Gluten Free Blueberry and Ricotta Hotcakes

At this time of the year, there is nothing more luxurious than having a relaxing morning sleep-in followed by delicious, fruity hotcakes.

This recipe is a Bill Granger recipe that has been adapted for gluten free flour and works really well.  Whilst this was a pleasant surprise, I am so relieved that they worked as sometimes substituting regular gluten containing flours for gluten free flours is not always successful - well, actually more often than not, so having a recipe work is such pleasure.  Which is made even better when you eat it!

Gluten Free Blueberry and Ricotta Hotcakes

adapted from Bill Granger's blueberry hotcakes recipe

165g fresh blueberries

3 tbs caster sugar

180g GF multipurpose plain flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

3 eggs, separated 

250ml of milk

125g fresh ricotta

a small amount of butter for the fry pan

maple syrup and a few fresh blueberries for serving

Stir 1 tablespoon of caster sugar with the fresh blueberries, mashing them a little.

Sift the GF plain flour, baking powder and salt together.  Mix in the sugar.

Beat the egg yolks and milk together and stir into the dry ingredients.  Gently mix in the ricotta.

Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Fold this into the batter carefully - you don't want to know the air out of the egg whites!

Fold in the blueberries to allow for the juice to give the mixture a marble effect - two or three stirs is enough.

Heat a frying pan and melt a little butter.  Drop a small soup ladle of batter in the pan and cook for two to three minutes or until lots of little bubbles appear in the top and pop.  Flip carefully cook for a further one minute.

Repeat until all the batter is cooked, wrapping the cooked hotcakes in a tea towel to keep them warm until ready to be served.  

Serve drizzled with maple syrup and a few fresh blueberries.  

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Warming Winter Breakfast

One thing that I have really missed since being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease is porridge.  I loved the warm creaminess of the the cooked oats smothered in sugar.  Oats are very good for you, but not for those with a gluten intolerance.

Oats in America are classed as gluten free, an error that I am relieved I picked-up on before buying a muffin one morning.  Whereas in Australia, the Coeliac Society does not list them as so.  Someone who has been diagnosed as gluten intolerant may trial eating a small amount of oats for three months and after that time have an endoscopy to see whether or not they are able to digest the oats - this is something that I am not really willing to do, hence the need for an alternative.  
More information can be found at :  http://www.coeliac.org.au/content/downloads/Oats%20Position%20Statement.pdf 

But nevertheless I have finally found a suitable, possibly even better, substitute:  quinoa flakes.  This ancient Peruvian grain, or rather seed, is perfect when cooked in milk and sprinkled with brown sugar.  

There are a number of different brands available on the market, however I have conveniently found one at my local green grocer.  I cook 1/4 cup of rolled quinoa, 1/2 cup of milk and a small pinch of salt in the microwave for about 1:45 minutes usually stopping it halfway through to stir. 
Once cooked, I sprinkle the cooked 'porridge' with a teaspoon of brown sugar allowing it to melt slightly. Then add a dash of cold milk and mix together and eat.  Breakfast is done!