The Humble Scone

Scones have come a long way since our grandmothers' days. First, the thick topping of butter was removed so we could all live longer. Then the flour had to change. For lactose intolerant people, milk had to go. And if you happen to be dairy-free as well, you'll be left with only the salt!

Gluten-free scones can be delicious or disastrous. They need to be crisp and chewy, but far from dense. And most of all, they must be moist enough to not irritate the back of your throat into the next day. Recently I challenged myself to come up with a couple of good recipes for a gluten-free, dairy-free family that prefer to use simple, everyday ingredients. Here's a couple of my results, together with the classic cheese scone (obviously not dairy-free).

Apple Scones
1 1/4 cup GF flour mix*
50 grams/3 Tablespoons dairy-free spread (or butter, if you prefer)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated, cored apple (skin on)
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 200C. Rub the spread into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the baking powder, salt, and apple. Finally, add water and mix until smooth. Grease a baking tray (or cover with a non-stick silicone mat). Use a dessert spoon to place spoonfuls of the mixture on the tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.

Makes approximately 14 smallish scones.

Pumpkin and Silverbeet Scones

1 1/4 cup GF flour mix*

50 grams/3 Tablespoons DF spread (or butter, if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin, with skin removed
1 cup finely chopped (raw) silverbeet, tightly packed
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water (I used reserved water from when I cooked the pumpkin)

Preheat oven to 200C. Rub the spread into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the pumpkin, silverbeet, baking powder, and salt, and mix until combined. Add water and mix until smooth. Grease a baking tray (or cover with a non-stick silicone mat). Use a dessert spoon to place spoonfuls of the mixture on the tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.

Makes approximately 18 smallish scones.

Cheese Scones

2 cups GF flour mix*

50 grams butter

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chilli powder (optional)

1/2 cup grated cheese

1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 200C. Chop the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the baking powder, salt, seasoning and cheese. Add milk and mix until smooth. Grease a baking tray (or cover with a non-stick silicone mat). Use a dessert spoon to place large spoonfuls of the mixture on the tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.

Makes 12-16 scones.

*The flour mix I have used is:
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup potato flour
1 Tablespoon xanthan gum

Easy Meat Patties

Meat Patties were such a normal part of my life before I became gluten-free but I thought I could manage without them for life. Well, that wasn't so! Before too long I was craving a simple McDonald's burger and yes, I even went and bought a bun-less burger from them one day to appease my craves. However, burgers without buns don't fill me up very easily and I was still left hungry - as was my wallet. And that's when I started experimenting at home.

What I learned is that it doesn't take a lot to make a GF meat patty. It's not so important what you put in it, as what you serve with it. So, whether you like mashed potatoes and greens, or salad, gherkin and tomato sauce, these are definitely worth making! Or, shape them into balls to make meatballs. Gluten free cooking doesn't have to be complicated! We like these best when served with bread, lettuce, grated carrot, pineapple, gherkin, cheese, and a selection of sauces.

Meat Patties
500g beef mince
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 220C. Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined. Press small amounts into the palm of your hand until about 8mm thick. Lay the patties into a shallow oven tray and bake at 220C for 15 minutes, turn and bake another 15 minutes or until crispy on the edges.

Makes 8-10

Notes:
Shape into large golf balls to make meatballs.
These can just as easily be fried in a pan on the stove-top. No oil is needed for frying.
Once cooled, these patties can be put into a container or suitable bag to be frozen for later use.

mmmmmm Pavlova!

I think it is no secret that I have rather a sweet tooth at times. I often tell people that going gluten-free is no concern to me because I'm still able to eat ice-cream, pavlova, and chocolate!

I made a Pavlova for an international dinner we hosted recently. It takes some forethought but Pavlova is really quite a simple dessert to make. All the egg-separating is most definitely worth it! (nb If I forget to get castor sugar for the occasion, I substitute with white sugar.)

