Pumpkin Spice Scones

Here's a lovely recipe for some scones that are perfect to have with a cup of tea on a cold wintry day like today! I like mine warmed up in the oven, topped with butter and cream cheese - yum! Canned pumpkin can be found in most supermarkets these days. I've seen it in Aldi and in the American section in Tesco. This recipe makes 8 scones. I've stored mine in a ziplock bag in the freezer. They can be put straight in the oven without defrosting.

Pumpkin Spice Scones with Maple Glaze

250g self-raising flour (gluten free of course)
70g light muscovado sugar
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
100g cold butter
50g raisins (optional, you could use a different fruit or nuts, or chocolate chips)
100ml milk
1/2 can of pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze: 100g icing sugar and enough maple syrup to make a thin drizzly icing!

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients - flour, sugar and spices. Chop the butter up and add to the bowl, mixing it loosely with your fingertips until it forms a crumbly texture then add your raisins/nuts if using them. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin, milk and vanilla extract and add to the flour mixture. Stir just until the mixture comes together. Tip the mixture out onto a clean, floured surface and pat into a circular shape, around an inch or so thick. Cut the circle into 8 triangles and carefully place onto the baking sheet with enough room to spread slightly (they do hold their shape fairly well though). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so.

Make up the mixture for the glaze and put in a ziplock bag. When the scones are cool, snip the edge of the bag and drizzle the glaze over the top. (Or use a piping bag if you're fancy)

Best enjoyed slightly warm with butter!

Chinese Supermarkets

Although I love all food, if I had to choose one cuisine, I'd say Chinese would be right up there. I really miss 'proper' chippy meals, even though they're full of MSG and other bad stuff! I've perfected fried rice, salt and pepper potatoes etc, recipes for which can be found here but there are other meals I really enjoy too.

I'm lucky that I live near Liverpool, which has its own Chinatown and a couple of big Chinese supermarkets. These places are great for fresh ingredients and everything you could possibly need to create your own Chinese banquet - right down to the plates to eat it from. I've also learnt that they're also great for coeliacs. You need quite a bit of time to wander round looking at everything to find things that are gluten free, but just take a look at the small selection below to see what I found today.

I won't lie, I was in there close to an hour today. Most of the products are imported and the ingredients are sometimes difficult to read or non-existent in English (obviously I avoided those, just in case)

I was made up to find Black Bean and Hoisin sauces that state 'gluten free' on them! The salt and pepper seasoning is gorgeous, we use that often for chicken wings and potatoes. I've also had the packet noodles before. They're not really that much like Supernoodles as they're made with rice so have a different texture, but they certainly do the job when you need a quick snack. These also state that they are gluten free on the packet. I picked up the cookies on a whim and found they were also safe. They're made from mung bean powder and almond flour. They have an 'interesting' chalky texture which might not appeal to everyone, but I quite liked them! 

If you have any Chinese supermarkets nearby, I would highly recommend taking a bit of time to go and see what you can find - I'm sure there's lots to be discovered. Do let me know if you find any gluten free sui mai!

We're going to have a little banquet on Saturday night. I think I'll make duck pancakes with hoisin sauce, fried rice, chicken in black bean sauce, prawn crackers and salt & pepper potatoes - can't wait! 

Viennese Whirls

Hello!

It's been a while since I posted a new blog. Truth is, I've been stuck in a bit of a baking rut. I always seem to make the same things, so yesterday as I was having a day in with my little girl, I decided to try something different. I also learnt that simply substituting a recipe with gluten free flour doesn't always work!

Pre-coeliac, I used to love these: 

I found a recipe for basic Viennese Fingers, swapped the flour in the recipe for gluten free, added 20g of cocoa powder and a dash of orange extract, carefully piped neat little fingers onto a baking tray and put them in the oven. The house smelled delicious and I checked on my biscuits after 10 minutes to find what can only be described as a heavenly-smelling cowpat. The biscuits had completely spread out into a very thin layer, spilling onto the bottom of the oven. Sigh! All is not lost however, as the crumbs I was left with have made for a very tasty base for a chocolate orange cheesecake. That's today's job!

