Orange chocolate biscuits

Australian gluten-free products are comparatively expensive so it is cost-effective to make your own especially if you have a sweet tooth like mine! These easy biscuits punch alot of flavour for an afternoon tea treat which is quick and quite easy to make. Orange and chocolate is a classic combination of flavours that work well in this crispy little biscuit.

Ingredients:
1 orange, finely grated rind and one half juiced
125g dairy free margarine
120g golden caster sugar
1 egg, lightly whisked
150g gluten-free flour
50g buckwheat flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g 70% dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Grate the orange in a mixing bowl over the margarine in order to catch the invaluable orange oil. Add the sugar and beat with a wooden spoon until light and pale. Pour in the egg and mix to combine.
Sieve in the flours and bicarbonate and fold in to incorporate air.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking tray leaving about 1 to 2 centimetres space in between. Pop into the oven for about 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool on wire rack and repeat with the remaining mixture, It took me three turns to use up the mixture.
When the biscuits are cold, melt the dark chocolate in a bowl. I pop mine in a microwave for about 2 minutes but you can melt it over a bain marie. Mix the chocolate to ensure there are no lumps and use to sandwich the biscuits together. These biscuits keep for a couple of weeks and can be dunked, which is very important for an English biscuit eater!

Banana, coconut and honey bread

Banana, coconut and honey bread

My new focus is to make my gluten-free cakes even more healthy and cost effective. This is even more important when moving to a new country where ingredients are different and more scarce than you are used to. Making the most of what you have and using cheaper alternatives are important. This recipe can double up as a breakfast bread which is delicious lightly toasted with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

150g gluten free flour

70g buckwheat flour

10g baking powder

1 tsp ground cardamom

30g dessicated coconut

120ml olive oil

2 eggs

6 tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and greasde and line the bottom of a loaf tin. 

Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add the flours, baking powder, coconut,cardamom and honey and mix lightly to combine.

Measure the olive oil in a measuring jug, add the eggs and mix to combine. Pour into the mixing bowl and fold together to incorporate air.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the top is firm to the touch and a knife comes out clean when poked in the middle. Place on a wire rack to cool. It will keep for a week and can be sliced like bread. If you are feeling naughty you can add your favourite topping or even just dairy-free margarine. This is a good breakfast alternative to expensive gluten-free bread. 

Ganesh's Birthday Celebration Fresh Coconut Sago Dessert

Ganesh's Birthday Celebration Fresh Coconut Sago Dessert

It has been a while since my last post but the last few months have been so hectic and I have not had much time to even make a cake! Today though is a day I was determined to make something since the 19th of September marks the traditional birthday of one of my favourite Hindu deities, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles.

My living circumstances are much different now since most of my kitchenware is packed waiting for shipment overseas. So I only had limited tools to work with and limited ingredients. This dessert contains no dairy and no eggs and thus can be offered to Ganesh. It does take a bit of time to prepare the coconut and sago but all of this can be done in advance.

Ingredients

1 coconut or precut coconut pieces

300g sago pearls

2 cans of coconut milk

3 cans of water

12 cardamom pods

150g jaggery

Soak the sago pearls in 400ml water overnight or for at least 4 hours. They will double in size so please be sure your container is large enough.

Break open the coconut and if you have a coconut scrapper you can use this to grate the inside of half of the coconut in 5 minutes. Otherwise, you can grate the coconut with a standard grater. Set to one side. If using precut coconut, use one pack which usually amounts to half a coconut. 

One a dry pan, gently roast the cardamom pods until you can smell the lovely fragrance of the seeds inside. Remove from the heat and break the pods open so you only have the seeds. Discard the shell. Grind the seeds into a powder. Sadly my pestle and mortar was packed away so I improvised with the side of a jar.

On a chopping board, thinly slice the jaggery and leave to one side. Jaggery is an unrefined sugar that typically is sold in chunks and looks like fudge. If you cannot find jaggery you could use dark brown or muscovado sugar although adjust the amount you use since these sugars are sweeter than jaggery.

Take the soaked sago and add to a large saucepan together with the coconut milk. You can use the empty cans to measure out the water needed. On a medium heat, stir the sago and coconut milk together until it begins to boil and then simmer for 15 minutes or so. You have to keep on stirring to avoid the sago sticking to the bottom and you may also need to add water in case the mixture gets too thick or you prefer a thinner texture.

Near the end of the 15 minutes you should see the sago pearls look transparent. You can add the cardamom, jaggery and coconut and stir in to combine. The sago will be transformed into a lovely caramel colour without the over sweetness of caramel.

You can serve in the empty coconut shell or otherwise enjoy either hot or cold.

Honey chocolate cheesecake



Honey chocolate cheesecake

Honey chocolate cheesecake

Cheesecake is a great way of producing something gorgeous without too much sugar. Apart from the base which has sugar from the shop-bought biscuits, this recipe does not need anything more than some honey.

Ingredients:

175g gluten free digestive biscuits

35g dark chocolate

50g dairy free margarine

400g lactose free soft cheese

75g honey

2 eggs

20g cocoa powder

75g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease the base and side of a 8 inch loose-bottomed cake tin and pop into the oven. This helps to ensure the cheesecake does not stick to the side.

Pop the biscuits into a processor and blend until you get a fine mix. Melt the chocolate and margarine together in a microwave for 90 seconds and mix to combine. Add the crushed biscuits to the melted chocolate and margarine and mix to combine. Pour into the prepared tin and using the back of a spoon or your hands, press evenly over the base. Pop the tin back into the fridge. 

Prepare the cheesecake mix, by blending the cheese, honey and eggs together. Melt the chocolate in a microwave and leave to cool a bit before adding to the rest of the mixture together with the cocoa powder. Do not over beat. 

Pour into the tin and pop into the oven for about 40 minutes. Do not worry if a crack forms in the cheesecake as this is normal and adds to its uniqueness. Leave in the oven for an hour with the oven door ajar. Once the tin is cool you can either leave in the fridge overnight to enjoy the next day with some coffee or if you cannot wait, pop into the fridge for a couple of hours before carefully taking out and having a slice.