You are here: Home > allergy-free
Archive | allergy-free RSS feed for this section

Brioche

On February 9, 2012 in allergy-free, Baking, bread, cafes, cakes, celiac, food sensitivities, gluten-free, wheat-free

If I had a dollar for every time I went to a cafe and complained about the lack of gluten-free options, well, I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d probably have about $50. Since going gluten-free, I don’t go out for breakfast nearly as much as I used to.  Once upon a time, eating out was one of my favourite weekend rituals, but finding cafes that cater for gluten-intolerants can be challenging in Sydney.  Until now, that is.

Balmain's new gluten-free bakery

Brioche is located at 349 Darling Street, Balmain

Introducing Brioche. This bakery-cum-cafe has just opened its doors in the funky inner-west suburb of Balmain.  It’s heaven on a stick for people with food sensitivities.   I recently paid it a visit and had a chat with its lovely owner, Fiona Wilkinson.  As a Coeliac and someone who’s allergic to dairy and preservatives, Fiona is well versed in the tribulations of eating out in Sydney.   “I think there’s a lot of people out there who aren’t being catered for.  And unlike 10 years ago when people didn’t really understand (Coeliac Disease), these days people do really understand it, so I really wanted to do something to cater for those who I think are being missed out,” says Fiona.

Brioche the Bakery

You'll find lots of delicious baked goods on the front counter.

Brioche offers “normal” bread for “normal” people as well as a healthy dose of gluten-free options.  I’m talking gluten-free olive bread, sourdough, sultana loaf, multi-seed loaf and rolls.  And if you’re like me and really miss being able to order a sandwich when you’re out and about, for just a dollar extra, you can have gluten-free bread with your sanger.  The poached chicken sandwich with olive tapenade, rocket and roast tomato looked really good – and they tell me it’s low GI.

While all the regular breads are made on-site by the two full-time bakers who are known to work from midnight to 5am (ouch), the gluten-free stuff is bought from a specialist Queensland bakery called Zehnder.  Fiona said they’re in the process of perfecting their gluten-free loaves.  All the other gluten-free goodies, like the spelt croissants (they’re delicious); giant marshmallows; sausage rolls and pies (really good); berry, goji and chia muffins (you’d never know they’re gluten-free); and the great selection of cakes and banana bread are made on-site.

Spelt croissant

A spelt croissant at Brioche. It wasn't as light as a regular croissant, but it went down very nicely with my cup of tea.

Gluten-free banana chia bread

Gluten-free banana chia bread. I didn't try it, but it looked and smelt lovely.

Polenta date sultana cake

The only problem with Brioche's gluten-free polenta date sultana cake is that it's very easy to eat.

If this place is really successful, Fiona would definitely like to open a second one, but she thinks it’s going to take six months just to get this model right.  I asked if she’d open an outlet in Bondi just for me, but she said their concept is too untested at this stage to take on the likes of my neighbourhood.  Dammit!

The good news is Fiona was kind enough to share her favourite cake recipe with Food Crush.  It’s a low-GI pistachio and apple cake.  I whipped up my own adaptation of it this week and took it into work.  My workmates loved it.  Stay tuned next week for the recipe.  You won’t be disappointed!


Read full story · Comments { 19 }

Guacamole

On November 25, 2011 in allergy-free, celiac, cooking, dairy-free, dips, entertaining, food, food sensitivities, gluten-free, healthy recipes, raw food, snacks, vegetarian, wheat-free

Some things are best made from scratch. Like dips, for example. Apart from the frozen meals in aisle eight at the supermarket, packaged dips are the worst $4.95 you’ll ever spend. Like that extra vodka, lime and soda at the end of a big night, throwing a couple of tubs of dip in your trolley always seems like a good idea at the time. I challenge you to step away from the dip section during your next trip to the shops and whip up your own instead. It will save your wallet and your taste buds.

As far as dips go, guacamole gets my vote. It’s a cinch to make, it’s healthy and it happens to be my favourite colour (green). It’s versatile too – you can serve it with crudites, add it to nachos or team it with smoked salmon, tomatoes and cracked pepper for a light lunch. Like watermelon and mangoes, guacamole congers up feelings of summer and good times spent with friends. It’s one of those foolproof dips that you could probably make with my eyes shut if you had to, but try making it with your eyes open if you can.

guacamole

Goes down a treat with crudites

Guacamole

Makes a couple of cups worth.

