Gluten Free

Roasted Cauliflower With Pancetta, Olives and Crisp Parmesan

Belinda

Studded with salty olives, pancetta and Parmesan that gets golden and crisp at the edges, this is roasted cauliflower at its brightest and most full-flavored. You can serve the caramelized florets either as a vegetable-based main dish or a hearty side to roasted meats or fish, or big bowls of pasta. The recipe calls for using a package of finely diced pancetta that practically melts into the sauce. But if you prefer a chunkier texture, you can dice it yourself into 1/2-inch cubes, and add them with the cauliflower. Or, to make this vegetarian, just leave the pancetta out.

Recipe by Melissa Clark

Serves 2 as a main dish and 4 as a side dish

1 large head cauliflower (about 1 3/4 pounds), trimmed and cut into bite-size florets (about 8 cups)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
⅓ cup olives, crushed, pitted and chopped
1 fat garlic clove, finely grated or minced
1 ½ tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
⅛ tsp red-pepper flakes, plus more as needed
4 oz pancetta or bacon, cut into 1/8-inch cubes
¾ tsp cumin or caraway seeds
½ cup shredded (not ground) Parmesan
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or mint leaves and tender stems, for serving

Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Place cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt until well coated. Roast for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together olives, garlic, lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt. Drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, whisking well.

After the cauliflower has roasted for 15 minutes, add pancetta and cumin seeds to pan and gently mix to combine. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, until cauliflower is tender, the pancetta rendered, and cheese is golden brown and crunchy.

Spoon olive dressing all over roasted cauliflower while still hot and toss to combine.
Taste, and add more salt, red-pepper flakes or lemon juice, if needed.
Scatter parsley over the top before serving.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Easy Peppermint Fudge

Belinda

It’s seriously the easiest fudge you’ll ever make.
Recipe from Ree Drummond “The Pioneer Woman”

12 servings

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz. size) sweetened condensed milk
8 whole peppermint candies, crushed

Line a square 8 x 8 pan with foil and smooth the surface. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a double boiler over medium heat. Heat until melted, about 5-7 minutes. Stir until smooth, then immediately pour it into the foil-lined pan.
Use a spatula to smooth the surface, then sprinkle on the crushed peppermints.

Refrigerate for 2 hours, then cut into small squares.

Baking · Chocolate · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Orange pomegranate oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Belinda

These pomegranate oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are flavored with orange zest and extract to make the perfect winter themed cookie.
Recipe from blog “Running to the Kitchen”

Make 18 cookies

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp orange extract (optional but adds to orange flavor)
3/4 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup pomegranate arils

Combine flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
With a hand-mixer in a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together on high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg, orange zest and extracts and beat again until thoroughly incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips and pomegranate arils until combined.

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
During last 10 minutes of refrigeration, preheat oven to 375°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Spoon the dough out (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the baking sheets leaving about 2 inches of space between each.
Bake for 12-15 minutes (I did 14 minutes, rotating sheets half way through baking) until edges just start to turn golden brown but middles are still somewhat soft.

Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.

Breakfast · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food

Gingerbread oatmeal

Belinda

This gingerbread oatmeal is made on the stove-top using chewy steel oats, gingerbread spices and molasses for a true gingerbread taste!
Lovely for Christmas morning whilst still being healthy too.
Recipe from blog, “Running to the Kitchen”

Serves 2

1 cup steel cut oats (use gluten-free if needed)
2 tbsp ground flax seed
2 cups almond milk (or any milk of choice)
1 1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp molasses

Combine the oats, flax seed and milk in a sauce pot over medium heat on the stove. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer stirring occasionally.
After about 5 minutes when it starts to thicken, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Continue cooking for about 10 more minutes, stirring frequently until desired thickness is reached. Oats will be chewy but cooked.
Serve with a splash of additional almond milk, pecans and drizzle of molasses or maple syrup.

Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Ginger, passionfruit trifle

Belinda

I am a huge fan of trifle, and usually stick to a very boozy traditional one, but this one from Nigella Lawson caught my eye and you can see why. Another easy showstopper dessert!

Serves 10

About 18-20 oz store-bought sponge or pound cake or savoiardi cookies
About 4-6 oz ginger wine (I use Stones Ginger Wine, available in most wine stores)
About 18 -20 oz heavy whipping cream
4 tsp confectioners sugar (icing sugar)
8 passion fruit

Slice or break the sponge into pieces and arrange half of them in a shallow dish or stand, then pour half the ginger wine over them. Mound up the remaining half of the sponge or cookie pieces and pour the remaining wine on top
* I pour in more than the stated amount of ginger wine as I like my trifle boozy and gingery!

Whip the cream with the confectioners sugar (icing sugar) until it’s firm but not too stiff; you want soft peaks.

Scoop the insides of 2 passionfruit into the bowl of cream and fold in before mounding the cream floppily over the soused sponges.

Scoop out the remaining 6 passion fruit onto the white pile of cream s that it is doused and dribbling with the black seeds and fragrant golden pulp

Baking · Do-ahead · Fruit · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Nuts

Cranberry curd tart

Belinda2 Comments

Creamy and bright cranberry curd filling inside a gluten-free oat and nut-based tart crust makes a stunningly delicious and easy Holiday dessert.
Recipe from the food blog, “Running to the Kitchen”

Serves 8-10

FOR THE TART CRUST
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
5 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed

FOR THE CRANBERRY CURD FILLING
12 oz fresh cranberries
zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, divided
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a tart pan with a removeable bottom with butter or baking spray making sure to pay attention to the sides.

Combine the oats, walnuts, brown sugar and spices in a food processor. Process until finely chopped then pulse in the cubes of cold butter one by one until the mixture starts to come together.
Turn the ingredients out into the prepared tart pan and press evenly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
Place the crust in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator, place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, gently press down the middle if it’s puffed up a bit from baking and let cool while you make the curd.

