Mushroom & Wild Garlic Tart with Chestnut Crumble. (Vegan and Gluten & Wheat Free)

My lovely girl has decide to take Cookery as her GCSE exam, but at school she struggles. She cannot eat wheat and although the school have said they will accommodate this, they don’t really know how to use Gluten Free flour and so she is frustrated and feels she is no good at cooking.

IMG_0765

When really all that is the matter is that she needs to be taught how to cook with Gluten Free flour as opposed to just following a wheaten recipe and subbing in the Gluten Free flour – mostly that doesn’t work, allowances have to be made.

Anyway, so I wanted to help her see she is very capable. SO we set about making this tart with a few fresh organic(!) ingredients I was able to pick up at the market on Saturday.

It all turned out fab, not only did it give her a little boost, we all got a lovely late breakfast – perhaps not a perfect nutritional balance – but utterly joyous!

I hope you all like it

😀

Mushroom & Wild Garlic Tart with Chestnut Crumble.

Filling
120g/4oz wild garlic

3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic pressed
6 portobello (field) mushrooms, diced

Pastry

500g/1 lb Gluten Free plain flour
½ tsp sea salt

250g/8oz sunflower margarine at room temperature

75g/2½oz/heaped ½ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, finely chopped

250ml/10fl oz water with 1 tsp ground linseeds soaked in it

Tofu filling
400g/14oz tofu, patted dry

30ml/2 tbsp olive oil

40ml/3 tbsp lemon juice


1½ tsp sea salt

1½ tbsp dried thyme

1½ tbsp dried tarragon
1½ tbsp nutritional yeast (Engervita B12 is the one to find)

3 tbsp cornflour

Crumble
250g/8oz Chestnut flour
125g/4oz Cashew nuts
90ml/3 floz olive oil

Set the oven to 190°C/375°F Gas5
Make the pastry. Super simple to make this. Blitz the marg, salt and flour together until it is crumby. On a slow speed pour in the water and it will form a ball.
Use this to line a 29 cm flan case. When you roll the pastry do not worry that it break, there is not gluten so you can easily patch this pastry as you would when you were little playing with playdough. It will not suffer at all for it. It does not need to rest or be chilled as there is not stretchy gluten to make it misbehave. Line it with the parchment paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 35- 40 minutes until it is set.

To make the Tofu filling, process all the ingredients together in the food processor and set aside.
To make the Filling, heat a frying pan over a high heat. Add the oil and cook the onions until they are starting to colour. Drain from the pan but leave in the oil and then fry the diced mushrooms until they brown too. Add the garlic and wilt in the chopped wild garlic. Tip in with the onion and set aside.

To make the crumble just blitz the ingredients until they make a nice crumble, set aside.

Take the case from the oven.

Mix the tofu and filling parts together and pour into the case. Top with the crumble and return to the oven for another 20 minutes until it is nice and brown.

Screen shot 2013-05-29 at 21.29.51

You can serve it hot, warm, cold or chilled. We had it on it’s own (with a side of fresh fruit jam parts made from the scraps of pastry and a loaf of Fennel & Caraway Sourdough on the side 🙂

Screen shot 2013-05-29 at 21.30.21

National Vegetarian Week

This week is National Vegetarian Week and as part of my commitment to great Vegetarian food I wanted to share a recipe for each day.

Screen shot 2013-05-20 at 11.35.03

I shall endeavour for it to be Vegan. But we all have to start somewhere and if you are not vegetarian then just give a few recipes a go! I honestly believe you will be surprised.

Below are links to some of my previously blogged recipes and I will add more this week (as I can – I still have ‘no camera’ issues).

If you have any questions or queries then please do ask.

I myself an not exclusively RAW, Vegan, Paleo or Vegetarian but I appreciate that they are a great addition to our weekly food habits.

I hope you enjoy them

🙂

And so to start:

Screen shot 2013-05-20 at 18.16.17

Baba Ganoush

Screen shot 2013-05-20 at 18.17.48

‘Meaty’ Spicy Rice – A Vegan Treat We All Love To Eat!

Screen shot 2013-05-20 at 16.06.02

Pistachio Cake (Vegan)

Screen shot 2013-05-20 at 18.18.58

Millet and Mushroom Loaf (Vegan, Gluten & Wheat Free)

Screen shot 2013-05-20 at 18.19.45

Creamy, Dreamy Onion Soup (Vegan and Gluten Free)

Screen shot 2013-05-20 at 18.20.07

Deeply Tasty Borlotti Bean Noodles with Cashew Nuts (Vegan)

Screen shot 2013-05-20 at 18.21.15

Potato Cakes (Option for Vegan and Gluten & Wheat Free)

Have a great week

😀

Blackberried, Fresh Pear & Frangipane Tart
 (Gluten & Wheat Free/ Dairy Free)

I am popping this one in as I found the photo as I was looking for an image that I could use for this blog. I am still without a camera, but hopefully in the next week or two I shall be able to get one.

DSCN3775

I grow both the berries and the apples in my garden and on the allotment (must do photos when I can). So for me this an autumn pud, but some of you are in your autumn now.

There is a reason why people call this a classic combination and that is because it it delicious.

I do use conference pears as they retain a good texture and flavour after poaching. And it is the Italian in me that loves nuts in a pud.

I hope you enjoy this.

