Mrs H does Gluten Free!: March 2012

Sharing my experiences of living Gluten Free, after being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2000.
Please be aware that anything I write is my personal experience(s).

If you are to visit any of the places I mention, please ensure you check that they are still trading before you visit and it's your responsibility to ensure the food you eat is suitable for you! If you are to follow any of the recipes, please ensure you check your ingredients are suitable for you.

My advice: PLEASE get yourself the latest Coeliac UK Food Directory rather than poisoning yourself!

Friday 30 March 2012

Home Made Pizza Base

Made using Juvela's recipe, but would probably work well with another GF flour.

I made two very thin crust pizzas from this recipe and topped them with tomatoes, a small amount of grated Red Leicester cheese, sliced onion and ham.

Ingredients

250g (10oz) Juvela Gluten-free White Mix
1tsp dried yeast (supplied with mix)
1tsp salt
1tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
125-150ml (5-6 fl oz) warm water (40*C)

Method

In a large bowl, combine the Mix, yeast and salt. Stir in the oil and sufficient water to form a soft but not sticky dough. Knead the dough until smooth on a surface lightly dusted with Mix. Roll the dough into a 9” round approx ¼” in thickness. Top as required and bake in a pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Oven temperature: 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Gluten Free homemade Chinese

Something I made last night.

Chicken with onion, yellow pepper, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots with egg fried rice.

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Gluten Free Fish 'n' Chips, Grantham, Lincolnshire

Available only on the first Monday of each month.

http://www.welliesltd.com/glutenfree.htm

Woodhall Spa restaurant - Gluten Free pasta

I didn't eat here, but whilst checking out the menu in the window of this new restaurant I noticed "Gluten free pasta is available".

http://www.zucci.org/

Fairground style Gluten Free Doughnuts

This is great for that sweet kick!
I've adapted a Juvela recipe to make the thing I crave the most.....Doughnuts..... like the ones you smell in fairs and by the beach!

Makes around 9
Start to eating: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients;
165g Juvela white mix (or another GF flour)
50g margarine
30g caster sugar
1 medium egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A little milk

A tasteless oil for frying (sunflower/vegetable oil)
Extra caster sugar for dusting

Put the flour in a large bowl
Add the margarine, rubbing it in with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs
Stir in the caster sugar
Stir in the beaten egg and vanilla extract
You need to add a little milk, bit by bit, until the mixture comes together - you do not want it to go too sticky (I use between 1tbsp - 3 tbsp - it varies each time and is influenced by the size of the egg)
Knead the mix on a floured surface for about 2 minutes
Roll into about 1cm thickness and cut into rounds with a plain cutter (about 2-3 inch). Then cut the insides of the circles out with a smaller cutter (about 1-1.5 inch)
Re-roll and cut any remaining dough
Fry in a medium heated oil (about 3 at a time depending on how big your pan is) for 2-3 minutes. Turn once during cooking
Remove from the oil with a skewer (I hook the skewer through the insides of the doughnuts)
Put straight into another bowl with caster sugar in and coat both sides
Transfer onto kitchen roll to drain
Enjoy freshly cooked and still warm.

I crave doughnuts the most, so after I've made a batch, I usually freeze batches of 2 in food bags. When the craving hits, I simply take a bag out of the freezer and put the bag in the microwave for 20-30 seconds on full heat to bring them back to the freshly cooked taste.

Home Made Gluten Free Beef Burger

I made this burger with beef steak mince, mixed with blended onions, herbs, salt and pepper. The onion paste binds together the mince.

It was cooked on the first BBQ of 2012, on Sunday 25th March and served in a Juvela GF fibre roll, with fried red onion and red Leicester cheese. Served with salad and corn on the cob.

Friday 23 March 2012

Gluten Free Fresh Cream Chocolate Eclairs

Fresh Cream Chocolate Eclairs

Makes 4-6

Choux Pastry Ingredients:

50g butter

125ml Water

65g GF flour

2 medium eggs

Filling & Topping

GF melted chocolate

Fresh whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 220c
Place the butter and the water in a saucepan. Heat until the butter melts, then bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and add the GF flour
Return to the heat and stir until the mixture forms a ball
Remove from the heat again and allow the mixture to cool slightly
Add the beaten eggs, stirring well after each addition
The mixture needs to be a stiff dropping consistency. You might not need to add all of the egg
Spoon or pipe out onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper
Bake in a preheated over for 20 minutes
Remove from the oven and with a sharp knife, make a slit down one edge of each eclair
Return to the oven for another 5 minutes (this will just help to dry out the mixture inside)
Remove and allow to cool
Fill each eclair with fresh whipped cream and spread on some GF melted chocolate
Keep refrigerated until eating!

Gluten Free Rock Cakes / Rock Buns

ROCK CAKES

A recipe adapted from my mum's old recipe book!

Similar to scones and are really easy to bake!

Serve warm with butter & maybe a little jam!

