An Amazing Loaf Of Bread

This recipe is NOT one of mine – but I am totally bowled over by it. It is delicious, infinitely adaptable, has incredible keeping qualities (just consider any adaptations). It is so satisfying and a little slice can be wrapped in a napkin and tucked into a pocket to keep you going all day with put having to resort to poorly made, ill thought through snacks that claim much but are made without knowledge or consideration.

This couldn’t be easier ……

…..make it yourself……

….. you’ll save more than money …

….. reclaim yumminess one recipe at a time!

This is from ‘My New Roots’ By Sarah Britton. The book is full of great recipes that you’ll use every day 🙂

1 cup/140g sunflower seeds

1/2 cup 90g linseeds

1/2 cup 70g almonds

1 1/2 cups 150g gluten free oats

2 tbsp chia seeds

4 tbsp psyllium husks

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp coconut oil

Use a 500g or 1lb silicon loaf pan. If its not silicon then use a strip of parchment along the base to make removal easier later.

This can be made in the loaf tin/pan.

In a bowl (or the loaf pan)  mix the dry ingredients

Whisk the wet in a jug and then stir into the dry.

Allow to stand on the side for the minimum of 3 hours and up to 12.

Preheat the oven to Gas 4/ 180•C / 350•F

Bake for 20 minutes on the middle self (I had to bake mine for twice as long as I made additions and adaptations – so just bear that in mind)

Tip the half baked loaf onto a metal tray and put it back into the oven for another 40 minutes. Until the loaf starts to sound hollow when tapped.

It should totally be left to go cold before you slice it like the inventor says … But i couldn’t resist a warm slice with fresh sliced pear and a drizzle of tahini … I know, I’m so predictable!

The adaptation on this loaf was 1 tbsp vanilla powder (make this by grinding a vanilla pod in a coffee grinder) 3 tbsp date syrup 3 tbsp of fennel seeds, 3 tbsp blueberries. 3 tbsp cranberries, 3 tbsp mulberries, 3 tbsp dried sour cherries, 3 tbsp golden raisins and I used hazelnuts

The adaptation on this loaf was 1 tbsp sesame seeds 3 tbsp of caraway seeds, a cup of green olives, a cup of sun dried tomatoes 1 tbsp oregano.

 

Come and see me on Saturdays’ at Bermondsey Square Farmers Market in Southwark. It’s just off Tower Bridge Road, a short walk from The White Cube, Southbank and Borough Market.

email me scarletrositafood@gmail.com

phone or text 0792 310 9170

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Barely Baked Superfood Sweet Biscuit

I know it’s not a very inspiring title but I really didn’t know how to describe these chewy, sweet, satisfying ‘biscuits’. The combination of ingredients is perhaps not what a classic biscuit would have, nor is the method, but these are super quick, very easy to make, taste really lovely and you can feed them to just about everyone as they as so ‘allergen low’.

I used to love to cook with my daughters and their friends (much to other parents horror. We’d make everything from bread to cinder toffee – heyho they all lived). And even if you have tiny, barely walking toddlers I’d urge you to make these. The dough is entirely edible and a treat and you are getting some great stuff into your bubba’s body.

Another great one to make with small children (as long as they are not intolerant or allergic to sesame or gluten) is to mix equal quantities of tahini and malt extract (or honey if your child is coeliac). It makes an edible play dough rich in calcium and other nutrients you won’t find in shop bought confectionary.

I highly recommend investing in small bags of the superfoods – you only ever use a teaspoon at a time and so it lasts ages. But the good they do you is beyond the money you pay. If you don’t want to buy them or you don’t want to buy all of them, either substitute one for the other – add more of the one you have bought or leave them out completely. Perhaps add a teaspoon of a good vanilla extract instead.

So – give these a try and let me know what you think and how you get on 🙂 (and if you are confused or worried I’m happy to help if I can)

Dough Ingredients:

100g dried apricots, prunes or figs

100g organic sunflower seeds

40 g shelled hemp seeds

6 tsp xylitol or coconut palm sugar

1 tsp baobab powder

1 tsp suma powder

1 tsp camu-camu powder

1 tsp maca root powder

1/2 tsp kelp powder

1/2 tsp barley grass powder

1/2 tsp good quality sea salt (or else leave it out)

120ml filtered water

For rolling:

1 tbsp lucuma powder

Place all the dough ingredients, bar the water, into your food processor with the ‘S’ blade. Process until it is as fine as it will go – about 5 minutes.

