Chocolate Apple Gluten Free Cake!!!

One of my favourite food blogs...Not Quite Nigella recently feautured a Chocolate Apple Gluten Free Cake which I immediately tried the next day...

Just in time for our Wedding Anniversary!!!

How delicious was this...and oh so easy to make!!!

Thank you so much Lorraine...this was a perfect addition to our day!!!

Out of the oven...

Sprinkled with icing sugar...

With a dollop of cream...a strawberry and some mint, Just Perfect!!!

The recipe can be found over here...

Thank you so much Lorraine...we loved it...now one of our favourites!!!

Almond and Blueberry (Raspberry) Friands (Gluten Free)!!!

I am a big lover of Friands!!!

And to my absolute delight when I received the latest issue of Donna Hay and saw the recipe it didn't take me long at all to get stuck into it!!!

Setting the cases up...

Even though the recipe stated Raspberries I substituted Blueberries!!!

I also substituted gluten free flour for the plain flour...and it worked really well!!!

And I couldn't stop taking pics of them!!!

Absolutely delicious!!!

(Gluten Free) Almond and Blueberry/Raspberry Friands

• 1 C (120g) almond meal (ground almonds)
• 1 and 2/3 (215g) icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted
• 3/4C (105g) plain (all purpose)...I used gluten free flour, sifted
• 1/2t baking powder, sifted
• 5 egg whites
• 125g butter......melted
• 150g blueberries

• Preheat oven to 180c (350f)
• Place the almond meal, sugar, flour, baking powder, egg whites and butter in a bowl and whisk until smooth
• Spoon mixture into 12x1/3 cup capacity (80ml) patty cases
• Top with berries
• Bake for 25m or until golden

Yuuuummmm!!!  Bon Appetit...Dzintra

Pumpkin Soup!!!

 About a month ago our Daughter gave us a couple of pumpkins...

good timing as I had not made any Pumpkin Soup this season!!!

Collect some fresh parsley from our abundant little parsley pot...

Quickly fry up some onion, a bay leaf, garlic cloves, all spice...

some potatoes...and whatever else you fancy...

And in no time...Pumpkin Soup in a cup for JoJo...

together with some pizza fingers for her and Mr Dolce Vita...

Soup in a bowl for us...salt and freshly milled pepper...a dollop of cream or yougurt...parsley for colour...delicious!!!

A quinoa garlic roll for me (gluten free)...

Thank you Jacqueline!!!

Recipe adapted from one of Australia's favourite Chefs...Stephanie Alexander...The Cook's Companion

Pumpkin and Bacon Soup

500g bacon bones (optional)

1 onion, sliced

1 bay leaf

2 cloves garlic

1t whole all spice

3L cold water (I used stock)

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1T paprika

1k pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 fresh chorizo sausages (optional)

• Place bacon bones, onion, bay leaf, garlic and allspice in a large stockpot and add water
• Bring slowly to a boil and simmer for 2 hours
• Strain, pressing well on debris
• Add potato, parprika and pumpkin and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are collapsing
• Puree, holding back some liquid, and adjust seasoning
• Cook sausages ina frying pan over moderate heat until well browned and cooked through
• Cool a little and cut into small pieces
• Divide the sausage between heated soup bowls, then ladle in the soup

Bon Appetit...Dzintra

Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting (Gluten Free)

Here is a delicious little cake that was a success when I took it to my local Needlework Group...Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting...using a commercial Gluten Free Flour...

Magazine from this issue of Better Homes and Gardens (November 2007)...

Pecan nuts are in this recipe...I just love the scent of nuts roasting on the pan...

The look of the mix...

All baked...

and ready to cut for the ladies...

and there still wasn't enough LOL!!!
Recipe can be found over here or hop on over to recipes on the side bar!!!

Bon Appetit...Dzintra

Apple Tea Cake...Gluten Free!!!

