Gluten-Free Food,Kiwi Style

This gluten-free apple shortcake recipe is adapted from my Mum’s standard apple shortcake she makes over the cooler months – she is a great cook!

GLUTEN-FREE APPLE SHORTCAKE

150g firm eating apples

½ cup water

2 heaped T Gf custard powder

2 T water

145g semi-soft butter

145g sugar

2 eggs

1 ¾ cups GF baking flour

2 tsp GF baking powder

2 tsp guar gum

Peel, quarter, remove core and weigh apples. Slice each quarter into 2-3 thick slices (depending on size of apples). Cook in ½ cup water into just tender. Thicken with 2 T custard powder mixed with 2 T water. Cool until no-longer steaming (I put it in the fridge after a couple of minutes cooling on the bench).

Preheat oven to 180oC with the rack one below normal (may be bottom rung). Grease a deep sided slice tin. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Sift in flour, baking powder and guar gum, beat well. Turn out onto floured board. Knead well then cut into half. Press half of dough into the prepared slice tin, reserving the other half for the top. Spread cooled apple mix evenly over top. Roll reserved dough out and place on top of apple – I find it easier to do this in 3 pieces due to the soft nature of GF dough.

Bake for 40 minutes or until top is lightly browned (cook on one rack below normal to well cook the bottom of the shortcake). Completely cool before cutting into large slices. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

GLUTEN-FREE GINGER SLICE

150g semi-soft butter

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cups GF baking flour

1 tsp GF baking powder

1 tsp guar gum

1 T ground ginger

Ginger Icing:

75g semi-soft butter

1 cup GF icing sugar, sifted

2 T golden syrup

1 T ground ginger

Preheat oven to 180oC.  Lightly grease and line a slice tin.  Cream the butter and sugar together.  Sift in the flour, baking powder, guar gum and ginger and mix well until it has formed a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead well. Press into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  While this is cooking make the icing by combining all the ingredients in a small pot and heating until well combined, stirring often.  Pour the icing over the hot base. Leave to cool a little then score and cut into squares or fingers while still warm.

Variation: add to base or sprinkle over the icing: 2 T preserved ginger, finely chopped

This gluten-free fruit sponge is a great winter warmer and can be made with such a range of stewed fruit – wether freshly stewed or from the cupboard. This recipe has been adapted from the standard recipe, with the added addition of slithered almonds.

GLUTEN-FREE FRUIT SPONGE

Serves 4-6

3 cups stewed fruit ie apple, apricots, peaches

125g butter

½ tsp vanilla essence

½ cup castor sugar

2 eggs

1 ¼ cups GF baking flour

2 tsp Gf baking powder

2 tsp guar gum

1 tsp Chinese five spice

3 T milk

3 T slither almonds

Preheat oven to 180oC. Measure stewed fruit into a small-medium sized ovenproof dish and heat until fruit is hot.  Cream together semi-soft butter, vanilla and sugar.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well.  Sift flour, guar gum, Chinese five spice and baking powder into the creamed mixture.  Add milk and mix well before spooning over the heated fruit.  Bake at 180oC for 30 minutes or until the sponge springs back when lightly touched.

My parents have many fruit and nut trees so again, I count myself fortunate.  Several of these are cooking apples which pulp up really nicely for bottling.

BOTTLED STEWED APPLE

For every 1kg of peeled and sliced apple (in eigths), add ½ cup sugar and 1 cup water.  Simmer gently until stewed and right consistency. This simmering time depends on several factors including size of preserving pan, type of apple and quantity of apple, but may take about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, sterilize preserving jars in oven at 120oC for at least 15 minutes, heat preserving seals and rings in a pot of hot/boiled water.  Pour apple into the sterilized jars and seal.  Makes just over 2 half preserving jars per kg of apples.

This chutney is a must make.  I am fortunately enough to have a friend at work that gives me feijoas from her tree – thanks Kim!