Anyway, I was still hungry and bored so a few hours later I found another recipe and had another go! This time, Viennese Whirls. Following the recipe, the dough turned out a little too wet and I knew the same thing was going to happen, so I added an extra 50g of cornflour and they turned out perfectly. And just in time for the Great British Bake Off. 

Viennese Whirls

Biscuits

100g unsalted butter
50g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
100g gluten free flour
50g cornflour
Strawberry jam

Buttercream

100g icing sugar
40g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.

Cream the butter, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla together in a large bowl. It's best to use an electric whisk for this so you can get the mixture light and fluffy. Fold in the flours and tip into a piping bag with a large star nozzle. Pipe flat circles of the dough onto a greased baking sheet (about 5cm diameter) and bake for 12 minutes or until golden.

Transfer biscuits to a wire rack to cool and prepare the buttercream by whisking everything together until light in colour and creamy in texture.

Shake a bit of icing sugar over the biscuits and place a small blob of jam on half of them. Put a spoon of buttercream on the other half and then sandwich together.

Try one or two, for testing purposes, and then store in an airtight container for a few days.

Pizza Express

Through the joys of social networking, I learnt yesterday that Pizza Express are the next restaurant to jump on the gluten free bandwagon.  Great news! 

I then did a bit of research and was quite disappointed after finding out that they'd trialed this in a few of their branches last year. It would seem that back then, they were targetting the fad dieters, even stating on their menu "We know lots of you are now going gluten free.." They also had a disclaimer stating that, although the pizza bases were gluten free, because they used flour in their fresh dough, the couldn't guarantee that they won't contain any gluten. Pointless for anyone with coeliac disease, and not worth the risk!

I have since found out that, like Domino's and Pizza Hut, Pizza Express have been working closely with Coeliac UK to produce a safe menu for coeliacs, not just people who are going gluten free as a lifestyle choice.

Take a look at the e-mail below:

Hello, 

In the last few months you have contacted us to ask about gluten-free options on our menu, so I wanted to write to you with what I hope you will agree is some great news. 

From Tuesday 30th April, PizzaExpress will be offering an exciting new range of dishes that have been certified as ‘No Gluten Containing Ingredients’ (NGCI) by Coeliac UK. Given our love for pizza, we’re particularly pleased to tell you that you’ll be able to order nearly all of our pizza recipes, with the exception of just a couple of ingredients, on a gluten-free classic pizza base. We’ll also have a number of other gluten-free dishes for you to choose from, including a new Risotto d’Oro starter, a gluten-free Brownie for dessert and even a gluten-free Pilsner beer.  

To help us create these new dishes, we’ve been working closely with Coeliac UK to make sure that we fully understand the changes we can make in our kitchens and with our teams. This way we hope that you can have confidence when ordering gluten-free products in our restaurants.
For example, every one of our team members has been trained to deliver gluten-free dishes to our customers safely. We have also taken a number of steps to prepare our kitchens for our new menu, including clear labelling and storage of gluten-free ingredients, as well as new equipment to be used only for the preparation of gluten-free food. Finally, our pizzaiolos use flour to toss and stretch our dough in our restaurant kitchens so, to avoid any risk of cross-contamination, we have replaced all the flour used in these kitchens with a new blend that is gluten-free.  

We sent our new menu off for testing and we’re very pleased to say that all the results showed that our dishes either had untraceable amounts of gluten, or fell within the accepted parameters for gluten-free food. We will, of course, continue to carry out these tests so that you can always be confident in the food that you order in our restaurants.  

Thank you for waiting while we’ve worked to ensure we do our gluten-free food the right way. 

We hope that you love it as much as we do.  

Yours sincerely,
PizzaExpress Restaurants Ltd

Thankfully, my skepticism has been alleviated now I know that they've created their menu with Coeliac UK, rather than just tailoring to fad dieters, and I now can't wait to try their new menu!

REVIEW: Zizzi

I have been meaning to do a review of Zizzi for a while now, and after eating there last night, there's no time like the present!

