Gluten free almond and orange cake

In a previous post I talked about this gluten free orange cake that I usually make and I thought I should also post it, contrary to the other recipe this one has butter in it and the egg whites are not separated and beaten (although you can do that for a lighter cake). This post is for Clare, it should make a nice and different graduation cake.

Almond and Orange cake

10"/25 cm long baking tin, round baking tin or you could also use a round spring form, I prefer the long or round tin as it makes it easier to cut slices

Ingredients

For the cake

200 gr almond powder (almond meal) - I usually powder the almonds myself as it is fresher this way

50 gr corn flour (not corn starch)

1 tsp baking powder

125 gr sugar

3 eggs

Juice and zest of 2 oranges (approx. 200 ml)

For the glazing

Juice and zest of 2 oranges (approx. 200 ml)

A dash of cointreau

125 gr confectioner's sugar (although I don't like using it in the US since there is corn starch in it, in this case I replace it with very fine sugar)

Method

Mix all ingredients for the cake (almond, corn flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs and orange juice and zest), use a hand held mixer with the whisk on and whisk until you obtain a nice fluffy dough.

For even better result you can separate the eggs and beat the whites separately then gently fold them into your mix.

Pour into a lined 10"/25cm long baking tin and bake in pre-heated oven at 310 F/155 C for 40 to 45 mn.

While the cake is baking simmer in a pan the glazing ingredients (orange juice, cointreau to taste and sugar)

When the cake is baked place upside down in a serving dish and immediately (while still very hot) pour over simmering glaze, let cool and serve at room temperature.

This is a delicious dessert cake.

It is best to make it 1 day ahead.

Impromptu bread

The other day I had a craving for fresh grain bread, I had no recipe but since I make bread every week I had a feel for what to use and I already had all the ingredients I wanted, so I got started as follows:

7 grains bread
for 1 big loaf or 2 small ones

Ingredients
350 gr unbleached white flour
100 gr wholewheat flour
50 gr 7 grains mix (I used Bob's Red Mill 7 grain hot cereal)
1.5 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
300 ml tepid water

Method
Dilute the yeast in water and let it rest for 5 or 10 mn, it will start bubbling up.
Mix flours, salt and grains.
Pour Yeast water on the dry ingredients mix and knead for 4 mn at speed 1, if not enough water you can add a little at a time, the final dough should be elastic and a little sticky, but not too much and not liquid.
After 10mn of rest knead again on speed 2 for 6 mn maximum, then cover with a towel and let it rise for about 1 hour at room temperature, it should double in volume.
Punch down to get the excess gaz out and shape in 1 big or 2 smaller loaves and lay them on a baking tray.
I also made incisions on the top with a sharp knife/blade.
Then let it rise again covered with a towel, for about 30mn.
Bake in pre-heated oven to 430 F/220 C, after 15mn reduce heat to 400 F/204 C and bake for a further 10 to 15mn.
Bread is cooked when it sounds hollow.
Let it cool down before enjoying with a hot bowl of home made soup.
This bread is also very nice toasted for breakfast.
It freezes well, as soon as it is cool place in a Ziploc bag and in the freezer, when needed take out, let it thaw and place in the oven at 350 F/176 C for 10 to 15 mn and you will obtain a fresh loaf.

Elixir du jour

Too many good meals can add pounds and inches or should I say kilos and centimeters? which is twice as bad! To counteract this, especially approaching the summer (at least we hope it will eventually come, after 3"of snow last Saturday I start having doubts) a light meal is always a safe option. And what can be more satisfying than a home made vegetable soup. I have seen my Mom and Grand Mother make this recipe many a time and have adopted it myself as it is so easy to make and so tasty.

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

2 medium size potatoes

2 or 3 leeks

6 good size carrots

1 big onion

3 or 4 garlic cloves

Salt and Pepper

Method

Peel and clean all vegetables and chop them.

Sweat the vegetables in a bit of olive oil in a cast iron pot or other on high heat, then cover totally with water and more, salt and pepper to taste, keep in mind that it's always easier to add seasoning later, I also add celery seeds that give a nice taste.

Cover and let it simmer for at least one hour.

I like my soup without chunks so I always blend it.

Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or pour some milk and grate some Swiss Emmentaler on top and a slice of home made bread.

Bon appétit

Gluten and dairy free orange cake

Last part of the meal was dessert and there again I didn't want to use wheat flour or butter, I had a tried and tested recipe but wanted a change, so here goes this new recipe.

Gluten & Dairy free Orange cake

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 oranges
150 gr brown sugar
170 gr almond powder (I use full raw almonds that I grind)
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
A dash of cointreau or any other liqueur you prefer

Method
Juice and zest the oranges, mix with sugar, almond powder, egg yolks and liqueur.
Beat the egg whites and delicately incorporate them to the batter.
Pour into oiled form (I use a 24 cm/9"diameter spring form cake pan with a layer of parchment paper on the bottom).
Bake into preheated oven at 110 C/230 F for 40 to 50mn depending on your oven.

Totally gluten free & vegetarian pasta dish

As a main course for this gluten free dinner I wanted to make Cannelloni with Spinach and Ricotta, but I couldn't use the normal wheat cannelloni, so after some thinking and browsing I thought about making rice pasta, I came across this recipe and method, I slightly changed the recipe to avoid gluten. Then for the stuffing of the Rice Cannelloni I substituted the ricotta with goat cheese which gave a very nice taste.

