Alternative Burger 'Buns'...

Sous Chef J is a big fan of finger food and has a problem with dexterity so we like to make 'easy to eat' things.  Burgers fall into this category but Gluten Free bread/buns seems to be something that we still can't find with enough reliability to factor into our meal-making.

We saw these mushrooms when we were in the shop last week and thought they looked just perfect to be used as burger 'buns'.   So, we gave it a go!

Making our own burgers, using beef mince, an egg and onions, we chopped the onions and fried them on a low heat until they went transparent.  Setting them aside for a few minutes to cool slightly, we added the beaten egg to the mince and mixed well.  We then incorporated the cooled, cooked onions.

Next, we used a couple of dessertspoons to form the burgers into patties and fried them in a little sunflower oil over a medium heat.

Then it was time to gather all the 'putting together' ingredients - we used iceberg lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, sliced baby brie and portabella mushrooms.  Also tomato ketchup and other sauces...

Sous Chef J layered his burger on a lettuce leaf, added a slice of tomato and folded the leaf into a parcel to enclose the burger.

The mushrooms were quickly heated in the frying pan, stalk side down, for a couple of minutes.

They were then ready for use as 'buns'... and to make a cheeseburger we used slices of mini brie as well as the burger, lettuce and tomato slice.

Here's a cross section through our mushroom-bun-cheeseburger ....

... yumminess on a plate.   Sous Chef J had seconds and thirds although prefers the lettuce wrapped burgers as they contain the deliciousness better for him!

Raspberry Jam

After our  foray into "Pick Your Owning" at the weekend, we had far more berries than we could eat between us before they started to rot... so we searched for a recipe to make use of.  Having had a look around, we decided raspberry jam was the best bet for novice preserve makers like us.

The simplest recipes stated equal weights of fruit and sugar.  So, we weighed the remaining raspberries (452g) and matched them with sugar.

A large saucepan was used and we put the raspberries in and placed them over a low heat for a few minutes.  After they were warmed through, the sugar was added to the pan.  The berries and sugar were stirred and heated until all the sugar had been dissolved.

Once this happened, the heat was turned up and the mix was left to bubble vigourously for ten minutes (Sous Chef J commented "it looks a bit like a lava lake".)

Having chilled a plate in the bottom of the fridge during the lava lake phase, a small blob of jam was placed on the plate and pushed gently to see if it rippled.  It didn't.  So, the bubbling boiling continued for another 3 minutes when the blob pushing was repeated.  This time, there was a ripple!

The jam pan was removed from the heat and the scum was skimmed off (using a silicone spoon) and deposited on the push-test-plate.  The, now un-scummy, jam was then poured into a couple of jam jars which were fresh out of the top shelf of dishwasher (which had just finished its wash cycle).  Lids were placed on and the jam was left to cool.

Sous Chef J was impressed by the taste of our first batch of raspberry jam... which he taste tested, carefully, by licking the spoon.  He then prepared some labels for the jars and we left the jam to cool thoroughly.

Who knew making jam was so simple!

Genius Breakfast Pastries

Last week, after a particularly wearing hospital appointment, we took Sous Chef J to a Tesco Extra as a treat (yes, really!)  It was late morning and, luckily, the shop was quite empty.  J busied himself with "perusing the bakugan and pokemon offerings" (which B was left to supervise) and I dashed off for a speed shop.  Having located the, frankly very reduced in number, free from shelves I spotted the Genius Gluten Free breakfast items I'd been reading about... and, even better, they were on offer.  So, I bought the pain au chocolat 2 packs to try.

What was really amazing was that when we got home, we found we'd won a twitter competition and were being sent some croissants from the Genius range. What luck.... more on them later.

Saturday morning came and Sous Chef J was keen to taste test the pain au chocolats.  We were rather naughty and decided to ignore the cooking instructions on the pack.  Instead, we used the bun warming rack on our toaster.  We had the heat setting on 4 and did each side once.  This was enough to melt the chocolate hidden within the crispy pastry.  We all loved them and couldn't wait for our twitter treat to be delivered so we could sample the croissants too.

Happily, we didn't have to wait long and on Monday we opened a package that contained a 2 pack of croissants, some recipe cards and a Genius wooden spoon.  We had an early start ahead of us the next day so decided that the croissants would be a great way to keep us going.

