Gluten Free South Africa

Chocolate cupcakes

2009-10-16T11:20:00.000+02:00

By special request... when sometimes only chocolate will do.

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes

60g chocolate, at least 70%
1 cup sugar
200g butter, soft
2 eggs- at room temperature
1+ 3/4 cups gluten free flour
pinch of salt
125ml buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Melt the chocolate in a bain marie and leave to cool
Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the chocolate.
Beat in the flour and salt, alternating with the buttermilk.
Spoon into 12 cake moulds and bake 15 - 25 minutes until the tops are springy when
pressed in the centre.
Cool, before icing or pouring melted chocolate over

Cherry Cheesecake

2009-10-07T14:33:00.000+02:00

What follows is a recipe for a heavy, rich baked cheesecake although it can be lightened a little by using half full-fat cottage cheese to half philadelphia. The base can be a good way of using up gluten free biscuits[buckwheat choc chip cookies, Anzac cookies or cranberry & macadamia cookies ] which are past their best. Personally I prefer a shortbread layer underneath.

Whatever cheese you use, it must be at room temperature for best results and baking in a bain-marie produces the creamiest texture. To start, prepare the base of your choice in a 23cm springform tin and set up a bain-marie. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.

Ingredients
500g cream cheese - philadelphia [full fat]
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 vanilla pod

Blend the cheese and sugar well together.
Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla pod and add.
Add the eggs and blend and then the cream and mix at low speed for around 5 minutes until smooth.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake until just set - between an hour and 90 minutes.
Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let cool in the oven for an hour.
Refrigerate overnight.
When ready to serve, add cherry compote.

Gluten free madeleines

2009-08-21T10:40:00.000+02:00

To make these madeleines, you need a good gluten free flour of which you are happy with the taste. They are flavoured with lemon zest, but if you check the quantity of flour you can see there is nowhere for the 'gluten free' taste to hide. After over ten years of eating gluten free, I can enjoy these but when newly diagnosed I remember needing to mask the gluten free flour with stronger flavours such as berries, chocolate, coffee, nuts so be warned...Note also the mixture needs an hour resting before baking. The mixture makes two trays.

Ingredients
90g sugar
2 eggs
grated zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
100g gluten free flour
100g butter.

Whisk the sugar, eggs, salt and lemon zest on high speed for 4 minutes.
Melt and cool the butter.
Sift the flour into the mixture and fold in.
Stir in the butter.
Rest 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Fill the moulds three-quarters full and bake for 10 -15 minutes.

Mushroom Quiche

2009-08-02T13:43:00.000+02:00

Gluten free savoury pastry, part II
With cherry tomatoes and gouda.
Portable.
Tastes good warm or cold.
A flavourful alternative to gf bread.

Local Cape Town company Glutagonproduce an excellent pastry flour - Self-binding flour. It's available in Superspar, Dischem or the Wellness Warehouse

Gluten Free Quiche

2009-07-24T14:53:00.000+02:00

I found an interesting video on gluten free pastry on Juvela's site and article. Follow their advice to forget everything you know about making pastry: knead well, and enjoy the impressive results. You will need a gluten free flour mix with xanthan gum, though. I used Glutagon's all purpose self-binding gluten free flour.

Honey Tuiles

2009-07-10T15:50:00.000+02:00

I'm not a big biscuit fan, although I do like the occasional "crunch" in food, particularly with a cup of tea. Especially when it is raining outside, and inside: thanks to an annual problem with a bedroom roof and despite large amounts paid to roofing companies, but that's a whole other story. A quick summary would be flat roof + winter rainfall= money pit.

Ingredients
60g butter
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons sugar
45g gluten free flour [I used Orgran]

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Melt the butter, honey and sugar together over a low heat.
Remove from the heat and add the flour.
Drop a teaspoon of the mixture onto a silicone baking mat: allow plenty of space as the mixture will spread. Four teaspoons per mat is enough.
Bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Leave for a minute or two to firm up and then shape as required.