Zizzi is a nationwide chain of Italian restaurants similar to Strada, Prezzo and Carluccio's. They boast an impressive gluten free menu which isn't just limited to a couple of pasta dishes and salad. Their website has a separate 'special diets' menu, which lists all the food safe to eat for vegetarians and various allergies. I find this really helpful as you can plan in advance what you might have to eat, and it is particularly useful if you have trouble trusting the knowledge of the staff. They have copies of this menu within the restaurant, so make sure you ask for it when you're seated. Admittedly, when I asked to see it last night, I was told "oh you can have the pasta dishes, we just use gluten free pasta."  This isn't true. Some of the sauces contain gluten and are not safe, and there are more choices than just pasta, so be persistent in asking for the menu if you aren't offered it!

Having eaten at Zizzi before, I already knew what I wanted to order - the Strozzapreti Pesto Rosso. I love chicken pasta dishes and this one is gorgeous. Spiced creme fraiche sauce with spring onions and torn chicken breast. I am slightly confused by their special diets menu, as this dish is not listed as safe for coeliacs anymore, yet it does say it's fine in the allergen table at the back, providing the pasta is substituted.  I asked my server, and again had to ask twice as initially she said "oh it's probably not gluten free anymore then," and only sought confirmation when I explained about the table in the back of the menu. When she returned, I was told it was still fine and must be a printing error, so I'm going to raise this issue with Zizzi and ask them to recheck their menus. It would be a shame to miss out on my favourite meal because of a printing error.  Needless to say, I did order that and was fine the next day, so I'm confident it's still safe.

  My Strozzapreti Pesto Rosso. (Admittedly, it was hard not to
    divert my eyes towards my boyfriend's Rustica Pizza in the background!

Service aside, the meal was really nice. Ironically, I know I'm eating good gluten free pasta, when every mouthful has me doubting whether or not it is actually gluten free! Even my boyfriend couldn't tell the difference, but I was assured by two separate servers that it definitely was. The pasta they use is Doves Farm, and to my knowledge, I've never bought it before but I might have to add it to my trolley next time!

As with most of the gluten free menus at mainstream Italian restaurants, the only thing missing is pizza/bread options. It is understandable why they don't feature, with cross-contamination concerns etc, but it's still a shame as it would be lovely to have some garlic bread with my pasta. Perhaps they will look into some frozen/premade bread as gluten free options continue to expand and improve? I imagine that with Zizzi, it would be difficult, as their pizzas are cooked in a stone fired oven so I would rather know that what I'm eating was cooked separately and definitely safe. Lack of bread aside, the menu at Zizzi is brilliant for coeliacs. Various pasta and risotto dishes, starters (albeit only olives and prawns!), mains, sides and a couple of nice desserts are all safe, so if you like Italian food, you're bound to find something you like!

Maybe I could sneak a couple of slices of bread in my handbag next time?

REVIEW: The No Gluten Baker

Run from their home in Southport, the No Gluten Baker is a family business created by husband and wife team, Richard and Di. They are a relative newcomer to the gluten free market, but they already have an impressive range of cakes, pasties, pies and other delights to choose from. I have met them a couple of times at the Wirral Farmer's Market and the Gluten Free Food Fair in Ellesmere Port and have sampled a few of their products. My personal favourite is their cheesebread. It's like nothing I've ever tasted before and it's delicious!

'Bread' is not really what I'd describe it as to be honest, it comes in a little cardboard loaf tray, but the texture is not really 'bread-like' and it contains no yeast. It's quite difficult to describe the texture, but it's more like a cross between a scone, a dumpling and a crumpet! Quite dense and so full of flavour from the locally sourced cheese that's packed into it.

As such, although the loaf is quite small, two or three slices would be enough for a filling snack. The bread can be frozen in case you can't get through the whole loaf, so I slice it beforehand and freeze it. That way, whenever I fancy some, I can put it straight under the grill from frozen!  You can eat it cold, but I would recommend toasting it and eating hot with a generous spread of butter.