I have to dash as I am off to the market today and the weather forecast is for sunshine (swoon). I love an English Summer 😀

Blackberried, Fresh Pear & Frangipane Tart
 (Gluten & Wheat Free/ Dairy Free)
3 firm pears
90g / 3 oz blackberries
Almond Filling


120g / 4 oz ground almonds

90 / 3oz potato or rice flour
150g / 5 oz caster sugar

120g / 4 oz sunflower margarine, room temperature

2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tsp vanilla
Icing (confectioners) sugar
1 tbsp bramble jelly or blackberry jam conserve – home made if you have it is so much nicer!
pastry case
240g / 8 oz Gluten Free Plain flour

30g / 1 oz icing sugar
60g / 2 oz caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
120g / 4 oz sunflower margarine, cut into small pieces
1 egg + 1 egg white

Make up and chill the pastry.
Roll out and line the 23 cm loose based tart pan.
Line with paper and fill with beans. Bake for 25 minutes-ish 400ËšF/200ËšC/Gas 6. Set to one side.
Wash the berries.
Peel and quarter the pears and poach in simmering water for 5 minutes. Drain and cool.
For almond filling: Mix almonds, flour, sugar, margarine, eggs and extracts in the processor.
Turn the oven to 375ËšF/190ËšC/Gas 5.
Spread bramble jelly onto base of pastry then spread with almond filling.
Cut pears crosswise into thin slices. Gently press each pear half to fan slices but keep slices tightly overlapped.
Slide spatula under pears and arrange on the filling with narrow ends in centre.
Press the berries in and around the pears..
Bake until golden and tester inserted into center of filling comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool tart.
Sprinkle with icing sugar.

DSCN3775

Peanut & Chocolate Fudge Cake

As at the moment I do not have a camera I am a little stuck for posting in this blog. So sorry that once again it is just a single photo … but you can see it’s a good ‘un 🙂

DSCN3774

This is a lovely cake, unapologetic of its nuts and dairy and sugar. But for a celebration or general gathering it is always a delight to see.

I hope you enjoy it.

Peanut & Chocolate Fudge Cake

360g / 12 oz sifted self-rising flour
120g / 4 oz cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder (or baking soda)
1/2 tsp sea salt
240g / 8 oz butter, at room temperature

480g / 1 lb Muscavado Sugar

120g / 4 oz 85% chocolate
4 eggs

250 ml / 8 fl oz milk
2 tsp vanilla paste

Set oven to 350ËšF/180ËšC/Gas 4 .
Parchment line three 23cm round cake tins.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder/soda and salt into a large bowl.
On a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat the sugar and butter for about 5 minutes, until nice and fluffy.
Whilst that is happening put the chocolate into the top of a double boiler (or like I do, a bowl over a small pan of hardly simmering water) and gently stir as it melts.
As soon as it is melted remove it from the top of the pan. And set to one side.
Beat together the vanilla paste and the eggs just to break them up.
Add slowly into the butter and sugar as it mixers. This can easily take another 5 minutes to do well.
Once that is done turn the beaters to slow and pour in the chocolate and allow it to barely mix together.
Add into the flour mix and along with the milk stir and fold until well blended.
Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out almost clean.
Cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Then turn onto wire racks.
Do not peel off the paper on the bottom cooled completely (they will be too fragile).
Fill and coat with the Peanut Butter Topping (recipe below) however you particularly like. I generally like to leave the sides bare as people like to see that there are ‘layers’ 🙂
Then make up the Peanut Fudge Ganache and make into balls or quennels to top the cake (these are fab, like a really good peanut truffle – try not to eat it before using what you need for the cake.

Peanut Butter Topping


210g / 7 oz cream cheese
210g / 7 oz butter (at room temperature)

480g / 1 lb icing (confectioners) sugar
120g / 4 oz smooth peanut butter

On a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and butter until light and fluffy.
Turn the beaters to slow and slowly mix in the icing (confectioners) sugar.
Turn the speed up again and allow to beat for another minute or so until light and fluffy

Peanut Fudge Ganache

3 oz dark chocolate

1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, stir together the chocolate, peanut butter, and golden syrup as it melts together.
Remove from the heat and beat until just thickened.
You need to shape this whilst it is warm 🙂

DSCN3774

Old School Coconut & Raspberry Cake (Get the tea pot – don’t ask – just get the teapot)

I am a little limited with what I can post as I don’t have any sort of camera – they were all in the bag!

So it’s a fine excuse to give you this recipe. Absolutely one of my favourites. Never is anything like the stuff you buy when you are out and about and you will want more than the one slice – for sure!

😀

Coconut & Raspberry

Old School Coconut & Raspberry Cake

270 g / 9oz butter
270 g / 9oz Caster sugar
270 g / 9oz Desiccated Coconut
3 large Eggs
480 g / 1 lb Plain Flour
4 tsp baking powder
300 ml / 10 fl oz dairy milk

For the topping;
240 g / 8oz Raspberry Conserve
60 g / 2 oz shredded coconut

Set oven to 350ËšF/180ËšC/Gas 4.
Parchment paper line or grease and flour a 20 cm cake tin.
Rub the butter into flour.
Beat together the egg and milk mixture.
Then stir together the eggs mix into all the dry ingredients.
Pour into tin.
Bake at for 50-60 minutes. You may need to cover it with a piece of paper for the last 10 minutes if it looks like it is getting too brown.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before lifting from the tin.
Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Spread the coconut onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven for maybe 5 minutes (depends how old and dry it is). Stay by the oven as when it starts to brown it will turn quickly.
As soon as you smell it, check it and if it is just turning golden remove it from the oven.
*Once the cake is cooled completely

Spread the top with the raspberry conserve and sprinkle with the coconut. This cake improves with keeping over a period of 2-5 days.

I do sometimes miss that last very important step and we get to eat it warm and fragrant and so delicious.