Gluten Free Sachertorte

Sachertorte

Gluten Free Sachertorte

Sachertorte is a cake which has intrigued me since my early days of baking as a teenager. This was a cake which I had never tried before and introduced to me the concept of adding ground almonds and stiff egg whites to a cake mix. It is also a cake which actually tastes better the next day and which has a rich and strong flavour. I always thought of it as a ‘male’ cake. One of my dreams was to visit the hotel in Austria where the recipe was invented. Some years later my dream was realised when I chanced upon Hotel Sacher whilst walking through the streets of Vienna. I was so delighted to have afternoon tea there although ironically I was disappointed by the sachertorte that was served up to me! I still enjoy this recipe though and think it is well suited to a gluten free diet given the small amounts of flour used. 

Ingredients:

200g dark chocolate

150g dairy free margarine

80g caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

75g ground almonds

40g gluten free self raising flour

Topping

250 ml lactose free cream

250g dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 180C. In a bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave being careful not to burn. In a large mixing bowl, add the margarine and beat lightly. Add the sugar and mix until light and creamy. Add the cooled chocolate and essence and mix. Separate the eggs adding the yolk to the chocolate mix and beating. Add the almonds and flour and beat to combine. 

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the other mix and pour carefully into the prepared tin. Pop into the oven for about 50 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Cracks are a good thing!

When the cake is cold, prepare the topping by pouring the cream with the chocolate into a large bowl and melting in a microwave.Mix together until smooth and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

As if by magic...

...turns into this!

Pour over the cake and leave to set whilst admiring its indulgent glossiness!

Glossy!

So, have you visited Hotel Sacher?

Welsh breakfast cakes

 

Welsh Breakfast Cakes

 

Welsh Breakfast Cakes

Breakfast is often my favourite meal of the day, if it starts off with something wholesome and tasty, the upcoming day feels happier. Often breakfast is an afterthought for many due to lack of time but I think that is a missed opportunity. Breakfast does not have to be a lengthy affair especially during the week, some recipes can be achieved quickly such as the banana pancakes which I have previously posted. This is another quick recipe, especially good if you are out of bread or want a break from toast. The welsh cakes give plenty of scope for jam, marmalade, honey, peanut butter, or anything else that you enjoy to use as a spread on toast. It can even be enjoyed naked. 

4 ingredients!

Ingredients:

225g gluten free self raising flour

50g caster sugar

110g dairy free margarine

1 egg, beaten

Breadcrumbs

In a large mixing bowl add the flour and sugar and mix together. Add the margarine in pieces and rub in to get breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and combine together until you get a dough. 

Dough

On a floured surface, roll out the dough and cut out discs with a cookie cutter or other round shape. 

Welsh cakes

Heat a griddle pan or non-stick pan and arrange the discs on top. Cook each side for a few minutes on each side until it has browned. 

Enjoy warm either naked or with your choice of spread! 

So, do you think Welsh cakes work without sultanas?

Gluten Free Sour Cherry Cake

Sour Black Cherries

Gluten Free Sour Cherry Cake

Cherries are wonderful pockets of juicy bursts. In this country at least though they can be quite expensive. I am an advocate of fresh fruit but in this instance I want to big up the qualities of tinned cherries. They have a long history in cakes so for example the black forest gateaux makes use of them. I can also see the reason why tinned cherries are used as they have a sourness that is not as pronounced perhaps in fresh cherries. Let me know what you think as I use tinned cherries in this recipe. 

Tinned fruit!

Ingredients:

125g dairy free margarine

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

35g ground almonds

155g self raising gluten free flour

90g plain gluten free flour

125ml rice milk

425g black cherries in light syrup

Baba Tin

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and flour a fluted baba tin and pop into the fridge. In a large mixing bowl cream the margarine and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the almonds and then alternate between the flours and milk. 

Lovely Cherries

Drain the cherries and add the cherries to the mix and fold in. 

More Cherries

Pour the mix carefully into the prepared tin and smooth down to ensure it is even. 

That baba tin

Pop into the oven for 45 minutes and leave in the oven for 10 minutes before tipping out. 

Sour Cherry Cake

This cake does not need any fancy icing on it since the shape of the cake provides the fanciness. 

Moist and light

So, did you have trouble finding a baba tin?