Ingredients:

2 large ripe avocados, halved, stones removed and peeled
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed (you can omit this if you don’t like the taste of raw garlic)
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced
1 red chilli, finely chopped (the smaller the chilli, the fiercer the heat)
1 tbs olive oil
1 handful chopped coriander leaves
paprika sprinkled on top and a drizzle of olive oil

Method:

Place avocado and lemon juice in a large bowl and mash with a fork. You can mash it until it’s completely smooth, but I like to leave some texture in it.

Add the red onion, garlic, tomato, chilli and olive oil and stir with a spoon until combined.

Season with sea salt and cracked pepper, a sprinkle of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serving suggestion:

Spoon into serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with crudites, such as radishes, carrots and cucumbers.

Notes:

  • The guacamole is best eaten fresh, but will keep for up to a day in the fridge.
  • Lightly press the top of the avocados to test if they’re ripe.
  • Avocados turn brown unless you sprinkle them with lemon or lime juice.

If you’re in the mood for snacking, here’s some more yummy dip recipes.

Read full story · Comments { 3 }

Wheat-free soda bread

On June 3, 2011 in allergy-free, Baking, bread, breakfast, brunch, celiac, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, healthy recipes, wheat-free

The one thing I’ve missed the most since going wheat-free is pizza and red wine bread. Admittedly, I’ve missed the convenience of bread as much as the taste and smell of it. No toast for breakfast; no sandwiches for lunch; no bread to dip into my soup; no popping down to the bakery on my bicycle wearing a striped top and a red beret and grabbing a baguette. Needless to say, it has been a tough gig and I’d really prefer not to live without bread.

Bread and I were reunited on the weekend. No, I didn’t buckle at the wafts of hot bread lingering from Brasserie Bread. My in-house baker (Paul) worked out how to make wheat-free soda bread. I’m talking no wheat and no yeast. And yes, it’s delicious. Maybe after months of going without bread I have forgotten how it’s meant to taste, but if you ask me, this wheat and yeast-free stuff is amazing. And what’s even better is it’s easy to make. Paul whips it up in less than 15 mins (plus about 40 mins cooking time).

So, what is soda bread? It’s a quick bread that uses baking soda instead of yeast. It usually contains buttermilk, but in the interests of being dairy-free, Paul used soy milk instead.

Wheat-free soda bread

Wheat-free soda bread

Paul’s wheat-free soda bread

Dry ingredients:

1 cup millet flour
1.5 cup gluten free or rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch or tapioca
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons xanthan gum

Wet ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of rice or soy milk.
2 tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil

Or for a seedy loaf:

5 tablespoons of mixed seeds (4 to be mixed with the dry ingredients and one for the topping)

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C.  Flour a baking tray.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Mix in 4 tablespoons of the seeds if creating the seedy loaf.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.  Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients; gently mixing as you go, I use a spatula to do this.

If you need a little more milk to moisten the dough, add a tablespoon at a time and stir in.

When the dough is evenly moist, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Kneed gently for one minute to mix in the extra ingredients.

Move the dough to the prepared tray; and using moist or rice-floured palms, flatten and shape the dough into a rounded loaf. Sprinkle with a very light dusting of rice or gluten free flour, or if you are creating the seedy loaf brush the loaf with milk and sprinkle with the seeds.

Using a dry sharp knife, slice a cross into the dough.

Place the tray into the centre of the preheated oven. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the loaf is crusty and sounds hollow when thumped on the base.

Either cool on a wire rack if you like a crusty loaf or wrapped in cloth if you prefer a softer loaf.

If you like this soda bread recipe, you might also like Paul’s hot cross buns recipe.

So, tell me, could you live without bread or would that be a life not worth living?

 


Read full story · Comments { 2 }

Gluten-free pancakes

On April 8, 2011 in allergy-free, breakfast, brunch, dairy-free, food sensitivities, gluten-free, recipes, wheat-free

A life without pancakes is not a life worth living. Trust me, I know. I had to give them up last year as part of my crusade against grains, dairy and eggs. It has been a long four months without the fluffy stacks of goodness that used to greet me on the weekend with oozings of maple syrup and perhaps a sprinkling of blueberries. Oh, how I have yearned for pancakes.