At this point start to dribble in the water through the chute as the machine is running until the mix forms a pliable, firm-ish ball.

Tip it onto a clean work surface dusted with the lucuma. Roll the ball so its all covered with the Lucuma (or Maca Root Powder if you prefer – its absolutely my favourite – I stir it into warmed almond milk for a treat).

It’s at this point that you can leave the children to play with it, let them make shapes, figures, letters, numbers, eat it raw, roll it into snakes. Bake them as they make them.

Or roll it will a pin to 1/2 cm thick. Stamp out the shapes you like best and pop them onto a parchment lined tray.

If you have a dehydrator then you need to dry them at 38•C for about 6 hours. Or pop them onto your oven at the lowest setting and allow them to dry for 3 hours.

I made a Purple Caramel Jam to top them with

60g inca berries or golden sultanas

150g agave or maple syrup

2 tsp acai powder

1 tsp purple corn extract

1 tsp raw coconut oil

Just blast these in the food processor straight after the dough is made – no need to wash the bowl.

Stores in a jar for a good 6 weeks.

– but they are far more delicious with a smear of cashew nut butter of dark tahini (I love this stuff)

Enjoy

Come and see me on Saturdays’ at Bermondsey Square Farmers Market in Southwark. It’s just off Tower Bridge Road, a short walk from The White Cube, Southbank and Borough Market.

email me scarletrositafood@gmail.com

phone or text 0792 310 9170

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Italian Cardamon Chocolate Torte (soft and super yummy)

Well this is one of my best recipes that will be making it’s way into the recipe book, but a rather lovely customer is utterly desperate for it and so, as I am the ‘Queen of Customer Happiness’ I am sharing it for you all to enjoy.

This makes a nice deep uber chocolate cake which is utterly lovely with just a dust of icing sugar. But if you like and you fancy something a little more lavish I suggest you divide the mix between two pans before cooking (don’t even bother to try and cut the cake in two once it is cooked – you’ll end up with lots of very delicious choccy cake chunks) and once it is cool fill and top with 16 oz/ 450g of cream cheese mixed with 2 oz/ 50 g of icing sugar and 4 tablespoons of vanilla paste – no messing 😀

Italian Chocolate Cake

Makes a good 10 slices

140g/5 oz butter or a non hydrogenated vegetable fat

252g/
9 oz chocolate (min 70% Cocoa solids), chopped

3 tablespoons water

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

105g/3.75 oz cocoa powder

5 eggs, separated

224g/
8 oz sugar

12 cardamon pods

2 teaspoon vanilla paste

1/2 teaspoon Sea salt

Heat oven to 350˚F 180˚C Gas 4

Roast the cardamon pods for 5 minutes until fragrant and starting to colour.

Allow to cool then grind in a coffee grinder, liquidiser, food processor or pestal and mortar.

Parchment line a 23 cm or 9″ cake pan, but make the sides at least 4 cm 2″ high.

Line the bottom of the baking pan with a round of parchment paper.

Melt fat in a large bowl over a saucepan of hot water (don’t let the bowl sit in the hot water)

As it melts stir in chocolate until melted and then remove from heat.

Stir in the water, set to the side.

Whisk together the baking powder, salt, cardamon and cocoa until just combined.

In another bowl, whisk egg yolks with half the sugar and the vanilla paste until pale and fluffy.

In another very clean larger bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, then add the final sugar and beat again.

Now everything gets folded into the chocolate, keep going until well mixed.

Tip into the waiting pan (pans)

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, it should look shiny on the top and feel firm at the edges. If you’ve done as I’ve said it should be ready – you aren’t getting a dry toothpick out of this cake 🙂

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before you turn it onto a cake plate.

Dust with a little icing sugar or fill with the cream cheese as I suggested earlier.

Eat warm or cold.

Do not refrigerate this cake – it will go hard and only popping into the oven will retrieve that lovely tender crumb.

