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Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

On February 16, 2012 in Baking, cakes, dessert, wheat-free

Guess what? Thirty six sleeps ’til I tie the knot. In a last-minute ditch to get in shape for the big day, future hubby and I have given up booze for the month of February. Thankfully it’s a short month. Mind you, neither of us are missing a tipple as much as we thought. In fact, I could get used to this teetotaling lifestyle. It saves kilojoules, money and sore heads. As an antidote to our puritan ways, I’ve been channelling my inner Martha Stewart and whipping up lots of baked goodies. So much for getting in shape, but hey, a girl’s gotta have some fun, even if she is a bride-to-be.

This brings me to today’s recipe – a gluten-free almond, hazelnut and apple cake. It hails from Brioche cafe in Balmain which I recently reviewed on Food Crush. The owner of Brioche, Fiona Wilkinson sells it by the truckload and kindly offered to share the recipe with yours truly. Finding a good gluten-free cake recipe can be as hard as finding a good man, so when you find a recipe that’s as good as this one, you simply must hold onto it for dear life.

Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

I can see why Fiona loves this cake. It’s as light as a feather, beautifully textured and different from any other cake I’ve tasted. What’s interesting is it hardly contains any flour. Ground nuts constitute the bulk of dry ingredients while grated apple creates a lovely moistness and subtle sweetness. Fiona’s recipe (which originally from ’Gluten Free and Easy‘ by Robyn Russell) contains pistachios. I decided to use hazelnuts as a substitute only because my local supermarket had some freshly ground ones sitting in their refrigerated section (and they were half the price of packet pistachios that I would have had to grind myself).

The trick to getting this creation spot on is in mixing the egg whites until they’re just right. Be sure not to overmix them or they will lose their elasticity. It only took about 30 seconds for hard peaks to form with my electric mixer on the fastest setting. Also, be sure to fold the beaten egg mixture into the dry ingredients with a very gentle hand. Take your time with this as it can make or break the cake. You want to keep as much air in the egg whites as possible to keep the cake nice and fluffy.

Said cake went down a treat with my workmates last week – and that was without the sweetened mascarpone and mint that is supposed to act as an accompaniment. I’ve already received requests for seconds. I might try it with pistachios next time as I’m curious to compare the flavours. Oh, and Fiona tells me this cake is low-GI (glycemic index), so it would be foolish to stop at one piece.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

100g (2/3 cup) ground hazelnut (or ground, unsalted pistachios)
30g  (1/4 cup) white rice flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
150g (11/2 cups) ground almonds
6 eggs, separated
115g (1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
115g (1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar, extra
50g apple, such as Fuji, unpeeled and grated (I used one whole apple)
50g butter, melted
To serve:
pure icing (confectioners) sugar (gluten-free)
sweetened mascarpone
shredded mint
Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 180C (350F / Gas 4).
2.  Grease and line the base of a 26cm (10 1/2 in) spring-form tin.
3.  Place the pistachio nuts and flour in a food processor and  process until the nuts are finely ground.  The flour helps the nuts to grind evenly.  Add the baking powder and  ground almonds and pulse until just combined.
4.  Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and the first lot of sugar on high speed until the mixture is very thick.  Add the nut and flour mixture, apple and butter and stir well.  The mixture will be quite stiff at this stage.
5.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peak stage then add the extra sugar and beat to firm peak stage. Gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture in two batches.  Place the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through. Allow the cake to set in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
6.  To serve, dust the cake with pure icing sugar and serve slices with a dollop of mascarpone and a little mint.
Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

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Blueberry, maple and mascarpone tart

On October 28, 2011 in Baking, cakes, comfort food, dessert, entertaining, food sensitivities, gluten-free

Fridays are for celebrating, and what better way to celebrate than with dessert. Today’s recipe hails from my new favourite cookbook, Indulge by Rowie Dillon. It’s a ‘Blueberry, maple and mascarpone tart’; a fitting end to a busy week or a decadent dinner party.  Indulge will come as a welcome relief to anyone feeling jaded by the lack of glamour in gluten-free cookbooks. Its colourful pages of big and stylish dishes turn ‘gluten-free’ on its head and inject it with a bit of an edge. I’m dying to don my apron and whip up more of its 100 savoury and sweet recipes. For your chance to win a copy of Indulge, check out my review on Taste.

