Blueberry and lemon hotcakes
These tender, fluffy gluten-free hotcakes are so delicious you can serve the to friends regardless of whether they're gluten intolerant or not. Makes 10-12
1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup ground almonds (almond meal)
1 Tbsp cornflour
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup caster sugar
½ tsp sea salt
1 cup
buttermilk
2 large eggs, size 7
1 Tbsp rice bran oil
Finely grated zest 1 large lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 punnet blueberries
Butter or vegetable oil, for cooking
To serve
Pure maple syrup
Blueberry Topping (optional; see below)
Sour cream or yoghurt (optional)
Blueberry topping
¼ cup seedless dark berry jam
2 Tbsp water
1 punnet blueberries
1. To make the blueberry jam: Heat the jam and water together in a bowl in the microwave or in a small pan on the stovetop until bubbling. Stir until smooth then add the berries and turn to coat. Cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 100°C and place a cake cooling rack inside.
3. Whisk the rice flour, almonds, cornflour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt together in a large bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, oil, lemon zest and vanilla together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined then mix through the blueberries.
5. Heat a large sauté pan over a medium heat and rub with a little butter or oil.
6. Ladle in ¼ cups of the batter, gently spreading them out a little and leaving space between each one so you can easily turn them over. I can fit 4 in my large pan. Cook for 3 minutes until they're golden on the bottom, have started to puff up and beginning to set on top. Turn down the heat if they're browning too fast. Gently turn over and cook for another 1½-2 minutes then transfer to the rack in the oven. The hotcakes are very tender so take care when turning. Wipe out the pan and re-butter between batches.
7. To serve: Stack the pancakes on plates and drizzle with maple syrup. If making, serve with the Blueberry Topping and a dollop of sour cream or yoghurt.
- Recipe by Claire Aldous
Berry and apple coconut crumble
A super tasty pudding with a crunchy, nutty topping. Serves: 6-8.
Crumble
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup plain flour
½ cup desiccated coconut
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp mixed spice
3 Tbsp sliced almonds
100g butter, melted
Fruit
6 braeburn apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1cm wedges
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp plain flour
¼ tsp each ground cinnamon and nutmeg
2 cups frozen berries (I used blackberries)
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
2. Crumble: Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the butter and mix together with your fingers to form different-sized clumps of crumbs. Place in the fridge until ready to cook.
3. Fruit: Put the apples, sugar, flour and spices in a large ovenproof baking dish and combine well, then stir in the berries.
4. To cook: Spoon the topping over the fruit and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the apples are just tender. Serve hot or warm with ice-cream, cream or custard.
- Recipe by Claire Aldous
Rhubarb and strawberry frangipane tarts
These vibrant, rustic beauties are brilliant warm or at room temperature – and a total cinch to make. Serves: 6
Fruit
350g rhubarb, washed and chopped into 4cm lengths
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp caster sugar
250g strawberries, halved
Pastry
350g flaky butter puff pastry
Oil spray
Frangipane
50g butter, at room temperature
⅓ cup caster sugar
1¼ cups ground almonds (almond meal)
1 Tbsp plain flour
1 large egg, size 7
1 tsp vanilla extract
To serve
2 Tbsp strawberry jam; vanilla bean gelato or ice cream
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake.
2. For the fruit: Put the rhubarb in a roasting dish and add the vanilla and caster sugar. Toss to combine, spread out into a single layer and roast for 10-12 minutes. Add the strawberries and toss very gently, then cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the juices.
3. For the pastry: Cut 6 circles of pastry 1cm larger than the circumference of 12cm removable-base tart tins (you'll need six of these). Spray the tins lightly with oil and line with the pastry circles. Prick the bases well with a fork and pop in the freezer while preparing the frangipane.
4. For the frangipane: Put the butter, sugar, almonds and flour in a food processor and whizz to combine. Add the egg and vanilla and whizz again until smooth.
5. Cut 6 circles of baking paper and place into the pastry shells. Fill with baking beans, weights or rice and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baking paper and weights and cook a further 5 minutes. Poke down the middles of the pastry shells (which will have puffed up) with the back of a teaspoon and reduce the oven temperature to 170°C.
6. Fill the tart shells with frangipane then, draining the fruit as you go, place it on top. Bake for a further 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the tins.
7. To serve: The tarts can be either briefly reheated in the oven or served at room temperature. Just before serving, heat the jam for 30 seconds in the microwave and brush over the fruit. Serve with gelato or ice cream.
- Recipe by Sarah Tuck
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