Come and see me on Saturdays’ at Bermondsey Square Farmers Market in Southwark. It’s just off Tower Bridge Road, a short walk from The White Cube, Southbank and Borough Market.

email me scarletrositafood@gmail.com

phone or text 0792 310 9170

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Fig & Persimmons (Kaki/Sharon Fruit) with Most Excellent Greek ‘Yoghurt’.

Where to begin with the great stuff in this cheeky bowl of delights!

❤ Persimmons … Nevermind the antioxidant vitamin-C power, the vitamin-A, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zea-xanthin and cryptoxanthin helping slow aging and various disease processes. They contain health benefiting flavonoids (poly-phenolic anti-oxidants such as catechins and gallocatechins) and an anti-tumor compound, betulinic acid.

❤ Figs … Nevermind the potassium (helps to control blood pressure) it’s fiber-rich positive effect on weight management an in depth US study showed it had a positive impact on lowering Postmenopausal Breast Cancer … and then bam – its there helping prevent age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) too.

❤ Cashews … Nevermind that about 50% of the fat is heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, there’s Copper for antioxidant defenses, energy production, magnesium for healthy bones and … you carzy people…. Eating Nuts Lowers Risk of Weight Gain!

❤ Coconut & Coconut Oil …. Nevermind it’s unique combination ofpowerfully medicinal fatty acids (its them there medium chain triglycerides), it increase your metabolism, helping you burn more fat. It’s lauric acid content can kill bacteria, viruses and fungi, it keeps you feeling full. We are all mad on raspberry ketones but the fatty acids in coconut oil do the same.

Enough … I’m exhausted with all the excitement.

Actually I have a beautiful fig tree in my garden and it is in it’s first flush so I am very excited to be able to pop out my back door, grab 3 figs from thetree and pop them into a bowl with a persimmon.

The Most Excellent Greek ‘Yoghurt’ is actually a cashew and coconut blend.
Soak a cup of cashews for a minimum of 20 minutes. Drain and rinse, then pop them into a food processor with a cup of coconut milk, the juice of a lemon, 1 tablespoon of xylotol (or raw honey or have you tried the lovely coconut blossom nectar?) a pinch of himalayn salt and blitz it, add a quarter cup of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of sunflower lecithin and pour into a glass jar and chill for about 2 hours for a nice firm mix or you can enjoy it runny too

😀

 

Come and see me on Saturdays’ at Bermondsey Square Farmers Market in Southwark. It’s just off Tower Bridge Road, a short walk from The White Cube, Southbank and Borough Market.

email me scarletrositafood@gmail.com

phone or text 0792 310 9170

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Pumpkins’ Are Enormous – And What To Do With Them

As you know, I do like a seasonal bit of produce and there are lots of enormous pumpkins around and most are bought (here in Blighty) just to make lanterns.

I have had an intrigue and fascination of pumpkins for way too long (considering I am an adult) and it is all down to Linus and his obsession with the Pumpkin Patch in Peanuts (I want to be Snoopy). But I am not exactly successful at growing them myself, however they are plentiful and cheap at the moment.

So I bought some and thought I’d make a sensible attempt at seeing what I could make to feed a family of 4 from one pumpkin.

There was more pumpkin than I could cook dishes with in the time I had but I did get 3 good ones 🙂

Preparing the Pumpkin 🙂

I wanted to cook it in a way that would get rid of some of the moisture and intensify the flavour, so I knew I would roast it.

Cut the pumpkin in quarters and take out the seeds.

Wash away the membranes and any sticky juice and allow them to dry on a tray. The seeds can be roasted with soy sauce or spices to make a tasty topping or snacking food.

I did cut away the skin, but I know some people like to leave the skin on as they roast. I can’t see any benefit to leaving it on unless you want to scrap the skins of all flesh once it has finished cooking.

As you can see, I got a lot of flesh from the one pumpkin. Put it in a single layer on the tray and roast at 425˚F/220˚C/Gas7 for about 20 minutes – until the flesh is tender.

Allow it to cool – ready for what ever it is you want to cook.

