Gluten Free Berry Almond Slice

This is a recipe from an autumn edition of Waitrose Food Illustrated magazine that we have made a few changes to in order to make it both Gluten Free and also bakeable at any time of the year.  Here's a link to their website recipe and you will see, if you look, that we've removed the need for pastry and also use raspberries (in this case fresh ones but, at other times, we do use frozen fruit).

 

So the ingredients were gathered by Sous Chef J using the crumpled bit of paper I tore out of a Waitrose magazine some time ago.  We don't use the pastry or jam, though.  Our ingredients looked like this...

Sous Chef J in action!

Having preheated the oven to 170ºC, the softened butter and sugar were combined using a hand mixer until they looked light and creamy.  Sous Chef J actually did quite a lot of this (for a change) but would rather have a yellow stand mixer to be in control of... but he's going to have to wait a while for one of those!

Folding in ground almonds

Adding vanilla essence

Next, the vanilla essence was added.  The lightly beaten eggs were then incorporated, a little at a time.  Then the ground almonds were folded into the mix.

Spreading the mix

The berries are added

This slightly firm mixture was then spread, evenly, into a non-stick baking tin (ours is 19cm x 28cm) before having raspberries placed on top.  It was then placed into the warm oven.

 

 

After 10 minutes in oven

Sprinkled with flaked almonds

Having cooked for 10 minutes, the tray was removed and the sliced almonds were sprinkled over.  The cake was then returned to the oven for another 10 minutes to finish baking. 

We allowed the cake to cook in the tray for 15 minutes and then turned it out... the underside looked like this before we 'flipped' it back the right way up!

 As you can see, it was another successful baking session.  The slice freezes well - we freeze it in portions suitable for 3.  It can be served with a cup of tea as an afternoon treat or with creme fraiche as an easy pudding. 

Give it a go... it's a tasty treat and Gluten eaters also love it so it's a good offering to take to pals if you're going to be eating out.  I know it's puds and snacks that my pals struggle with when we visit - they can manage meat and veg without gluten but mention 'afters' and even the most hardy usually blanche at the prospect!

Nut Butter Cookies

 

This recipe is one I found a while back on Annabel Karmel's website when searching for a Gluten Free Cookie Recipe.

 

To make 18 cookies, we needed

  235 g (8 1/4 oz) smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
165 g (6 oz) caster sugar
1 medium egg
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
a large pinch of salt
165 g (6 oz) milk chocolate chips (or milk chocolate, chopped) 

The ingredients are quite limited but, as is usual, we did make a few changes!  Normally, we use any kind of nut butter instead of the peanut butter the recipe suggests - this week it was the turn of almond butter.  Also we only use 100g of chocolate drops plus ours were plain/dark ones (from Doves Farm.)

Having mixed the majority of the ingredients together, which was quite a work out for sous chef J as it's quite a dense blend, the chocolate chips were added...

 ...and then the mix was rolled into small, walnut sized balls and placed on a non-stick baking tray.  Before being flattened slightly and placed in the oven at 180ºC before being checked after 10 minutes.  The recipe states 12-15 minutes but experience has taught us not to wait that long, as nut butter can burn quite quickly... and as all ovens vary, we like to keep an eye on things!

 

Sous chef J declared that the cookies were done, so they were removed from the oven and left to cool on the tray for 10 minutes (remember to set the timer... you need to move them before they become too cold) and then put on a wire rack to completely cool.

A few of the cookies were packed and frozen for later consumption.... they're great for grabbing from the freezer and adding to a bag of picnic goodies as they'll be defrosted in time for lunch!

They freeze well and, as they have a high sugar content, they are good as a once in a while treat.  Made with dark choc chips like we do, they're also Dairy Free....

