Gluten Free Butternut Pumpkin and Honey Drizzle Cake

This cake I remember reading about a number of years ago in the Life and Style section of The Guardian newspaper.  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall had written an interesting article about baking using vegetables as key ingredient, which does intrigue me, as I am always keen to find healthier alternatives to the more traditional forms of baking.  I know that some mothers always make brownies for their children that are filled with beetroot and zucchini.  These I am yet to try - stay tuned....

I have adapted this very English sounding cake into a gluten free recipe.  It is a very moist cake with a fresh citrus taste that keeps well - if it lasts that long!

Gluten Free Butternut Pumpkin and Honey Drizzle Cake

from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall adapted by me!

180g gluten free self-raising flour
1 tsp of baking powder
90g white sugar
90g brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch of ground cloves
finely grated zest of an orange
180g of unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
300g of butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and grated
70g of walnuts
45g sultanas
2 tbsp honey
5 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 160℃ fan forced.

Grease and line a loaf tin.

In the food processor whizz the flour, baking powder, sugars, spices and orange zest. 

Add the butter and eggs and process until smooth.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the pumpkin until combined.

Add the sultanas and nuts and pulse two to three times until mixed through but not pulverized. 

Pour into the greased tin and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when the cake is tested.

Whilst the cake is cooking, heat the honey, orange and lemon juices in a small pan, simmering for a few minutes.  According to the recipe it is supposed to thicken slightly, but it didn’t for me, despite my patience.

Remove the tin from the oven when cooked and place on rack.  Pour the honey and citrus mixture over the cake.  I did this in two stages as it seemed to be so much liquid, but the cake did absorb it all.  Leave the cake to cool completely in its tin.

When completely cool, turn out of the tin.

Enjoy on a lovely spring afternoon with a warming cup of tea.

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

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Gluten Free Leek and Fennel Gratin

It may well appear that I have been on a bit of a fennel spree of late and I guess it is true.  But to defend myself, fennel has been in season, beautifully fresh and really cheap to boot!

Fennel is a rather surprising vegetable.  It is wonderfully crunchy and the burst of aniseed flavour in a salad is delicious - which is the way that I am most familiar with it. 

I had never had it cooked until I was at the River Cottage Canteen last year and tasted it in the Beef and Fennel Curry that we devoured for lunch that day.  It was great in the curry and the mellow aniseed flavour really added to the complexity of the dish.  This was something that I wanted to explore further and this fennel season I have been.

This gratin I thought would be a delicious combination of fennel, leek and cream.  But mostly I had a bit of a glut of these two veg after visiting my local fruit and veg grocer and needed to find different ways of preparing them. 

Leek and Fennel Gratin

1 leek cleaned and cut into half a centimetre pieces
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
1/2 cup of cream
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
a good pinch of quatre epice spice mix or a little nutmeg, ginger, white pepper and cloves

Preheat the oven to 150℃ fan-forced.

Place in a greased oven-proof dish the finely sliced fennel, then the chopped up leek.

Sprinkle a decent pinch of the Quatre Epice mix over the vegetables.

Pour the cream over everything and top with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

This dish is lovely as an accompaniment to roast or grilled chicken.

Enjoy!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia
 

Gluten Free Rhubard and Quince Sponge Pudding

There is nothing more delicious than cooked quince, especially if you have prepared it yourself.  Quince are an unusual fruit.  They are available in the grocers in autumn and the early part of winter and appear to be avoided by many as a strange fruit to purchase.  As mother said to me recently, how do you prepare them?

This was my question as well.  The only memory that I have of quince is my eldest brother making quince paste that we occasionally had with cheese or melted down to use as a glaze on a dessert.  The jar of this remained in the pantry cupboard for years!

After seeing quince in one of my local fruit and veg shops, I decided that I was going to take the leap and make something with quince.  But what?

I consulted my Maggie Beer recipe books and found several uses for them.  She has a whole chapter on Quince in Maggie’s Harvest.  Here she tells of her love affair with this fruit and how she came to know, prepare and grow them.  Her quince paste is the best on the market in my opinion and it is gluten free!

Inspired by her writing, I took the liberty of trying quince both as a sweet and savory dish. 

One evening I roasted cored pieces of quince in with onion, garlic, pumpkin and potatoes which were served with roast chicken.  Whilst I had neglected to peel them, they were an unusual, yet delicious addition to a roast.  My only recommendation to myself would be to cook to the quince longer so it became more soft and flavoursome. 