And here are the recipes 😀

Autumnal Pumpkin Stew

Pumpkin Savoury Cakes

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

RAW! Banana Dream Bar

I like to think of this a bit of a life saver when you want something that feels substantial but is not going to be requiring a nap 10 minutes after eating.

RAW! Banana Dream Bar

For the Banana filling:
2 medium bananas
3/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Cling film line a 1 lb loaf tin.

Zest and juice that lime mmmmmm

Gently melt the coconut oil.

Now add all the topping ingredients to the processor and process until very smooth.

Pour the mixture onto the base and smooth it with the back of a spoon.
To cut them put them into the freezer for 30 minutes, take them out and whilst still in the pan cut them to size (if it has gone super hard just leave them out for 5 minutes)

Now pop them back into the freezer for about 2 hours. These must be stored in the freezer.

Really lovely and fresh.

Come and see me on Saturdays’ at Bermondsey Square Farmers Market in Southwark. It’s just off Tower Bridge Road, a short walk from The White Cube, Southbank and Borough Market.
All new customers will get a lovely washable cotton shopper as a ‘Thank you and please come again next week’ (Whie stocks last!)

Every Friday at about 6 pm GMT I publish photos of the items I have cooked for market. Have a look at the Facebook page.

email me scarletrositafood@btinternet.com
phone or text 0792 310 9170
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ScarletRosita
or follow me on Twitter

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Elder Strawberry Jam

I know I am lucky – but I temper that thought with the knowledge that I am the one that works the garden. It’s just me, mother nature and the magical sprites and fairies that populate the garden for good or bad depending on their mood.

All the fruit and elderflowers are from my garden. I am a bit fussy about my strawberries.

In the UK at the moment the only strawberry that is easily available to buy is Elsanta – which is a prolific fruiter but the berries are very low in flavour, scent – just not very good. Try the other varieties (I can’t remember the names of all the varieties I have but I have 4 types to spread the season over a few weeks) Do not shy away from the little wild/alpine strawberry, they are great for taste 🙂

This time I had my lovely Daughter No1 to help me – I’m hoping the love of ‘jamming’ has found it’s way into her soul too.

This is the BEST jam you can have. Quintessentially British and the flavour is outstanding.

It is essential that you do not cook this any further than stated as you will get a firm set and then all the nuances of fresh strawberries will be lost. That sort of jam can be bought at any supermarket for 40 p a jar.

This is something very special -easy to make and will set you on the path of ‘getting’ why it is you would want to make your own jams and chutneys.

I make this in my jam pan, if you only have a 4 litre (pasta) pan then halve the amounts.

Elder Strawberry Jam

2 kg / 4 lb granulated sugar
1.5 kg strawberries (washed and hulled – in that order)
100 ml lemon juice
10 heads of elderflowers (rinsed in cold water – if you have any black flies then either wipe them off but if you are a Vegan then just cut that part of the stem off and pop it back into the garden)
100 ml pectin ( or the cores of 6 apples tied in a muslin bag)

You will need about 10 1lb/480g glass jars.

Wash the jars in soapy water a rinse throughly. You can leave these to dry and then place on a baking sheet and pop into a cold oven. Turn it on to 250˚F/130˚C/Gas 1/2 until the jam is made (about 20 minutes)

I sterilise my jars by standing them onto a large tray and filling them to the brim with boiling water (be careful if you do this because the jars can crack – although I have NEVER had a jar crack). Once the water is boiling pour the water into the jar to fill only 1/6th of the way full – this will allow the glass to begin to temper and you should not have any problems. Allow the jar to stand for 5 minutes and then reboil the kettle and fill the jar with the boiling water.

Pop the lids into a pan of boiling water and allow to simmer away until you need them – don’t do this with plastic lids – they will need to be sterilised in a baby bottle fluid like Milton.

*If the jar has a flaw or is cracked it will now shatter – but it would shatter anyway once in the oven or when you have added the hot jam. Best to get it over with whilst it only contains a little hot water on the side where you can see where the glass has gone!

Pop the fruit into the pan and crush lightly with a fork, a masher, the end of a rolling pin or your hand – just to the the juices flowing.

Add the sugar and stir. Add the bag of apple cores at this point if you are using them.

