft Molasses Cookies
Silvana Nardone | Silvana’s Kitchen | Old-School Italian Jam-Filled Hazelnut Cookies
T.R. | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies | Cinnamon Lemon Cookies
Tara | A Baking Life | Walnut Shortbread 


Wednesday, 2 November 2011

Leek and Potato Pie

My inner domestic goddess keeps butter in the freezer so that I can make flaky pastry a la Delia in a moments' notice.  Sadly, this domestic goddess has no inclination to wash the dishes after making said pastry...

This month, the Gluten Free Ratio Rally is hosted by Lisa over at Gluten Free Canteen and we are making pie crust.  Head over to Lisa's page to see what wonderful pies, galettes, and pasties the gang have come up with.  The ratio of pie crust is 3:2:1.  That's - 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, 1 part water.

 My choice of pie was dictated largely by the plethora of leeks in my kitchen.  There seems to be a never ending supply coming from the weekly veg box!  (I'm not complaining, I love a leek.)  This is a great way to use up those ends of cheese you always find after having a cheese-board, and although I use Stilton here it's really dealer's choice.

Leek and Potato Pie


200g Brown rice flour
100g White rice flour
1/2tsp salt
200g butter, frozen.
100ml cold water
3-4 medium leeks, washed and sliced
2 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
150g Stilton cheese, crumbled into small pieces
1 egg, beaten

  • Saute the leeks in a little oil until soft, but not coloured.  Set aside to cool.
  • Parboil the potatoes for 5 minutes in salted.  Drain and set aside to cool.
  • Weigh the flours into a bowl and mix in the salt.
  • Coarsely grate the butter into flours and gently mix together.  I use a knife for this, but if you have cold hands you can use those!
  • Add the water, a little at a time, mixing gently until it all comes together into a pliable dough.  You might not use all the water.  Cover with clingfilm and pop in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  • Heat your oven to 190 degrees C.
  • Rescue your dough from the fridge and split it into 1/3 and 2/3.  Starting with the 2/3 piece, roll it out on a floured surface to about 3mm thickness.  Line your pie dish with this.
  • Spread half of your cooled leeks over the base, then arrange half of your potato slices on top of them.  Sprinkle over half the cheese.  Then repeat with the remaining leeks, potatoes and cheese.
  • Roll the final 1/3 of pastry on a floured surface, large enough to top your pie.  Place this over the top of your pie and seal the edges.  
  • Trim the edges and brush with beaten egg.

  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown all over.
  • Serve hot or cold.









Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Beetroot Fritters

My Husband often refers to me as "broken".  I suppose I am; Crohn's Disease, Coeliac Disease, Osteoporosis, B12 deficiency, chronic anaemia, and a  colostomy (now with stenosis), is probably enough to justify the term.  Two major abdominal surgeries, and a handful of day surgeries, have left their share of physical scars.  The emotional scars can be harder to deal with.  Most days, I'm fine, but sometimes I wonder "why me?"  I have been quite contemplative since I was told that I will require surgery for stenosis (this is a food blog, so I won't turn your stomach with too much detail.  Basically, my colostomy has started to heal over.  Let's leave it there, shall we?!).  Finally, I was well, I was healthy, then this happened.  When will I get the chance to really live my life to the full?  I felt beaten.  That was, until Shauna tweeted a link to this blog post by David Anderson.  

My brokenness makes me the person I am today.  On the night of my 30th birthday party I was fretting about the fact that I hadn't done half the things I wanted to do in my twenties, when my Mum reminded me that I had done something much more.  I had survived Crohn's Disease.  I am stronger and more determined because of everything I have encountered.  I enjoy time with my Husband, family, and good friends whenever I can, because I know that they are what's important.  I cook because it fills me with joy.  I write because I am inspired.

I am filling my cracks with gold.

And purple.  The theme for the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally this month is fritters and doughnuts.  Pop over to host, Meg, at Gluten-Free Boulangerie to see the round-up.   I have redicovered beetroot this year.  I am enchanted by it's sweet earthiness, and I love the purple that colours everything in the dish!

