Thursday 6 June 2013

 Here is a link to all you want to know about watercress soup

Watercress Soup 



Felicity Cloake's perfect watercress soup.
The very watercress soup mentioned
       

Saturday 1 June 2013

Pa's Gluten Free Cinnamon Biscuits

       Hi folks here I am back again and on a new blog and as you might gather from the title I have gone gluten free.
          This is in response to longstanding digestive problems and I have to say that so far the results have been very positive.
          I have found the shift to gluten free very difficult because I do so enjoy wheat products on my taste buds.

Pies and pastries, breads and biscuits, cakes and cookies,
So delicious and such a large part of my diet, albeit in moderation nowadays.

So in my normal spirit of experimentation I have launched into gluten free baking and am offering up my humble results for your pleasure.


First Up the BISCUITS!

Now allow a beginner a small cheat if you will, I have been using commercial gluten free flour as an easy entry point.
In fact Doves gluten free flour, which contains rice, potato, tapioca, maize and buckwheat. 

Before
After





     

   Ingredients

    300 g Dove gluten free plain flour

    150g Sunflower spread

    100g Caster sugar

    2 medium free-range eggs 

    2 tbspn modified maize starch

    1 tspn ground cinnamon

    1/2 tspn  ground ginger

    Zest of 1 lemon 


         Method

        

  •      Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl 
  •     Cream the sugar and fat together in another bowl
  •     Beat eggs into that mix 
  •     Add sugar, fat and egg mix to dry mix
  •     Beat that mix thoroughly


  •         With this flour I found it difficult to get the correct consistency 
  •         Dove say it takes time to absorb liquid but that doesn't really help
  •         So if necessary, at this point sieve more flour over mix a little at a time, until you get a workable dough
  •     Cover bowl and put it in the fridge for 1 hour approx 
     
  •     Heat oven to 175C       

  •     Remove from fridge and roll out to about 5 - 7 mm thickness
  •     If you think the dough is still too wet flour surface and dough and knead to good rolling consistency
  •     I then cut to size and put in trays lined with baking paper and cut crosshatch lines with a knife for later breaks

     

  •     You may find it easier and get a better result using a cookie cutter to cut prior to putting on a baking sheet
  •     Lightly dust with caster sugar and cinnamon
  •     Place in the oven, high middle shelf for 15 minutes
  •     Remove and allow to cool, initially on tray, then remove to wire rack
  •     One warning, this does not brown like wheat flour and if you wait for that, bikkies will be overdone


  
Try not to break corners off for testing while they cool ho ho ho

  






  •  Enjoy

Biscuits are made for sharing


    Well this is my first gluten free recipe posting, I thoroughly enjoyed them, as did my ever keen assistant Tich
Tich, ever alert for all biscuit testing requirements

    Well I hope you enjoy cooking and eating these biscuits as much as I have. This is a very basic recipe for me to get used to working with gluten free flour, which is very different to wheat flour.
    If you are in the same position and just setting out on gluten free baking, or more experienced but still like to try things out, I would love to hear from you, successes, failures and  variations.
   Whatever you are baking, have fun with it. Never mind what you were told as a child - It's great playing with your food.

    Happy eating folks


        Love and laughs


             Pa