Turn the heat onto very low and allow the sugar to dissolve (maybe 5 minutes). You will know when it is dissolved as it will not sound scratchy when you stir it.

Add the lemon juice and elderflower heads.

Turn the heat up and pop in the thermometer (if you are using one). Bring to a rapid boil for about 20 minutes (or until it reaches 130˚C).

Turn off the heat and remove the elderflower heads (and apples cores if you have used them). Give it a good stir and use a ladle to carefully remove any remaining foam. (Most will disappear once you have stirred it).

Add in the pectin and stir.

Empty the jars of the now tepid water. Fill with the hot jam. While still not pop on the lid and turn to just seal.

After 10 minutes (using a cloth to hold the jar) tighten the lid. After an hour fully tighten the lids down

Scrummy on a fresh scone, toast, filling a cake or even on yogurt 🙂

Custard Cream Biscuits (Gluten & Wheat Free, Dairy Free)

I am very lucky to have been able to stay with my partner for a long time without either of us actually having to kill the other. Which is a good thing generally, as I think that is illegal.

But the truth is that when you live with one person for that long there are more than one or two near misses (I am so near perfect that he is only ever delighted to find me still living and breathing each morning 😀 )

Anyway beyond that – having been together for so long, you do notice things about eachother. For example, he knows that I love raspberries the best in Blighty, blackberries the best in Italy, but mostly I love eating apples. And I know that he could live on nothing other than Custard Cream Biscuits. It was Fathers Day (gee thanks Hallmark Cards) in England yesterday and I thought it would be lovely to make a few really nice fresh ones for him. Traditional but using the best ingredients that I can find and not adding in any weird stuff.

I do use Custard Powder, so have a look just to check that you can find a simple one. You only need to find one with Cornflour, Sugar, Vanilla, Salt and the colour Annatto. I’m not going to stress about Annatto. If you want to know more then read this http://foodreference.about.com/od/Food-Additives/a/What-Is-Annatto.htm But it is perfectly fine 🙂

If you want to avoid Custard Powder then make up your own simple version with 2/3 Cornflour + 1/3 sugar, a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla extract.

I also have a lovely girlie that cannot eat gluten, so I made these gluten free, so she could enjoy them too. As you can see from the look on her beautiful face – she thoroughly enjoyed them 🙂

I have to admit …. I snaffled a few myself 😀

Custard Creams

Makes about 10 lovely big biscuits

For the biscuits:
225g / 7 oz Gluten & Wheat Free plain flour blend
60g / 2 oz of custard powder
30g / 1 oz of icing sugar
210g/ 7 oz sunflower margarine (not the spreadable stuff) at room temperature and diced
1 egg lightly beaten to break it up
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
1/2 tsp sea salt

For the filling:
120g / 4oz sunflower margarine (not the spreadable stuff) at room temperature and diced
420g / 14oz icing sugar, sifted
6 tbsp custard powder

Sift together the flour, custard powder, icing sugar and sea salt and add into the bowl of a food processor with the margarine.
Start to run the machine on the 2:4 speed (half speed – whatever that is on your machine).
Through the feed tube add the egg and the vanilla.
Now turn the machine up and blitz for about 30 seconds.
It will look like a dry crumbly mixture.
Tip out onto a large piece of cling film. And press it so it all sticks together, cover and chill for about 10 minutes.

Line your baking trays with baking parchment.
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/ Gas 4.

Gluten free pastries need a little of a different sort of loving care to wheaten pastry. But take your time and if you have any questions then just ask 😀

Lightly flour the work surface with more gluten free flour blend.
Start by pressing the dough with your hand and encourage the edges to not split apart. Get it as close to 1cm thick as you can.