The next evening I tried two different ways of preparing the quince for a dessert.  This time they were peeled!  I placed slices of quince in a baking dish with butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar and let them bake for about an hour and a half, turning them regularly so they were basted in the butter and did not dry out.  These were wonderful eaten warm with cream after dinner.

The last quince I had peeled, cored and diced, placed it all in a saucepan with a dash of water and a couple pieces of lemon zest and let them stew on the stove.  After about 20 minutes they were softening beautifully and the fruit had released liquid, so they were happily cooking away in their own juice.  I left the quince to continue cooking for another 20 minutes.  Once they had cooked for this long, they did not need any sugar added as I thought they were sweet enough.  It is the fruit that I prepared this way, that I have used in the following pudding recipe. 

This recipe is really easy with the sponge having a lovely honey taste and smell.  These puddings also freeze very well if you make a batch and want to savour the treat at a later date - always ideal in these cold winter months!

Gluten Free Rhubarb and Quince Sponge Pudding

6 ramekins, greased
1 bunch of rhubarb, cooked
1 quince, peeled, diced and cooked
90g unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs beaten
1 cup gluten free self-raising flour
1/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 generous tbs of honey

Preheat the oven to 150℃ fan forced.

Cream the butter and the sugar in a bowl.  Combine the eggs with the butter/sugar mix - everything will look look like yellow curdled milk, this is ok, it is what you want.

Add the flour, alternating with the milk until all of smooth.  Remembering to finish with milk as the last addition.

Spoon the cooked fruit into the ramekins until they are half full.

Top with the sponge mixture, which should reach the top of the ramekin.

Place on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and a cake tester comes out clean.

Enjoy warm with a generous dollop of cream.

Don't forget to subscribe to our new website:  loveglutenfreeaustralia.com as this blog will not be used in the future!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Gluten Free Beef and Fennel Curry

I first ate a similar version of this curry at the River Cottage Canteen in Axminster and it was delicious.  The only shame was that I could not eat the flat bread.  

When we came home from our trip, I wanted to try making this meal myself and I found the recipe in one of my River Cottage cook books.  It is a really easy curry to make and really cheap, especially when fennel is in season and you use more economical cut of beef, such as gravy beef or chuck steak.  Both are delicious in this recipe, but if you don’t want to be cooking the curry for hours, then try using rump, topside or round for a faster cooking time.

Try this curry - it is easy to make and there is lots of fennel about at the moment!

Beef and Fennel Curry
adapted from the River Cottage Veg Cook Book

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into matchsticks
1 large brown onion, diced
500g chuck steak, diced - you can use any stewing meat
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced or minced
a glug of olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp dried ground cumin
1 tsp dried ground coriander
1 small pinch of chilli flakes - you can use more if you prefer the heat
1 star anise
200g of diced tinned tomatoes - I use half a 400g tin
water, plain old Sydney water straight from the tap
salt and pepper
1 tsp of garam masala and a small handful of fresh coriander to finish

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot, I use a cast iron pan for this.

Add the onions and garlic, sauté for a five minutes and add the meat and fennel.  Cook until the meat is brown.

Add the dried herbs and cook for a further five minutes, stirring to coat everything in the herbs.

Add the tomatoes and their juice.  If you use whole peeled tomatoes, just break them up a bit at this point.

Add water, enough to cover the ingredients, I find that if I rinse the tomato tin out by filling it about three-quarters full I have enough.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a least one and a half hours, preferrably two-three hours if you can, as this will cook the meat until it melts in the mouth.

Once cooked, check for seasoning.

Serve either with rice, gluten free cous cous or gluten free flat bread and a sprinkle of garam masala and fresh coriander.

Perfect for a cold winter’s evening.

Gluten Free Patty Cakes (or Cupcakes)

The weekend that has just passed us by here in Sydney, was the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend.  The weather was warm and sunny during the day with a gentle winter’s chill in the evening.  Whilst I would not launch into the statement that winter has arrived, it is at least attempting to.

If you were lucky enough to have all three days off work, as I was (utter bliss by the way!) I found that I relaxed the weekend away as well as catching up with some friends, which is a rare occurrence as Husband and I are never at home at the same time.

