Almond Pancakes

To make about 24 small pancakes (like blinis)

2 medium eggs beaten with a whisk (today we used one very large egg)
dash of cold water - whisked in
Ground almonds
butter for frying

Add ground almonds to egg/water mixture until the consistency resembles thick batter.

Heat the butter in a frying pan (I use a stainless steel pan) then add desertspoons of pancake mix - the butter should sizzle when the pancakes are added (or they will stick).  The pancakes are about an inch and a half in diameter.  Cook until bubbling and then flip to cook the other side.

A variation is to add sultanas/raisins to the batter mix prior to cooking.  Also, grated apple can be added to the batter.

Serve whilst warm with runny honey.

Freeze any uneaten pancakes - they freeze very well and are useful for days when you’re short of time.

Crackers!

This is a recipe that came my way a number of years ago when a friend's son was diagnosed with a rare type of juvenile epilepsy. Having sought input all over the UK, they resorted to networking/researching on the internet and found that the ketogenic diet was an option that may control his seizures. They undertook a very strict and controlled diet limiting his carbohydrate content and meant he ate mainly protein and fat.  Measurements were to the gram - hence the small amounts listed.  This recipe is one both he and my son could eat.  However, it's a great gluten free cracker so we make it regularly too.

We doubled the amount shown in the recipe below today, and thus used 60g of egg, which is roughly one medium egg.

Although the recipe is titled nut crackers, it's not exactly accurate as there are no nuts in them! As Sous Chef J pointed out, it should be seed crackers...

The seeds were placed in the Braun-multiquick-small-chopper-thingy and whizzed for a short time to make a lumpy powder (don't go too long/high a speed - it'll change to seed butter if you do!).

Then the seed mix was put in a bowl and the beaten egg was then added and mixed in.  Finally the olive oil was thoroughly combined with the seed/egg mix.  It should be worked until it sort of stays together, almost like dough...

This was then spread onto a non-stick tray (using silicone spatula) to an even-ish thickness.  At this point, you can lightly score the surface which makes the crackers a little easier to separate... but we forgot this step today!  The tray was then put into a pre-heated 170ºC fan oven on middle shelf...

The pic to the right shows the crackers as they come out of the oven after about 12-15minutes... I checked after 8 minutes and then kept a close look out as they burn rapidly.

Having placed the tray on a cooling rack for a couple of minutes, the oils are absorbed into the seed cracker and a palate knife was used to define the crackers.  Et voila... seed crackers ready for a chunk of cheese and some home made apple chutney.  These keep well in an airtight container.

FOOTNOTE:-

The pic to the left is of the man himself... I had wondered why Sous Chef J was laughing as he wielded the camera... cheeky rascal!

Salmon Salad

This is a recipe for a store cupboard salad that we often make to take out for meals on the move over the summer months. As always, there's not much involved and it can be prepared the day before its needed so is perfect for days out that require an early start.

Just a few ingredients are needed and these are:- about half a cup of peanuts (salted or unsalted), one small tin of salmon (remove skin and bones then flake), two apples (cored and chopped into 1cm pieces), 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and the juice of half a lemon. The mayonnaise and lemon juice were mixed in a large bowl. Next the chopped apples were added and coated in the mayonnaise mix before adding the peanuts. All the ingredients were mixed again before the salmon flakes were stirred through. This was the result... .. it's stored in a pyrex dish in the fridge until we're ready to eat.

It is great to take on a picnic in individual portions or can be served with a green salad as a tasty light meal.

Serves 4 (with green salad) or more as a side dish...

Almond Crunch

When we first started on the GAPS dietary regime (which we follow to assist Chef J with his Dyspraxia and leaky gut), no sugar was allowed. So, we researched ancient recipes using honey as the sweetening agent. A few recipes seemed to use honey and butter to make a type of caramel/toffee and they also used nuts. Thus, one day we tried out a toffee, almond mix and our Almond Crunch was with us!

It has 3 simple ingredients. Butter, honey and flaked almonds. Initially, the crunch was literally thrown together but, to simplify things a bit, we finally worked out amounts of each ingredient.

To have a go at our Almond Crunch recipe, you will need 50g Butter, 2 Tablespoons Honey and about 50g Flaked Almonds.

First of all the honey and butter are melted over a low heat. Then the heat is increased (you need to watch the mixture as it can overcook easily) until it starts to bubble and turn a golden brown. At this point, add the flaked almonds and combine well. Stir the mix over a moderate heat for about 2 minutes (we use silicone implements) and then turn out onto a non-stick baking sheet (or silicone paper) to cool. There you have it... Almond Crunch (or "Not Dime Bar" as it's sometimes known here!)

It's a good idea to keep the cooling tray well away from little (and big) hands as the toffee retains its heat for quite a while.