I made Elizabeth David’s Chocolate Almond Cake for my sister’s birthday lunch. It is flourless so gluten-free. When I was Googling for the recipe I found it on this pretty cookery blog. I used their doubling-up method. Very delicious, I will make this again.
I gave my sister Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours
I’ve resolved to write my recipes in a notebook as I go along, this way I can keep track of things, make notes on what to change for next time, and take the book with me to the shops. My previous method was notes scrawled on pieces of paper and the backs of envelopes, stuck to the fridge until they slid down to the floor, the many layers too heavy for the magnets holding them up.
At the weekend I volunteered to make the cake for my aunt’s birthday, after all that Christmas richness I really fancied trying to make something lighter, more spring-like and feminine. As usual with my family it needed to be gluten free, remembering a pistachio macaron I had in Paris last year I had this idea for some kind of tower of pistachio meringue. However there seemed to be a need for pistachio AND something, so after consideration and a little bit of trial, I made pistachio and rosewater meringues.
I post the recipe below but word of warning on using this. I am not sure if this is for everyone. Like some people do not like cardamom I could see how the rose flavour might not be for everyone. Luckily the people I made it for liked it and ate up every last piece, having second helpings each. When I have my shower in the morning with RENs Moroccan Rose Otto wash I think of this cake :)
Pistachio and Rosewater Meringue
4 egg whites
240g caster sugar
3/4 tsp rosewater
large handful of shelled chopped unsalted pistachios
1/2 red natural food colouring (optional)
two baking trays lined with baking parchment and greased
Preheat oven to 150°C.
In a completely clean and dry bowl whisk the egg whites until they are firm and can stand in peaks. Then whisk in a tablespoon of the sugar at a time until the mixture shines. Whisk in the rosewater and red food colouring. Gently fold in the pistachios keeping a handful back. Spread out onto the baking parchment into the shapes you need. I wanted three circles so I could make a layered cake. I should think smaller individual meringues would be nice too.
Bake for 1 hour, check they are done by seeing if you can lift them up without breaking them. Then leave them in the oven until it is cooled.
I served mine sandwiched with slightly sweetended and vanilla-ed cream, and the scattering of green pictachios over the top.
My sister sent me her gluten free banana bread recipe. It is a winner! I added the walnut element. Unlike some of the recent gluten-free recipes I have tried recently it is not sugar-free or vegan so it is not so as surprising that it is nice (if you add butter and sugar to most things they are nice, right? :) ). I think this is actually my favourite banana bread recipe of all time including when compared to non-GF recipes. This is the one I will be making from now on even if it is not intended for gluten-free people.
Gluten-Free Banana Bread
175g brown rice flour
50g cornflour
75g walnut pieces
100g caster sugar
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
2 pinches salt
100g unsalted butter
3 mashed bananas
2 large eggs
1kg loaf tin greased
1. Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F
2. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one by one. Mix in the banana.
3. Sift the brown rice flour, the cornflour, the baking powder, and the salt. Mix into the banana mixture, then add the walnuts.
4. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour until a skewer comes out clean and the top is very golden.
5. Remove from tin and cool on a rack.
I think that the difference that makes it nicer is that the crumb is a bit denser.
My contribution to the meal was the dessert of gluten free bownies and adzuki bean and coffee ice-cream.
Adzuki Bean and Coffee Ice-ceam
half cup milk
two tablespoons instant coffee
one cup cream
200g tin of sweet adzuki beans
Mix milk and coffee. Whip the cream. Mix it all together with the adzuki beans and pour into the ice-cream maker, or freeze right away if you don't have one.
I got the idea to make this from one of my dad's Japanese newspapers. I thought it worked well! Especially nice if you like adzuki bean (which I do so much!) but also the coffee element makes it palatable to those less keen on adzuki beans.
When my sister was staying with me last I asked her for her popcorn recipe as the popcorn she makes is really good. Her secret seems to be that she uses a small amount of both sugar AND salt. She uses olive oil as the cooking oil also. I was trying to find out if popcorn was a healthy snack, opinions seem divided! I guess it is the same as with almost everything – that things should be consumed in moderation. My thoughts are that savory popcorn could be a good snack to have with drinks if I have gluten-free people over. I was looking about online and there seems to be quite a few interesting popcorn recipes like this one.
