Some brain snacks. . .

Nope it’s not an experiment or a recipe it’s an article! From the NZ Herald, where the writer discusses cooking and her cook book collecting. By the sounds, she dabbles with experimenting too, and has had mixed results. It posed the question, do you go by the books? 

My gluten and dairy free diet has inspired me to begin experimenting with food (again?). Perhaps my childhood in PNG has helped me adapt to this idea. Sometimes you just have to make do with what you have, and while you are making do, you may as well make it good!

Although I wouldn’t exactly call substituting rice milk for cows milk, and margarine for butter exactly a risky experiment, but it has been a mind opening experience as I am discovering what new things I can create! 

I'd love to create a great new recipe one day, but until then I'll keep following other people's great ideas, being inspired and seeing where that leads!

Most often it is to chocolate or dessert! Stay tuned!

Honeycomb, which turned into Honeycomb and chocolate slice!

Honeycomb and Honeycomb and chocolate slice

Inspired by:

Browsing my saved favourites on the computer which had a recipe on honeycomb

Honeycomb with golden syrup- allrecipes.com.au

Chocolate caramel slice- taste.com.au

Chocolate mint slice- ninemsn.com.au Australian Women’s Weekly.

Why?

Honeycomb is my Achilles heel. I love the stuff and I have never been able to make a successful batch. I either burn it, undercook it, or put in too much bicarb soda. I keep trying, thinking that somehow without a cooking thermometer, I will be able to find the right sign that tells me it is ready. I was going to try with corn syrup this time, but it was too difficult to find. A small amount of questioning from my husband spurred me to try it with golden syrup one last time. I just can’t resist!

I used:

Honeycomb

4 Tbs golden syrup

1 Tbs water

1 cup castor sugar

3 tps bicarbonate of soda

Slice base

1 cup gluten free flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup desiccated coconut

125g margarine –melted (dairy free)

Chocolate layer

110g chocolate (dairy free)

½ Tps vegetable oil

What I did:

Grease/line 20cmx 30cm tin. (I recommend baking paper for honeycomb).

In a large saucepan, mix water, sugar and syrup until well combined.

Stop stirring and place on heat, bringing mixture to the boil.  
Reduce to low heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until a drop of the mixture hardens in water, take care that it does not burn. 

When the mixture is ready, take off heat (turn off stove), and quickly add bicarb soda, stirring until it is mixed through. 
When added it should make the syrup foam up instantly. 
Pour the mixture into the lined tin and leave to set. 
Once set, break into pieces and enjoy! (Photo of my later successful attempt is above).

(If you are like me and were a bit trigger happy! Your honeycomb may not have set into the crunchy delight you anticipated! It still tastes delicious, but it is a bit too gooey for eating by itself! Solution! Honeycomb slice!)

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease/line the same, or same size 20cm tin (otherwise your slice and filling will be two different sizes!).

In a bowl combine gluten free flour, sugar, coconut, and melted dairy free margarine until it forms a dough like mixture. 
Spread mixture evenly out, pressing it into the tray. Bake for 15 mins or until golden brown.

Once the slice base is cool, start to peel the honeycomb off its baking paper and onto the top of the slice base. 
Press the honeycomb and base together, like a sandwich, for easier removal of the paper. 
Tidy the edges of the honeycomb into the base of the slice, or trim them off to eat.

Melt chocolate (I use a double boiler for this) and add oil. 
Pour over the top of the honeycomb, to complete the slice.

Leave to set (I didn’t refrigerate as everyone advises not to refrigerate honeycomb).

Comments after eating Honeycomb chocolate slice!

Um. . .I want to eat more! Very yummie! A bit like a crunchie bar, for all those people who know what that is! Very delicious, and very moreish.

Photos are: 

Honeycomb just as I had poured it in

Honeycomb just as I had put it in the base

Honeycomb and chocolate slice. . .cut and ready to eat!

Travels!

Well, I have just returned from a little travelling adventure!
It's always fun going to the local shops and seeing what gluten free and dairy free products they have in different cities and shops.

In England I found a large range in the supermarkets. They call the section "free from" and I got to taste gluten free and dairy free crumpets, naan bread, fruit cake, madeira cake, mini fruit tarts, short bread and brownies! I also really like the beetroot, parship and carrot chips they have there! Delish!

I didn't go into a normal supermarket in Amsterdam, but at their Central Railway/ Metro station there is a health food shop which stocks gluten free and dairy free breads and snacks.

In Brussels we went to a chocolate demonstration, which was very fun and informative, explaining about chocolate and how it was made and discovered. Also a few handy tips on how to pour your own into moulds.

One place I would advise to do research on before visiting is Egypt. On returning from there I felt like I had lived on a diet of potato chips and tea, with chicken and rice thrown in every now and again. It was my own fault. I hadn't done enough research, I didn't take enough food with me and I cannot read arabic. It made me realise just how fortunate I am in this world to even have food. And also (not as important though) how cranky I feel when I am hungry.

