Apple Flapjacks

With the last smatterings of the Winter chill starting to abate, I've been craving the comforting taste of cinnamon-sugar before Summer arrives along with all it's lightness.

I whipped these flapjacks up on three successive days.
On the first two, I just tossed ingredients in a bowl till the texture seemed right. But on the afternoon of the third batch, I realised that this recipe was worth taking note of, and so put measurements to my kitchen mayhem.

Bon appetit!

Apple Flapjacks Recipe

Gluten-Free, Corn-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free

Makes 10 Medium-Small Flapjacks

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (250ml) chana/chickpea/garbanzo bean flour
• 1 golden delicious apple
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) sugar (+ extra for sprinkling)
• 1 tsp (5ml) cinnamon (+ extra for sprinkling)
• 50ml water
• approx. 1 tsp (5ml) vegetable oil (for frying)

Method:

1. Zhoesh apple + sugar + cinnamon + 25ml water in a food processor till mushy.
2. Stir flour + 25ml water together, then stir in apple mixture.
3. Lightly oil a non-stick crepe pan.
4. Fry batter by the dessert spoon over a medium-low heat. Flip when bubbling.
5. Serve sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar.

Batter

Flip when lightly bubbling on medium-low heat

Serve sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar

Tasty Gluten/Egg/Corn/Nut-free Pizza

South Africa being the unique country that it is, shopping aisles took a long time to catch up to food allergies. I think back to 2005, the year I was diagnosed with coeliac disease, when the only gluten-free flour available on the shelves was sorghum meal (masquerading as Maltabella porridge). I baked a batch of muffins using that, and recall that they were "killer" for all the wrong reasons.

Thankfully, times have changed. And while pre-made gluten-free items are still over-priced and under-yummy, the availability of a grand variety of gf flours means that the opportunity exists for one to take the plunge into the world of allergy-free baking.

Enter my new-found, magic flour combo. First, I mixed a little bit of each of the flours below with some water and used a teaspoon to taste each one for bitterness and after-taste. Second, I used the 700:300 flour ratio suggestion from gluten-free girl and the chef. Third, I combined the flours according to my preferred taste quotient and came up with my new favourite all-purpose gluten and corn-free flour.

Here's the recipe for my magic flour mix:

400g white rice flour

200g sorghum flour/meal

100g millet flour

300g potato starch

Now, using this flour combo, bring on the pizza!

I used as my starting point the "Thin-crust pizza base" recipe from Jacki Passmore's
Gluten Free Bible: Delicious gluten-free food (Bible (Penguin))

Ingredients (modified from original recipe):

• 2 x 10g sachets dried yeast
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 2 cups gf plain flour (I used my magic flour mix)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

 Method:

1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast and sugar with a quarter cup of lukewarm water. Stir through and let it sit for 10 minutes to make the yeast all frothy and happy.
2. In a deep bowl, mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre, and add in the yeast + water, as well as the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Then use one cup of lukewarm water and add it bit by bit (you probably wont use the whole cup, so please don't pour it in all at once) while you stir till you get a dough that is soft, but not sticky. Don't worry if it's a little too much on the sticky side, because you can always add a little flour in to bring it back. Also, bear in mind that you're not going to knead this dough, so don't expect it to look like a ball of tough, gluteny dough.
4. Cling wrap the bowl and leave it to stand around for 30 minutes until some rising action has happened.
5. Line a baking sheet with some non-stick baking paper, and spoon some dough onto the sheet. Use your fingers to smoosh it out to the desired shape.
6. Brush the top with a little olive oil and bake at 220 degrees Celsius (428 Fahrenheit) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly toasted at the edges.
7. For freezing: Allow to cool and then use pieces of baking paper in between pizza bases in a sealable container before freezing. You can reheat these from frozen under the grill in about 6 to 10 minutes.
8. For eating straight away: top with your choice of toppings and enjoy!

Topping: Homemade Napoletana sauce, raw mushrooms, Danish feta cheese and alfalfa sprouts

Gluten-free, Egg-free Chocolate Cake

This recipe from my Mom is just wonderful. 

It never flops. 

It gives you the most moist and tender crumb around, and it stays soft for days. It's chocolatey and delicious without being too sweet either. 

You can whip it up from start to finish in under 35 minutes.