Pavlova
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoon maize cornflour

300ml cream
1 teaspoon icing sugar
kiwifruit and chocolate chips for garnish

Preheat oven to 150C. Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add in sugar until stiff. Fold in remaining ingredients. Cut baking paper for oven tray, turn upside down and use a pencil to trace the diameter of a dinner plate onto the paper. Turn baking paper back over and place on oven tray. Spread pavlova mixture out evenly within the circle and cook at 140C for 15 minutes, then reduce to 120C for 1 1/4 hours. Leave pavlova in oven until cold. Whip cream with icing sugar together and spread over cooled pavlova. Peel and slice kiwifruit and use to garnish pavlova with chocolate chips.

Pesto

Friends of ours helped us establish a herb garden during the summer holidays and the basil has really flourished. Looking for a way to preserve the last of the basil leaves before the plants go to seed, I started experimenting with basil pesto recipes. I've now found that if I experiment making basil pesto with my husband around, I don't need to worry about preserving the basil at all!! Enjoy :)

Pesto
1 cup basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup almond nuts (whole)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and crush basil leaves. Combine ingredients in food processor and pulse until the nuts are small. Spoon into small jars and put in the fridge, or press into silicone muffin tray cups and freeze. When frozen, wrap in gladwrap and place in an airtight bag in the freezer.

Chicken Nuggets

Recently I had a deep-frying spree. I don't own a deep fryer but a pot of oil did the trick for me. It has been a long time since I have had chicken nuggets and even then, they were only from fast-food restaurants! Patience is the key here because the chicken must be cooked thoroughly.

Chicken Nuggets
for 800g boneless, skinless chicken
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup potato flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 eggs
water

Chop the chicken into small cubes. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients until smooth. Add water 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture appears like a thick paste. (As the batter sits, you may need to add more water to keep the consistency.) Test the oil's heat by dropping a small amount of batter in. It should immediately fizz, then come to the top. Coat each chicken piece in batter and drop into the oil, one at a time. Fry in batches; don't overfill the pot/fryer.Cook until golden brown on each side, turning when the first side is done. Remove just one nugget from the oil and cut it in half to check that the chicken is thoroughly cooked (it will appear dry and grainy, not pink). Drain each batch on paper towels and eat while hot.

Chocolate Eclairs

I went gluten-free when I was in my 20's so a lot of my cooking is inspired by memories of (gluten) baking I ate when I was younger. Some things I haven't been prepared to live without for ever! One such thing is chocolate eclairs. Although they are typically long in shape, I like to shape them like cream puffs.

I recently challenged myself to come up with a GF alternative to chocolate eclairs and now I have all kinds of people asking for the recipe as a preference to regular eclairs! I love it!

Chocolate Eclairs
75g butter
1 cup water
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
2 Tbsp white rice flour
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon (imiation) vanilla essence
3 eggs
whipped cream
chocolate icing*

Combine butter and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. In a separate bowl, combine tapioca flour, rice flours and xanthan gum. Quickly add the flour to the boiling mixture and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves the sides of the saucepan. Remove from heat. Add sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Grease an oven tray. Use two teaspoons to shape the mixture into small balls and place on the tray. Bake at 200C for 30 minutes or until eclairs are puffy and golden. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool, then use a sharp knife to cut slits in the sides of each eclair. Ice tops with chocolate icing and fill with whipped cream.
Makes about 20.

*I forget how much chocolate icing I made, but I used 1 part cocoa, 2 parts icing sugar, both sifted, and boiling hot water to make a thick paste.

Start The Blog!

Blogging is a big part of life but I have avoided joining the bandwagon, until now. Thanks to a certain level of peer pressure, I'm about to begin. Why? Not because I easily succumb to pressure but because I love food. Not just any kind of food, but gluten-free food. I love experiementing with different flours and recipes and I've had a good level of success with chocolate eclairs, chicken nuggets, and all things foodie. I love to cook! And I'm looking forward to sharing my adventures and successes with you :)