Rice pasta

I obtained 6 "rice pancakes" 24 cm/9" in diameter

Ingredients

150 gr white rice flour

1.5 TBSP potato starch

2 TBSP corn flour

100 ml cold water

1 TBSP oil

1/2 tsp salt

Method

Ladle a thin layer of batter in an oiled baking tray and place it in a steamer for 5 or 6 mn, when cooked take the tray out and let it cool, use a spatula to remove, continue until all the batter is used up.

Rice cannelloni with spinach and goat cheese

For 6 people

Inspired by Mary Berry's recipe in Complete cookbook

Tomato sauce

Ingredients

1 large onion peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

2 carrots chopped

1 x 28 oz tin peeled tomatoes

1 small tin of tomato purée

2 chicken stock cubes if you do not have any fresh chicken stock

Thin with water (about 300 ml)

Salt and pepper

Method

In some olive oil lightly brown the onion, garlic, carrot, celery then add the tomatoes and tomato purée, stir in the stock, water, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let it simmer for 30 mn or so.

When cooked purée the sauce with an immersion blender.

While the tomato sauce is cooking prepare the Spinach and Goat Cheese filling

Ingredients

1 medium onion or shallot chopped

3 garlic cloves chopped

700 gr / (1.5 pound) cooked spinach

225 gr / 0.5 pound fresh goat cheese

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (to taste)

Method

In some olive oil lightly brown the onion and garlic, add the spinach on high heat for a couple of minutes, remove from the heat and let it cool a little, then add the Goat Cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the Rice cannelloni with the spinach and goat cheese filling in a Pyrex dish, see picture, then pour tomato sauce (if I don't use all the tomato sauce I freeze the left over) and top with some grated Parmesan cheese and bake for 30mn at 200 C/392 F.

Let it rest for 5mn before serving.

Totally gluten free Bread

The last meal we hosted presented a new challenge of being totally gluten free, dairy and meat free. So I started with bread, did a bit of research and found that if one makes totally gluten free bread it is important to use Xanthan gum as a substitute for gluten. I went to our local coop and stocked up on all the various flours I could find then went home to start my new baking project. The end result is a very dense and strong tasting bread, I wouldn't eat it every day but once in a while it is an interesting change. I guess for a milder taste you would need to reduce the buckwheat quantity and substitue with chestnut flour or hazelnut or almond.

Totally gluten free Bread

For a 10"/25cm long loaf pan

Ingredients

150 gr Buckwheat flour

150 gr Rice flour

50 gr Millet flour

50 gr Amaranth flour

100 gr Quinoa flour

1.5 tsp Xanthan gum

2.5 Tbsp grape seed oil (resistant to heat, not too strong in flavour)

2 tsp salt

400 ml tepid water

3 tsp active dry yeast

2 tsp brown sugar

Method

Dilute brown sugar and yeast in water and set aside while you measure the flours.

Place all the flours in a mixing bowl add the salt and oil.

Pour water/yeast/sugar mixture on the flours and mix/knead for 5/10mn you will obtain a very sticky dough, more like a paste.

Cover with a towel and let it rest/rise at room temperature for 1 hour, mix again and let it rest again for 1 hour, mix then place in baking tin, cover and let it rest for another hour.

Because of the lack of gluten this dough doesn't really rise, the yeast makes it a little more airy but definitely not like a gluten bread.

Bake in preheated oven at 360 F / 182 C for 40 to 50 mn (depending on your oven).

It will be a very heavy loaf, it doesn't really sound hollow like the wheat flour bread so it is more difficult to tell when it is baked, if you are not sure and extra 5mn in the oven won't harm it.

It is best fresh and for those of us who eat dairy it is delicious with butter, also the following morning for breakfast with some honey on it.

Happy baking

Cinderella soup...

For the past couple of months I had this butternut squash hiding in the kitchen always avoiding the deadly blade of my sharp Sabatier knives, well tonight I finally caught it and threw a spell on it, that turned it into... not a pumpkin, but a delicious soup. You see winter seems to have come back here (after a false attempt at summer last Saturday with temperatures up to 27 C) and what better way to ward off the winter blues than a warm squash soup?

Pumpkin soup

Ingredients

1 medium size squash

6 garlic cloves not peeled

2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 pinch of cumin powder

3 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley for decoration

Mix of sour cream and fresh cream (should be liquid)

Method

Peel and remove the seeds from the squash then dice it

Place squash dices in an oven proof dish and sprinkle with olive oil

Place unpeeled cloves of garlic on top of squash

Bake in pre-heated oven 395 F for 40 mn, after approx. 20mn remove the garlic and set aside, toss the squash to ensure it is cooked through out and is not burning.

While squash is finishing to bake, in Le Creuset Dutch oven or any pan with thick bottom pour some olive oil and lightly brown the thinly sliced shallots adding the cumin and nutmeg, then pour over the squash adding chicken stock or water to cover completely (if you do not have readily available chicken stock 1 or 2 cubes of chicken stock in the water will be just as fine).

Add peeled roasted garlic then salt and pepper to taste and let it simmer for 30mn to an hour then use the immersion blender to purée the soup.

At this point taste the soup and adjust seasoning, a little brown sugar can enhance the taste.

Serve hot with cream mix, additionally you can sprinkle a bit of freshly cut parsley for presentation.

I usually freeze the left over (if any!), for the next winter day...

Enjoy