Blueberry, maple and mascarpone tart

Blueberry, maple and mascarpone tart

Blueberry, maple and mascarpone tart

Adapted from Indulge by Rowie Dillon

Serves 6

Ingredients:

170g (11⁄3 cups) buckwheat flour
100g unsalted butter, chopped and chilled
30g (1⁄3 cup) desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon pure icing sugar, plus extra, sifted, for dusting
3 tablespoons chilled water

Filling:

500g mascarpone
40g (1⁄3 cup) pure icing sugar
250g blueberries
100ml maple syrup

Grease a 10 x 34cm rectangular loose-based flan tin.

To make the pastry, pulse the flour, butter, coconut and sugar in a food processor to combine.

Add the chilled water and pulse until the dough just comes together to form a ball.

Roll out the pastry to 2mm thick on a lightly floured surface.

Line the prepared tin with the pastry and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line the pastry shell with baking paper and pastry weights or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 10 minutes until the pastry just starts to go golden on the edges.

Carefully remove the baking paper and pastry weights.

Return the pastry case to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling, process the mascarpone and icing sugar in a food processor until smooth. Spoon the filling into the pastry case and smooth the top.

Cover with the blueberries and drizzle with the maple syrup. Serve.

RRP $39.99

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Gluten-free blueberry muffins

On July 22, 2011 in Baking, celiac, comfort food, dairy-free, dessert, gluten-free, muffins, wheat-free

They say leopards don’t change their spots, but can people change their palates? Can a sweet tooth embrace their inner salty tooth, and vice versa? As a long-suffering owner of a sweet tooth (or two), the prospect of becoming a salty tooth seems like a great idea. Unless, of course, I replace my love of chocolate with a hankering for hot chips, it would be an entirely useless exercise.

So, chocolate and chips aside, do you think it’s possible to change your culinary persuasion? I decided to put this experiment to the test over a year ago after receiving an earful from my doctor about my high sugar intake. I felt like a naughty schoolgirl as she wagged her finger at me and warned me about the associated risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, so much so that I vowed to never eat sugar again.

I wouldn’t say I’m a reformed sugar addict, but I’ve made some massive inroads in my pursuit of a healthier diet. I’ve even kissed goodbye by morning chai lattes and 4pm Freddo Frog break. And, shock horror, I still have Easter eggs leftover from April. That is unheard of in my household! These days, my main vices are dairy-free 70% cocoa dark chocolate, red wine, salami and the occasional pack of chippies.

So, have I given up my sweet tooth altogether? In short, the answer is no. I’ve suppressed it more than anything and toned it down a notch or two - kind of like a smoker who has kicked their nicotine habit but would still kill for a ciggy given half the chance.

I got back in touch with my sweet tooth on the weekend by whipping up a batch of gluten-free blueberry muffins. I hung up my baking apron around the same time that I gave up sugar, but in the interests of writing interesting blog posts, I decided to get back in the swing of it, and boy was it fun.

Gluten-free blueberry muffins

Gluten-free blueberry muffins

Gluten-free blueberry muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
pinch salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups frozen (I don’t defrost them) or fresh blueberries
½ cup gluten-free soy milk
½ cup canola or safflower oil
2 large free-range eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Crumble topping:

1½ cup pecan nuts, finely chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar (loosely packed)

Method: 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

Mix sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and cinnamon in large mixing bowl. Add blueberries; stir to coat evenly.

Combine milk and oil in small bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add liquids to blueberry mixture and stir until just combined.

To make the crumble topping, mix the pecans with brown sugar.

Spoon mixture into muffin pans. Sprinkle each muffin with crumble topping. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove muffins from pan and serve immediately or cool on a rack.

The muffins can be frozen and taken to work for morning-tea treats!

