Atkins & Potts – Foods for Food Lovers: A Review

I was recently contacted by gourmet food company, Atkins and Potts, to see if I’d like to review any of their new pasta sauces. I wrote back saying thank you for the offer, but that I was more of a sweet and baking blog, so I would pass this time. They then offered to send me a little selected of their other products, more in keeping with my blog. I had a quick look at their website and was delighted to find that all their products are vegetarian and gluten free, with many being vegan too! This was such a lovely surprise, and I was excited by the variety of products they made and so eagerly accepted.

A few days later I received the following exciting products: Chili Chocolate Spread, Basil Jam, Cranberry Relish and Pomegranate Syrup.

Chilli Chocolate Spread

Unscrewing the lid I instantly smelt the aroma of rich dark chocolate. Dipping a spoon in, I found the consistency to be more like a giant ganache truffle than the gooey sticky spread I was expecting. It was very thick and smooth. The first taste is of rich dark chocolate, not overly sweet, which being a dark chocolate lover I really enjoyed. A few seconds later a slight warmth began to develop at the back of my throat which built up into quite a spicy kick. This took me a little by surprise but was wonderfully addictive. The thick texture made it quite hard to spread on softer foods like bread or cake, but delicious spread over toast, where it slowly melts into a glossy pool, giving off wafts of dark chocolate aroma. I image it would be wonderful melted over ice cream too. Very indulgent, but defiantly one for the grown ups.

Purple Basil Jam

This idea really intrigued me and I wondered what to expect. It sounded wonderfully exotic. I was imaging a smooth sticky jam, sort of like a mint jelly only made with basil. However, on opening I found it to be quite chunky, containing little squares of onion set it a sweet and sticky syrup. To me this made it more of a sweet pickle or relish than a jam, but naming aside, it was delicious. It reminded me of onion marmalade. Very sweet, with a slight twang. The basil was flecked throughout the jam in thin shreds which added an intriguing flavour. It was delicious with some cheese, although I would have liked the basil flavour to be more pronounced.

Spicy Cranberry Relish

Again I wasn’t sure what to expect and imagined a sort of cranberry jam/sauce. It turned out to be far more superior than that. There were whole, lightly crushed cranberries mixed with a few other bits and pieces to make a chunky relish. It was not that sweet, with the whole pieces of cranberry giving it a wonderful mix of sweet, sharp and tangy flavours. There was also a slight kick of vinegar lingering in the background. It’s probably intended to be eaten with roasted meats, but I found it delicious with both a sharp cheddar cheese and peanut butter (not all together!) I loved the freshness of the cranberries and again how it wasn’t that sweet. This would be perfect for Christmas.

Pomegranate Syrup

I was excited by this. I love pomegranates and think they are a very underused fruit. This sweet glossy syrup had a fabulous pomegranate aftertaste. It somehow managed to keep that tart, slightly astringent and mysterious flavour of pomegranate while still being sweet and sticky. I’ve been drizzling it over my porridge this week and it makes a lovely change to honey or sugar. I’m longing to make a cheesecake and drizzle it over that with some berries or figs. Really unique.

Thank you to Atkins and Potts for the samples. I was genuinely impressed with the quality of all the products I tried. Nothing was overly sweet, which allowed the ingredients natural flavours, or tartness to shine through. I loved how I could really see the main ingredients, like the whole cranberries and the shreds of basil in the products. Do have a look at their website, everything they make is a little unique and different to the usual run of the mill products. It’s great to see a company being to create with flavours and ingredient combinations. When was the last time you saw quince syrup or wasabi mayonnaise stocked in your local supermarket? 

The Cake Slice September 2012: Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

I was so excited when this month’s winning cake was this Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake. I am a great lover of peanut butter and have been rooting/voting for peanut butter cake creations for several years, every time one happens to come up for the vote. Usually, they are outvoted, but this month it won – hurrah!

I have issues with this recipe being labeled as ‘cake.’ There is no baked element in the dessert and nothing spongy about it. To me it is more of a mousse torte or layered cream…pie? Seeing how this is a cake baking group and it’s listed in the book as a mousse cake, I’ve decided to leave it as ‘cake’

The ‘cake’ itself was quite time consuming to make, being made up of 4 different layers, all which needed mixing and chilling separately. It starts out with a chocolate biscuit base, followed by a creamy peanut butter mousse, topped a dark chocolate mousse and finished with a dark chocolate glaze and a scattering of salted peanuts. Sound good, doesn’t it?!

