The Gluten Free Blog

This recipe is taken from Seriously Good! Gluten-Free Cooking by Phil Vickery.

What a lovely combination: sweet, creamy, chocolate matched with the tartness of the Bramley apple dip. It’s just superb!

For the base:

• 150g brown rice flour
• 55g caster sugar
• 115g unsalted butter
• Oil or butter for greasing

For the filling:

• 150g unsalted butter
• 150g soft dark brown sugar
• 397g tin of condensed milk

For the topping:

• 200g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
• 55g white chocolate, broken into pieces

For the dip:

• 4 large Bramley apples, peeled and cored
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Grease and line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment. To make the base, mix the flour and sugar together and then rub into the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Press this mixture very lightly and evenly into the tin and bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until pale golden.

To make the filling, place the butter and sugar in a large non-stick frying pan and stir over a medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. To make a golden caramel, add the condensed milk, stirring continuously, until the first bubble appear on the surface. Remove from the heat as soon as it comes to the boil. Spread the caramel evenly over the shortbread base and the cool and chill for about 30 minutes.

Place the apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon and orange zest and juice in a medium pan and cook down until the apples are cooked. Place the milk and white chocolate in two separate heatproof bowls. Place the bowls over two pans of barely simmering water to melt the chocolate.

Pour the melted milk chocolate over the cooled caramel, smoothing to the edges. Quickly pour over the white chocolate and gently swirl to create a marbled effect. Allow to set. When the chocolate has set, cut the shortbread into squares and serve with the dip.

This recipe is taken from The Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook by Terence Stamp & Elizabeth Buxton.

This is a very clean tasting soup that has a truly amazing colour. Neither orange nor red, it is a brilliant flame colour. Equally delicious hot or cold, this is a useful party standby and makes a refreshing alternative to gazpacho. It may seem from the ingredient list that this is a very spicy soup, but it is not. The blend of flavours is very carefully balanced and no one ingredient dominates.

• Olive oil – 5 tbsp
• Carrots, diced – 140 g (5 oz)
• Orange-fleshed sweet potato, cut into chunks – 140 g (5 oz)
• Onion, chopped – 115 g (4 oz)
• 10 green cardamom seeds
• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
• 3 dried bay leaves
• Turmeric or a few saffron strands – ½ tsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Can chopped tomatoes – 1 x 400 g (1 x 14 oz)
• Stock, either vegetable or chicken – 500 ml (16 fl oz)

For the garnish:

• Sheep’s yoghurt – 100 ml (3½ fl oz)
• Chopped fresh chives

In a heavy saucepan heat the oil and cook the carrot, sweet potato and onion for 3 minutes. Add the spices and stir them into the oil for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, tomatoes and stock, and simmer covered with a lid for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves and liquidise the contents of the pan in a food processor. Pass the purée through a sieve.

If the soup is to be served hot, pour back into the cleaned saucepan and gently reheat. The soup is meant to be fairly thick, but if you prefer a thinner soup, add a little more stock at this stage. You may then need to adjust the seasoning slightly with a little more lemon juice and black pepper.

If the soup is to be served cold, pour into a bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator.

Whether hot or cold, garnish with a dollop of the yoghurt into which you have whisked the chives.

Serves 4

When I was diagnosed with having coeliac disease and had to start following a gluten free diet, one of the things I most missed was the frequent visits to my local Italian. All those lovely pasta dishes in creamy sauces were suddenly very much off limits.

So I was pleased to see the recent publication of Gluten-Free Italian written by Jacqueline Mallorca (author of the Wheat-Free Cook) and published by Da Capo Press. This beautiful book, packed full of colour photos, contains 150 gluten free versions of your favourite traditional Italian recipes.

Chapter headings include Soup for Supper; Sweet Things; Risotto and other Grains; Catch of the Day; Contorni/Vegetable Dishes; and Bread, Pizza and Crostini. And contain delicious recipes which will please every member of the family; not just those who are gluten free.

There are recipes for gluten free bruschetta and pizzas, to fabulous pasta dishes and sweet treats like tiramisu. (A personal favourite.)

And there’s a range of recipes as well, from everyday cooking to dinner party meals. Jacqueline also includes cooking tips and techniques; recipe background information; a gluten free shopping guide; and a list of gluten free foods to have in your larder.

All in all, Gluten-Free Italian is a fabulous addition to your cookbook collection. And a must for lovers of Italian cooking.