gluten free cinnamon biscuits

Posted on September 26, 2016 by bear loves dove

Oh my, I just had to share my latest little kitchen experiment with you, they are too delicious not to. It all started when my dad developed this yummy gluten free biscuit that my mum and I can both eat. (mum and I have many similar food intolerances/allergies). Anyway after eating Dad’s scrummy bikkies that taste just like a classic Nice biscuit I was reminded how having a cuppa and biscuit is just about the best thing ever, one of life’s sweet little simple pleasures. It got me thinking, if I can’t make the time to do some experimental biscuit baking whilst I’m on my lovely precious sabbatical, then when can I? So I got to it and these are the results… they are easy and only need basic ingredients that are most likely staples in a gluten free kitchen anyway.

Ingredients
1 Egg
120g Butter
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/2 cup Potato Flour
1/2 cup Almond Meal
1/2 cup Hazelnut Meal
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1tsp Baking Powder
2tsp Cinnamon
Slurp of Maple Syrup

Method
Cream the butter and sugar til fluffy, add the egg and maple syrup and mix well.
Sift potato flour and rice flour then mix all dry ingredients together.
Add dry ingredients to butter mixture then stir and mix until combined.
Spoon dollops onto a lined tray and dust with extra sugar and cinnamon.
Bake for 18-20 minutes at 160c degrees (fan forced oven).
Allow to cool, if you can, then demolish at least half the batch just to make sure they are ok.

I think they taste a little like those yummy cinnamony bikkies Speculaas, but I’ve also tweaked the recipe with molasses instead of maple syrup, lots of ginger and a dash of nutmeg and cloves and this version reminds me of Gingernut biscuits. Yum yum, so many biscuits, so little time! I’m off to put the kettle on for another cuppa and biscuit session.

May life’s simple little pleasures fill your heart with joy and your bikkie tin with your favourites.

homemade dairy free cheese

Posted on July 26, 2015 by bear loves dove

I know, it sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? But it is true and I have proof. Granted it’s a soy based cheese so I know you dairy eaters may scoff at it, but for us non dairy eaters this is quite the treat. And if you have a bunch of allergies, it’s even more so a treat as there are only two ingredients in it. What? I know, it’s almost amazing! Soymilk and the good old lemon. That’s it. That’s all you need to make your own dairy free ricotta cheese.

I found the dairy version of this recipe and the inspiration to make it on the blog of the lovely Kate Berry, Lunch Lady. I asked Kate if it was possible to make the ricotta with soy milk, when she said yes I went out and bought myself a thermometer in preparation of a cheese eating weekend I was going to have. It was super easy to make, didn’t take too long and left me with a decent size tub of Ricotta cheese to pig out on and enjoy on my ~~cardboard~~ rice crackers. I ate a lot of it with rice crackers and ham topped with gherkins, and boy were they delicious.

So for all you allergy sufferers out there, missing cheese like you miss having the energy of a 6 year old, you might want to give this homemade dairy free cheese a go. You’ll be smothering your allergy friendly bread / crackers in it in no time.

May your belly be full of your favourite cheese / bread / chocolate * …
*insert craving of choice

allergy friendly toasty fruit bread

Posted on March 8, 2015 by bear loves dove

This delicious toasty bread has no flour, no cornflour, no tapioca, and no nuts or grains of any kind! It’s gluten free, nut free and dairy free. I know, what IS in it hey? The secret to this allergy friendly toasty fruit bread is the humble spud! This recipe has been a long time coming. There were many trials and even more disasters. Then finally I made the most delicious fruit toast I’ve tasted for 10 years. That said I haven’t actually eaten toast for close to 10 years, so my comparison scale might be a tad off. Forgive me.

This recipe does come with warnings though;

Anything gluten free can be a bit hit and miss. Sorry if this misses for you.
It’s not really a bread eating kind of bread. It really comes into its own when you toast it. I slice my loaves and then freeze them, popping them straight into the toaster from the freezer.
If you don’t like fruit loaf, you may want to try some other flavourings. On its own without the spices and fruit it’s a bit elyuko. Too much like some weird potatoey dish gone wrong. A friend suggested a herb and garlic version which would do a great job masking the odd flavour. I’m yet to try that one but I will… thanks Jill!
There is a couple of processes to this bread, it’s not my favourite chuck it all in a bowl and mix method.
I have a dodgy airy oven so cooking time seems to change every time I cook it. The idea is to cook it long and slow or else the crust will burn. Tweak the timings to suit your dodgy or not so dodgy oven.
If you choose to slather it with butter and top it with homemade Peach & Vanilla Bean Jam, I can’t be held responsible for how much you devour!

Alrighty, time for toast yes?

Allergy Friendly Toasty Fruit Bread.

Ingredients:

600gm cooled mashed potato (dry mash, don’t add any butter/milk)
6 eggs
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup potato flour
1/4 cup sugar for the whites
1/4 cup sugar for the yolks
1/2 tablespoon bi carb soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup of sultanas and/or currants or whatever dried fruit you like
1/4 cup dates (I use the medjool ones)
Lots of Spices: Add what you like really but I added heaped teaspoons of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Be generous with them.
Pinch of salt (for luck!)

Method:

Whisk the whites of the eggs with their 1/4 cup of sugar until they are stiff peaks.
In another bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Sift if you can be bothered or whisk if you like short cuts (thanks lunchlady!). Toss the dried fruit through the dry ingredients.
Next you want to whisk the yolks with their 1/4 cup of sugar until they are really light in colour and fluffy. Add the mashed potato to the yolk mix and mix well.
Now you can lightly fold and gently mix all three mixes together – the egg white mix, the yolk potato mix and the dry mix.
Pour into a lined loaf tin and pop in a preheated 160c degree oven for about 40 odd minutes – give or take 15 -20 minutes! Keep an eye on it, it may need more or less depending on your oven and loaf tin size. Probably more so check it often. I use a really large tin 30cm L x 5cm W x 7cm D. If you have mix left over pop it in some little dishes if you have them. I used some baby heart cake tins with the over on my last quadruple mix, and they turned out pretty cute!