Ingredients:

8oz self-raising GF flour
(I also add a teaspoon of GF Baking Powder and GF Xantham Gum)

4oz margarine

3 oz sugar (plus a little extra)

4oz sultanas / mixed fruit / peel

1 egg

A little Milk

Preheat the oven to 200c
Grease & dust a baking sheet
Sieve the GF flour into a bowl
Lightly rub in the margarine until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs
Stir in the sugar & fruit
Beat the egg. Add the beaten egg to the dry mix.
You want to form a stiff and slightly sticky mix. If needed, add a little milk until the mixture comes together
Place into rough heaps on a baking sheet
Sprinkle with a little extra sugar
Bake for between 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown
Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy cold, or warm them a little and spread on some butter & jam!

Served sliced in half with jam and whipped cream:

Moules & Frites with Gluten Free bread!

Thursday 15 March 2012

Gluten Free Lemon Cup Cakes

A flavour variation of my previously posted Chocolate cupcakes!

CUPCAKES - makes 12.

Prep time, less than 10 minutes. Cooking time 18-20 minutes.

Please check your Coeliac UK Food Directory for suitable ingredients.

LEMON:

150g (5oz) unsalted butter or margarine, softened (I use Stork margarine)

150g (5oz) caster sugar

175g (6oz) GF Flour (I use Juvela White Mix)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice & the grated rind

Line a 12 section bun tray with paper cake cases.
Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric whisk for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is light and creamy.
Divide evenly between the cake cases
Bake in a preheated over at 180c (350f) (gas mark 4) for about 18-20 minutes, until firm to the touch (I always check mine by putting a skewer into the middle of some of the cakes, if it comes out clean - they are cooked)
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
When cold, decorate with GF butter icing and GF decorations. (The photo below shows Dr Oetker decorations which were GF at the time of making these cakes).

Wednesday 14 March 2012

DS Pastry, Gluten Free Mincemeat Tarts

Gluten Free Mincemeat Tarts

Really simple to make using:
DS Gluten Free (frozen) shortcrust pastry
Robinson's classic mincemeat (gluten free at the time I bought it, but please check now).

Roll out the thawed out pastry and cut into rounds.
Fill each section of a bun tin with a pastry round
Put a dessert spoon of the mincemeat into each
Top with either a smaller round or like I did, a shape of pastry
Bake around 180-200c until nicely golden
Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Thursday 8 March 2012

https://twitter.com/mrshdoes

Gluten Free Mango Chutney

A selection of my GF Mango Chutney and Asian Chilli Jam.

MANGO CHUTNEY

Ingredients

1.5kg mangoes, peeled and diced

2 large red chillies, de-seeded and shredded

60g fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated

Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon

500ml white wine (or cider) vinegar

750g Demerara sugar

1tsp powdered cumin

1tbsp salt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1tsp powdered allspice

1tsp turmeric

Method

Add all the ingredients to a big pot.
Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Cook for 1 hour, stirring often, until the mixture is thick. The chutney is thick enough when you can draw a spoon through the mixture and no liquid oozes into the spoon’s path.
Ladle the mixture into sterilised jars that have been warmed in an oven set to 100c for 5 minutes. Allow 1cm of head space then secure the lid, allow to cool and store.
You will need to leave this particular chutney for at least 1 month to mature so that the flavour develops fully.

Heidi’s Notes

Makes about 4x440ml kilner jars.

£1.29 440ml jars:
http://www.selections.com/GF7564/440ml-jam-and-pickle-preserving-jar-with-glass-lid/

If you bottle it when it’s not as thick as recommended, it does thicken a little bit more over time.
If you can leave it over 2 months it’s tastier – even better after 3 months!
If you want, add extra garlic, whole cloves, cumin seeds or peppercorns for more of a kick!

Mela cookery class - Gluten Free

Working progress during Saturday's Indian Cookery Class!

(3 dishes and it was all Gluten Free)

http://www.melarestaurant.co.uk/cookery-classes.asp

The results, all plated up and ready to eat - it was really tasty!

Monday 5 March 2012

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

After 12 years of being diagnosed Coeliac, I think this is my favourite recipe so far. They taste really good and it is a "chuck it all in and mix together" recipe!

CUPCAKES - makes 12.

Prep time, less than 10 minutes. Cooking time 18-20 minutes.

Please check your Coeliac UK Food Directory for suitable ingredients.

VANILLA:

150g (5oz) unsalted butter or margarine, softened (I use Stork margarine)

150g (5oz) caster sugar

175g (6oz) GF Flour
3 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE (as shown in picture):

Substitute 15g (1/2 oz) of GF cocoa powder for 15g (1/2 oz) of the GF Flour

Line a 12 section bun tray with paper cake cases.
Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric whisk for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is light and creamy.
Divide evenly between the cake cases (I have to get this just right otherwise the mixture is just enough to spill over the edges of those cake cases I put a little too much in!)
Bake in a preheated over at 180c (350f) (gas mark 4) for about 18-20 minutes, until firm to the touch (I always check mine by putting a skewer into the middle of some of the cakes, if it comes out clean - they are cooked)
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
When cold, decorate with GF butter icing and GF decorations.

Made with Juvela GF White Mix

Made with Glutafin Select Multi Purpose White Mix

Thursday 1 March 2012

Gluten Free Wedding Cake, Lincolnshire, UK

My totally GF wedding cake!

Made and designed to my spec by the wonderful Katie Watts of Couture Cakes.

This cake was truly amazing! I'm not sure any of my guests knew it was GF until they saw me tucking in! Vanilla sponge with her homemade raspberry jam.