I’ve made desserts in the past that were quite time consuming and when eaten, they are nice, I’ve felt they weren’t really worth the effort. This mousse cake however, was fabulous and worth every second of preparation. I loved the contrast between the crisp biscuit base and the rich and creamy mousse layers. The peanut butter flavour really shone through and worked so well against the dark chocolate elements. Slightly sweet, but then also a lingering saltiness from both the nuts on top and the peanut butter itself. A delicious creamy, crunchy, sweet and salty combination.

The recipe called for smooth peanut butter, but I only had slightly crunchy peanut butter on hand and I think this actually worked to the cakes advantage. Having a few chips of peanut actually in the mousse layer gave it some texture, as otherwise I think the thick peanut butter and chocolate mousse layers might have been a bit too soft and airy with nothing to bite on. I loved being able to distinguish the different layers.

The cake could probably have done with being left to set overnight rather than just an hour as it was still a little soft on serving, but this didn’t stop it tasting fabulous. Anything peanut butter is a winner in my books and paired against the rich dark chocolate mousse, ganache and base, it was delicious. I also loved that the only element I needed to adapt to make it gluten free was the base, and that the mousse didn’t contain any gelatin, meaning its vegetarian too! A winning ‘cake’ all round.

Next month, October, is our last cake baked from our current cake book by Tish Boyle, and we’re all going to bake the cake of our choice. Then in November we’ll be starting a brand new book for the upcoming year. Now I just need to decide which recipe to choose!

As this is nearly our last cake from our current cake book, we are now opening up group to fellow cake baking enthusiasts who wish to bake with us for the upcoming year. Places are limited and you will need to buy a copy of the new cake book to participate, so dedicated bakers only please.
Anyone wishing to join us can email my new co-host Paloma at (love.for.coffee[AT]gmail.com) along with their name, blog name, blog URL and email address for details. Please put ‘New Cake Slice Member’ in the subject box

Click here to see the Cake Slice blogroll

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

(Recipe from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)

Chocolate Cookie Crust

180g chocolate cookies (I used GF shortbread cookies)

55 g unsalted butter, melted

10g cocoa powder (my addition as my cookies were plain)

Peanut Butter Mousse

142g cream cheese, softened

30g unsalted butter, softened

144g icing sugar

200g creamy peanut butter (I used finely ground crunchy)

¼ tsp salt

400ml double cream

Chocolate Mousse

142g dark chocolate, chopped

100g milk chocolate, chopped

200ml double cream

80ml whole milk

65g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze

85g dark chocolate

80ml double cream

Garnish

Few chopped salted peanuts

Chocolate Biscuit Base

Have ready a deep 9inch springform pan.

Either blitz the biscuits in a food processor, or put them in a bag and bash them into crumbs using a rolling pin. (Stir through the cocoa powder if using vanilla or plain biscuits) Once crushed, melt the butter, drizzle over the biscuit crumbs and mix well. Press the mixture into the base of the tin and press down into an even layer.

Place in the fridge to firm up while you make the peanut butter mousse.

Peanut Butter Mousse

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the icing sugar and mix until well blended. Add the peanut butter and salt and mix until well  combined.

In a clean bowl whisk the double cream at high speed until soft peaks form. Beat half the double cream into the peanut butter mixture using a spatula. Once combined, gently fold the remaining cream in the peanut butter mixture, mixing until no streaks remain.

Spread the mousse onto the chilled biscuit base and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate while you make the chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Mousse

Place the chopped chocolate into a bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the milk and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir through the vanilla extract and set aside to cool slightly.

Beat the double cream until soft peaks form. Fold a third into the chocolate mixture and mix well. Follow this by half of the remaining cream and finally the last of the cream. Beat again with an electric mixture to help aerate the chocolate until slightly thickened.

Spread the chocolate mixture over the top of the chilled peanut butter mousse and place in the fridge to set for at least an hour.

Chocolate Glaze

Once the chocolate mousse layer is set, make the chocolate glaze.

Place the chocolate into a small bowl. Heat the cream until steaming hot, but not boiling, and then pour this over the chocolate. Stir gently until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and glossy.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes before using.