Once again, when it came to preparing the croissants, we ignored the 'cook in a preheated oven' instructions (sorry, Genius) and used our pastry rack on the toaster. 

Once heated through, we sliced into the croissants to check the look of the pastry and were very pleasantly surprised.  The croissants looked just like gluten-containing ones!  So, we buttered, jammed and ate.

Having only had one pack of croissants to eat, and given Sous Chef J is a "growing lad", we supplemented our breakfast eats with some toasted fruit loaf.  Sous Chef J also added some nectarines to make it a fruity fruit loaf feast.

We are delighted to have found a lovely selection of gluten free breakfast items.  Although, as in our gluten eating days, they won't be daily breakfast items and we will be saving them for high days and holidays.

Pasta Royale

When there's not much time and/or we're short on supplies there's a 'dish' we all like.  Amongst other things it is very quick to make as well. (Apologies to the easily terrified amongst you - Sous Chef J was making use of his newly found werewolf gloves and thought they added something to the above pic!)

So how did we make this simple dish?  Easy! We gathered together pasta (today we used Salute Gluten free spaghetti), frozen peas, frozen sweetcorn (or you can use drained corn from a tin), grated cheese, a knob of butter and some tomato ketchup.  Cooked the pasta per instructions... and 4 minutes before the boiling time was done, added the peas and sweetcorn (you can add both/one or none of these depending on supplies/likes). Brought the pan back to boil and then cooked for remaining pasta cooking time.


Once we drained the pasta/veg mix (we used a sieve) we added the butter to the cooking pan and swirled it around a bit to melt it before adding the now drained pasta/veg.  Then we mixed the melted butter through, added a handful of grated cheese (we used mature cheddar but parmesan works well too), a dollop of ketchup and some freshly ground black pepper.  Combined it all together and served.

This can be made dairy free by omitting the butter and cheese - in this case, use a little oil and some chopped and sweated garlic in place of them. 

Paprika Pork

We're always keen to make an easy and tasty evening meal and this very simple pork dish fits the bill.

With the ingredients of pork escalopes, paprika, garlic, butter and oil, it's is a meal that can be made in minutes.

The garlic was peeled, sliced and chopped.  It was then combined with the paprika in a glass dish.  The pork escalopes were added and covered in the rub.  (This can be done in advance and the pork left in the fridge until cooking is required).

Having melted a knob of butter in a frying pan together with a dash of sunflower oil, the the escalope was added and cooked over a medium heat.

Once cooked thoroughly, the pork was seasoned and served with chips and peas.

Delicious and quick - just the sort of food we like!

Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote

Rhubarb and Strawberry compote

Having had an afternoon picking our own at Millets Farm Centre during the week, we needed to make use of the lovely produce we brought home with us.  An all time favourite of Sous Chef J is this mix of rhubarb and strawberries... using just four ingredients, it's easy to make and is a tasty treat for pud or, as I like it, with natural yogurt at breakfast.

The ingredients

The ingredients are rhubarb (a lovely handful of sticks), strawberries (we used about 350g), an orange (juiced) and a dollop of honey.

Chopped rhubarb

Runny honey...

Rhubarb cooking

First, the rhubarb sticks were washed, the thicker bits of skin were peeled and then they were cut into 2-3cm cubes.  These were placed in a heavy based saucepan and the orange juice and honey were added.  The covered pan was then placed over a medium heat for about 15 minutes until the rhubarb was starting to break down.  

Very berry strawbs

Chopped strawbs

Whilst the rhubarb was cooking, Sous Chef J prepared the strawberries, washing then chopping them.... he cut the small strawberries in half and the larger ones into quarters.

Ready for last stage...

... adding strawbs

Once the rhubarb was looking like it was starting to lose its shape, the strawberries were added, the pan was re-covered and the heat was turned off. This was left for about five minutes.


 At the end, this is what was awaiting us...

Sous Chef J "Ready when you are!"

As a pudding we serve this alone, with meringues or mixed with creme fraiche for our version of a fool.  It's very more-ish and doesn't hang around... although kept in a fridge it is also lovely chilled at breakfast for a summery treat.

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.