Have a jar or two of Candied Quinces in your larder, some whipped cream or ice cream and you’ll have a delicious dessert on the table in an instant. Or use them, as we’ve done, in our Quince and Almond Cream Cake, or our Candied Quince and Ricotta Cake. Try replacing the rhubarb with Candied Quinces in our Rhubarb, Orange and Almond Tart ….
I make a lovely honey mousse – yes, I know I shouldn’t be saying it myself – but it has a really luscious but melting texture..
n the lead-up to a wedding in the family, (catering for a completely gluten-free reception for 40 people, but more of that later) my husband came home with some shopping, beaming, because he’d managed to score 14 punnets of beautiful strawberries for $7.50...
I’m very lucky to live near the Sydney fish markets. I try to time my shopping to avoid the weekend rush and the madness of the carpark, but in the middle of Chinese New Year...
Recipe testing can often yield unexpected results. Some good and some not so good. These Gluten-free Buckwheat Crackers are the result of trying to develop a recipe for crisp, tiny tart cases with the flavour of blinis (buckwheat pancakes made famous by the Russian Tea Rooms in New York and topped with melted butter, sour cream and caviar) ….
It’s winter in Australia and lockdown in Sydney is now in its fifth week. We can exercise outside without a mask and the sun does shine a lot in sunny Sydney, even in winter, but still the highlight of the day does seem to be dinner! And I’m delving deep to keep it interesting. Last night I made a Roast Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry and served it with Tofu in Chilli Sauce ….
We were heading off to spend a few days in Orange recently, and in the process of planning meals what should spring to mind but that cordon-bleu classic - Duck a l’Orange! Given the dish has been described by Gordon Ramsay as the culinary equivalent of flared trousers, the temptation to go there was impossible to resist. Somehow in the process, though, the duck became good old Aussie chook ….
Coming across hemp seeds in the supermarket recently, I had to take some home to try. They’re said to help with weight loss, improve skin, relieve joint pain and arthritis, aid in digestion, lower blood pressure and lots more. If you’re expecting to hate the medicine, though, the good news is that hemp seeds are quite delicious, even more so when they’re cooked. They add a rich nutty flavour and texture to baked goods, as in these thoroughly agreeable Gluten-free Hempcakes.
We like to think of our Gluten-free Mandarin Cake as the little black dress of the pantry. After all, it has been said that orange is the new black. This moist and scented cake is a good one to have on hand because you never know when you might just need it. Equally as delicious for afternoon tea as for a fancy dessert, you can leave it plain, dress it up or add some culinary bling to suit your taste ….
When I was a child my mother cooked. My father only ever did so when, decked out in one of Mum’s floral aprons and with tongs in hand, he’d hover over the barbecue blackening sausages and chops. They were the days. Despite this evidence to the contrary, Dad claimed to be a cook of quite some accomplishment, and he was always just on the cusp of creating for us his most famous dish – a Sea Pie ….
High Tea began as a mid-afternoon ‘meal’ for working men and was usually taken, along with a cuppa, sitting up on tall stools, thus the expression ‘high’ tea. High tea today seems to have become elevated to quite a special occasion affair and while our Almond and Poppy Seed Cakes would certainly hold their own on multi-tiered fine bone china, we’d like to think they’d be equally as happy at a picnic, in a lunchbox or any time you’re in need of a delicious, sweet treat ….
According to the old proverb: ‘the nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat.’ Leaving metaphorical meanings aside, when we’re talking about the long, slow cooking of meat on the bone, the culinary experts couldn’t agree with the ancients more. There’s not only the buttery bone marrow, they say, but the collagen in the bones themselves that melts to create gelatin. Both end up adding texture and body to carry and enrich the more complex meaty flavours …
I can’t resist the flavour of coconut. For many westerners it reminds us of the exoticism of Asia. And whether it be in soups, curries, cakes or desserts; as a cream, a milk, desiccated, toasted, shredded or shaved it rewards us with a gorgeous tropical flavour. And what could be more tropically tantalising than the sweet scent of a coconut cake baking in the oven? Well … the combination of lime and coconut is pretty hard to beat ….
Crêpes are lovely things to have as a lunch dish, a light supper or a family meal. They’re easy and fun to make and most people really like them. Especially children. With a delicious nutty flavour, soft texture and crisp edges, our Gluten-free Savoury Buckwheat Crepes could soon become a favourite dish in your household ….