Last weekend, I broke my pancake drought. In something of a triumph against the odds, I worked out how to make pancakes without grains and dairy. And, shock horror, they actually worked and looked and tasted like normal pancakes. Okay, I admit, I added an egg, but hey, what’s a girl gonna do? I know, I know, I could have used an egg substitute, but I succumbed to convenience and used a real egg (free-range, of course). Gladly, it didn’t kill me, and I lived to tell the tale.

Gluten-free pancakes with blueberries

Eating gluten-free pancakes for breakfast makes me happy.

The pancakes weren’t as fluffy as I would have liked as I slightly overbeat the mixture to get rid of some lumps, but the taste was surprisingly good. I used a combination of potato and quinoa flour (simply ‘cos that’s all I had in the pantry), but I think rice flour or buckwheat flour could also work.

So, here’s the recipe, folks. I’d love to hear your feedback if you happen to give them a whirl

Amy’s wheat-free pancakes

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa flour
½ cup potato flour
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1 tbs caster sugar
1 egg, separated
1 cup gluten-free soy milk
1 tbs canola oil
pinch of salt

Method:

Sift the quinoa and potato flours and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and salt and make a well in the middle of the mixture. Pour in the egg yolk, soy milk and oil and whisk (I used the hand blender) until just combined.

Whisk the egg white until peaks form (this doesn’t take long at all so be careful not to overmix) and gently fold into the batter. Let the batter rest for about 20 minutes or so.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and spray with cooking oil. Drop 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the pan and cook until little bubbles start to surface on the pancakes and then gently flip them over to continue cooking. Cook for another minute or so until golden. I only had room to cook one pancake at a time, so I kept the pancakes warm in the oven whilst the others were cooking. Serve with blueberries and maple syrup. Yum!

If you like pancakes, you might enjoy Martha Stewart’s cottage cheese pancakes with lemon.

 

Read full story · Comments { 7 }

Simple seasonal salads

On April 4, 2011 in allergy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, healthy recipes, recipes, salad, vegetarian, wheat-free

In case you hadn’t heard, quinoa is the new star in my kitchen. And I only recently worked out that it’s not pronounced like it’s spelt. It’s “keen-wa”. Go figure.

According to the fabulous Gluten-free Goddess (whose blog you must check out if you haven’t already), quinoa is the easiest no-fuss grain you’ll ever cook. She describes it as a healthy fast food. Think of it as couscous for Ceoliacs. That’s right, it’s gluten-free. My only complaint is it’s expensive, so I’m going to look into buying it online to see if it’s any cheaper.

The easiest way to cook it is in a rice cooker. For those of you who don’t own one, drop everything you’re doing right now (including reading this blog) and go and buy one. Apart from my Soda Stream, salad spinner and hand blender, it is the best kitchen appliance I have ever bought. In fact, I could devote an entire blog post to spouting the virtues of the humble rice cooker. But anyway, back to the quinoa recipes.

In my quinoa travels, I’ve come across two seasonal salad recipes that I really must share. Both contain seasonal ingredients and make great lunchtime dishes for the working week.

1. Quinoa salad with pears, baby spinach and chickpeas in a maple vinaigrette

Quinoa salad with pears and baby spinach

This recipe hails from the Gluten-free Goddess. I love this salad as much as I love my Ugg boots (and that’s a lot). Pears and pecans are a winning duo – like the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of the food world. And the dressing makes my taste buds sing (not literally) thanks to the addition of maple syrup (which you could substitue for agave syrup which is another one of my new favourite ingredients). If you don’t fancy pears, you can use apples instead. How cool is that? Thank you, Gluten-free Goddess. I think I love you.

2. Quinoa salad with roasted beets, chickpeas and orange

Quinoa salad with roasted beets, chickpeas and orange

Quinoa salad with roasted beets, chickpeas and orange

Valencia oranges and beetroot are in season right now (for those of you live Down Under), so it’s the perfect time at give this salad a whirl. I’ve been making it on a Sunday night and taking it to work for lunch. Just keep the dressing separate and pour it on when you’re ready to eat it.

My top tip for buying beetroot is to ask the grocer to remove the stalks (unless, of course, you have a compost heap that you’re wanting to feed). When it comes to cooking beetroot, I recommend chopping it up into relatively small pieces to speed things up a notch as mine too eons to cook. The recipe calls for three cups of quinoa, but I think 1.5 cups is more than enough. Bon appetit!

 

Read full story · Comments { 0 }