This is definitely going to be a staple snack for me! You can order direct from the No Gluten Baker (check out their Facebook page, as yet they do not have a website) or you can see them at various markets around the North West. I am delighted to hear* that they will be a regular stallholder at the Wirral Farmer's Market until October as it is very close to where I live!




*I am also getting slightly concerned about the effect this is going to have on my waistline..

REVIEW: Penny's Puds

I recently got in touch with Penny from The Litton Larder to enquire about 'Penny's Puds' and she very kindly sent me a sample to review for my blog. I had heard good reviews about them, so I was really excited to try one!

Firstly, a word of warning. Do not save these puddings for a dessert after a large meal unless you're planning to share one, they're very generous portions! They are packaged in a little cardboard tub, with reheating instructions printed on the side which couldn't be easier. Simply place in the microwave for 60 seconds, turn out onto a plate et voila! 

The first thing I noticed was the sauce. I love sticky toffee sauce, and I've been disappointed in the past by other puddings which seem to soak up the sauce and leave none to drizzle. As you can see, there was plenty of sauce on this pudding! And it's amazing; buttery and silky like liquid fudge. The pudding itself is divine. So moist and sticky, while also retaining a light, soft texture, and not crumbly like other gluten free puddings I've tried. I had mine with some vanilla ice cream and half a pudding was more than enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Penny's Puds can be stored in the fridge until their use by date, printed on the carton. They can also be frozen and reheated without the need to be defrosted, so they're perfect to hide away for when you just need a nice, comforting pudding!

The puddings can be ordered direct from the Litton Larder website. They are £14 for a box of four, with free delivery. They are also stocked in various shops and cafes in and around the Peak District. Take a look at their website for stockists. Penny and her puds also visit various food fairs and Coeliac UK events around the country.

Hands down, this is the nicest sticky toffee pudding I have EVER tried, even before my Coeliac days, and it's clear to see why Penny's Puds are so popular whether you're gluten free or not. I will definitely be ordering more in future!

False Economy Gluten Free Products

Since I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in May 2010, gluten free foods have become more popular and diverse. Even three years ago, I couldn't find any fresh bread, and instead had to make do with the postage-stamp sized, vacuum packed loaves that were readily available in large supermarkets. There didn't seem to be much variety in snacks you could buy, which is why I relied, and still rely on my own baking.

Supermarket ranges have now vastly improved. Our local Sainsburys has an entire aisle dedicated to free from alternatives, for example.

Unfortunately, I've also noticed foods cropping up that are a bit of a false economy. Tomato and Basil soup, Tikka cooking sauce and Chilli Con Carne cooking sauces are just a few of the examples I've found while browsing Free From aisles. While it's important for coeliacs to check allergy advice and ingredients on everything we purchase, these products should be gluten free anyway! I had a look at some of these products in other parts of the supermarket that weren't specifically targeted at the gluten free consumer and noted that they were fine for coeliacs! I'm sure SOME of them might have the 'may contain:' warning on them, but for the most of them will be safe.  The specific 'free from' branded pouches are smaller and more expensive. Why take advantage and con money out of people just by placing a 'free from' brand on a product? It's expensive enough as it is.

You may have heard of Sweet Mandarin, a restaurant in Manchester. Featured on Dragon's Den, they now have a successful selection of dipping sauces. At first, I was skeptical because one of their products is a sweet chilli sauce, which again, should be naturally gluten free. I've just done a quick search on a supermarket's website for sweet chilli dipping sauces - all 8 results are gluten free and between 50p and £1.55 cheaper than Sweet Mandarin sauces.

However, having researched the company more, my mind has been changed. Not only are they gluten free, they are also vegan accredited, contain no artifical flavourings (most of the others do) and no MSG. More importantly, as well as sweet chilli and sweet and sour sauces, they also do a barbecue dipping sauce. It's not often I've found gluten free barbecue sauce! Sweet Mandarin restaurant was also voted best restaurant in Manchester by Gordon Ramsay.