Decorate

Run a sharp thin-bladed knife under hot water and wipe dry, then run the knife between the cake and the side of the pan to release the cake; reheat the knife as necessary. Remove the side of the pan. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and spread out over the surface. Try not to let it drip down the sides. (I spread my glaze on the cake while it was still in the tin, sprinkled it with the peanuts and then let it set for a smoother finish).

Sprinkle the top of the cake with the peanuts and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

To serve, slice the cake with a hot knife, wiping it clean between each cut.

Store in the fridge and eat within 3 days.

Makes a 9inch mousse cake

Note: I halved this recipe and made it in a 6inch round tin.

Walnut & Amaretto Brownies

Where have they days gone?! I can’t believe it’s been nearly two weeks since my last blog post. I have been so busy recently that the days have just flown by. I’d rather be busy than bored though.

Today I had arranged to meet someone for a walk round Sheffield in the sunshine. Last night I learnt that there was a large food festival going on in Sheffield city centre today and I really wanted to have a look around and hoped my walking partner might be persuaded to postpone our walk and explore the food festival instead. In order to try and sway them I decided to bake a batch of brownies to use as a bribe. So at 6am this morning I was in the kitchen baking away. Is there a nicer way to start the weekend then the aroma of warm melting chocolate?

I went to add some vanilla extract and found I had run out; remembering that vanilla extract is about 99% alcohol, I decided to add a little amaretto instead. It smelt so inviting stirring it into the molten chocolate that I added a bit more to make the flavour more pronounced. I also added a few chopped walnuts, as I love nuts in brownies, but my siblings don’t, so I never added them when I lived at home. Now I am free to add as many as I like :)

I recently rediscovered my favourite brownie recipe from my pre-gluten free days and decided to bake it again, slightly adapted to be gluten free. It was just as good as I remembered. Paper thin crisp sugar top crust, with a rich, moist and intensely chocolaty interior. Ever so slightly chewy with an occasional soft nugget of walnut. The amaretto wasn’t distinctively noticeable, but I’m sure it added to the flavour. They were certainly very addictive! Yes, I did eat one about 9am this morning – for quality control purposes of course!

I’m pleased to say my walking partner was more than happy to rearrange our walking plans and explore the food festival with me, so the brownies ended up being a thank you gift, rather than a bride. We actually managed to go for our walk as originally planned after exploring the festival. So we ended up with the best of both worlds and some chocolate brownies – a great start to the weekend!

Walnut & Amaretto Brownies

(Recipe adapted from Prue Leith’s Baking Bible)

Ingredients

140g butter
170g dark chocolate, around 60%
180g caster sugar
60g white teff flour (or other GF flour)

10g cocoa powder

1 tbsp amaretto liqueur
2 eggs
¼ tsp gluten free baking powder
40g chopped walnutsMethod

Preheat the oven to 175C or 160C fan. Grease and line the base of a deep 8inch/20cm square tin and set to one side.
Break the dark chocolate into pieces and place into a large saucepan along with the butter. Melt gently, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter is just melted. Do not allow the mixture to boil or get too hot or else it will seize.  Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the amaretto and sugar. The mixture will be slightly grainy at this stage.
Beat the eggs in, one at a time, until thick and glossy.
Sift over the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and beat until no flour streaks remain.
Fold the walnuts through the brownie batter and pour into the tin.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until slightly risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few sticky crumbs attached, not molten batter though.
Allow to cool almost completely in the tin, before removing. The brownie will loose its puffed up look and become level on cooling.
Cut into 12 pieces and store in an airtight container for up to three days. Also freezes well (I know from experience they taste delicious eaten straight out the freezer too!)

Plum & Apple Crumble

When my parents came for a visit last weekend, they bought with them a whole assortment of goodies from home. Some freshly dug potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, some Discovery apples and Victoria plums. As the fruit was home grown, some of it was a little bruised from where it had fallen off the tree, not the best for eaten au-natural, but perfect for baking with.

Apple and plum are a classic combination and when thinking about classic English desserts, at the top of the list must be the much loved crumble. Its amazing how a few crumbs strewn over the top of lightly cooked fruit can taste so good. Who doesn’t love crumble?