SPICY FEIJOA CHUTNEY

2 cups feijoa flesh, scooped and diced

2 large onions, peeled and diced

½ cup sultanas

1 cup soft brown sugar

2 cups cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 T curry powder

Place all ingredients in a preserving pan.  Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring often until the chutney is thick and syrupy. Meanwhile, sterilize preserving jars in oven at 120oC for at least 15 minutes, heat preserving seals and rings in a pot of hot/boiled water. Ladle into sterilized jars and seal well. 

This gluten-free Sticky Date Pudding is a conversion of the traditional recipe that is baked as a cake.  Yummy as!

Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

6-8 servings

220g (1 ½ cups) pitted dates, chopped

1 ¼ cups boiling water

1 tsp baking soda

60g semisoft butter

¾ cup soft brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup GF baking flour

2 tsp GF baking powder

1 tsp guar gum

Butterscotch Sauce:

2 cups soft brown sugar

1 cup cream

50g semisoft butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180oC.  Lightly grease and line a 20 cm springform cake tin. Combine dates, water and baking soda in a bowl and rest for 5 minutes.  Then using an electric mixer blend together with the butter and sugar until fairly smooth.  Add eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and guar gum and process until well combined.  Pour into the cake tin and bake 35 minutes or until cooked.  Remove from oven and rest on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Make the butterscotch sauce by combining all the ingredients in a pot and stirring over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved and the butter melted.  Cut the cake into pieces and pour the butterscotch sauce over top.

SLIDE CAKE SLICE

A quick and classy looking and tasting slice – very similar to Louise Cake but with a crumbled topping rather than meringue

180g butter, softened

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg

2 cups GF baking flour

3 tsp  guar gum

3 tsp baking powder

2 ¾ cup blackberry or boysenberry jam, warmed for easy spreading

Preheat oven to 170oC.  Grease and line a slice tin, overhanging the baking paper.  Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy.  Beat in egg, then sift in flour, guar gum, and baking powder.  Spread three quarters of the batter into the tin using a hot wet spatula or hands. Spread warmed jam over top. Take tiny pieces of the remaining batter and flatten between thumbs and forefingers, and place all over the top of the jam, beginning with the edges. Bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool in the tin completely before lifting out by the baking paper and cooling on a wire rack.

NAAN BREAD

Makes 6

Quick and great with curries, and dips

150 ml warm milk

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp active dry yeast

335g GF baking flour

1 tsp GF baking powder

2 tsp guar gum

½ tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

150 ml plain yogurt

1 egg, lightly beaten

Baking spray/oil

                  Preheat oven and 2 oven trays to 250oC.  Into a small bowl measure the milk, 1 teaspoon sugar and  yeast, then sit it in a warm place for 5 minutes to ferment.  Into a medium sized bowl sift the flours, baking powder, guar gum, and salt.  Add the other teaspoon of sugar, oil, yogurt, egg, and fermented yeast. Mix until smooth with a wooden spoon.

Place onto a floured surface and roll dough into large ball. Divide dough into 6. Roll each into a ball and then roll out into a tear shape about ¼ inch thick. 

Remove oven tray from oven, spray with baking spray and place all 6 naan onto tray.  Spray tops of naan then fanbake 3-6 minutes or until naan puffed up and lightly browned.

Panini: add another tsp of baking powder and roll thicker into 4 large ovals to create panini

Gluten Free Gingerbread

125g semi-soft butter

2 T sugar

2 eggs

¾  cup golden syrup

2 1/4 cups GF baking flour

2 tsp guar gum

2 tsp GF baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 180oC.  Lightly grease a medium spring-form tin or large ring-tin. Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in golden syrup and water.  Add sifted flour, guar gum, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger.

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in tin before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Chip Biscuits

Makes approx 26-28 biscuits

125g semisoft butter

¼ cup white sugar

¼  cup soft brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups GF baking flour

2 tsp GF baking powder

2 tsp guar gum

100g chocolate chips or drops

Preheat oven 10 200oC and lightly grease 2 oven trays. Cream butter, sugars and vanilla.  Add egg and beat well.  Sift in flour, baking powder, and guar gum, mixing thoroughly.  Add chocolate chips and beat well.  Roll teaspoon lots into balls using floured hands and place on oven trays. Lightly press each biscuit with a floured fork. Bake 10 minutes at 200C until firm and golden brown.