Lime shortbread

Lime Shortbread

Have you ever wondered why lemons are always in the limelight as far as baking is concerned (excuse the pun!)? Limes can be more tart and perhaps are better suited in savoury dishes but limes go so well in a curd. This recipe combines a baked curd on top of shortbread.

 

Ingredients:

175g gluten free plain flour

50g rice flour

80g golden caster sugar

140g unsalted butter/dairy free margarine

2 tablespoons rice/dairy free milk

4 limes, juice and zest

4 eggs

50g gluten free plain flour

150g golden caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C and grease and line a 10 inch loose bottomed tin. 

Place the flours, sugar and butter/dairy free margarine in a large mixing bowl. Rub the butter/dairy free margarine with the tips of your finger into the flours until you have fine breadcrumbs. Pour in the milk and use a knife to incorporate into the breadcrumb mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and press down so that it covers the base evenly. Push the dough around the sides slightly so that you have a subtle case. Pop into the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Reduce the oven to 160C/fan 140C. 

Zest the limes into a large mixing bowl and mix in the flour and sugar. Juice the limes in another bowl and mix in the eggs. Pour this mixture through a sieve into the large mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly for 3 minutes. Pour the mixture onto the cooled shortbread and pop back into the oven for 15 minutes or until just set in the middle. 

Jaffa Cake Loaf

Jaffa Cake Loaf

This recipe started out as a clementine cake but after I caught the first smell and taste of this cake I was brought to the distinctive jaffa cake. Whilst there has long been a debate about whether a jaffa cake is a cake or a biscuit (the English tax tribunal ruled that they are indeed a cake), there is no doubt that this is a cake. It has a wonderful citrus aroma which combines well with the dark chocolate coating. It celebrates the wonderful flavour of a clementine. 

Ingredients:

140g unsalted butter/dairy free margarine

200g self-raising gluten free flour

1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

140g soft brown sugar

3 eggs

2 clementines, zest and juice

6 tablespoons rice milk/dairy free milk

40g golden caster sugar

75g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C and grease a loaf tin. 

Beat the butter/margarine until softened then beat in the sugar. Add the eggs, beating one at a time then mix in the clementine zest flour, bicarbonate of soda and milk. Whenever you are using zest in a mixture, be sure to zest the fruit directly into the mixture in order to catch all of those priceless oils which give so much flavour. 

Pour into the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. 

10 minutes before the end, prepare the clementine syrup by heating the clementine juice together with the sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat. This will take about 5 minutes although be careful not to bring it to the boil too much or else you will evaporate all of the juice and be left with a caramel! The clementine can be a bit tricky to handle when juicing so I had to use a sieve as the clementine broke up in my hands.  

When the sugar has melted take the syrup of the heat and leave to one side. 

When the cake is golden on top and cooked through (knife inserted in the middle comes out clean), turn off the oven and insert the knife a few more times evenly through the top of the loaf. Spoon the syrup evenly over the top of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin. 

Melt the chocolate by popping in a non-metallic bowl and zapping for about 2 minutes in a microwave. Use the melted chocolate to cover the top of the cake. 

Baked beans

Baked Beans

Baked beans are one of those foods which is commonly associated with the convenience of a tin, such is the success of the companies who have built empires around serving us up tins of beans. However, it is always rewarding to break such assumptions by making your own. Even though it takes some time the convenience is in the fact that you can make enough to keep for later and at the same time saving some money. You can also decide which beans you wish to add!

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin mixed beans

1 tin cannelloni beans

200 ml water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

Pour the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and allow to cook for a couple of minutes until translucent and soft. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions browning. Then add the chopped tomatoes, water, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and then lower the heat to allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the drained beans and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. At the end add the fresh oregano. 

The beans should be coated in a relatively thick sauce and will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. 

Sardines on toast

Sardines on Toast

Sardines on toast do not immediately inspire most foodies but there are times when a quick meal is all you need. This is a recipe with a bit of an Asian twist on the old classic. It kicks enough of a punch with the addition of sambal oelek to make you forget the boring old sardines on toast!

Ingredients:

2 tins sardines in spring water

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons sambal oelek

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Toasted gluten free farmhouse bread

Pour the olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sardines and sambal oelek and mix to combine. Heat together for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper and heat for another three minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil on top, stirring to combine.  

Enjoy a heaped tablespoon of the sardines on top of buttered toasted gluten free farmhouse bread.