After a dash to the fish co-op one afternoon we produced this delicious dinner of a Barbecued Snapper served with Spicy Mango and Avocado Salsa and accompanied it with the best friend of white fleshed fish - potatoes - simply steamed and tossed in butter. It was spectacularly simple and delicious ….
Inspired by my favourite, old, French cookbook, I prepared this mussel dish. It is very simple to make, the quality of the result relying upon the use of the very best produce you can lay your hands on. And aren’t we fortunate in Australia to have such ingredients to indulge our appetites and fantasies? ….
This is a recipe for XO Sauce with a difference. It is gluten-free, of course, which is the first difference. The next is that XO sauces usually include dried scallops and seafood but we use readily available bacon and mushroom to create the savoury complexity expected in an XO sauce ….
Versions of moussaka have been made in the Levant and the Balkans, in Egypt and Turkey and Greece for who knows how long. Proof of its popularity. But do we need another one? Well, this Mushroom and Lentil Moussaka has no gluten. It has no meat. It has no potato. The eggplant is grilled not fried ….
Deliciously succulent pasta tubes filled with aubergine, ricotta, spinach, parmesan and smoked Fior di Latte, topped and bottomed with home made tomato sauce ….. salivating yet? This week’s recipe is a home-cook’s dream as it can be prepared well ahead of time and gently reheated to serve topped with fresh basil leaves. It can be made in very large quantities for parties and freezes well ....
I love to cook when I have leisurely time to enjoy it – a quiet Sunday afternoon for instance, when it’s nothing but pleasure to potter in the kitchen, particularly if I’m making small, sweet things. Indulgences. I also love the way that pleasure is amplified when I go to the cupboard some time later and find…Yay! Bikkies in the Tin …
As we know, making good bread without gluten isn’t easy. Even the best of the commercial bakers’ efforts - while we’re grateful they’re so much better than they used to be - aren’t, I imagine, like real bread.
I see the beautiful sourdough and artisanal breads that are around these days, and yes, drool. But enough of that. How about giving this Gluten-Free Fruit Loaf a go?
It was adapted from a recipe for hot cross buns (published in The Australian Coeliac). It’s the first time I’ve used yeast. Breakthrough! And I think it’s pretty fabulous.
It’s soft and stretchy, with sweet fruit and spice and smells pretty heavenly. And since we’re coming up to Easter, it could well hit the spot.
Mark it with a cross if you like. I give it a big tick!
Jan
Makes 1 large (1350gm) loaf
340 gm fine white rice flour, plus extra for dusting tin
90 gm tapioca flour
70 gm potato starch
85 gm full cream milk powder
100 gm raw sugar
1 tablespoon xanthan or guar gum
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons mixed spice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
14 gm dried yeast (2 sachets Tandaco Dry Yeast)
375 ml hot water
55 gm unsalted butter, diced
3 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
90 gm golden raisins
80 gm currants
80 gm mixed peel
4 tablespoons sugar syrup
Take a large loaf tin, 28 x 13 x 7cm. Grease it with butter and dust with rice flour, emptying out any excess.
Combine flours, potato starch, powdered milk, sugar, xanthan or guar gum, spices, salt and yeast in the large bowl of an electric mixer and, using dough hooks, whisk to combine.
Melt the butter in the hot water. Add to the dry ingredients along with the beaten eggs and mix well. The dough will be sticky and slightly warm.
Add the vinegar and beat at high speed for 2 minutes.
Stir in the dried fruit and mixed peel. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1- 1½ hours. It should double in size.
Meanwhile preheat oven to 190°C.
When dough has risen, beat again for 3 minutes, then transfer to the tin, spreading it to the edges with a spatula and smoothing the top.
Brush with 2 tablespoons of sugar syrup to glaze the surface.
Bake for 20 minutes and turn the tin back to front. If the top is browning too much, reduce heat to 180°C and cover loaf with a sheet of foil. Cook for a further 20 minutes and remove from the oven when a skewer, inserted in the centre, comes out clean and dry.
Brush the top with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar syrup. Rest in the tin for 5-10 minutes before cooling completely on a rack.
Serve fresh, or toasted, with butter and honey or jam.
Sliced, packed in clip-lock bags and frozen, it will keep well for several weeks. Toast after bringing to room temperature.
Note: This recipe has also been tested using a hand-beater and dough hooks and it works just as well.
Madeleines and Proust? Yes, yes, we know it’s a cliché to mention the famous French novelist when talking about madeleines. However, in this instance we’re fairly sure that Proust would be a bit nonplussed by our version of the classic petite cake. You see, ours are not for dunking in tea. They are savoury ….
We’re signing off for the year and wishing you all a very happy Christmas and New Year. There’s no doubt 2020 has been a difficult year and this Christmas and New Year your celebrations may be different but we know you’ll make the most of it. Here’s to a safe, healthy and pandemic free 2021 and hope all will be ‘in the pink’ not only for Christmas but from here on in ….
A regular fool is simply made by combining whipped cream and pureed fruit. We’ve smartened up the basic recipe for this Christmas version and, as the name, Rhubarb, Strawberry and Rosewater Fool with Meringues suggests, there’s a lot more going on than just cream and fruit. This fool looks very colourful, just right, we think, for a dessert on a festive occasion ….
We always need something to graze on at parties, but particularly if it’s a drinks-only event, the nibbles need to be substantial enough to stave off hunger and make good company for drinks. With that in mind we’ve adapted a classic recipe on our blog for Cevapcici, Skinless Sausages, to make these spicy little Meatballs with Mint Yoghurt Sauce ….
I’ve sometimes found clams problematic to serve due to the pesky and persistent grains of sand that no one likes to crunch upon, but now that I can buy them already de-sanded they’re regularly on my shopping list. This recipe of Braised Clams and Artichokes with Red Pepper Aioli is Iberian in origin and delicious as a light meal. As good quality, preserved or marinated artichokes and red peppers are now also available in good delis, it’s a quick and easy dish to make ….