Thai Chilli Rice with Vietnamese Basil

Thai Chilli Rice with Vietnamese Basil

Thai Chilli Rice with Vietnamese Basil

Basil is a wonderfully fragrant herb which comes in many varieties. Thai basil is a favourite of mine since it is so full of flavour and lifts many a dish. I came across some Vietnamese basil and decided to make use of it in a Thai recipe for chilli rice. This is a quick recipe which makes use of cold rice that you might have left over. 

Vietnamese Basil

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

2 tbsp red thai paste

1 tbsp tamari soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

5 tbsp water

450g cold rice

Vietnamese basil

2 eggs

Thai Red Curry Paste

Heat the oil in a pan. Add some chopped onions and fry over a medium heat for a few minutes. Add the paste and cook for 1 minutes. Add the sauces and water, mixing and cook for a couple of minutes. 

Too steamy!

Add the rice and mix together with the paste for a couple of minutes until the rice is hot. Wash and coarsely cut the basil. Mix in with the rice.

Essential Basil

Push the rice to one side of the pan and add the 2 eggs. Quickly stir the eggs and allow to cook. When the eggs are almost cooked, mix in with the rice. 

Eggs

Enjoy the rice hot or if having later, try to warm it first. 

Quick Rice

So, do you enjoy basil?

Coeliac Awareness Week–Update

I was anticipating the start of Coeliac Awareness Week to report on the great offers designed to raise awareness of the gluten free diet. It has long intrigued me to see how a gluten free diet is seen as a trendy option. Almost as if it is a choice about taste. It is though an expensive choice and one which unfortunately many coeliacs struggle to afford given the inflated prices which I have mentioned before.

I popped into my local Sainsbury’s on the back of their inclusion as a commercial partner to the Awareness Week and the promise of a selection of offers from their Free From products to tempt us, but was left disappointed. Looking for offers but found none. Surely their status as a commercial partner is not merely an attempt to ride on the back of a legitimate campaign?

It does highlight the danger that a gluten free diet is becoming more of a marketing tool with a focus on gluten free products that cost extra whilst ignoring gluten free products which are naturally gluten free and do not cost extra. 

I hope to visit Tesco tomorrow to report on their efforts whilst I also hope to visit Asda soon as I have thus far been very impressed by their new range not only based on its quality but also its low prices.

So have you noticed any offers to mark Awareness Week?

101 Thai Kitchen, Hammersmith, London

101 Thai Kitchen

101 Thai Kitchen, Hammersmith, London

101 Thai Kitchen has long established a large following amongst the Thai community and beyond in London and deservedly so. It is not just the consistently good authentic Thai food, but also the good friendly service at good prices. Despite Mrs MNFS’s claim that it was the pink decor which attracted me to the restaurant, but the pleasant encounter we had at a Buddhist festival where the restaurant had a stall serving up some 600 som tums over the weekend! Their enthusiasm and friendliness made it clear that they had an interest for their food.

Pink Galore!

The restaurant is easy to spot on King Street in Hammersmith, being the building resplendent in pink. Not a garish pink, but shades of pink that are not hard on the eye.

Food on the walls!

The decor is welcoming with nice photos of the food on offer displayed on canvas. Not the usual bad photos of unappealing looking plates of food, but vibrant well-taken photos of great looking food that makes you want to try it.

The menu is extensive but is loyal to authentic Thai cuisine and is a real treat for those wanting to experience Thai food. Its authenticity is reflected in the fact that the Thai name is written first (I assume this is the case since my knowledge of Thai cannot even be written on a grain of rice!).

All about 101

The menu reveals the homely feel of the restaurant in the explanation of its philosophy and it is clear that its specialty is the som tum due to the region of Thailand that the people behind 101 Thai Kitchen originate from.

Your choice?

The outbreak of summer that we have enjoyed recently made the smoothies on offer appealing with a range of exotic fruits such as dragon fruit and rambutan. Feeling adventurous and exotic we went for the dragon fruit and rambutan, having never tried these as smoothies before.

Rambutan and Dragon Fruit Smoothies (£2.25)

The Dragon Fruit Smoothie was not too sweet and whilst being an acquired taste, it was pleasant. The Rambutan Smoothie was sweet and naturally very similar to lychee.