Once you are there roll the dough to 1/2 cm thickness (or perhaps a little thick is good too).
Stamp out rounds with an 8cm round cutter – or a glass or a cup.
Or make really teeny ones and use an egg cup to make them – but keep them thick so you get a real Cartoonish looking final product.
I pressed another cutter (a heart shaped one) about 1/4 of the way through the top to make a nice finish, but there is no need, you can just prick over with a fork instead, or use the tip of a sharp knife to make smiley face perhaps 😀

Place onto the baking trays.
As these contain no gluten there is absolutely no point in chilling them before baking – unless of course you are living in a very hot country and the fat has obviously started to melt in which case you can chill then for 10 minutes.
Otherwise – bang then into the oven and bake them for 10 minutes – until just beginning to colour around the edges, and when you touch the edge of the biscuit you can sense ‘firm’.
Leave these on the trays cool for 15 -20 minutes. Then transfer to a rack that can go into the fridge and firm up some more -these are super tender biscuits 🙂

For the filling, just tip all of the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Beat for a good 10 minutes until smooth and fluffy, adding a bit of water if you think it needs it.
Get a good dessertspoonful and spread onto one of the cooled biscuits right up to the edge – do not try pressing the biscuits to spread the mixture – they will break 🙂

And then top with another biscuits.

Pop directly into expectant ‘Father’ and Daughter No2’s expectant mouths 🙂
If you need to store them then pop in a lidded container in the fridge.

RAW! Blueberry Caramel Layer Cake

This is another of my RAW! Fresh Cakes that I sell on the market. It is devised to be able to withstand not having to be served straight from the freezer. My stomach does not like anything straight from the freezer (even my ices have to be almost at room temperature otherwise I get a terrible belly ache). And this way the flavours have a chance to be bright and beautiful instead of muted under glacial temperatures.

Again this is one that has been asked ofr – but I still have no camera – really sorry but I just don’t have the spare cash and I don’t want to stop blogging – so I hope you will bare with me.

I am very grateful to those of you that have stuck with me through this ‘no camera/strapped for cash’ period. One day I shall reward you with a slice-o-cake 🙂

RAW! Blueberry Caramel Layer Cake
No Added processed Sugar, Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Soya Free, Vegan, Egg Free.

Makes 18 slices

Base
120g / 4 oz hazelnuts
240g / 8 oz cashew nuts
120g / 4 oz walnuts
4 tsp Maca root powder (if you cannot find this no matter -but it adds a lovely flavour and is super good for you too)
1 tsp vanilla extract
240g / 8 oz Medjol dates
1 tsp sea salt

Blueberry Layer
240g / 8 oz raw cashews, ground
120g / 4 oz macadamia nuts
240g / 8 oz Medjol dates
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Lucuma powder
480g / 1 lb fresh blueberries (washed and picked over)
sprinkle sea salt

Caramel Topping
2 tsp vanilla extract
240g / 8 oz Medjol dates
240g / 8 oz ground cashew
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tbsp melted coconut oil

Line an 9″ x 9″ cake tray with cling film
If you have a dehydrator and suffer from digestive disorders then please – Soak the walnuts and cashew nuts over night. In the morning drain and dehydrate for 16- 24 hours until thoroughly desiccated.
All the nuts need to be processed to a fine flour. I use a coffee grinder for this.

For the base:
Add the dates to the bowl of the food processor with the blade fitted.
Start to process the dates. You will need to open the bowl and scrape it down several times.
Add remaining ingredients and really allow it to process until you have a stiffish dough that balls up. You may need to add a little water to get the right consistency.
Spoon into tray and press down.
Set to one side.

For the Filling:
Add all the ingredients to the bowl of the food processor with the blade fitted. Then blend together until very smooth and soft like a cream cheese.
Pour on top of the base and level off.

For the Topping:
Add all the ingredients to the bowl of the food processor with the blade fitted. Then blend together until very smooth and light and soft like a yogurt.
Just taste it now to make sure the ‘caramel’ is sweet as you like it – I don’t want it too sweet, I like the sour of the fruit to compete with the sweetness of the nuts 🙂
Pour onto the filling and spread evenly again.
Cover with cling film and store in the freezer.

This can be kept in the ice box for 3 months or in the deep freeze for a year.

Before you want to eat it move it to the fridge and allow it to soften for about 4 hours – or you can leave it covered, in a cool spot in the kitchen for about 45 minutes if you prefer.

Utterly guilt free and feels like a total indulgence.

I defy you to eat it and not only love it but feel amazingly well about an hour afterwards

It’s fine, it’s okay, it’s just what I do 🙂 

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.

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 400˚F/200˚C/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 375˚F/190˚C/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.