Kabuto Gluten Free Noodles

When we heard about the gluten free pots of @KabutoNoodles on twitter and were offered some to try, we were keen to see what they were like.

The parcel arrived and there were three pots each of Miso and Chicken noodles. 

Sous Chef J decided we'd try the Miso pot first...

...opening the pot, there looked to be a small portion of rice noodles and we topped up the container as instructed.

After stirring well (we recommend using a fork for this), the foil lid was placed back over and the noodles were left to 'brew'...

...three minutes later, we decanted the now-much-bigger noodles into our bowls and gave them a try.

 As we're fond of saying here "actions speak louder than words..." so this pic of Sous Chef J's bowl (yes, he did use a fork!) shows what he thought of the noodles.  

There were plenty of noodles and the miso was very tasty.






 
A pot of Kabuto Noodles made a great take to work lunch for B... and as they're easy to store, they're a handy 'just in case' addition for us too.


At the moment, Ocado stock the gluten free noodles (£1.99 a pot), as do Whole Foods London.   Also, independent stores are stocking the noodles...

We did look for the noodles in the supermarket but our local Sainsburys only stocked the gluten-containing Kabuto Noodle pots (so beware when looking in stores)... but, perhaps one day soon, the Gluten Free pots will also be stocked?!

Disclosure - we were sent a box of noodle pots to try.  We were not required to write a blogpost and all the opinions are our own.

Almond Roulade with Lemon and Lime Curd Cream

We saw a recipe for an Almond Roulade in the Waitrose Weekend paper (8 May 2014) and, having made our own Lemon and Lime Curd recently, decided to give it a go.


It was surprisingly easy to make the roulade.  Just a few ingredients were required -
4 eggs (separated)
100g ground almonds
100g caster sugar

Firstly, the egg yolks and sugar were mixed well (we used a hand mixer) until the mix was light in colour and 'strandy whisk tracks' could be seen when the beaters were removed.

Secondly, the almonds were folded into the egg/sugar mix swiftly.

Finally, the egg whites were beaten to soft peak and rapidly (but gently) mixed through the almond/egg/sugar.







This was then carefully turned out into a lined swiss roll tin and lightly smoothed before being placed in a warmed oven (180ºC) for 11 minutes...
....when it was golden brown and almost firm to the touch.






The roulade was turned out onto a sugared piece of baking parchment and the backing parchment was removed.  We were delighted at how well the parchment came away from the cake.

After cooling completely, the lemon and lime curd was spread over the cake, leaving a gap around the edges.  Then 200ml of cream (which had been ably whipped by Sous Chef J) was carefully spread across (this is a little tricky and next time we'll make sure the cream is a little less stiffly whipped).

Lastly, the roulade was rolled up from a short end, placed in a carry case and put in the fridge to chill.







After chilling, the top was dusted with icing sugar before the roulade was sliced ready to be served.

The Waitrose recipe states it serves 6-8 but, with our slices (about 1cm thick) we think it could stretch to 12 helpings.  A smaller helping reduces the calories per slice... and makes the roulade last longer.

Sous Chef J said "the only downside is that it's eaten too easily" which, coming from a 'discerning' eater (fussy) is praise indeed!

We think this is a great naturally Gluten Free dessert that isn't meringue, fruit or chocolate... give it a try, it's easier than you think.  It could easily be made into a Swiss roll if you wanted to make a speedy pud with readymade jam and then it would be fat free and dairy free too... and those who aren't on special diets would have no idea!

Lemon and Lime Curd

We spotted some nets of lemons and limes that were reduced when we were at the supermarket during the week... and, being of a thrifty persuasion, decided to buy them to have a go at making curd.

Looking for a suitable recipe, we were confronted with all sorts of 'fussy' ones that, frankly, we just don't have the time or inclination for.  So we adapted an old recipe from a card in my recipe stash and were able to make use of the 4 eggs we had as well.

The ingredients we used were - 

3 lemons, zested (and juice of 2)

3 limes, zested and juiced
4 medium eggs, lightly beaten

135g unsalted butter, cubed

165g granulated sugar

We zested and juiced all the limes - zested all the lemons but only used the juice of two of them.






All the ingredients were placed in a heatproof bowl over a pan of just-simmering water... take care NOT to let the water touch the bowl or the egg will scramble.  Stir.


We made sure to keep the water in the pan at a low heat and stirred the ingredients until first the butter melted and then the sugar dissolved.  Keep stirring....

Finally, the curd mix was thick enough to cover the back of our wooden spoon.










The curd was poured (messily) into sterilised jars... we had done this by pouring boiling water, right up to the brim, and leaving them whilst the curd was cooking.









From the ingredients we used, we made about 700ml of curd.

Sous Chef J was on hand to assist with post-jar-filling 'tidying up'... and a fine job he did of it too!

The recipe we adapted says the curd will keep in the fridge for up to a month but, somehow, don't think ours will last that long...