So Many Som Tums

We wanted to try the som tum which takes pride of place on the menu with 11 different variations. Being som tum purists we opted for the Som Tum Thai.

Spicy heaven in a bowl

The som tum came with a reassuringly dark and rich sauce and a more than ample amount. This was very good som tum. In a nice traditional touch, it is served with a side plate of fresh vegetables and herbs.

Refreshing mint

The som tum was not as sweet as the one served up at Thai Garden Cafe but it was very yummy, with a nice heat. It was not as nutty but was packed with more papaya. It must be a regional preference but the som tum lacked the carrot found in the Thai Garden Cafe offering.

Thai Som Tum (£6.25)

Illustrating how even the basics can differ from restaurant to restaurant, the sticky rice was somewhat softer than the Thai Garden Cafe’s rice, which improved the dining experience as it was easier to enjoy the som tum.

Sticky rice (£2.50)

We were not too sure what to choose from the seafood selection and sought the advice of the waitresses. Special mention should be made of their level of service. Despite the place being busy to the extent that people were turned away, they were still happy to offer their advice based on what our preferences were. We went with the recommendation of the Fish Salad.

Seafood choices

This was the first time that we had tried this dish and it was a fantastic recommendation. It is unlikely to be a dish that will attract many neutrals, being on paper a cold salad, but this is a wonderful dish packed with flavour. Crispy fried fish mixed with lovely amounts of mint, coriander and chili with a subtle undertone of lemongrass. The dressing is to die for being related to the som tum dressing in many ways. You really do not notice too much that it is a cold salad as it is a warming dish. With the amount of herbs it also has the feel of a mojito, with one getting the sensation of a mouthful of herbs!

Fish Salad (£7.25)

The dessert menu is refreshingly different with Thai desserts not offered by many other places. This is a real bonus for me as it expands knowledge of a cuisine which offers so much simplicity with flavour. Feeling like something warm, we opted for the Baked Taro Custard.

Desserts!

The custard came beautifully presented since it could quite easily look unappealing. The custard was sweet with the contrast provided by the fried shallots which had a mildly sweet onion taste. Many Thai desserts offer this sweet and savoury combination which is not to everyone’s liking but certainly challenges the palate as far as desserts are concerned. I enjoyed it but will hope to try the other desserts soon.

Baked Taro Custard (4.00)

As befitting a family run restaurant, 101 Thai Kitchen has a very nice and friendly atmosphere and service to match.  I would recommend it highly and can see why it is immensely popular amongst Thai people and locals alike. Judging by the queues, I would also suggest booking in advance to avoid disappointment if you want great tasting Thai food.

Service with a smile!

So, would you choose pink to decorate your restaurant?

Upside down pineapple muffins

Upside down pineapple muffins

Upside down pineapple muffins

We are lucky that in London, pineapples seem to be now in season, hence the supermarkets offering great offers on pineapples. It is always a bit daunting to buy a pineapple at first if you are not sure whether it is ripe or not. There is nothing worse than fruit that is not ripe, since it seems to detract from the magical taste of fruit.

One rough guide is to try to pull one of the leaves on top of a pineapple, if it comes out easily it is a sign of ripeness. However, this must also be matched with the colour of the skin. It should be clear of any green and should be a golden colour. Sometimes it is a question of judgment. The pineapple that I used for this recipe was a week old, golden in colour, but the leaves did not come out easily. I could tell though from its smell that it was ready and sure enough it proved to be very juicy.

This is a quick and easy recipe that will fit very well in a lunchbox, perhaps introducing fruit to a young person.

Ripe pineapple!

 

Ingredients:

150g dairy free margarine

2 eggs

100g light muscovado sugar

100g ground almonds

100g plain gluten free flour

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

1/2 pineapple peeled and cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 180C. In a mixing bowl cream the margarine and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time to mix. Add the flours and baking powder until combined. In a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases, divide the mixture evenly (just over 1 tablespoon.

Three's a crowd?

Divide the pineapple pieces on top of the mixture. Pop into the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes.

Golden delicious

You should be left with a lovely light, moist muffin with juicy pineapple pieces to enjoy at lunch or on a picnic.

Juicy muffins

So, how do you test the ripeness of a pineapple?