Super Scones

The damp bank holiday weekend brought ample opportunity for baking.  Sous chef J decided to 'risk' making scones as well as his usual Lunar Cookies (see earlier blog entry for details of how to  make them).  He chose a recipe from Phil Vickery's Seriously Good Gluten Free Cooking Book (see link to the right)

Next, he gathered the required ingredients and began to measure out what he needed to make half the amount stated in Phil's book.  (We did make a little amendment to the recipe, using natural yogurt instead of milk... which is something that's been a long tradition as it's a trick my Nana used and her scones were THE BEST!)

The picture above shows some of the equipment sous chef J uses.  He particularly likes the silicone utensils and his set of mini measuring spoons!  Having weighed, sifted and mixed the dry ingredients, the remaining items were added to the mix and the kneading began.  (This is something sous chef J finds particulary difficult due to his sensitivity to textures and his lack of muscle strength to actually work the mix).  After a little help from Dad, sous chef J cut out his scones, "swiped" the tops with egg mix and placed them on a non-stick baking tray in a pre-warmed oven.

Once the scones were cooked... this is what they looked like, although not for long as they were soon devoured having been served up with jam and clotted cream.  

Definitely a good recipe and one that will be made, with added fruit if he remembers, in future!

Apologies for no 'final serving' pic; sous chef J had other things on his mind once he'd finished his culinary creations.

Pastryless Cheese and Onion Quiche

OK, so this is a bit of a "make it up as we go along" recipe. When there are eggs that need using up, this is the recipe of choice for us. The principle is the same each time we make this but amounts and timings have to be adjusted depending on number and size of eggs being used, runniness of yoghurt and amount of cheese... It's definitely worth cooking but you need to keep an eye on what's going on in the oven.

The ingredients used this time were two onions, which had been sliced, two large eggs, beaten, about 400ml natural yoghurt and lots of grated mature cheddar cheese. Plus seasoning to taste and sunflower oil for cooking and oiling the dish. As mentioned above, this is a dish that is cooked when the eggs we have are about to go out of date... so we may use three medium eggs, two large eggs or more... depending on the supply situation!

First of all, the sliced onions were cooked in sunflower oil over a medium heat until they are starting to cook through (we usually use red onions).








Whilst the onions were cooking, we mixed together the eggs and yoghurt then added in the grated cheese - sous chef J seasoned well with freshly ground black pepper (using his own 'special' pepper mill). His next task was to oil the pyrex dish we cook the quiche in. Sunflower oil is used for this and he spreads it over the base and up the sides using a silcone 'brush' like utensil from Ikea.








After oiling the dish, a thin layer of the egg, cheese and yogurt mix was added... and spread out evenly. This was then covered with the onions.

Finally, the onions were covered with the remainder of the egg, cheese and yoghurt mix and the dish was placed in the preheated oven.
After cooking in the oven at 180ºC (for about 25 minutes with this amount) we ended up with this...

After allowing it a little time cooling in the dish, we carefully served (we use a fish slice). We enjoy our quiche with any/all of salad, potato wedges, steamed vegs... or you can try whatever takes your fancy!
The quiche can be cooled fully, stored in the fridge and sliced for picnics. It freezes well for a short time too.

Easy Mince

This is a simple, one pot dish that sous chef J approves of. He assists with the chopping and also likes to 'sample' the carrots before inclusion!

Ingredients are usually, but not always;
450g mince (we used pork this time)
one tablespoon oil
two onions (chopped) - you can also use leeks... just chop them and add instead or as well as onions
two carrots (chopped)
and good helping of tomato ketchup (we use Heinz)
plus a handful of frozen peas.
Seasoning to taste.

Start by warming the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and cook 'til starting to soften. Then add the mince, break it up and let it brown over a medium heat. Once the meat is browned, add the carrots and dollop of tomato ketchup. Season - we use ground black pepper. Mix well and cover and cook for 5 or so minutes. The mix should look something like this by now.... Finally, add the frozen peas, cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Serve. Another way we use this mix is to layer it in a casserole, prior to adding the peas, with pre-cooked sliced potatoes. Cover the top layer of potato in grated cheese, oven cook until piping hot throughout. Serve with boiled peas.

