Gluten Free

Sweet and savoury goodies without a single speck of gluten but loads of flavour.

I don’t have a gluten intolerance but I have friends and family who do and I know some of you, my readers, are gluten free so I try my best to give you a good range of yummy treats, both meals and desserts.

Miso-soy caramel with fresh pineapple

Posted on April 20, 2011

It doesn’t look like much but this is the most wonderful dessert after a big meal!

Or any meal for that matter.

The caramel is an adaptation of my crazy concoction of Vegemite caramel (which is delicious, by the way) using Vitasoy soymilk instead of cream. White miso paste replaces the Vegemite and works really well to give the sweet caramel a savoury edge. (more…)

Broccoli, blue cheese + chargrilled pear soup

Posted on April 12, 2011

Remember last week when I received those pears to cook with? This is what I made!

This recipe has now been entered into a competition run by PR company Impact Communications and will be judged by David Bitton. I’m a big fan of his lovely cafe in Alexandria so it’s a bit nerve-wracking, to say the least.

Autumn is the perfect time to get cosy with a steaming bowl of soup. As the weather gets colder it’s nice to indulge in richer ingredients like blue cheese and have a bit of fun by doing something different with seasonal fruit, like chargrilling it.

Or if you have simple tastes, like my five month old daughter Poppy, you simply suck on thick slices of pear that have been chilled in the fridge to soothe your teething gums. You can read more about that here.

For grown ups, chargrilling pear is an interesting flavour and texture sensation, and it offsets the strong blue cheese and slightly bitter broccoli with a welcome sweetness.

Happy cooking! Christie x

Broccoli, blue cheese and chargrilled pear soup recipe
serves 4 as a starter

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium leek, white part only, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
500g broccoli, about 2 medium heads including stems
4 Packham pears
1 litre vegetable stock or water
100ml cream
80g blue vein cheese
salt, ground white pepper, ground black pepper

1. Place a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil, sliced leeks and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until softened, but not coloured.

2. Wash the broccoli and chop into small florets and thinly slice the stems. Add to the pot. Peel and core two of the pears. Roughly chop and add to the pot.

3. Pour in the stock or water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down a bit and gently boil for 20 minutes until the broccoli and pear are very soft.

4. Blitz with a stick blender until very smooth then remove from the heat and crumble in the cheese, pour in the cream and stir until the cheese melts and everything is well combined. Season with salt and white pepper. Keep warm.

5. Heat a chargrill pan over high heat. Chop the remaining two pears into quarters and cut out the core. Thinly slice into 1/2 cm wedges and season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill on both sides for a minute or so until the fruit is tender and has black/brown grill lines.

6. Serve the soup in warmed bowls topped with the chargrilled pear and toast soldiers on the side.

Pomegranate marinated pineapple

Posted on March 29, 2011

Last month I went to Capital Grill Restaurant to taste their pomegranate inspired menu but had to leave before dessert because my beautiful little Poppy was upset at home with her grandparents. Never mind, I have come up with a dessert of my own that features POM Wonderful pomegranate juice as a refreshing marinade.

I also deliberately made this dessert with one of my dedicated readers in mind…the InTolerant Chef. This one’s for you! I even used lactose free vanilla yoghurt.

You might think the InTolerant Chef must be hard pressed at dessert time due to her gluten and lactose intolerances, but no, she whips up lots of delicious baked goods – check out the wasabi macarons she recently made.

For this dessert, there are only four simple ingredients but it is one of those recipes where the individual parts combine together to make a fantastic whole! The pineapple is cold marinated in the pomegranate juice which stains the edges a blushing pink and adds a pleasing tartness. (more…)

Slow cooker baked beans

Posted on March 28, 2011

Last week I posted about some Beerenberg Molasses I was gifted (thanks guys!) and put a call out as to what I should make with it.

Well I haven’t exactly taken up any of your suggestions, sorry, but I have made a yummy batch of homemade baked beans. I’ve been wanting to make these for ages and I seriously can’t believe I waited so long to make something so easy.

The recipe makes a massive amount which cannot possibly be eaten by two adults in one sitting so it’s very lucky that it freezes well and can be used for a multitude of other dishes; burritos, nachos, tacos and more. I can’t take the credit for those suggestions though, that honour goes to Mel who tweeted them to me when I announced the beans were bubbling away in the slow cooker.

Which brings me to my next point: they were made in the slow cooker. After the beans got an overnight soaking and then a quick boil, everything was thrown into the slow cooker to simmer and slowly fill the house with an intoxicating aroma. (more…)

Slow cooker sweet beef curry

Posted on February 21, 2011

I received this recipe more than a year ago and I cooked it in October 2010.

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to post about it, but I guess that is what happens when you have a newborn taking up 110% of your time! That percentage is not a typo, it really feels like more than all of the time!

But back to the recipe. I was given it by Ian, a family friend. It is his old family recipe and includes many surprising ingredients – so many, in fact, that I was quite dubious about how it would taste as I was making it.

I needn’t have worried though as it tasted delicious. Luckily, because the generous recipe means I still have about 6 portions in my freezer to enjoy for the rest of the year! (more…)