Another option is to shape the tuiles into baskets and fill with yoghurt and fruit for breakfast.

Pecan Streusel Cake

2009-07-09T11:11:00.000+02:00

This is a lovely cake for people who don't like icing [me] or layers of whipped cream [delicious occasionally but really limits the life of the cake]. The pecan nut streusel adds flavour and contrast to the tender cake. I've used Orgran gluten free self-raising flour [R20 for 500g box in Checkers] which I find needs a longer baking time. Any leftover slices can be frozen for later - this is not a cake which improves stored at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and prepare a 23cm springform tin.

Pecan struesel topping
200g pecans
1/2 cup demerara sugar
1/3 cup gluten free flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
75g butter, cut in small cubes

Blitz the nuts, sugar, gf flour and cinnamon in a food processor.
Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture looks like large crumbs.
Set aside.

Cake mixture
50g butter
2/3 cup demerara sugar
2 extra large eggs
1+ 3/4 cups gluten free flour
1 cup natural yoghurt

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Alternately add 1/3 flour and 1/3 yoghurt.
The mixture should be a creamy consistency.

Spread half the cake mixture in the tin.
Sprinkle over half the struesel mixture,
Repeat, and bake 35 -55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake emerges clean.
Cool in the pan.

Berry Breakfast Bites

2009-07-03T10:01:00.000+02:00

This is a satisfying, non-crunchy recipe - excellent for eating discreetly! But still juicy and flavourful from the berries: I used pitted black cherries from Hillcrest Berry Farms. Part of the farm is up for sale, but their beautifully situated coffee shop is safe.

Ingredients
makes 1 dozen
300g brown rice flakes
125g millet flakes
400ml orange juice
Soak all together for an hour

150g butter
75g demerara sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
200g berries
Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together.
Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each.
Stir in the rice flake mixture
Fold in the berries.
Press mixture into moulds.

Bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees for 25 - 35 minutes.

Butternut cheesecake

2009-04-24T11:11:00.004+02:00

In the weekly vegetable box there has been an unending supply of butternut: what used to be an occasional treat in the UK has become a staple in the kitchen here. Over the last year I've made butternut bread, muffins, cookies, pancakes, souffle, pie and now cheesecake [in additional to its traditonal savoury methods.] The cheesecake received a somewhat sneering reception, but was devoured quickly.

Philadelphia cream cheese makes the best cheesecakes both in terms of texture and taste; when it is not available, I use full fat creamed cottage cheese, although only one supermarket offers a non low-fat version.

Ingredients

If using a biscuit base: shortbread , buckwheat chocolate chip cookies or anzac cookies work well while crumbled into the base of a mould. I never bother adding melted butter or more sugar; it's more a way of using up cookies.

500g butternut puree
500g cream cheese, soft
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
1+ 1/2 teasp ground cinnamon
1/2 teasp ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Beat the cream cheese, caster sugar and eggs together until smooth.
Add the butternut puree and the spices.
Pour onto the biscuit base.
Bake 35- 45 mins

Buckwheat scones

2009-04-05T12:47:00.004+02:00

1 cup gf flour [US cup measure: 250ml]
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
100ml double cream or creme fraiche
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

Put the gf flours, salt and baking powder in a food processor and blitz with the cream until the mix just starts to mass together.
Take out and knead briefly until you have a dough.
Roll out to a thickness of around 1.5cm
Cut out scones, and brush with the leftover cream in the measuring cup
Bake 15 -20 minutes until golden brown

makes 6 scones, which are best eaten on the same day.