Annie's Lemon Cake (Gluten Free)

Part of our outings these days is seeking out suitable establishments to allow us the treat of eating out. Last month, while sous chef J was attending a block placement at Megan Baker House, near Leominster, Herefordshire, it became part of the daily routine to call into Berrington Hall, a National Trust property that is, literally on the doorstep.

On the first day, we asked what Gluten Free options were available and were delighted to be served Lemon Cake. After that, we returned each day... and, as it was so delicious, I asked for the recipe. What a surprise I had when the chef, Annie, came out of the kitchens to talk to me, share her recipe and lend me a recipe book to leaf through whilst I was there! We had a lovely chat about all things Gluten Free and she even gave my husband a 'new recipe' scone to try... he loved it.

So, here is Annie's Lemon Cake recipe... and the record of how it was making it for the first time.

8oz softened butter (we used unsalted)
8oz caster sugar
8oz ground almonds
3 large eggs
2 lemons - juice and zest
4oz polenta
1 teaspoon Gluten Free baking powder (we used Dove's Farm)

For the topping, make a thin syrup of the juice and zest of 2 lemons (we added about 3 tablespoons of sugar to this to make our syrup, but this is something that needs to be done 'to taste' depending on the size of the lemons).
First of all the butter and sugar were creamed. Then the eggs, ground almonds, lemon juice and zest, polenta and baking powder were added. This was then thoroughly combined. By hand. It is quite a firm mixture - and sous chef J was happy to direct proceedings rather than do the hands on work.
Having combined all the ingredients by hand, the mix was shared between a lined 20cm (8") round tin and 6 muffin cases. The recipe states a 9" square tin, but we don't have the resources of a National Trust property's kitchen at our disposal so had to do some maths to work out similar volume/area using the bakeware we do have!
The cakes were placed in a preheated oven (150ºC fan, 165ºC non fan). The cakes looked like this once they had been baked for about 15 minutes - obviously, this is longer for the large, 20cm (8") cake... and this one needs to be firm to the touch before removing from the oven (takes about 40 minutes).
Once the cakes were baked, the lemon syrup mix was drizzled over them. They were then left to cool fully in the tins.
The final result...
The verdict is that they are yummy... although not quite as good looking as Annie's originals!

Annie told me they keep well... but you'll have to verify that for yourselves; they're eaten too fast here to check that out.

Lunar Cookies

Having seen big cookies on offer in the supermarket, Sous Chef J was inspired to make up a recipe to see if he could have big, Gluten Free cookies too. This is the result of his efforts. It's a simple recipe, with just a few ingredients and can also be sugar free too. He called it Lunar Cookies as it fitted in with the Solar System theme that we were learning about at the time.Here are the ingredients. And the recipe was hastily scrawled on a piece of paper...
Today, we made half the quantity and then split the 'base' mix into two... making big, lunar cookies by decorating with Gluten Free, Dairy Free chocolate beanies and then added a handful of sultanas to the rest to make 6 smaller, sugar free cookies.
The cookies were formed on non-stick baking trays by placing a spoonful on the tray then patting into shape by hand.

The big cookies had the beanies added at this point. The smaller, sultana cookies were placed about 4cm apart. Both sets of cookies were baked on non-stick metal trays.

The cookies were placed in a preheated oven (about 180ºC); the smaller ones were removed after 7 minutes and the large ones were cooked for 10 minutes. Once out of the oven, the cookies were cooled for 10 minutes on the baking tray before being transferred to a rack to cool.
As you can see... the cookies look very inviting and we never have them around for long! However, they do keep well in an airtight container and we have been told by non-GF kids that they think they are yummy too.

This is a great recipe for those on a Gluten Free regime, diabetics wanting to avoid sugar and those who need egg free treats too.