To celebrate this occasion and also as a sweet treat I made patty cakes as I knew them growing up, now more commonly known as cupcakes.  These little cakes, whatever you call them, are delicious little morsels that I recall devouring as a child.  My Nana always made us fresh patty cakes when we visited her, usually recruiting us to help her ice them and maybe sample some of the icing and cakes before lunch! 

As with all gluten free cooking I am driven by my childhood recollections of sweet treats and when I am able to find a recipe that works well with gluten free ingredients I am so pleased.  This recipe from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess is one that works each time that I try it and with different brands of flour.  There are two tricks to these patty cakes:  ensure that the batter is not too thick by ensuring you add enough milk and they are cooked at a lower temperature for a little longer.  Do this and you will be gobbling down patty cakes and reminiscing your childhood.  

Fairy Cakes from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess
(or as I call them patty cakes)

125g unsalted butter, soft
125g caster sugar - you can used white sugar and pulse it a few times in the processor
2 large eggs - I use 700g eggs at room temperature
125g self raising GF flour - I have used a few different brands here, all work well
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs milk - possibly a pinch more if your mixture is too stiff

Preheat your oven to 150℃ fan-forced.

As Nigella writes:  “It couldn’t be easier to make fairy cakes” and she is right.  Put all dry ingredients plus the two eggs in the food processor and blitz until everything is combined and smooth.   Scrape down the sides and turn back on and slowly pour the milk in the top funnel.  The mixture needs to be a “soft, dropping consistency” as written by Miss Lawson.  If you are unsure, do not be tempted to add more milk, trust the recipe and continue on.

If you don’t have a food processor and will be making them by hand, you start with creaming the butter and the sugar, then add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time.  Then add the flour a spoonful at a time alternating with the milk.  Always finish off with the milk as it will ensure the flour is easily mixed in - at least this is what I remember from Grade 8 Home Ec Class with Mrs Walker. 

Spoon the mixture evenly between the patty cake cases, bearing in mind that patty cakes are smaller than the typical cupcake size these days.  I tend to get about 12 to 15 patty cakes out of the mixture, depending on how generous I am with my spoonfuls.

Place in the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes, checking them at 20 minutes as they may have already cooked in that time. 

Let the patty cakes cool slightly in the tin before tipping out onto a cake cooler.  Let them cool completely before icing and adding any other decoration your heart desires.

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

La Torta Paradisio - a piece of gluten free heaven!

La Torta Paradisio is a wonderful simple cake that always works.  My eldest brother gave me the recipe a number of years ago after he had found it in a recipe book, possibly an Anna del Conte book, but I may be mistaken as the copy I have is handwritten.  Nevertheless it a delicious, fluffy, lemony cake that is surprisingly filling - it must be from the potato flour and butter.  

The last time that we had it was at Easter as I did not want to be making a complicated dessert after a rather heavy roast dinner.  This cake was perfect.  Served topped with icing sugar and a few strawberries on the side we all devoured our slices.

This cake also lasts quite well in a sealed container.  I must admit that I have been rather strong willed in ensuring that it has lasted up to five days after being made and was still quite fresh.

Give this recipe a try you will be a convert as I was many years ago.

La Torta Paradisio

325g unsalted butter at room temperature
325g caster suger
3 x size 2 very fresh eggs
325g potato flour
3g / a generous 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3g / a generous 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
3g / a generous 1/2 tsp of salt
the zest of one unwaxed lemon
butter and gluten free breadcrumbs or rice crumbs for the tin
icing sugar to finish

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees fan forced.

Cut the butter into small pieces and put these into a bowl - I use my food processor for this recipe.  Add the sugar and mix together until blended.  

Add one egg at a time to the butter/sugar cream, while leaving the mixer to run.  Do not add a second egg until the first is completely mixed in.

Sift the potato flour with the cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda and salt together and spoon into the butter cream with the processor running.

Add the lemon rind into the mixture and combine well.

Prepare a 25cm spring form tin by buttering generously and sprinkling the surface with gluten free breadcrumbs.  Turn the tin upside-down and tap put the excess.  Spoon the cake mixture into the tin and give the tin a jerk to settle the mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or so until the a cake tester comes out clean and it has shrunk from the sides.

Unmold the cake and leave to cool on a wire rack.  

Sprinkle the top with a generous layer of icing sugar before serving.

Enjoy!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns

A treat that I always enjoy during the lead-up to Easter is hot cross buns.  I remember a number of years ago that I found a recipe for hot cross buns in a Nigella Lawson cook book and I decided that I would make these but gluten free.  What a disaster!