Combine the cranberries, lemon zest, 3/4 cup sugar and water in a sauce pot. Bring to a simmer then lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to help break down the cranberries.
Turn off the heat and let cool for 5 minutes then transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.
Return the mixture to the sauce pot over medium-low heat.

One by one add the remaining ingredients including the leftover 2 tablespoons of sugar to the pot whisking constantly as you go.
Once all ingredients are added to the pot, continue cooking for 10 minutes whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened.

Strain the cranberry curd over a large bowl through a fine mesh strainer using a spatula to push the curd through.
Pour the strained filling into the cooled tart crust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until set.
Keep refrigerated until serving.
Garnish with sugared cranberries or candied lemon slices.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food

Chocolate chestnut refrigerator cake

Belinda2 Comments

Another fabulous dessert from Nigella Lawson.
It’s incredibly easy to make, and dangerously compelling to eat, one of those puddings about which everyone says ‘it’s very rich’ before going on to third helpings.


Makes: 10-12 slices

FOR THE CAKE
2 cups sweetened chestnut puree
12 tbsp soft unsalted butter
10 oz bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
3 tbsp dark rum

TO SERVE
creme fraiche

Beat the puree in a bowl until it’s smooth, and then add the butter, beating again to make a well-blended mixture.
Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly, before adding it to the chestnut and butter in the bowl.
Beat in the rum, and spoon the chocolate mixture into a 9″ x 4″ loaf tin, lined with clingfilm, in two batches, making sure the first layer reaches the corners and sides of the bottom of the tin before you smooth over the rest.
Wrap the overhanging clingfilm over the cake so that it is completely covered, and put it in the fridge to set for at least four hours, but a day or so in advance if you want.
Don’t take the loaf tin out of the fridge until you want to eat it, when you just unmold the cake, cut it into thin slices and serve with creme fraiche or sour cream.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Icecream

Girdlebuster pie

Belinda

Well, given the (Covid) year we’ve had and our waistlines are a little more “elastic” we can go out with a bang these Holidays with this easy and divine Girdlebuster pie from Nigella Lawson.

Serves 6-8

13 oz Digestive cookies or Graham crackers
3 oz soft butter, plus 3 more oz
2 oz dark chocolate pieces or chips
2 oz milk chocolate pieces or chips
4.5 cups (1 liter) coffee ice cream
10.5 oz Lyles golden syrup (Available on Amazon)
3.5 oz packed light muscovado sugar or brown sugar
1/4 tsp Maldon salt or a pinch table salt (optional)
2 tbsp Bourbon
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

In a food processor, process the cookies with the 3 oz of soft butter and the chocolate pieces or chips until it forms a damp but still crumb-like clump.
Press into a 9″ round pie dish or flan dish. Form a lip of cookie dough a little higher than the dish if you can. This process takes patience as you ideally need to form a smooth, even layer.
Freeze the cookie dough-lined dish for about 1 hour so it gets really hard.

In the meantime, let your ice-cream soften in the refrigerator, just until it can be scooped.
Spread the ice-cream layer into the hard cookie lined dish to form a layer.
Cover with plastic wrap and return to the freezer

Put the golden syrup, sugar, remaining 3 oz butter and salt (if using) into a saucepan and let it melt over a low to medium heat, before turning it up and letting it boil for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the bourbon, letting it hiss in the pan. Add the cream and stir to mix into a sauce then remove from the heat and let cool.
Once the sauce is cool, but not set cold, pour it over the pie to cover the ice cream layer and then put it back into the freezer.
Once frozen, cover it again with plastic wrap.

When ready to serve, remove the pie from the freezer, take the whole pie out of it’s dish and cut into slices.

Do-ahead · Egg based · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Sauces

Hollandaise sauce in a blender!

Belinda

Isn’t it wonderful to have a fail-safe, easy blender hollandaise recipe so your morning eggs can have this positively sexy sauce on them?
Recipe from Ree Drummond, “The Pioneer Woman”

Serves 4

2 sticks butter
3 whole eggs, separated
1 whole (juice of) lemon
Cayenne pepper, to taste

In a small saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter until sizzling.
Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a blender.
Turn the blender on low to allow the yolks to combine, and then begin pouring the very hot butter in a thin stream into the blender. The blender should remain on the whole time, and you should be careful to pour in the butter very slowly.
Keep pouring butter until it’s all gone, then immediately begin squeezing lemon juice into the blender. You should use the juice of one lemon. And check the blender to make sure the sauce is still liquidy and moving easily through the blades. If it’s not, add a little more juice and give it a stir, then blend again.
Add in a generous shake of cayenne pepper.
If the sauce is too thick, continue to blend while adding more lemon juice.
Now pile on to some Eggs Benedict!

Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food

Amaretti Syllabub

Belinda

Syllabub is a fabulous, indulgent, silky, fluffy dessert, well worth the calories and only takes 15 minutes to make!
This Anglo-Italian version is from Nigella Lawson and with the crumbled amaretti cookies, it feels like a light fluffy trifle.

Serves 4, if you’re lucky

1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz amaretti cookies

Pour the Amaretto liqueur into a bowl with the sugar and lemon juice and whisk to mix.
Whisk in the heavy cream and whip this mixture until it has thickened but is still soft and billowy.
Crumble 2 little amaretti cookies into each of the 4 glasses (each with a yield of about 2/3 cup)
Divide the syllabub between the glasses on top of the crumbled cookies.
Crumble another 2 cookies and sprinkle over the top of all the glasses to give a fine sprinkle of crumbs on each.
Serve the remaining amaretti cookies alongside the syllabub.