The moral of the story is that you can take the girl out of the sweet tooth, but you can’t take the sweet tooth out of the girl.

So, tell me readers, are you a sweet tooth or a savoury tooth? 

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Cashew coconut pudding

On May 1, 2011 in breakfast, brunch, celiac, dairy-free, dessert, egg-free, food sensitivities, gluten-free, healthy recipes, raw food, recipes, wheat-free

Did you eat one too many chocolate bunnies over Easter? Personally, I was doing really well at abstaining from chocolate until Easter Monday rocked around and I was given a box of Lindt balls. David Copperfield would have been impressed at how I made the Lindt balls disappear, almost like magic. One minute they were there, the next, they were gone!

If you’re anything like me and ridden with guilt from your Easter binge, may I suggest a healthy breakfast recipe that will help salvage some of the damage? While ‘cashew coconut pudding’ may sound anything but healthy, it is actually full of goodness. In fact, it’s one of those raw food recipes that I came across in Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen.

Cashew coconut pudding

Cashew coconut pudding

Cashew coconut pudding
Adapted from Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups cashews (preferably soaked overnight in water)
11/2 cups water
1/4 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup shredded dried coconut or fresh coconut

Method:

Drain the cashews and blend them with water until smooth. Add the dates and coconut and blend until smooth.

Serve in glasses topped with blueberries, sliced banana and shredded coconut. Will keep in the fridge for up to three to four days.

If you like the sound of raw food, here’s a delicious cacao pudding recipe that you might enjoy.

 

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Grilled figs with ricotta

On April 18, 2011 in cooking, dessert, figs, gluten-free, recipes, wheat-free

Here’s a test for you. Are figs in season in autumn or spring? If you answered autumn, you get a gold star. If you answered spring, please go to the naughty corner immediately. For me personally, my fruit and vegetable IQ went out the window around the time I forgot my times tables.

Who can blame me, really? All the green grocers have the same line-up year round thanks to the shipping of produce from countries as far and wide as the USA, Israel and Chile. Not to mention the advent of year-round production here in Australia which sees us munching on rockmelon in the depths of Winter and mandarins in Summer.

Eating produce that’s in season will not only improve your fruit and veg IQ, but it will reduce your carbon footprint and knock a few dollars off your grocery bill. You’ll also be doing your taste buds a favour. Why? Because seasonal produce tastes truckloads better. It’s the way Nature intended us to eat.

Speaking of seasonal produce, figs are currently in season here in the Southern Hemisphere (apologies to those of you who live elsewhere). They make an excellent, no-fuss dessert. I whipped up this grilled fig recipe last weekend for a family lunch. It was dead easy and has entered the illustrious hall of Amy’s Favourite Dessert Recipes. It’s super speedy to make too – always a bonus if you ask me.

Grilled figs with ricotta

Grilled figs with ricotta

Adapted from taste.com.au

Ingredients: (serves 4)
8 fresh figs
25g blanched almonds, finely chopped
2 1/2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
200g fresh ricotta
1 tbs honey
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
Preheat grill on medium-high.

Trim the fig stems, cut a cross halfway into the top of each fig and gently ease them open. Place the figs into a shallow ovenproof dish. Combine the almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon. Fill each fig cavity with the almond mixture, dividing ingredients evenly.

Place figs under preheated grill (about 8cm from the heat source) and grill for 4-5 minutes or until sugar begins to bubble.

Meanwhile, place the ricotta, honey and vanilla essence in a medium bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and well combined. Place the figs and honey ricotta onto serving plates and serve immediately.

For those of you who don’t eat dairy, the figs taste great without the honey ricotta. You can just drizzle on some honey instead and serve with dessert wine. Yum!

Top tips:
According to The World’s Healthiest Foods, since fresh figs are one of the most perishable fruits, they should be purchased only a day or two in advance of when you are planning on eating them. Look for figs that have a rich, deep color and are plump and tender, but not mushy. They should have firm stems and be free of bruises. Smelling figs can also give you clues into their freshness and taste. They should have a mildly sweet fragrance and should not smell sour, which is an indication that they may be spoiled.

 

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