These hot cross buns did not rise, virtually at all, for the second rise before going into the oven.  This did not deter me, I put them in the oven regardless and was looking forward to the fluffy, fruity, cinnamon buns fresh from the oven with butter. 

Unfortunately when I pulled the tray from the oven I was not greeted by a tray of gorgeously fluffy hot cross buns as envisaged instead I had these hard rocks in the shape of a bun.  What a disappointing outcome.  I was heart broken, gone was my dream of enjoying the lovely delicious, cinnamon bun that I was missing so much.  

But as it turns out my dreams of gluten free hot cross buns that are delicious are a reality.  I have found the Choices Gluten Free Bakery here in Sydney have a range of gluten free hot cross buns that I enjoy each year.  I must confess that I do stock up a little to keep enjoying them beyond Easter as they keep well in the freezer.

Check out your local Choices Gluten Free Bakery or their website: 

 http://www.choicesglutenfree.com.au 

We are moving!

Yes it has been a long time between posts - I have been on a well-earned break enjoying the sun and reading a pile of books.
Absolute bliss.

Now I am back to reality and I have an introduction to make.  I have a new website and blog:  www.loveglutenfreeaustralia.com
All of my past posts have been transferred over to this site and for the next little while, I will be posting on both blogs but eventually, I will be stopping with this particular site.

I am really excited about my new site and I have my brilliant, technically-minded husband to thank for the upgrade and the new look.

I am hoping to expand this a little more but as this is a organic process, it will be gradual and will take time.

I thank-you for following my blog as gluten free cooking and eating is something that I am passionate about and thoroughly sharing with you all.

Check out the new site and subscribe:  www.loveglutenfreeaustralia.com

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Gluten Free Beef Stroganoff

There are so many dishes that can be called a favourite in our household and Beef Stroganoff served with rice is one of them.

Even though it is summer, the evenings are still mostly cool where eating a warm meal is not something that repulses you.  When I was a child we were still eating the Christmas ham all the way through January.  My mother is lucky that we all loved ham freshly cut off the bone and were able to find joy in yet another meal of cold ham and salad but the weather in Queensland was so hot and humid that the thought of anything that was not cold was unbearable.

So back to the stroganoff:  this meal is so easy to make and even easier as it this recipe is gluten free.  The only snag is to ensure that your mustard is gluten free.  I use the Maille brand of French Djion mustard.  Either the Wholegrain Mustard or the Djion Originale Mustard is prefectly fine.

The recipe that I have used over the years is a Nigella Lawson recipe from her first book:  How to Eat.  This book is a great resource in the kitchen and it is my favourite Nigella book, written well before she was famous as she is today.

In this recipe I have used topside steak, simply because this is what I had in the freezer.   You can use any cut of beef that copes well with a quick fry in the pan, such as:  rump, round, blade, topside.  If you are unsure ask your butcher.

Gluten Free Beef Stroganoff

10g unsalted butter
a glug of olive oil
300g mushrooms, cleaned and sliced - I prefer Swiss Brown but it is up to you
300g topside steak, sliced
1 medium brown onion, diced
2 dessert spoons of sour cream
1 tsp of djion mustard
a pinch of dried ground paprika

steamed basmati rice to serve

Heat the butter and the oil in a fry pan until the butter has melted.  Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until soft.  Add the beef cooking it until brown.

Once the meat is done, add the mushrooms, freshly ground nutmeg, salt and pepper.   Put the lid on the fry pan and leave it for a few minutes.  The mushrooms will heat through and loose their moisture.  Consequently, they will loose a good portion of their volume, so what initially appeared to be a lot of mushrooms cooks down to a more manageable amount.

Leave the lid off the pan and stir the mushrooms in with the onion and the beef allowing the moisture to evaporate.  Do this for about five minutes or more until almost off of the moisture has gone.

Add the mustard and the paprika stirring both through the ingredients in the pan.  Then stir through the sour cream until well combined.   Check the seasoning and adjust as required.

Serve immediately with steamed basmati rice.  I usually have lightly steamed beans as my vegetable accompaniment.

Bon appétit!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Gluten Free Pavlova

Last weekend was the Australia Day long weekend here in Australia.  Here in Sydney, it is typically the day that everyone heads out whether it be to the beach, into the City for the Australia Day festivities or to a friend's place for a BBQ - we celebrated in the latter form with our friends visiting us for a BBQ.