And best yet: when served to people who don't know it's gluten-free, and are expecting some sort of "different" taste.....all resistance crumbles!

Mom's Choccie Cake

Prep Time: 10 - 15 minutes

Baking Time: 20 minutes

Yields: 1 bundt cake (serves 8 generously)

Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas
• 250ml gluten-free cake flour (e.g. in SA, Nature's Choice GF Cake Flour)
• 125ml lukewarm water
• 60ml vegetable oil (something neutral, like sunflower, works best)
• 60ml cocoa powder
• 200ml sugar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 178 degrees Celsius.
2. Mash bananas with a fork in the bottom of a mixing bowl.
3. Use an electric mixer to mix in the sugar.
4. Add in the remaining ingredients, and mix until just lump free.
5. Grease a bundt cake tin, or a rectangular baking dish (approx. 28cm x 17cm).
6. Add batter and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes, or until a cake skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake has pulled away from the sides ever so slightly.
7. Remember, ovens vary in their hotitutdes, so err on the side of caution and check with a cake skewer/toothpick rather than relying only on time.

Frosting/Icing:

• 80 grams of 70% dark chocolate
• approx. 2 Tbsp milk

Method:

• Heat on a low stove, stirring occasionaly, or use the microwave on a low setting to melt it slooowly (don't burn the chocolate...it'll make you want to cry!)

Born-up-a-gluten-free-tree (or bon appetit!)

Nonna's Rustic Apple Cake

Family history can be a strange and interesting thing.

Through circumstance, I ended up with two sets of great grandparents on my Dad's side of the family. 

One set was decidedly English, immigrants to South Africa, who were very prim and proper.

Another set was decidedly Italian, with all the "Ciao, Bella!" and cheek pinching that came along with their infrequent visits from the homeland.

Today's recipe comes courtesy of my late Nonna, who never failed to ply me with exotic dark chocolate mignonettes wrapped in brown paper as a child, thus igniting a lifelong love for all foods deep, dark and chocolatey!

The original recipe (presented below) is easily made hypo-allergenic:

• Gluten-free: Replace the all-purpose flour with rice flour, or a non-bitter gluten-free flour mix. Also make sure the baking powder you use is gluten-free, or just replace it with 2.5ml of bicarbonate of soda (tested).
• Egg-free: Replace the 3 eggs with 1 extra-large (or 1.5 medium-large) bananas, mashed (tested).
• Casein-free: Replace the 100g butter with 100g of solidified coconut oil (untested).

Ingredients:

• 500 grams (1 lb.) sweet apples, chopped into small blocks and peeled
• 200 grams (7 oz.) flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
• 100g (3.5 oz.) butter (room temp.)
• 100g (3.5 oz.) brown sugar
• 2 tsp (10 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Method:

1. Peel (optional) and chop the apples. Toss them in the lemon juice.
2. In a seperate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Next, beat in the eggs.
4. Add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon (entirely optional), and mix through.
5. Stir through the apples.
6. Put the mixture into a greased ceramic baking dish, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit) for approximately 30 minutes, or until slightly golden and a cake skewer comes out clean (which is more difficult to tell if you're using mashed bananas rather than eggs, as the cake tends to remain slightly gooey with this variation).
7. Recommendation: Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream, or whipped cream with a dash of sugar and vanilla in. It's also lovely served with evaporated milk.

Grazie mille, Nonna! Ci manchi moltissimo!

Loco For Cocoa

 

 

 Cocoa Brownies

* My brand-new, original recipe (created Tues, 5 April 2011)

* Gluten-free

* Nut-free

* Soft, cake-like interior

* Slightly squidgy, chewy exterior

Ingredients:

• 80g sugar
• 40g butter
• 35g olive oil
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 45g rice flour
• 35g cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp creme of tartar
• 60 ml evaporated milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. Oil a 20cm length (approximately) rectangular ceramic dish. The dimensions of the dish I used to bake this recipe in were 23cm long x 13 cm wide x 4cm deep.
3. Beat sugar and butter together.
4. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
5. Add in the remaining dry ingredients in one go, with the evaporated milk last. Only once all of these ingredients are in the bowl, give it a quick mix through with your electric beater, just enough to ensure there are no lumps.
   
6. Smooth into rectangular dish. 
7. Bake for 23 - 25 minutes, or just until a cake skewer comes out clean.
   
8. This makes 8 medium slices.