You can of course jazz crumbles up no end with fancy flavour combinations, pear and chocolate chip, spring instantly to mind, not something my mother or grandmother would ever have eaten together in a crumble, as traditionally crumbles were purely fruit based. I decided to stick with a good old fashioned crumble and top mine with a simple butter, sugar and flour mixture. I added a few buckwheat flakes (in place of my mothers usual oats) and a pinch of cinnamon, a spice always welcomed by any fruit.

It took around 10 minutes to put together, meaning in only half an hour I was happily tucking into a taste of home and childhood. Soft, juicy fruit complimented by the toasted buttery crumbs…bliss.

If you like to add some ‘sauce’ to your crumble, it must be custard. There is no room for debate on this – keep that cream and ice cream away from me! It’s either custard or nothing at all. I had my first portion of crumble au-natural, as I couldn’t wait to make custard! As it’s just me eating this, there was a portion left, and I made the effort to make some custard for that bit. I'm not sure which way I prefer.

Plum & Apple Crumble

Fruit

300g Victoria plums

200g Discovery apples

1 tbsp water

3 tsp caster sugar

Crumble Topping

20g butter

20g brown rice flour

10g fine ground cornmeal or ground almonds (not cornflour)

20g buckwheat flakes (or GF oats)

15g caster sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tsp almond liqueur (or 2 drops almond extract)

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Peel and core the apples and cut into 2cm chunks. Remove the stones from the plums and slices into quarters or eights depending on size. Place the apple into a pan with the water and heat gently until the apples are just beginning to soften. Add the plums and sugar and cook for only 3-4 minutes, until the fruit is just beginning to go soft and fluffy as the edges. You don’t want complete mush!

Transfer the fruit to a deep 6 inch round ovenproof dish and set aside.

For the crumble, place the butter and all the other ingredients, expect the almond liqueur, into a small bowl and rub together using the tips of your fingers. Lift your fingers up above the bowl as your rub the mixture together, letting the crumble mix fall back into the bowl, just like when making pastry. It doesn’t have to be completely fine, a few largish lumps are good.

Add the almond liqueur or extract and mix again briefly.

Scatter the crumble topping over the surface of the fruit. Place the dish on a baking tray to catch any juices that may bubble over.

Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown and bubbling around the edges.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 2

Stanage Edge – Peak District

Over last weekends bank holiday my parents came up for a visit and we decided to go and explore a bit of the Peak District. I hadn’t been back to it since leaving uni, but I loved my weekends wandering the countryside so much, that I was eager to return.

We went to Stanage Edge, which to me has some of the scenic and breathtaking rock formations in the peaks. Huge boulders and chunks of rock scattered all the way along a huge stretch of the peaks, overhanging the edge of the cliffs. The photos don’t do it justice.

Once we’d clambered up to the top, the views and surroundings were just as good as I remembered. The dark jagged rocks are just so striking and the sense of openness and space is just wonderful. You can look around and not see anyone else for miles, except of course for the odd obligatory sheep.

It was rather a stormy day and while we were up there we kept hearing thunder rumbling in the distance and when we started seeing the lightening heading towards us we decided it was time to scurry back down to the car. We only just made it to. Looking back we could actually see the rain approaching, which made it all the more thrilling!

I’m hoping to find a group or a willing friend to come fell walking with me, as I can’t resist the lure of going and exploring some more!

Spiced Carrot Fritters

I was going to call these pancakes, but that conjures up images of sweet carrot cake style pancakes, whereas these are savoury, so fritters they are!

At the weekends I love doing a little stovetop cooking to create a whole assortment of tasty pancakes/fritters, both sweet and savoury. I find it adds a little interest and luxury in place of the usual weekday cereal or sandwiches - depending on when I eat them. Sweet pancakes are usually a weekend breakfast treat, whereas savoury ones tend to be more of a lunch time thing. There is just something so satisfying about eating a warm, slightly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, pancake.

I tend to go with whatever I fancy or have leftover in the fridge. Half an overripe banana or an open can of sweetcorn. I love how you can jazz them up with different spices, chocolate chips or some finely chopped chili. There are so many different styles you can create with just a batter and a saucepan, thick American style pancakes, thin delicate crepes, veggie fritters or more substantial griddle style scones - delicious served with cheese or jams (sorry I tend to get rather carried away with thinking about all the possibilities!)

For the latest batch, it was a half eaten tub of houmous that depicted today would be a fritter day. Carrots and houmous are one of life’s perfect pairings, but I’ve been eating carrots dipped in houmous all week and wanted to jazz things up a bit. Hence these spicy carrot fritters, served with harissa spiced houmous were created.

The grated carrot retained a little texture, and kept the fritters quite moist. The spices in the batter were quite subtle, while the houmous added a wonderful creaminess and occasional fiery kick from the harissa, depending on whether I got a big blob of it or not. I love the process of cutting a bite and dipping it into your ‘sauce’ of choice. It feels much more fun and involved than just taking a bite of a sandwich or a spoonful of cereal. Each bite is given attention and savoured. These tasty fritters fulfilled my weekend craving and went well with some leftover roasted tomatoes I had from last night’s dinner.

Does anyone else have any foodie weekend traditions or treats?

Spiced Carrot Fritters

Fritters

1 large carrot

3 tbsp teff flour

1 tbsp brown rice flour

1 spring onion

1 egg

100ml milk

½ tsp gluten free baking powder

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp chipotle or normal chili powder

½ tbsp oil for frying

To serve

Houmous

½ tsp harissa paste

Salad and/or roasted veg

Method

Grate the carrot and finely slice the spring onion. Add to a small bowl along with the spices, flours and raising agents. Mix together to coat the carrot in the flour and spices.

Beat in the egg, followed by enough milk to make a thick batter. It should be thin enough to spread slightly in the pan, but thick enough to retain its shape when spooned out.

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan and place a plate into the oven to warm slightly.

When the oil is hot, spoon tablespoons of the batter into the pan and allow the fritters to cook until the batter looks set around the edge, about 1 minute.

Flip the fritters over and cook for a further 30-50 seconds, before removing from the pan and placing on kitchen paper. Transfer them to the warm plate in the oven while you use the leftover batter to make more fritters.

When ready to serve, place a generous blob of houmous onto the plate and swirl through a little of the spicy harissa paste.

Serve with salad and/or leftover roasted veg.

Makes around 6 small fritters. Serve one for a main meal or 2 as a starter

Blueberry & Nectarine Yoghurt Cake

I love this time of year, when the fruit is in season, ripe and ready to be picked. It’s soft, sweet, juicy and actually has some flavour! I’ve been getting my fruit from the local market in Sheffield. It’s great as they usually have some of what’s in season. They always have bananas, apples and oranges, but things like peaches, plums and berries change with the seasons. Buying from markets not only offers variety but is usually a lot cheaper than supermarkets. On my first weekend here I picked up 10 huge plums for only £1 – yes 10! Some were a little over ripe and others a bit battered but it’s a natural product and once the squished ones are baked/stewed and munched with my morning cereal, no one would know the difference.

Last weekend I came away with bags of nectarines and a little box of blueberries and was determined to use some of them in a cake. During the week I’d also picked up a huge pot of natural yoghurt and so decided to make a yoghurt cake. I’ve not made these very often, but on the few occasions I have they have always produced lovely moist cakes. As dry cakes can be a bit of a problem when baking gluten free, I’m annoyed at myself for not thinking of it sooner, especially as it produced such a wonderfully moist cake. Oh well, at least I know now!

Almonds always go so well with fruity flavours so I added some in place of some of the flour in the recipe. It probably helped make the cake extra moist and tasty too. I decided to mix the blueberries into the cake batter itself and then fan out slices of nectarine on top. This worked well as the blueberries remained hidden inside the cake, trapping in their juices, while the slices of nectarine roasted in the oven and become wonderfully sticky and intense in flavour, helped by the light scattering of brown sugar added just before baking.

The texture of the cake was great. The outside was a rich golden brown, firm and slightly chewy, while the middle crumb stayed pale and creamy with a fabulous soft and tender texture. The yoghurt adds a milky freshness and helps keep it tasting light. I loved how the bursting blueberries really stood out against the pale creamy crumb.

Recently I’ve realised I’ve gone off cakes with mounds of frosting. They are fine for birthdays, but for everyday I find them a bit too sweet. A thin glaze or a dark chocolate ganache is much more appealing. I particularly love cakes like this. They need no embellishment at all, as the fruit and yoghurt cake itself are the stars of the show.

P.S. Hurrah for The Great British Bake Off starting again. I love this programme! There is no unnecessary shouting or dramatics and it’s truly about people who love to bake. It always makes me want to dash off to the kitchen and bake whenever I sit down to watch it, plotting what I’d do in their shoes. Now they just need to make a gluten free version….

Blueberry & Nectarine Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients

150g gluten free plain flour (I used Doves Farm)

50g ground almonds
100g butter
150g caster sugar
3 eggs
200g full fat plain natural yoghurt
100g blueberries
1 nectarine

2 tsp gluten free baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Nutty Sprinkle
1½ tbsp light soft brown sugar
20g blanched almonds

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a deep 8inch springform tin and line the base with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs on at a time, beating well between each one. Add the vanilla and yoghurt and beat again to combine. Don’t worry if it looks a little curdled at this stage.

Add the blueberries and fold them into the batter using a spatula.
Sift over the flour and baking powder, add the ground almonds and fold together, turning the bowl as you go until just combined.
Spread the batter into the tin and even out the top.

Cut the nectarine in half, remove the stone and slice into 5mm thick slices. Arrange the slices in a fan formation around the edge of the cake and place a few in the centre.

Roughly chop the almonds and scatter over the surface of the cake, followed by the brown sugar.

Bake in the oven for around 50-60 minutes, until a deep golden brown colour on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. It will be wet if you hit a blueberry!
Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing from the in and allowing to cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Can also be sliced and frozen on day of baking.

Makes 1 x 8inch cake

Gluten Free Waffles

Hello! I finally have the internet and can get back to baking and blogging once more. I haven’t been able to check anyone’s blogs for weeks and so goodness knows what tasty treats I’ve missed out on. Thank you to everyone for all your good luck wishes regarding my new job and moving to Sheffield. I’m pleased to say it’s all going well and I feel very settled. Here’s a quick snap shot of my ‘new’ kitchen.

Back in April I was given a Belgian waffle maker for my birthday. I love playing around with kitchen gadgets and adore waffles so it was the perfect gift. I hadn’t had a waffle for several years and certainly not since going GF, so I was very excited to try it out. I greased the machine, mixed up a batter (without a recipe – opps!) and spooned it onto the waffle iron. When it smelt ready I went to open the lid only to discover that the batter had welded itself to both the top and bottom plates, meaning I had to forcibly pull the iron open, breaking the waffle in half. Not only that, but the batter refused to come away from the plates and I spent the next 40 minutes trying to scrape the crispy burnt on mess off the machine. Feeling disheartened I put the machine away, where it stayed untouched for several months. I’m sure we’ve all had similar experiences with various kitchen gadgets!

However, my desire for waffles never went away and when Annie submitted her gluten free waffle recipe for my Go Gluten Free event a few weeks back, I was determined to give them another go. I followed Annie’s recipe, only making a slight adjustment by using oil instead of melted butter, as I had read this would give a crispier finish to the waffles. With my fingers crossed I tried again and …success! Delicious, light and fluffy waffles that didn’t stick to the iron. Hurrah!

The first weekend after I started my new job I decided to celebrate with some waffles for lunch. The great thing about waffles is that they are so versatile. The flavour of the batter itself or the toppings you pile on top can be sweet or savoury. I decided to go the whole hog and have one of each.

First up was the savoury waffle. Sliced sautéed mushrooms with a little thyme and garlic, topped with some grated smoked Applewood cheese and a pinch or two of smoked paprika. I love this combination, as the smoky sweetness from the cheese and paprika goes really well with the earthy mushrooms. Definitely some savoury umami flavours going on. It also tastes fab on toast if you don’t want to bother making waffles.

For the sweet dessert waffle I spread some cream cheese over the waffle itself and then topped it with some hot, lightly cooked plums and a drizzle of honey. This was very tasty too, although on this occasion I preferred the savoury mushroom waffle. I know that’s almost unheard of for me, but the combination of smoky, woodsy flavours are just perfect together.

I love how the square indents in the waffle result in both thin and crispy and thick and fluffy waffle in each bite. The little squares are also perfect for capturing the juices and toppings you choose to pile on top. However you choose to top or flavour your waffles, you have to agree they’re Waffly Versatile! Hehe.

Gluten Free Waffles

Ingredients

200g gluten free plain flour (I used Doves Farm)

2 eggs

40ml sunflower or rapeseed oil

150ml milk

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

Pinch salt

Method

Spray or lightly brush your waffles iron with a light coating of oil and heat to your usual setting.

Place the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl.

Measure the oil and milk into a jug. Add the eggs to the milk and whisk together to combine.

Pour the egg/milk mixture over the dry ingredients and mix together using a spatula or fork to create a batter, about the consistency of double cream. A few little lumps are fine.

Place a ladleful of batter into your waffle iron and cook until lightly golden brown.

Eat and enjoy with the sweet or savoury toppings of your choice.

Makes approximately 6 waffles

Notes:

Recipe can be halved, doubled etc if required. Just go by how many eggs you’re using.

If only making sweet waffles, you could add 1tbsp caster sugar to the batter, but I don’t feel it needs it.

Whole Lemon, Almond & Rosemary Cake & Some Exciting News!

Before I get to the cake, I have some exciting news. I’ve been offered a job in Sheffield and I am moving there tomorrow! I only found out on Monday so it’s been a very quick and hectic turnaround trying to get everything sorted, but I’m very excited. However, I am going to be without internet for several weeks until they can send an electrician round to connect me with a phone line, so I will be MIA from the blog for a while. See you in a few weeks! Now for some cake to celebrate!

One of my favourite go-to cake recipes for an afternoon treat is this Orange Chocolate & Almond Cake. It’s a bit of a talking point as it’s made with a whole pureed orange, skin, pith, pulp and all. This gives it an intense orange flavour and helps keep the cake moist. It’s also made with ground almonds instead of flour and contains no butter or dairy and so the end result is both gluten and dairy free, although you wouldn’t know it.

Recently I began to wonder if I couldn’t make the same recipe, using another type of fruit instead. Apple and almond is a classic combination but apples are nothing like the texture of an orange and I wasn’t sure it would work. Instead I decided to stick with citrus and try a lemon version instead.

           

Not wanting to play things too safe I also added some rosemary extract that I’d recently discovered in a deli/farm shop. I’ve now idea what the extract is intended to be used for – possibly marinating meat? – but I couldn’t resist the change to try it out in the cake recipe. Lemon and rosemary always taste delicious when paired together with potatoes, so why not in cake!? You could also use some very finely chopped fresh rosemary if you don’t have extract.

I was a little nervous/excited to see how the cake would turn out and I’m relieved to say it was delicious! The cake was quite closely textured, but not heavy or dense, as you can see from the scattering of tiny air pockets. It was soft and tender and so delicious I had to go back for a second slice. The lemon wasn’t bitter or overpowering, and if fact could possibly even have done with a bit more lemon! I loved how each slice was speckled with little shreds of lemon, so pretty.

The rosemary flavour was only faintly there. It sort of lingered in the background, letting the lemon be the star of the show before starting to creep through as you finished a slice. I might try adding a little more next time to make the flavour more pronounced.

I finished the cake with a simple lemon glaze which added a lovely lemon zing to each bite. All in all a success and I’m now plotting my next non citrus whole fruit creation. I know this concept sounds a bit strange, but do give either the orange or this lemon version a go, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Whole Lemon, Almond & Rosemary Cake

Ingredients
1 large lemon, approx 140g weight

125g caster sugar

30ml extra lemon juice
3 eggs
75g ground almonds

50g brown rice flour
½ tsp gluten free baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 – 1½ tsp rosemary extract or 1 tsp very finely chopped rosemary

Lemon Glaze

3tbsp icing sugar

Juice of ½ lemon

Method
Grease a 6 inch spring form tin with oil and line the base with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180C.
Wash the lemon and place in a microwavable bowl, fill with water until the lemon is mostly covered. Loosely cover the top of the bowl with clingfilm and microwave on high for 10 minutes.
Use oven gloves to remove the bowl from the microwave and drain off the water. Cut the lemon in half, remove any pips and chop roughly.
Place the entire lemon (peel and all), in a food processor along with the sugar and extra lemon juice. Whizz to a pulp, scraping down the sides once or twice, although a few larger shreds of lemon are fine.

With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time, and whizz until pale and foamy.

Add the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, rosemary, almonds and brown rice flour. Whiz together until a smooth batter is formed. There will still be a few shreds of lemon visible in the batter, which is fine.
Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes. It should be slightly risen and springy to the touch.
Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes in the tin, before releasing from the tin and leaving to cool completely.

Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together to create a thin spreadable glaze (add a tiny amount of water if needed). Spread over the top of the cake and decorate with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Makes 1 x 6 inch cake