Raspberry Trifle

2009-03-30T17:17:00.004+02:00

After making a batch of gluten free bread, I've always got egg yolks leftover. Since we've happily passed the hot weather stage, icecream no longer seems quite so appealing. I've always enjoyed real custard: not too thick and with real vanilla seeds. Trifle is a wonderful way of showcasing real custard: add some leftover apricot jam swiss roll, a slug of alcohol and some fresh raspberries...not a bad result from some leftovers

Chocolate Macadamia Cake

2009-03-23T14:41:00.002+02:00

Here's hoping the heatwave is over - it's a comfortable 26 degrees today and last night was distinctly chilly. The tourists are thinning out, work is slowing down....wonderful.

This cake is one of the lightest chocolate offering, if you prefer a more serious chocolate hit then Fudgy Figgy Brownies- or for a medium milk chocolate hit milk chocolate brownies are for you.

Ingredients
200g macadamias
150g sugar
pinch of salt
50g cocoa powder/ raw chocolate
6 eggs
handful of chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

Place the macadamias and half a cup of sugar in the food processor and blitz until everything is finely ground.

Separate the eggs and whisk the yolks with the rest of the sugar until pale and creamy.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks.
Sieve in the cocoa powder and fold in.
Fold in the egg whites in several additions.
Spread gently into cake tin and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top
Bake 30 -40 minutes until springy on top.

Melon sorbet

2009-03-18T09:08:00.001+02:00

The success of this sorbet all depends on the melon; underripe fruit only produces an underwhelming result.

Melon sorbet
1 large, ripe melon- enough to make 4 cups (US measures) puree
1/2 cup water
1/2-3/4 cup castor sugar, depending on sweetness of melon
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons witblits or other alcohol

Icecream machine needed for churning

Puree the melon with the water, sugar [start with 1/2 cup of sugar[ and salt and taste. Adjust with more sugar if necessary.
Stir in the alcohol and churn 15-25 minutes, or according to the instructions on your machine.

Gluten Free Ireland: Delicious

2009-03-16T14:29:00.001+02:00

Delicious is a gluten free bakery in Cork, Ireland with an impressive selection of gluten free goodies from their best-selling chocolate brownies to birthday and wedding cakes to breads. They can deliver within Ireland and their standard looks great from their website: worth checking out if you are visiting Ireland.

Blackcurrant ice cream

2009-03-14T16:25:00.005+02:00

Perhaps it is all the time I've spent recently sheltering from the sun in air-conditioned shopping malls that inspired this icecream. We are still waiting for rain here - I read/hear three conflicting weather reports on a daily basis. I had people staying last week who did not turn off their aircon for the whole week. Day and night. The trouble with an electricity meter is you can see how fast the money drains away. Yesterday I got a cheery email from a fruit and vegetable company reminding me that March is traditionally the hottest month....

This ice cream is made using a custard base and needs a machine for churning.
Blackcurrant icecream
Ingredients
600ml milk
500ml cream
1 vanilla pod
120g sugar
6 egg yolks

400g blackcurrants
150g sugar
1 tablespoon witblits or cassis

Place the milk and cream into a pan and scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the liquid, then add the pod.
Heat gently until just boiling.
While waiting for the milk mix to boil, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture pales and thickens.
Pour the milk mixture onto the egg yolks mix, whisking constantly.
Strain into a clean pan and stir over a medium heat until the mix coats the back of a wooden spoon [82 degrees].
Chill for at least 90 minutes, using a cartouche to prevent a skin forming.

Meanwhile, put approx 400g blackcurrants and 150g sugar into a pan over a gentle heat until the berries burst. Cool. Add 1 tablespoon of witblits or cassis.

Churn 20 -25 minutes, folding the berries in at the last moment.
Freeze overnight.

PS Looking forward to winter

Baked Custard

2009-03-09T11:28:00.003+02:00

Baked custard provides the silkiness of pannacotta, without the cream. Pannacotta may be more fashionable but these baked custards take the nutritional high ground with their ingredients. Served chilled, these are deliciously light and perfect for these days with temperatures still in the thirties. Just a shame that you need to turn the oven on to bake them...