And what better way to finish of a BBQ than with the very traditional pavlova.  When I was a child there was usually a pavlova for big family celebrations, homemade of course by an aunt who had the knack of making a brilliant pav that was topped with mountains of whipped cream, kiwi fruit, banana, strawberries and fresh passionfruit.  Absolute heaven.  

So with these food memories I set out to make my first pavlova - I think it went rather well.  

The recipe I used was a Margaret Fulton recipe, however I don't think that my oven is the most accurate when baking a dish a delicate as this.

I spooned the silky, sweetened egg whites into little individual servings on the baking tray rather than having one big pavlova.  To be honest, the egg whites had lost a little of their volume so I was not confident that a larger volume of the mixture would keep its shape whilst cooking.  I had visions of it either overflowing the tray and going everywhere in the oven or finding a hardened thick layer of crusty, crumbly pavlova that was worthy of being made into an Eton Mess instead of the one I had pictured in my mind.

Fortunately it did not come to this and my little shapes held better than originally anticipated and were quickly devoured by all.

There are many notes by various chefs and cooks about what they put into their pavlova to ensure that it works beautifully.  I think that it is like any recipe:  everyone has their own preferred version.  This recipe I do like and I think I will need further practise to ensure that I have better outcomes in the future.  After all, practice makes perfect!

Pavlova

recipe by Margaret Fulton from the "Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery" 

6 egg whites, at room temperature
pinch of salt
2 cups of caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
whipped cream for filling
fruit or other topping of your choice - I have used banana, cherries, blueberries and fresh passionfruit

Preheat your oven before starting to mix the pavlova to a slow 150 degrees celsius. 

Beat egg whites and salt at a high speed in a stand mixer or similar until soft peaks form.

Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition.  

Stop beating when all sugar has been incorporated and fold in the vinegar and vanilla.  

Pile the mixture onto a greased baking tray in one heap with a smoothed top or into smaller piles - it is up to you.

Bake for 45 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave with the door shut for one hour.

When pavlova is cooked remove from oven and cool completely.  

Fill the pavlova generously with whipped cream and fruit.

Enjoy!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Tim's Gluten Free Rice Salad

My eldest brother is a passionate food lover, actually all of my immediate family is.  Any gathering requires a great deal of discussion on what will be eaten over the various courses;  what will be drunk;  and who is making what.

This salad is a replication of a salad that my brother, Tim, had at a restaurant some years back but is a very simple, yet delicious salad that is a refreshing break from the usual potato salad.

Tim's Gluten Free Rice Salad

1 & 1/2 cups of brown rice
1/4 cup of wild rice
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
a good pinch of salt;  more may be required depending on taste
1/2 cup of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
120g of blanched almonds

Heat the oven to 160 degrees fan forced.

Cook the two rices according to the directions on the packs.

Once the oven is heated, put the almonds on a tray shaking the tray a little to distribute them evenly.  Place in the oven and keep a close eye on them.  The aim is to have the almonds become a deep golden brown and not burn - you have been warned!!

Whilst the almonds are browning, juice the lemon and pour into a jug or jar.  Measure out the olive oil into the same dish.  Add a pinch of salt and stir or put a lid on the jar and shake or stir to combine.
Taste for balance of the flavours and adjust as required.

When the almonds are golden brown take them out of the oven and leave to cool.

Wash and chop up your parsley.  Leaves only please - no stems!  Chop it a finely as possible so it will combine with the rice easily.

Once the rices are cooked strain and leave to cool before combining all ingredients.

This salad is prefect to eat warm or to make ahead of time and get out of the fridge and deliver it straight to the table.

Happy eating!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Gluten Free Beef Tacos

I really enjoy both preparing and more importantly eating Mexican food.  It is a cuisine that most people think is greasy, cheesy, fast food.  But in reality it is not.

Whilst I have never been to Mexico, although it is on the never-ending list of places to visit, I have been to New Mexico and Southern California in the USA.  Both of these states in the US have large Mexican populations and the food is great.  So fresh and crisp in the produce and the flavours,  More importantly:  it is mostly gluten free!

I have found it difficult to replicate the wonderfully fresh flavours that I had with beef tacos in Southern California but I think that is an ideal replication.  Yes it needs further improvement, but this will happen with time.  For now it is delicious and so simple and uses herbs and spices that are pantry essentials.