To me, Sweet Mandarin's approach is different to supermarkets cashing in on gluten free customers.  They bring something new to the market and are clearly passionate about what they do. You can read about their sauces and the history of their family-run business here.

Have you tried these sauces? Have you visited their restaurant? Let me  know what you think!

Toad in the Hole

The first of my recipes isn't really a recipe as such as I used prepared ingredients, purchased at the Gluten Free Food Fair in Ellesmere Port on Saturday! Easy and delicious.

The ingredients are as follows:

50g Foodamentalists Yorkshire Pudding Mix
6 Bramley Bangers sausages from Pig & co.
2 eggs
water
3 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Arrange sausages on a deep baking tray with two teaspoons of vegetable oil. Bake on the top shelf for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare yorkshire pudding mix as packet states.  Take the sausages out of the oven once browned, and pour batter mix over immediately.  Place back in the centre of the oven for half an hour or so, until the yorkshire pudding is risen and golden. (As you can tell from my picture, my oven was too hot, resulting in the sides burning a little.  Still tasted good, though!)

I've tried the Foodamentalists yorkshire pudding mix before.  You cannot go wrong if you follow the packet instructions (and don't have your oven too high - doh!) and they taste delicious.  I can't tell the difference between these and non-gluten free ones! I've never had much success making my own gluten free yorkshire puddings, they always seem to come out looking like muffins! I would definitely rely on this mix for future use.  Look out for further posts on the Foodamentalists range of products.  I bought various products on Saturday from them, and will at some point visit their shop in Middlewich.  Meanwhile, check out their website, where you can purchase a variety of their products.

The sausages were lovely! Pig & co. make their sausages from rare breed, free range pigs, bred on their farm.  They contain no artificial flavours, use at least 85% pork and are gluten free.  Their sausages have even won awards in Cheshire. They cost £4.50 for 6 sausages, which is more than I would usually pay for sausages and they are a little smaller.  However, having tasted them, you are definitely paying for quality! I got their 'Bramley Bangers' which are flavoured with apple, cider and thyme.  They had a delicately sweet flavour, subtley seasoned with thyme, which complemented the pork beautifully.  The texture was crumbly and not greasy at all. I will definitely be buying these again!

Check out their online shop to see their range of flavours and other products for sale.

Gluten Free Food Fair - Ellesmere Port

On Saturday morning, I went to the Gluten Free Food Fair in Ellesmere Port Civic Centre. This is a once a year event created by Coeliac UK and the Wirral Coeliac Society, showcasing regional and national producers of gluten free foods, coeliac-friendly B&Bs, information about the disease and much more!

Some of the companies present were:

The Foodamentalists
Juvela
Pig & co.
Glutafin
Mummy's Yummys
Orgran
..and many, many more!

Needless to say, I spent a fortune and also got some good freebies of things I'd never tried before. The next few posts are going to be reviewing some of the products, and posting recipes made with some of the ingredients I purchased there.

The next big event like this is the Allergy Show in Liverpool in October. Visit the website here for more information: http://www.allergyshow.co.uk/liverpool/liverpool-home/ 

Meanwhile, take a look at my haul!

 

If there's anything specific that catches your eye you would like a review of, please leave me a comment below. I'm off to have some breakfast - what to choose!

Red Velvet Cake

I think this is my favourite cake in the world. Bright red, moist sponge with a delicate chocolate flavour, filled and coated with light cream cheese frosting - yum!

I first tried it in New York in 2009, and hadn't seen it anywhere in the UK at that time. It has now made its way over here and I've seen it in several bakeries and cake shops. So far, I haven't had the pleasure to find it in gluten free form. Clearly, the only solution here was to make my own!

This one actually took a bit of trial and error. First of all, I ruined the first cake by cooking it too high, resulting in a soggy middle and a concrete exterior. Then I ruined the frosting by thinking it looked a bit too firm and adding a tiny bit of milk. Don't do this! You will end up with sloppy, but tasty icing.

It is based on a recipe I found on the internet, with a few tweaks to make it gluten free. It uses oil instead of butter because the cake should be very moist. I guess you could quite easily make this cake vegan too by substituting the eggs, cream cheese and butter!