Serves 6- in individual pudding moulds

500ml milk
2 eggs
4 yolks
85g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod

Put 6 individual pudding moulds into a deep oven tray.
Preheat the oven to 190

Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the seeds and split vanilla pod.
Bring to the boil and leave to infuse 30 minutes.
Boil the kettle.
Whisk the eggs, yolks and caster sugar together - I do all whisking by hand, as
a mixer makes everything too bubbly
Pour over the hot milk and whisk together and pour into the individual moulds.
Make a bain marie by filling the tray halfway with the hot water from the kettle.
Bake until set, around 25- 30 minutes.
Take out and chill before enjoying.

Cape Argus Power Bars

2009-02-28T18:02:00.007+02:00

The Cape Argus Cycle Tour falls Sunday of next week: one of the most scenic cycle rides, usually taking place on one of the most sweltering days...tomorrow we are threatened with temperatures of 36 degrees. Even Chapman's Peak is reopening for the event, after a long closure. For me personally, it also signals an end to the most manic period of work for me, which starts in December. Autumn just can't arrive soon enough for me..

Here is a quick and easy recipe for an instant energy boost.

3/4 cups honey
1/4 cup sunflower oil
2+ 1/2 cups quinoa flakes
1 cup millet flakes
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup roughly chopped pistachios
1 cup dark chocolate buttons - at least 70% chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 130 degrees
If you want a tray bake, then the ideal baking tray size is 25cm x 35 cm
They can take up 35- 45 minutes to bake, around 25-35 if you are baking individually in silicon moulds.

Put the sunflower oil and honey in a large pan and heat gently.
Turn off the heat and add the flakes, coconut, pistachios and vanilla and stir gently.
Stir the chocolate pieces in carefully and press into the moulds.
Bake until golden brown, and enjoy

Coffee Brazil Cakes

2008-12-05T16:41:00.002+02:00

This has got to be one of my all-time favourite cakes. A more traditional version would be coffee and walnut with coffee flavoured buttercream icing. Feel free to dress up this recipe with icing - I do occasionally - but personally I think it is already perfect with a mug of black coffee. Instant coffee does give the best coffee flavour so no need to waste expensive expresso or other blends you would actually drink in it.

Coffee Brazil Cakes
Ingredients
[enough for approx 10 individual loaf mould cakes]
150g vanilla sugar
175g butter
3 eggs
150g gluten free flour, including binder and raising agents
65g brazil nuts, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Blackcurrant Waffles

2008-10-11T14:26:00.000+02:00

Here’s an easy recipe for gluten free waffles - no separating of eggs, just some whisking and stirring. Apart from the flavour, it’s so great to eat something gluten free with a crispy texture. Entice gluten free self-raising rice flour works well in this recipe : its already contains raising agent and binders so if you use another gluten free option, you may need to add them.

Blackcurrant waffles

makes around 6 waffles

Ingredients
3 large eggs
100g butter, melted
1+1/2 cups milk
1+3/4 cups gluten free flour
pinch of salt
1 cup blackcurrants

Preheat your waffle maker

Whisk the eggs for around 2 minutes until they are thick and foamy.
Stir in the melted butter and milk.
Add the gf flour and pinch of salt and stir until smooth.
Just before cooking, stir in a cup of blackcurrants.
Cook for around 3 -4 minutes

Cooled waffles can be stored in zip-loc bags and frozen for a couple of months.

Baby Carrot Cakes

2008-09-24T16:15:00.002+02:00

Another month gone in a whirlwind of work, wine [Winex] and alot of bad weather and not much baking. Time to go retro. An old classic recipe that produces a deliously moist cake.

Baby Carrot Cakes

Makes 12 large muffin sized carrot cakes

4 eggs
1+1/2 cups vanilla sugar
1+1/4 cups sunflower oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
3 cups grated carrot
1 cup crushed pineapple
2 balls stem ginger, finely diced
3 cups gluten free flour [Enticerice self raising gf flour works well]
handful sunflower seeds

Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and orange juice.
Sitr in the gluten free flour.
Stir in the carrots, pineapple and ginger.
Pour into the muffin moulds and top with sunflower seeds.

