Author Archives: EvaH

Chocolate Fondant with Raspberry Surprise

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151111 raspberry chocolate fondant-9361

The traditional Chocolate Fondant with a twist. In the middle of the chocolate, I place a fresh raspberry. A sweet and fruity surprise. The correct texture of the fondant is dependant on ingredients, (size of ramekins if you use something different) and oven heat. Since the heat of the oven may vary from oven to oven, you may want to make one extra fondant and test before baking those you will serve your guests. Also, I always use my kitchen scale for this recipe.

Serves 4

120 g dark chocolate (at least 70%)
115 g butter
3 eggs (190 g)
125 g sugar
50 g gluten free flour
Butter for the ramekins (or any other small mold you want to use)
Raspberries (1-2 per serving)
Raspberries to serve on the side
Whipped cream to serve on the side

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. Melt the butter in a bain-marie (a bowl set on top of boiling water on your stove)
  3. Mix the sugar and eggs, add the flour and stir well.
  4. Butter the ramekins well.
  5. Fill each ramekin to 1/4th and add the 1-2 raspberries. Fill with more chocolate mix, up to 3/4th of the ramekin.
  6. Place in heated oven 7 minutes. The crust should have formed on top before taking it out. Let stand for 5 minutes before turning onto plate.
  7. Serve with some more berries (and whipped cream) on the side.

Spicy Aubergine Dip

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151105 Aubergine Dip-9260

 

Spicy and lemony, a great dip that goes with almost anything. I like to serve it with sugar snaps or other cut up raw vegetables.

 

Ingredients

3 medium sized aubergines
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice from 1 large lemon (or a bit more)
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chilli flakes
1 tbsp olive oil

  1. Oven at 180C
  2. Prick the aubergines with a fork. Bake for about 30 minutes until soft.
  3. Halve the aubergine lengthways and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Puree with a handheld blender.
  4. Add the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
  5. Add some chilli flakes, stir and spoon into serving bowl. Sprinkle some extra chilli flakes on top. You may also want to add a few drops of olive oil on top as decoration.

 

Lime Chicken with Tomato Salad and Mustard Dressing

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151105 Marinated Chicken with Tomato Salad and Mustard Dressing-9252

 

A light and spicy dish that goes very well with a heavier dessert. Can also be combined with cooked quinoa or rice. Serve some extra mustard salad dressing on the side and make sure to drizzle the chicken with lots of the flavoursome marinade when you serve your guests.

 

Serves 4

 

600 g chicken fillets

Marinade:
3 tbsp freshly grated ginger
100 ml olive oil
Fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp red curry paste
1 lime, juice and zest
2 limes, wedges
Salt and pepper
Red chilli flakes
Coriander for decorations
Mustard Dressing:
50 ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
75 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
Flat leaf parsley, shredded

Tomato Salad:
750 mixed colour cherry tomatoes, halved
Gem salad
1 onion, thinly sliced
Black pitted olives
Salt and pepper

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. Combine all ingredients for marinade and pour over chicken. Refrigerate for at least 60 minutes.
  3. For the mustard dressing, whisk the oil, mustard and vinegar together until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate.
  4. Place the chicken in an oven proof dish, pour the marinade on top and place in the heated oven for about 20 minutes.
  5. Serve the chicken with lime wedges and chilliflakes on top.
  6. Combine the ingredients for the tomato salad. Drizzle with the dressing.

 

Fruity Baked Brie

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151105 Baked Brie-9193

A wonderful, classic dish to be served at the end of the meal. Quick and easy to make.
1 small, whole Brie cheese
Mixed nuts
Dried fruits (mango pieces, goji berries…)
Honey

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. Place Brie on a baking sheet, sprinkle with nuts and dried fruits and drizzle a bit of honey on top.
  3. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or more. The cheese needs to be very soft when pressing the middle.
  4. Cut and serve at the table, possibly with some extra honey on the plates.

Parmesan Shortbread with Feta Cream and Pomegranate Seeds

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Parmesan Shortbread TGFG-0346

A great starter, easy to make and very versatile.
250 g gluten free plain flower
150 g butter, diced
150 g Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 eggs, slightly beaten

200 g feta cheese
75 ml Greek yoghurt
Salt and Pepper

1 pomegranate, seeds

Shortbread:

  1. Oven at 180C
  2. Mix butter and flour until crumbly.
  3. Add the Parmesan and the eggs
  4. Refrigerate 20-30 minutes
  5. Roll out the dough on greased baking parchement until about 0.5 cm thick
  6. Using a round cookie cutter (about 10 cm) cut out the shortbread
  7. Bake in the oven until done (10-12 minutes)
  8. Cool on wire rack

Feta Cream:

  1. Crumble the feta cheese
  2. Add the yoghurt
  3. Season

Pomegranate:

  1. Squeeze the pomegranate.
  2. Cut in half
  3. Squeeze to let the seeds fall out.

Marinated Monkfish, Caramelized Leek, Crushed Cauliflower, Roasted Parsnips Crisps, Mushrooms with a hint of garlic and Creamy Fennel Puree

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151028 -0935

 

Inspired by the beautiful autumn colours, I created this meal which will take a bit of time in the kitchen but is not so complicated to make. The amazing flavours of the ingredients are brought out by the sweetness of the orange and the saltiness of both the chorizo and the cheese.

Serves 4

Monkfish:
600g monkfish fillets
Juice from 1 orange
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp Olive oil

Caramelized Leek:
2 leeks, finely chopped
2 large shallots, finely chopped
100 g chorizo, cut into small pieces
Juice from 1 orange
½ tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Crushed Cauliflower:
2 medium size heads, stalks discarded, flowers separated
Salt
3 tbsp olive oil
150g Parmesan cheese, grated

Roasted Parsnip Crisps:
3 parsnips
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Mushrooms:
500g closed cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

Olive oil to fry in
1 small garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil

Fennel Puree:
5 fennel bulbs, cut into small pieces
Salt and pepper
Juice from 1 lemon
3-4 tbsp Greek youghurt

Monkfish:

  1. Cut the monkfish into serving portions
  2. Marinate the fish in the orange juice, oil and salt/pepper in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Oven at 200C
  4. Place the monkfish and the marinade in an ovenproof dish.
  5. Bake for about 20 minutes, baste often with the liquid.
  6. When done, cover and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Caramelized leeks:

  1. Sauté the shallots and leeks in olive oil until soft. Add the chorizo and sauté another few minutes.
  2. Add the orange juice and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Season with salt and pepper.

Crushed Cauliflower:

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. Place the cauliflower pieces on oven tray and sprinkle with a bit of salt and some olive oil.
  3. Roast in the oven until soft and slightly coloured. About 30 minutes.
  4. Leave on oven tray and crush with potato masher. This can be prepared in advance.
  5. Before serving, roast in 200C another 10 minutes. Mix with the Parmesan cheese, stir until melted and serve.

Parsnips:

  1. Slice very thinly on a mandolin, sprinkle with salt and a little bit of olive oil.
  2. Roast in oven in a thin layer for 15 min (200C)

Mushrooms:

  1. Sauté the mushroom until done and all liquid has evaporated.
  2. Add the crushed garlic to 2 tbsp olive oil and add to the pan. Fry for a few more minutes.

Fennel Puree:

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. Roast small pieces of fennel in oven until soft.
  3. Puree with handheld mixer.
  4. Add the lemon juice
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Lastly, for a creamier texture, add the yoghurt.

Dessert Crepes with Lemon Sauce

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151028 Crepes with lemon sauce-9072

Crepes should be made quite thin and this is sometimes difficult with a gluten free batter. Add a tablespoon of ground Psyllium Husk to the flour, or, make them slightly thicker than normal crepes. This wonderful lemon sauce is both sweet and sour and can also be served with chocolate cake or ice cream.

Batter:
100 g gluten free plain flour (+ 1 tbsp ground Psyllium Seed Husk)
1 egg
Pinch of salt
10 g sugar
300 ml milk
20 g butter

Lemon Sauce:
200 caster sugar
100 ml water
2 lemons

Decorations: Lemon balm or mint leaves

Lemon sauce:

  1. In a pan, combine water and sugar. Simmer over medium heat, until reduced by a third. Remove from heat.
  2. Wash lemons and make long strands of the peel.
  3. Juice the lemons and pour in the pan, pass the contents of the pan through strainer into a bowl and then add the peels.
  4. Chill for 60 minutes.

Crepes:

  1. In a bowl, whisk eggs and milk .
  2. Add sugar, salt and flour (possibly combined with some psyllium husk)
  3. Mix well, protect with cling film and set to rest for 20 minutes.
  4. In a small pan, melt the butter. Take off heat just when going brown.
  5. Cool slightly. Whisk into batter.
  6. Fry the crepes

Serving:

  1. Fold in quarters
  2. Spoon over sauce
  3. Garnish with some lemon balm leaves or maybe mint leaves.

Peruvian Ceviche

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151021 Ceviche DSC_8298
This marinade stems from the Peruvian “tiger’s milk” so popular in Peruvian dishes. It is light, sweet, sour and spicy. I like to use it with cooked shrimp.
 
Marinade:
Juice from 1 lime
Juice from ½ large orange
Juice from 1 small lemon
A pinch of salt
A few drops of Tabasco
 
Cooked shrimp cut into pieces
(Optional – Salmon pieces, smoked or raw of sushi quality)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 avocado, cut into small pieces
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Fresh coriander leaves for decoration
 
Combine the marinade and add the shrimp (and salmon if used) and other ingredients except for the whole coriander leaves. If using raw fish then marinate at least 2-3 hours otherwise 30 minutes should be enough.

Before serving, decorate with coriander.

Saffron Chicken with Quinoa Patties

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151021 Saffron Chicken w Quinoa Patties DSC_8911A light, dairy free (if you take out the Parmesan cheese in the patties), festive meal. Since a lot of it may be prepared in advance, it makes for a good Friday dinner when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

Serves 6

Quinoa patties:
400 ml quinoa (preferably a mix of different colours)
800 ml vegetable bouillon
A few drops of Tabasco
2 whole eggs
2 tbsp of Parmesan Cheese (or more)
2 tbsp of Chia seeds
Olive oil for frying

Saffron Chicken:
800 g chicken fillets, pieces
Salt and pepper

1 leek, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small bulb fennel, chopped

600-700g chopped tomatoes
0.4 g saffron
1 tsp of red curry paste (or more if needed)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 cubes chicken stock

Black olives, pitted

Decorations:
Parsley, chopped
1 Carrot, make swirls with a peeler

Quinoa Patties:

  1. Boil the quinoa according to directions on package. Usually about 20 minutes. Do not undercook. Better to add 5-8 minutes on the cooking time.
  2. When done let cool.
  3. Add whisked eggs, Tabasco, cheese and Chia seeds. Let stand at least 30 minutes to allow the Chia seeds to swell.
  4. Over moderate heat, fry the quinoa in small round shapes. Not too thick nor too large, otherwise too difficult to flip. They are rather brittle. If using more cheese they will be sturdier. Fry for 8 minutes per side, until coloured.
  5. Can be made in advance and then reheated in a frying pan.

Saffron Chicken:

  1. Oven at 200C
  2. Place the chicken pieces in greased, ovenproof dish. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. In a deep pan, over medium heat, fry the vegetables until soft. Then add remaining ingredients (except the olives) and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Stir in the olives. Pour over chicken and place in oven for 40 minutes.

Serving:

  1. Place 2 patties per plate, slightly on top of each other.
  2. Using a ring mold, spoon the casserole into a circle and drizzle some sauce around it.
  3. Add the chopped parsley and the carrot swirls.

Almond Butter Apple

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An easy recipe and so delicious! Given to me by my daughter. I like to serve this as is but it goes really well with the earlier posted Crème Anglaise. Pink Lady apples provide a slightly tangy taste that is perfect with the almond butter.

1 apple per person (Pink Lady)
1 tbsp almond butter per apple (can be purchased in most health food stores)
Almond flakes
Ice cream or Crème Anglaise

Oven at 200C

  1. Slice the apples into 4 slices each. Remove the seeds. Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes.
  2. In a dry pan, toast the almond flakes
  3. When the apples are done, assembly as follows: Bottom slice, almond butter, next slice, butter etc until each apple is complete with its four slices.
  4. Serve as is or with home made crème anglaise or slightly melted ice cream

Potato Cake with Salmon and Caviar

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151014 potato cake starter DSC_8936

This potato cake, with smoked salmon and caviar, is a wonderful starter to a light meal or a can be a hearty lunch if served with bacon and cranberry sauce (see photo below).

Serves 6

6 large potatoes, finely grated
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp of butter

6 slices of smoked salmon
50g lumpfish caviar
Crème fraiche
Red onion, chopped (optional)

In a fryingpan, melt some butter and add 1/6th of the grated potato forming a thin potato cake. Fry for 5-6 minutes per side, until golden brown. Fry 1-2 cakes at the time.
Serve with salmon, crème fraiche and caviar.

Or, for a lunch, serve with bacon and cranberry sauce.

151014 potato cake lunch DSC_8908