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

300g Dove's Farm self-raising flour

1tsp gluten free baking soda

300g granulated sugar

2 medium eggs

480ml vegetable oil

1tsp cider vinegar (or any other gluten free white vinegar)

8-10 tsp red food colouring

2 tsp vanilla extract

240ml buttermilk

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 tubs of soft cheese

300g icing sugar

200g butter

1tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170. Grease/line 3 sandwich tins, or two larger cake tins and wrap the outside in foil. This prevents the cake cooking too quickly at the sides, and also helps to prevent the 'mushroom' effect in the middle of the cake.

Use an electric whisk to mix the sugar and oil in a large bowl. Add the eggs, food colouring, vanilla essence and vinegar and whisk until mixed. Sift the flour and baking soda together, and add to the mixture gradually, whisking to incorporate. Add the buttermilk and whisk on high for a few minutes until the mixture becomes lighter. Divide between your trays and bake for around 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave each layer to cool.

To make the frosting, whisk the butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl on a high setting until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the two tubs of cheese and sift in the icing sugar, a bit at a time, whisking until you have a light frosting. Use to sandwich together the layers of your cake and coat the outside.

To prevent getting crumbs in your frosting, spread a thin layer on first to seal the cake.

Cowboy Pie

Apparently, this is a well-known recipe to a lot of people, but I had never heard of it until sometime last year! Anyway, I thought I would share one of many versions because it's really simple to make especially gluten-free!

Cowboy Pie - serves 6

4-5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

Butter

Olive oil

350g gluten-free sausages - I used the Co-op's 'Truly Irresistable' chipolatas as all of this range are gluten-free

1 large onion, sliced

1 tin of baked beans

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

1/2 tsp dried sage

1 gluten-free beef stock cube

handful of grated mature cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes until tender. Mash with butter and seasoning and leave to cool in the pan.

Fry the onions with garlic and herbs in a large frying pan and add the sausages. Cook until the onions are soft and the sausages are brown on all sides.

Add to the pan the whole tin of baked beans and tomatoes and the stock cube. Season to taste.

Empty the pan into a large casserole dish and top with the mashed potato. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees.

"Bakewell" Cookies

This is a 'happy accident' recipe for some lovely cookies using a basic shortbread recipe and some experimentation with things I already had in my cupboard. The resulting cookie tastes a bit like a bakewell tart, hence the name!

Bakewell Cookies

150g Butter or margarine

90g caster sugar

100g rice flour

100g cornflour

50g ground almonds

4tsp almond extract

100g dried or glacé cherries

100g white chocolate chunks

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add almond extract, ground almonds, cherries and white chocolate chunks and mix together. Sift flour and cornflour in gradually and mix to form a dough. Line a baking tray (or two!) with greaseproof paper and shape approximately 50g balls of dough, flattening on to the baking tray until about 1/2cm thick, spaced apart enough to allow for a little spreading. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.

Leave to cool and store in an airtight container.

"Allie's Mum's Dumplings"

What do you normally have with your gluten-free stews and casseroles? Do you have bread? Yorkshire puddings? Chips?! I used to love dumplings before I was gluten-free and I believed that you needed suet to make them. To my knowledge, you can't get gluten-free suet (though correct me if I'm wrong and then tell me where to purchase it!) so I figured I'd just have to let them go and keep them as a memory instead.

That is until I learned that you don't need suet at all, and I just so happen to have a recipe to make gorgeous dumplings, courtesy of this lovely lady who shares her mum's family recipe on her blog. They're easy to tweak so they're gluten-free!

Allie's Mum's Dumplings

1 cup plain gluten-free flour

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

1/2tsp Xantham gum

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

2tbsp vegetable oil

(optional) 1/2 tsp your choice of herbs - sage and thyme work well with chicken, for example

Sift the flour, baking powder, xantham gum and herbs (if you're using them) into a bowl. Stir in the milk and oil until just mixed and sit spoonfuls of the dough on top of your stew. Cover and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.