Recently I came across this wonderfully easy Apple Tea Cake from an older edition of Better Homes and Gardens!!!

Issue November 2007

Apple Tea Cake ready for the oven...

Cut open...

Ready with custard...

Nice and easy...the recipe is as follows:

APPLE TEA CAKE

Serves 6

100g butter...chopped

3/4C caster sugar

1t vanilla essence

2 eggs

1 and a 1/2 C gluten free self raising flour...sifted

1/2C milk

1 pink lady apple

Extra 10g butter...melted

1t cinnamon

1T sugar

Preheat oven to 180c

Line base and sides of 20cm springform tin with baking paper

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in the small bowl of an electric mixer until mixture is pale and creamy

Add eggs and beat until combined

Add the flour and milk, then stir mixture with a wooden spoon until well combined

Spoon the mixture into prepared tin and smooth the top

Cut apple into quarters

Remove core and thinly slice each quarter

Arrange appple slices on top of the cake batter

Brush with the extra melted butter and sprinkle with combined cinnamon and sugar

Bake for 30-35m or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean

Serve warm...

Enjoy!!!
Bon Appetit...Dzintra♥

Apple and Strawberry Galettes...Entertaining with Donna Hay!!!

One of the best discoveries I have made since being gluten intolerant is Gluten and Wheat Free Pastry!!!

I couldn't resist making these Galettes from the Donna Hay Instant Entertaining Book...

The recipe is here and on the sidebar along with others...

The pastry is from The Pastry Pantry...more of which can be read over here

I was so excited to see this in the local supermarket!!!

Pastry rounds cut out...

Spread with Raspberry Jam and Almond Meal...

Apple Slices and Strawberries atop...

Out of the oven...and just soooo very very mooorish!!!

And just to finish off...this print brought home to me by Mr Dolce Vita...
all matching perfectly with the Paris plate above!!!
Bon Appetit and here's to more pastry!!!

Floating Islands for Christmas In July!!!

It's Christmas in July at our house!!!

JoJo just loves every celebration, and she has taught us so much on how to celebrate any occassion !!!

Here in Australia Christmas in July is becoming widely celebrated...

and we had our own little celebration last weekend!!!

A very popular classic French dessert known as Ile Flottante is very popular in Latvia also where it is known as Peldosa Salas

To read more about this classic dish...go over here

Floating Islands has various names according to each country...here are a few...

French :
île flottante
German :
Schnee-Eier ("snow eggs")
Polish :
zupa nic
Austrian :
Kanarimilch
Hungarian :
madártej ("bird's milk")
Croatian :
schneenockerln, šnenokle
Romanian :
lapte de pasăre ("bird's milk")

I saw this gluten free fruit cake mix and thought JoJo could help prepare this...

it came with it's own custard mix but we didn't try it...
the prepared mix was choc-full of fruit...and once made up was quite nice...

to make it tastier I added some brandy...cherries and almonds...

Here it is in our oven...

and ready to slice up...

Making the Custard Sauce...

Scald milk and vanilla, add sugar

beating egg whites...

and here they are...
the poached egg white on Custard Sauce...

Recipe from my Mum...Mum's Floating Islands

• 4 eggs, separated
• pint of milk (2 C)
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 t sugar
• 1/4 C sugar, extra, if desired
• vanilla

• Beat egg white with a pinch of salt
• (I also added 1/4 C sugar) Mum prefers no sugar
• Beat the egg yolks lightly together with sugar
• Scald the milk and vanilla
• Place spoonfuls of beaten egg white into milk
• Turn a couple of times and take out with slotted spoon
• Drain whites
• Add egg yolk to milk and stir till it comes to just under boil
• Rinse dish with cold water
• Put custard in and then spoon in egg white

Note: This is more a sauce than a custard...but oh so delicious!!!

There are many variations on the net...

Creme Anglaise can also be made...or your favourite custard recipe...

Happy Christmas in July...and Bon Appetit!!!

Thanks Mum!!!