Peach & Vanilla Bean Jam

Ingredients:

2.5kg of chopped clingstone peaches. And I left the skin on, seemed like a hell of lot of work to take it off kilos of peaches!
1 kg sugar
Juice of 4 limes
3 vanilla beans
Oh and I added 2 apples as my peaches were just under the 2.5kg weight and I wanted to remember quantities! The apples were my homegrown freshly picked granny smiths and I think they added a good hit of pectin as my jam set like a boss.

Method:

Cook the peaches down a bit first until they soften. Then add the sugar, lime juice and vanilla beans/skins. Cook it bubbling away and stirring often, for an hour or two. Pour into sterilised jars.

Ok that’s enough recipes for one post. If you do make either the jam or bread, let me know? If you’re looking for me I’ll be in the window seat eating toast and jam!

Wishing you hot buttery toasty mornings and peachy sweet jam.

homegrown love

Posted on March 1, 2015 by bear loves dove

Homegrown veggies are love. Homemade produce is love. Grandmas are love. Grandma’s recipes to make homemade produce with homegrown veggies… well that’s a big old dose of homegrown love wrapped in a comforting sentimental crocheted blankie.

Yesterday was Grandma’s Tomato Sauce day again here at Dove Cottage. It was the first time my sister and I have made it with our own homegrown tomatoes, all 17 kg’s of them! And boy were we in awe of Grandma… again. By the time we finished we were totally exhausted and wondered how Grandma used to manage it by herself as she was getting older.

There were the usual culprits on the day… giggles, sticky pots, remembering Grandma, lots of dishes, piano playing, tears, lots of stirring, overflowing sauce bottles, and a house smelling of sweet spicy tomatoes.

One of the most special parts of the day is when the Piano is played. The Piano has such a strong connection to both my Grandma and my Gran. My sister played on Gran’s Piano, using my Grandma’s music book, with skill and feeling nurtured by my Grandma… and she played Für Elise, the song I would always ask Grandma to play. I guess it’s stating the obvious when I tell you that’s when the tears came into the play for the day?

I had such a healthy crop of juicy ripe tomatoes (which are still coming), that I had enough to try my hand at some semi dried tomatoes as well. I used the lovely Kate at Foxs Lane recipe and was so pleased with how well they turned out. Tasty little flavour filled bursts of sunshiney goodness.

I also have a basket of Clingstone Peaches ready for stewing or baking into cakes. And the last of my Granny Smith Apples need picking too. Plus I’m busting to try this Green Tomato Salsa. I am learning how much time and effort goes into growing and preserving your own food. And I’m learning how satisfying it feels to do so. It’s reaffirming, I’m on the right path heading towards the semi self sufficient farmy dream. Granted there’s no farm yet, this is just the small scale suburban back yard version, but you gotta start somewhere right?

Making Grandma’s Tomato Sauce is not just about the bottles of sauce at the end of the day, though they are pretty darn good! It’s about homegrown love, sister love, remembering Grandma’s love and kindness, honouring memories, feeling grateful for lovely loving grandparents, and taking a little wander down a very beautiful sentimental lane.

How about you, is there a special recipe in your life? Do tell.

Wishing you homegrown love and sweet juicy tomatoes.

grandma’s tomato sauce

Posted on May 2, 2014 by bear loves dove

My dear sweet lovely Grandma passed away some years back now… It doesn’t feel that long ago… but then it seems like ages…

Grandma used to make the best tomato sauce… it really wasn’t like most tomato sauces… it was a little spicy… but not too spicy… it’s pretty famous in our family…

For the last few years before she died, my sister and I would make tomato sauce with her… These days are such sweet memories now… there would always be some of her beautiful piano playing too… she was an amazing pianist and taught my sister and I when we were kids, and then taught my kids when they were little too. I still tear up sometimes when I hear Fur Elise… except when it’s the Mr Whippy version!

But I digress… back to the sauce… my sister and I have tried to keep up the tradition of making Grandma’s tomato sauce… most years we manage it and when we don’t, we yearn for that delicious tomato sauce.

We have to tweak the recipe a little bit for me and my allergies these days… and that means two different batches… in three pots… because we don’t have two pots big enough. The one jumbo pot we do have was Grandmas…

We use Grandmas Meuli and funnel too… there’s something pretty special about that…

Tomato Sauce day is a big day… we started just before 8am and finished around 4pm… but boy did it fly… there may have been hysterical giggling involved too…

It didn’t all go smoothly! This is what happens when you are juggling two batches, three pots, bottles in the oven, and chatting away with your Sis… Burntarse pot… no great damage – the burnt flavour didn’t go thru it, we salvaged the sauce just in time… can’t say the same for the pot… it’s still soaking!

Those old vinegar bottles on the right have stored Grandma’s tomato sauce for as long I can remember… I was devastated when we bought more vinegar yesterday and found they now put it in plastic bottles. Man, progress has a lot to answer for sometimes! Luckily my hubby likes a few brands of Rum that happen to have nice bottles… he’s kindly offered to supply however many bottles I need! So generous!

And this my friends, is yours truly and my sweet sis… what a lovely day we had… keeping traditions… spending time… remembering grandma… and what a bonus it is we end up with a pantry stocked with delicious tomato sauce…