Gluten Free

Something Missing in the Fabulous Baker Brothers Chocolate Cake Recipe

January 22, 2012
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I made this cake after seeing it on the Channel 4 programme The Fabulous Baker Brothers presented by Tom and Henry, the recipe is here.  It seemed a straight forward flourless chocolate cake, there are quite a few recipes out there including this one on my blog here.  What intrigued me was the end result of [...]

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Gloria’s Quince & Apple Mincemeat (fat-free)

December 8, 2011
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It’s still not too late to make mincemeat for your Christmas mince pies.  I can cope with shop bought pastry but not shop bought mincemeat, it’s just not the same, miles apart.  The ones you buy are monotone, lack vibrancy and sharpness to balance against the sweetness.   I made my lovely friend Gloria’s mincemeat [...]

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Chestnut & Almond Cake – Gluten-free, Dairy-free

November 19, 2011
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It has taken longer than I intended to post this recipe because cake number two and three didn’t turn out as planned when experimenting and I wanted to make certain by the fourth one I had ironed out problems. The cake has a lovely mousse texture, very soft, although in photos it appears solid, it’s [...]

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Tarka,Tadka, Chaunk, Dhungar: Tempering Spices & Making Dal

November 15, 2011
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I’ve recently made 2 posts on spices and now would like to mention one of my favourite ways of spicing lentils; tarka.  Tarka, tadka or chaunk and also known by other names if you look on wiki here, is a very good way of spicing food, not just legumes. I first noticed it years ago [...]

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Chestnut Flour Madeleines – Gluten Free

October 30, 2011
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  I’ve been wanting to test out this recipe here for a year, had asked my local health food shop to order some chestnut flour but after a month of waiting they told me they couldn’t get any.  This summer on ordering lots of different flours from Shipton Mill I was delighted to see they [...]

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All In One Meringue Method

October 5, 2011
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I have a friend who’s complaint was she couldn’t make French meringues.   I can understand how people get in a muddle with pastry as the fat melts, breaks the pastry and so on, but with meringue it’s a simple matter of whisking and they’ve always performed for me.  This friend can bake so I [...]

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Preserving with Gloria Nicol

September 4, 2011
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I bought Gloria’s new preserving book, 100 Jams Jellies Preserves & Pickles back at the beginning of July but because I’ve been immersed with all things bread I haven’t had the chance to mention it here but now I must.  I’ve spent a few days boiling down some of my favourite summer fruits using her [...]

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Lentil Curry, Spinach Curry with Fresh Apricots

August 21, 2011
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I have to make a note of these curries I quickly made last night otherwise they will be forgotten never to be made again which according to my oldest daughter is a habit of mine.  When I make it again I will take better photos and post those.  It was one of those full days, [...]

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BBQ Nectarines or Peaches with Vin Santo

August 13, 2011
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I made these for the first time two years ago and then again last year.   White nectarines but equally good with ripe peaches charred and warmed through on the barbecue using the last of its heat then sprinkled with your favourite liqueur or dessert wine.  Very good served with a scoop of ice-cream.

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Fish Stuffed with Herbs

August 13, 2011
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This is the sort of meal I like to cook in any given evening, easy to prepare and packs so much flavour which I can change depending on my whim on the day.  I came across these long fillets of hake, quite unusual where I live, as soon as I spotted them I started to [...]

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Fish Baked in Salt Crust on the Barbecue

August 13, 2011
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These photos go back two summers, I’ve had them in my photo album with the idea of repeating the experience this summer.  I would then take a lovely shot of the plated fish set on a stylised table with the backdrop of the green outlook of my garden.  I have no idea what happen to [...]

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Courgette (Zucchini) Summer Soup

July 6, 2011
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This soup originally came from the first River Café Cookbook, the blue one which I loved when it came out.  I wasn’t keen on their second book, the yellow, it seemed full of recipes for their wood-fired oven and generally less substantial.  I’ve been making this soup for as long as I’ve had my oldest [...]

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Strawberry Cream Eton Mess

May 30, 2011
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I made this version of Eton Mess for the first time last year.  The reason for mixing the puree strawberries with the cream as appose to the tradition of mixing plain whipped cream with strawberries is because I don’t like the flavour of cream plain.  But I do love what cream does to flavour.  It’s [...]

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Aubergine (Eggplant), Fennel & Tomato with Pomegranate Syrup

May 30, 2011
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I was roasting a leg of lamb yesterday and this was what I wanted with it.  I make quite often the Italian aubergine dish caponata which I will vary, may have olives or capers or pinenuts and vary the herbs but always with the sweet/sour combination of sugar and vinegar.  I wanted that here and [...]

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Good Things Do Come In Bottles, BBQ & Brown Sauce

April 20, 2011
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I had bought chicken to make my Sweet Miso & Lemon Chicken but at the last minute had to change plans, allergy daughter had over done on soya previous days and I needed to make a soya and maize free dish for the family.  Rummaging through the kitchen cupboard I saw the bottles of Wilkson [...]

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