Bake 25 - 40 minutes until springy in the centre.

Plumcot Crumble

2008-08-29T09:24:00.003+02:00

Plumcot? Apparently, it's a cross between a plum and an apricot. They were on sale at Hillcrest Berries. While their appearance is more purple plum, their taste started off as plums, then finished as apricot, but not in a bad way....

My favourite crumble topping is a shortbread mix, and
Bia Nua's recipe [made with butter] is the best I've used. I just take the mixture to crumb stage, then sprinkle on top of the fruit and bake until golden brown.

Gluten Free Panforte

2008-08-24T12:22:00.002+02:00

Panforte is easy to make from the excellent quality dried fruit, nuts and seeds which are readily available here. It is a great portable snack; satisfyingly filling and useful to bridge a gap on those occasions when there is nothing gluten free available. It has a long shelf life, providing it is well wrapped and kept at room temperature. The original 'energy bar'.

Ingredients
1 cup pistachios
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
3 balls stem ginger, finely chopped
zest of 1 orange
100g good quality soft figs, sliced
1/2 cup gluten free flour
2 tablespoons gluten free cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey

If you are making one large "cake" then a 23 cm cake tin, generously greased and lined, if you are not going the silicone route. [I used individual silicon pie dishes and got 10]

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
Mix together the nuts, seeds, ginger, zest, figs, flour, cocoa powder in a large bowl.

Put the honey and sugar in a large pan and bring to the boil and bring to soft ball stage.
Quickly stir in the dry ingredients and place in the baking tins.
Bake 35- 45 minutes for 23 cm tin or 15 -25 for individual

Ostrich sausage rolls, gluten free

2008-08-21T08:21:00.003+02:00

If it's gluten free sausages in a gluten free bread roll from the braai, I must be eating...................?

-er, at home.

It is surprisingly difficult to find gluten free sausages here, despite their much higher meat content [typically 90%] than their UK counterparts. These ostrich sausages are a rare example; many on sale in the supermarket do not list their ingredients at all. Some of SuperSpar's sausages list their ingredients but none are gluten free. All Woolworth's sausages are labelled but all contain gluten. Sadly, there is no local butcher's shop. Still, the rarity of the occasion called for the home-made gluten free bread rolls and they were sooo good...

The "sin" of gluten

2008-08-15T09:37:00.003+02:00

No, I'm not joking: this was the title of an article in last week's Sunday Times
[Sigh]
Well this is a new angle on coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.

Presumably the title explains the suggested punishment of bland invalid food.

It's one way to ensure you won't be troubled by a return visit of those gluten free sinners....

Wellness Warehouse: another Cape Town gluten free resource

2008-08-09T16:03:00.006+02:00

The Wellness Warehouse is a great gluten free resource in Cape Town city centre [Kloof Street]. It is a reasonably sized store selling everything from fitflops to bathroom essentials to fitness equipment. It includes a spa, cafe and supermarket. There was a couple of tasting stations set up today for food and some lovely, reasonably priced organic wine.

They've also got a good value, laid back cafe with views of the mountain and they label their food which contains gluten. They have gluten free chocolate and macadamia brownies on offer in their cafe today. In their supermarket, they have several gluten free sections selling gluten free pasta, cookies, crackers, corn thins, rice cakes, corn cakes and baking mixes. They also sell soya milk and reduced lactose milk. There are now three South African companies making gluten free cookies: Diana's Munchies, Raymond's and Organix so there is plenty of choice. Raymond's makes a gluten free panforte which is packed with dried fruit and nuts and a useful portable and filling snack to keep on standby. It easily has the widest range of gluten free goods under one roof in Cape Town

A small selection of gluten free cookies and snacks on sale: