Profiteroles

Ingredients

250ml water
80g butter
150g gluten free flour, sifted
3 eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked

Method
Place the water and butter in a saucepan. Bring just to the boil. Remove from heat and use a wooden spoon to beat in flour until combined.

Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture forms a ball and comes away from side of pan. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. There should be no steam coming off, you can beat while it cools if you want.

Gradually add egg, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until the dough is thick and glossy.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Place heaped dessertspoonful’s of dough, about 3cm apart, on trays. You could pipe it.

Use wet hands to pat down any peaks of dough. Sprinkle trays with water to create steam. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden

Turn off oven. Use a knife to pierce the base of each profiterole. Place profiteroles in oven for 20 minutes to dry out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When cool pipe in whipped cream, about 300ml should be enough, you can add a little maple or honey and vanilla- which I did but you don’t have to. Dip into chocolate sauce.

The sauce I make is 1 ½ tbsp cacao powder, 3 tsp maple syrup, 30g butter, melted, 1 tbsp water, and mix well.

If you don’t have a piping bag you can slice in half and spoon the cream in and then put the lid on and spoon the choc sauce over. If your sauce starts to firm up just heat slightly to make it runny again.

Carrot and banana cake with a lemon, vanilla and honey cheesecake frosting

gluten/grain free- the cake can be dairy free, the icing below is not dairy free

Ingredients

4 eggs- room temperature

125g butter- for dairy free use coconut oil or light olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

¼ cup of honey- you could use maple or rice malt syrup

2 carrots, grated

2 ripe bananas, mashed/blended

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ cup of coconut flour- if you do have any use 1 ½ -2 cups of gf flour and minus 1 egg. Should be a really thick batter that you need to spoon into a tin.

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 170c fan-forced or 180c normal

Grease/line with baking paper a 20 x 20cm cake tin or loaf tin

In a large bowl cream butter and honey until light and fluffy, add in 1 egg at time, whisking between each one- don’t worry if it looks curdled, will still work the same.

If using coconut oil or olive oil- Whisk eggs until light and fluffy and then add in your oil and honey and continue per the recipe.

Add your vanilla, baking soda and baking powder, cinnamon, carrot, banana and coconut flour (or gf if using)Mix well and then spoon into your tin and even the top out.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. You can do as muffins/mini muffins- just adjust your time. Mini muffins will take 8-10 minutes and bigger ones will take 12-15 minutes, keep an eye on them.

When cold you can ice with an optional icing- or use your own dairy free icing.

Lemon, vanilla and honey cheesecake frosting

250g full fat cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp butter, softened

1 ½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla paste or extract

2 tbsp honey

Beat together until light and fluffy.

Chocolate almond loaf

Ingredients

1 cup of nut pulp –this is what is left after squeezing out the liquid when you make nut milk, I have used almond here.

 2 eggs

¼ cup of cacao powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp honey or maple or similar

125g butter, melted

Method

Beat everything together then put in a loaf tin and bake at 180 c for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Serve with cream/ice cream as a dessert or have with some butter.

Mussaman curry paste

Ingredients

1 teaspoon shrimp paste, you could use a few anchovies

2 teaspoons ground coriander- you can use coriander seeds if you have them- toast first

2 teaspoons ground cumin- you can use cumin seeds if you have them- toast first

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 brown onion, rough chop

3 garlic cloves

1 stem lemon grass, trimmed, white part chopped

3cm piece galangal or ginger, peeled

red chilllis- opt if you like some heat!

Method

Wrap shrimp paste in foil. Heat in a frying pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until roasted.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add a little water or oil if needed.

To make the curry, fry off your paste and then put in your meat- I have used beef on the bone, about 1kg, brown and then put into a slow cooker. Add to the slow cooker 2 potatoes, 3cm dice (Keep it pretty big as they break down) and 1/3 of a cup of peanuts, 2 bay leaves, 5 cardamon pods, crushed and a 400ml can of coconut milk/cream.

You can leave out the nuts and potatoes if you wanted or use sweet potato or other nuts such as cashews, there are no rules when you are the cook! Put on low for the day.

Chocolate chip muesli bars

Makes 12 bars-

You can leave out the oats and use ½ coconut and ½ nuts and seeds

Ingredients

1 cup of oats

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup mixed nuts and seeds

2 tbsp each of honey and coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

In a large bowl place your oats. Briefly blitz your coconut, nuts and seeds until fairly fine, add to your oats, and then add your melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla. Add your egg and mix well. Press into a lined 20x20cm cake tin and then sprinkle over ¼ or so of choc chips, press them down and then bake for 12 minutes. Take out and leave for 10 minutes and then lift out and cut into bars or squares. Keep in an airtight container on the bench.

Pumpkin crunch

Dairy, nut, gluten, grain egg free

Ingredients

120g pumpkin seeds
80g sunflower seeds
30g shredded coconut
20g sesame seeds
10g chia seeds
Pinch of salt
40g honey, you can also use rice malt or maple

Method


Briefly blitz, you still want it chunky


Place in a lined 20cm x 20cm cake tin. Push down to compact it a bit. Bake at 150 c for 40-60 mins or until slightly browned and firm. Chop into smaller pieces once cool. Keep in an airtight container.