As I am sure most of you are aware, cocoa butter is not a dairy product! So it is a safe ingredient on a dairy free diet. Milk powder obviously is not safe. Happy Chocolateering!

Tonight we are off to try a resturant that specialises in gluten free pizza and pasta in Italy! I'm so excited! Now I will finally be able to say I have had real Italian pizza and pasta! Senza latte e formaggio of course!

Chocolate Biscuit Log

Chocolate Biscuit Log

Inspired by:

My friend Kat

Lollycake-www.blokeswhobake.co.nz

Rocky road Easter eggs- Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Peanut butter and chocolate slice- Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbook.

Why?

I was talking to my friend Kat who was going to make Rocky Road Easter eggs, which sounded very tempting, but I didn’t have the equipment or ingredients. Last week I had made lollycake for my husband which wasn’t gluten or dairy free, and I had seen a recipe for peanut butter and chocolate slice, so I wondered what the outcome might be if I did a kind of ‘mash up’ of the recipes.

I used:

75g crushed biscuits (gluten and dairy free)

150g dark chocolate (dairy free)

2 tbs margarine (dairy free)

2 tbs peanut butter (dairy free)

½ cup brown sugar

8 mini meringues (dessert spoon sized) (gluten free)

50-100g mini marshmallows (gluten free)

Handful of strawberry lollies (gluten free)

What I did:

Grease/line tin.

Crush biscuits in a bowl and put aside.

Melt peanut butter and margarine in a saucepan, on low heat, taking care not to burn or boil it. 
Stir in chocolate until all melted in.

Take off heat, (turn off stove), and add biscuits and sugar, mix until well combined. 
Add meringues, crushing them while mixing. 
Add marshmallows and strawberries (or the lollies of your choice) and mix until they are spread evenly through the mixture.

Pour out on to the tin and press/mold into a log shape (I wrapped baking paper tightly around the log to keep it in shape).

Refrigerate until set. Eat and enjoy!

Comments after eating Chocolate Biscuit Log

It’s good, the peanut butter isn’t overpowering, it is not too chocolatey. It doesn’t taste like rocky road as it has a nice biscuit taste. It has an interesting texture for something sweet which I enjoy. A successful experiment!

Chocolate Mint Slice

Chocolate Mint Slice

Inspired by:

Australian Women’s Weekly Choc mint slice recipe on ninemsn.com.au

The fact that I love mint and like to recycle.

The method of making cheesecake base.

Why?

As previously mentioned my first attempt at hot cross buns did not work out as well as I had hoped, and so I wanted to have another try at them. So instead of wasting all the ingredients and time I had spent making the first batch I thought I should recycle them somehow. I love mint and have been waiting for an opportunity to make this. Perfect match! (Next time I won't go to so much effort though!)

 

I used:

Base (old hot cross buns):

3 ¼ cups Gluten free flour mix

100g dark chocolate broken into small chunks/ chocolate chips (dairy free)

3 tbs cocoa powder (gluten free)

2 tbs caster sugar

1 sachet of dried yeast (7g)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Large pinch of salt

1 cup warm rice milk (250 mls)

50g margarine, melted(Dairy free)

1 egg, whisked

Plus to mix to form the base

50g margarine (dairy free)

1 cup rice milk (250 mls)

Peppermint layer

250g icing sugar/confectioners sugar

1 tbs  rice milk

1 tbs mint syrup (liquid sugar, colour and mint flavor)

1 tbs margarine (dairy free)

peppermint essence to taste.

Chocolate layer

150g dark chocolate (dairy free)

½ teaspoon vegetable oil

What I did:

Grease/line a baking tray.

In a bowl, crush failed chocolate hot cross buns with margarine (I usually do this with marg, sugar and biscuits for cheesecake base and it works well, but it wasn’t blending with the hot cross buns- so I decided to add milk instead). 

Gradually add milk, crushing base with a fork until mixture is moist and moldable.  
Turn mixture onto baking tray and press mixture into tray as evenly as possible. 
Put into the refrigerator to chill.

Combine milk, mint syrup (or just more milk or water), margerine, and peppermint essence; add icing sugar gradually, stirring with a butter knife, and squashing lumps against the side of the bowl.

Once the mixture is smooth and thick (add more icing sugar to thicken if needed), take the base out of the refrigerator, and using the knife, smooth the peppermint layer over the top.
 Put the slice back in the refrigerator. (Resist the urge to eat it now, there’s still one more layer!)

Let the peppermint layer set before beginning the next step.

Melt chocolate (I use the double boiler for this) and stir in vegetable oil. 
Smooth melted chocolate mixture evenly over slice and refrigerate until set.

Now you can eat!

Comments after eating Chocolate Mint Slice

YUM! It was soo good. I put a little too much milk in the base, so it took a few days for it to set properly, but we still ate it not-as-set, and it was still delicious. So good. I wish there was still some left.

 As you can see. . .by the time I got around to taking this photo. . .a lot of it had already been eaten!