Gluten Free Beef Tacos

1/4 tsp dried ground turmeric
1 & 1/2 tsp dried ground cumin
1 & 1/2 tsp dried ground coriander seeds
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp cayne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 fresh red chilli finely chopped or a pinch of dried chilli flakes - leave this out if you don't like the heat
1/2 tsp dried oregano
a glug of olive oil
500g of lean beef mince
1 medium brown onion, diced
2 tbs tomato paste
3 tsp red wine vinegar

Heat the fry pan and put all of the herbs and spices in the pan.  Warm them gently for a few minutes, this will being out their flavours.

Put a glug of olive oil in the fry pan with the herbs and spices and stir them together to form a dry paste.  Add the diced onion and stir until the onion is coated in the spicy paste.  Let this fry for a few minutes gently, until the onion softens.

Add the mince and cook this until brown, breaking up the mince as it cooks.  You are after a fine texture of the mince as if it is too lumpy it will be difficult to get into the taco shells.

Once browned and of a fine texture, add the tomato paste and mix through.  Then add the red wine vinegar and cook this off gently, until it is all evaporated.

The sauce will be nicely cooked and an ideal consistency ready for the tacos.

An optional extra is to add 1/3 of a cup of finely chopped fresh coriander prior to serving.

Serve with warmed taco shells, grated cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and a dollop of sour cream.

Note:  I use the Old El Paso brand of taco shells as these are gluten free and readily available at most supermarkets.  The ones in the photo are the Stand 'n' Stuff size.

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Gluten Free Tomato and Pecorino Quiche

A gluten free quiche is a lovely light dinner to have.  The dilemma for any gluten free cook is the pastry.  How do a make a pastry that is gluten free and actually works?

I had a post last year where I had a complete pastry disaster and to be quite frank it really turned me off making pastry for a little while.  Truly a disaster.

In November last year a wonderful writer who cooks, Shauna James Ahearn, aka Gluten Free Girl created a brilliant gluten free cooking iPad App for Thanksgiving.  She and her husband, the Chef, have created so many wonderful recipes - you must get their book:  Gluten Free Girl and the Chef.  Their blog is the same name - an absolutely wonderful blog.

In their app they have a recipe for gluten free pastry which worked a treat.  One batch of this pastry is enough for two quiche shells.  One for today and one for the freezer or fridge.  I did this and it worked fine after a couple of days in the fridge.

Tomato and Pecorino Quiche

1 pastry shell, baked blind

1 1/2 cups of cream
3 large eggs
1/3 cups of grated pecorino
half a punnet of grape tomatoes or a similar cherry size tomato cut in half length-wise - you may need  more or less depending on the size of your quiche pan
a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
a pinch of salt
a few grinds of black pepper

Measure the cream out into a large jug or bowl - I use a large pyrex jug to make this mixture in as it is easy to pour.  Break the eggs into the cream and whisk the eggs lightly and add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Stir in the grated pecorino cheese.

Pour the cream/egg/cheese mixture into the pastry shell.  Arrange the tomatoes cut side up in concentric circles.

Place in a 160 degree fan-forced oven and let it cook for approximately 20-25 minutes until the quiche is cooked and golden on top.  My test for checking if the quiche is the wobble test:  if needs to be a firm wobble, like a solid jelly, not too watery.  Sounds strange I know but give it a go when you make it.

Once cooked and passing the wobble test, turn the oven off and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to let the quiche cool slowly.  It will sink as it cools.

Serve with a salad for a lovely light dinner.

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia.com

New Year - New .....?

Happy New Year to all!

Whilst I have been off the radar for a little while, I have not been resting.  Instead for me this time of the year is crazy and while I have been busy working I have also been thinking about the year that was and the year to come.

Last year I began my blog and I thank everyone for reading it.  Keep it up and don't be afraid to let me know your thoughts about particular topics and what you would like to read about or know.  You are the readers and I want to make this blog a resource that you can use.

Looking into 2013, I am going to keep the same format and increase the blogs to twice a week - please don't hold me to this as like all people I work and like to have a bit of a life!

I have also been exploring changing the look and feel of my blog - stay tuned, there are more details to come.

I do look forward to sharing my gluten free experiences both in the kitchen and out there in the world with you all in 2013.  Happy reading and even happier gluten free eating!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia