(This recipe for cranberry, orange & ginger mincemeat was also featured on Getrealirishtours.com)
When I made this cranberry, orange & ginger mincemeat , the house was instantly transformed by the festive smells. People were trickling into the kitchen and even the collection of ingredients piled on the table spoke of the warmth and familiarity of a traditional Christmas. This recipe is, however, a twist on a classic, using the tart cranberry flavour in fresh and dried forms to offset the sweetness of the orange and other dried fruits. Cranberries are so delicious and I need to use them as much as I can during their short season! I can’t resist dried figs either – they are such a luxurious touch, especially when they are all bathed together in cherry brandy. The Christmas smells really come from the aromatic fresh ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
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Tag Archives: gluten free
Two Tone Granola
Two tone granola is my favourite granola recipe. I feel a little like I need to defend my choices because granola recipes and preferences vary so much (so please excuse me if my tone seems somewhat combative!). For me, this is everything granola should be. It’s crumbly, oaty, fruity and nutty. It has hints of sweetness that comes from the fruit. The basic premise of this recipe that you make a base mix, split it, add different things to both halves and bake them separately. Then you can serve them together or separately. The variety of the two mixes means that it doesn’t get monotonous, either because of combining them in a bowl or because you can eat a different one every morning! With yogurt , berries and maybe a squidge of honey, this is a totally delicious breakfast or snack. Continue reading →
Chocolate Filled Buttermilk Pancakes
Chocolate filled buttermilk pancakes represent the perfect balance of tangy and sweet for me. While pancakes topped with chocolate sauce are certainly good, nothing beats a liquid gooey chocolate centre. Why stop at chocolate? Filled with peanut butter or caramel or fruit or jam, they are also delicious. Continue reading →
Courgette, Lemon & Elderflower Drizzle Cake
Courgette, Lemon & Elderflower Drizzle Cake really is a delicious treat. The combination of courgette, lemon and elderflower in a cake is one that I hope will appeal to gardeners! I grew up on an organic farm and the realities of seasonal foods were an everyday normality for me. More than that, the relationship between the soil and the land around me with the food I ate was a natural and obvious connection. I believe that my interest in cooking stemmed at least in part from a desire to find ways to use up a glut of that eggs or make something of the crab apples growing in the hedgerows.
Cranberry, Orange & Ginger Mincemeat
(This recipe for cranberry, orange & ginger mincemeat was also featured on Getrealirishtours.com)
When I made this cranberry, orange & ginger mincemeat , the house was instantly transformed by the festive smells. People were trickling into the kitchen and even the collection of ingredients piled on the table spoke of the warmth and familiarity of a traditional Christmas. This recipe is, however, a twist on a classic, using the tart cranberry flavour in fresh and dried forms to offset the sweetness of the orange and other dried fruits. Cranberries are so delicious and I need to use them as much as I can during their short season! I can’t resist dried figs either – they are such a luxurious touch, especially when they are all bathed together in cherry brandy. The Christmas smells really come from the aromatic fresh ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Cranberry and White Chocolate Blondies
Cranberry and White Chocolate Blondies are the perfect festive treat to bring along to all those Christmas gatherings that we have this time of year.I have, for some time, been lamenting that I can’t make the gorgeous Rhubarb and White Chocolate Blondies I made during the summer, so this is a reworking of the recipe that works for winter (a shameless reworking – I even use some of the same pictures!). The cranberries in this recipe bring the same tartness as the rhubarb and using orange really brings a warmth and sweetness too.
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‘Almost Healthy’ Sticky Toffee Pudding
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Lemon and Sesame Seed Biscuits
I had a lemon and all the basics of baking (flour, butter, sugar and eggs). I am sure that some philosophical baker must, at some point, pondered how that this is all you need for greatness (in baking terms at least). I couldn`t resist the addition of some sesame seeds.(Maybe I amn`t philosophical enough) I had black sesame ice cream on a trip to Vancouver last year and it`s brilliance has influenced my cooking every since. Sesame has the ability to work perfectly in sweet and savoury dishes. Hence lemon and sesame seed biscuits were born.
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Red Velvet cupcakes (Gluten free) with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
When I started this blog, I really wanted it to be about the recipes I love. Both new ones and ones that are firm favourites. Red velvet cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting are cupcakes that I make time and time again. They are easily adaptable to being gluten free, and so they work for all sorts of events. I have made them for my sisters wedding, work events and tea parties. They are always popular and people request them every time I am baking for an event.
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Almond and Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten and lactose free)
I was in Vancouver over the summertime and while I was there, I saw a hilarious greeting card. It read ’A birthday cake without wheat is rarely a treat’. My mother avoids lactose while my sister can’t eat gluten. My father needs a chocolate free diet. One by one all these things are manageable, but when combined, it requires some baking research and planning. I am grateful they can all eat eggs and nuts.
Cookies are a pretty straight forward option for gluten free or dairy free baking. They don’t need to rise so the missing gluten isn’t that important. I really like the flavour and texture that coconut oil lends. Plus it is that bit healthier than butter! (I am trying to find a bright side of a family who reject my dairy and wheat filled baked goodness!). With the growing numbers of people who have dietary restrictions, every baker needs a few recipes like this under their belt!
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