Apple Slice - Gluten Free - Recipe

Apple Slice

Gluten Free

Apple,  walnut and cinnamon is such a delicious combination. You can use stewed apple or if you don't have time, use sliced apples just use a bit less water.

Apple Slice

2 ½ cups flour - I use 1 ½ cups Gluten Free Flour and 1 cup ground almonds

1/3 cup raw sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3 teaspoons cinnamon or mixed spice

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (300g) stewed apple or 2 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced.

1 cup walnuts, chopped roughly

1/3 cup oil – sunflower or canola

1/3 cup water (less for stewed apple)

2 teaspoons vinegar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease a slice or cake tin and line with paper.

Mix together dry ingredients and nuts then add apple and liquids. Stir until moist. Turn into the prepared tin.

Bake for about 45 minutes until an inserted skewer 

becomes clean.

When cool, dust with icing sugar.

Gluten free Breadcrumbs - Product

Breadcrumbs

Gluten Free

These breadcrumbs are great to have in your pantry. They are handy for so many things. I have used them for Pumpkin and Kumara Balls and Crumbed Fish. You can buy them at most supermarkets.

Macadamia, maple and white chocolate slice - Gluten Free - Recipe

Macadamia, Maple and White Chocolate Slice

Gluten Free Recipe

This slice is divine! It is very rich so you only need small pieces. Great for a shout as it will go a long way.

2 cups Gluten Free Flour – I use Edmonds Gluten Free Plain Flour

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup brown sugar

1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger

250g butter, melted

Topping

½ cup maple syrup (or golden syrup)

1 ½ cans sweetened condensed milk

70g macadamias, coarsely chopped

Icing

150 g white chocolate melts

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.  Line a 23cm x 32cm slice tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl combine flour, coconut, brown sugar and ginger. Pour over the melted butter and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth with the back of the spoon, pressing down to make even at the sides. Bake for around 20 minutes until golden.

To make the topping, combine butter and maple syrup in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil slowly, allowing the butter to melt. Boil for 2 minutes then carefully add condensed milk. Simmer for 7 – 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and turns golden brown.

Pour the topping over the slice and smooth evenly. Sprinkle over nuts and return to the oven for 5 minutes to set the caramel and toast the nuts. Allow to cool before icing.

To make the icing, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over hot water, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over slice. Chill for 1 hour to set before cutting into small pieces.

Casamassima - Italian Fare - Corn Pasta - Gluten Free product - Christchurch

Casamassima - Italian Fare

48 Salisbury St

Christchurch

Corn Pasta

Gluten Free

Casamissima - Italian Fare is a delightful little cafe on Salisbury St. It has an outside seating area with a picket fence and geranium planter boxes. The inside area has a shop at the far end with a selction of Italian fare. Pasta, biscuits, oils etc. They have a section of gluten free pasta made with corn. Pete has always been very disparaging of gluten free pasta but he liked this as it didn't fall apart after being cooked.

The cafe also has great coffee and sweet treats like cannoli!

Mona Vale High Tea - Cafe - Vegetarian and Gluten Free

Mona Vale

High Tea

Vegetarian and Gluten Free

I love high tea - little bite sized delicacies - so for my birthday we booked in at Mona Vale. Such a pretty setting in the gorgeous mansion.

 

On their website I was impressed that they catered for vegans, vegetarians, gluten free and dairy free. You have to book which they followed up with a couple of phone calls to discuss Pete requiring vegetarian and gluten free. At first they said they couldn't do vegetarian and gluten free - the savouries were the issue so I suggested they give Pete some extra sandwiches. They agreed but when we arrived on the day Pete was served two little gluten free vegetarian savouries as well as sandwiches and all the sweet treats.

Everything was delicious! My favourite was the little beef cheek pie - wow! It melted in my mouth. The apple dome was so clever with mousse and apple in the middle. Every item was divine  - I wanted more!

Sitting at a window seat looking out over the garden and pond full of ducks on a sunny afternoon with my beloved Pete eating delicious food was the best way to spend a birthday.

The experience did not come cheap - definitely a treat - mine was $45 and Pete's $50 but well worth the experience.

Pavillion Gluten Free Vegetarian and Cheese Pies - Product - Christchurch NZ

Pavillion Pies

Vegetarian and Cheese

 Gluten Free

We were quite excited to see these pies as previously we had only been able to find spinach and feta quiches. These pies are full of a variety of veges, have a layer of cheese and covered in golden pastry. They cost $6.99 for 2 at Fresh Choice and sometimes at New World. So handy to keep in the freezer for the times when you have a hankering for pastry!

Cashew butter meringues - Gluten Free - Recipe

Cashew Butter Meringues

Gluten Free

I love meringues and these have the addition of cashew butter to add extra chewy yumminess! They are a very impressive dinner party dessert that can be made the day before. You can use other nut butters as well.

Cashew Butter Meringues

4 egg whites at room temperature

1 cup caster sugar

1 Tablespoon cornflour

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup cashew nut butter (or another type of nut butter)

Topping

¾ cup thick plain yoghurt

Fruit and or berries to decorate

Preheat the oven to 100 degrees C

Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks then gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat until thick and glossy and the sugar is dissolved. Undissolved sugar will cause the meringue to weep.

Using a large metal spoon, fold in the cornflour, lemon juice and the nutmeg. Spoon 8 x 8 cm circles or meringue, about 3 cm apart, onto a lined baking tray. Stir the butter until it is very smooth then dot teaspoons of it over each meringue. Using a skewer, gently draw the nut butter through the meringue to give a lightly marbled effect. Don’t spend too much time doing this. 

Bake for 1 hour or until the meringues will lift off the paper easily, then turn off the heat and leave the meringues in the oven to cool.

Decorate with yoghurt and fruit.