I must admit, I have never made a fritter before (and I don't know if bhajis and pakoras count?) so I opted to give them a go.  Much to the Husband's disappointment, why would a person pass up the chance to eat doughnuts?!  The ratio for fritters is 2:2:1, 2 parts flour:2 parts liquid:1 part egg.

Beetroot and Apple Fritters (makes about 10 fritters)


60g millet flour
60g cornflour
120g natural yogurt
1 large egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 green apple, peeled and grated
1 beetroot, cooked, peeled and grated
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 cups light oil

  • Beat the egg in large bowl and mix with the yogurt.  Sieve the flours and baking powder into the bowl and combine well.
  • Stir in the beetroot, apple and caraway seeds.
  • In a frying pan, heat the oil.  Add heaped dessert spoons of the mixture into the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute. Don't overcrowd the pan or the temperature of the oil will drop.
  • Turn the fritters and cook for a further minute.
  • Transfer the fritters to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
I should admit that I initially intended these to be savoury fritters but the flavours of the beetroot and apple convinced me that they were better suited as sweet fritters!  These are delicious served warm with cream and a drizzle of honey.

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Wednesday, 3 August 2011

White Chocolate Cupcakes


I turn thirty in just 11 days...The thought terrifies me somewhat - I'm not ready! I feel quite far from achieving my "things to do before I'm thirty" list thanks mostly to various Crohns surgeries that tended to put a dampener on adventure,  among other things.  That said, apparently, thirty is the new twenty and there is nothing I can do about the inevitability of time (I've looked into it), so I am consoling myself by baking practice cakes for my birthday party.

Rather fortuitously, the theme for this month's Gluten-Free Ratio Rally is cake!  Head over to host Kate at Gluten Free Gobsmacked for the round-up.  I intend to steal the most exciting ideas to use at my birthday party, a week on Sunday, so the timing could not be better for me.

The ratio (which could not be easier) is -  1:1:1:1.  Egg:fat:sugar:flour.

I have opted for cupcakes for two reasons.  I am a twin, my brother is normal (in so much as he can tolerate gluten), so our birthday cake with be a "normal" cake.  My Mum and I are baking gluten free cupcakes to accompany the main cake, so that I can eat something at my own party.  Secondly, pure impatience, cupcakes bake quicker than your average sandwich sponge and I am the sort of person that can't wait that long for my cake.

White Chocolate Cupcakes
The icing* highlights the vanilla taste of the white chocolate and adds a lovely, rich finishing touch.  I used a star nozzle on my piping bag and decorated it with some dark gold cake glitter and a chocolate star from Dr Oetker.


(For the cakes)
110g Self-Raising flour mix (if you don't already have a favourite, you could try mine)
110g Margarine
110g Caster sugar
2 Large eggs
60g Good quality white chocolate

(For the icing)
110g Butter, softened
220g Icing sugar
1tsp Vanilla extract

  • Melt the white chocolate, either in in bowl sat above a pan gently boiling water, or in the microwave (only microwave chocolate for 5-10 seconds at a time, it burns very quickly!)
  • In a large bowl, beat the margarine and sugar until it is pale and fluffy.  (An electric hand-whisk is the easiest way to do this.)
  • Add the eggs, one at a time and whisk to combine.  (If the mixture looks like it is splitting, add a tablespoon of the flour mix to bring it back together.)
  • Add the flour mix and continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth.
  • Slowly add the melted white chocolate, whisking all the time until it is combined.
  • Line a shallow bun tin with 12 paper or silicone cases and fill each one about 3/4 with the cake mixture.
  • Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.  Leave to cool in the tin as they will be quite soft straight from the oven.
  • To make the butter-cream icing: beat the butter in a bowl until it is pale and creamy, sift in the icing sugar and beat the two together.
  • Add the vanilla extract and combine well.
  • This is now ready to transfer to a piping bag to decorate your cakes.
*For all my US readers, for icing, read frosting!!

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