Gluten Free Orange and Lemon Cake

This is one of those dishes that you make every now and again because although it's worth eating even with all the sugar in it, there is a lot of sugar in it. Don't be put off. Maybe I shouldn't have said that but I might as well warn you now. There is a lot of sugar. But, on the plus side, you can eat small slivers over an extended period because this cake is so moist and juicy that it will definitely last in a sealed tin.

Now this is not my recipe. I wish it was my recipe but I have adapted it a bit. First off the recipe came to me on a piece of paper with no author or title. It asked for flour, and I changed it to ground almonds. Secondly I put in more orange and lemon zest than the recipe asked for to give it a real tang.

Citrus fruit are renowned for being a good cleanser. Who hasn't heard that a cup of hot water with a slice of lemon is the best way to start the day? We all know that citrus fruit have good doses of Vit C but did you know that they also have the most activity when it comes to antioxidants which helps boost our immune systems and fights off bad stuff like cancer and diseases.

Cinnamon and Star Anise. My kitchen smells something like a cross between Christmas and far away lands. It was boooootiful. Star Anise can be used to help bring out a cough and all the yucky stuff that gets stuck in your chest. Mixed with some honey and water it's also been known to help with tummy cramps. The shape of these get me every time!

Cinnamon has amazing properties, first I have to talk about how great  it is for regulating blood sugar levels! Yay, another food/spice  to add to our 'helpfull' lists for those of us with Insulin Resistance. Other uses include helping with pain, inflammation and hormone balancing.

RECIPE:

200g castor sugar

145g ground almonds

215m sunflower oil

4 large eggs

finely grated zest of 2 lemons and 2 oranges

1½ tsp baking powder.

Syrup:

juice of 1 lemon and orange

90g castor sugar

3 star anise

1 stick of cinnamon broken up

Oil and line a tine with baking paper. I have used different tins every time I make it (round to flat and square) It won't rise a huge amount but there is a good amount of mix. Combine all the cake ingredients together and give it a good beat. Immediately put into your tin and put it in the oven. Turn oven to 190C and set your timer for 40 mins. A cold oven is what makes this cake work also, the top will look like it's getting brown too quick. Cover with a bit of tin foil.

With about 10 mins to spare, pop all the syrup ingredients into a pan. Slowly bring it to a boil (all the sugar wants to be dissolved before it boils) and simmer it for 15 mins. Warning: Smell in your kitchen will be amazing so be careful.

Check to see if you cake is cooked (skewer into the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean take it out, if there is a mixture on the skewer leave in for another 10 mins)

Once out though pour the syrup over the cake trying to cover all of the surface. This will make your cake so moist and amazing! I found that I had some syrup left over as I had covered the cake 2 with syrup and didn't want to drown it. So I've kept the syrup to make a christmassy cordial.

Honey Suckle Cordial

Summer is almost over. The 1st September appeared out of nowhere with bad weather to boot that said 'winter is a-comming'. This recipe is literally made of summer and will have you re-opening the sealed bottle for a whiff of sunshine. The colour of the cordial depends on the colour of the flowers you use so maybe make some of both colours, quickly, before the season is over.

Sent the flowers to make cordial for a shoot with these talented ladies I had to go foraging for extra and ended up with more pinky rose flowers which then turned the cordial into a sunset pink haze tinged with gold. Similar to the elderflower cordial I did a couple of months ago but inspired by this amazing blog, it is so easy and made me so happy. There are some things that are so simple but so beautiful and this my friends, is one of them.

RECIPE:

4 cups of honeysuckle flowers

600g of sugar

24fl oz of boiling water

1 tsp citric acid

1 lemon sliced finely

Slice the lemon and put into a bucket/big pot with the honeysuckle flowers. Sprinkle the sugar over and pour over measured boiling water. This makes about 800mls.

Easy peasy.

It's all about being spicy

That's right and you know it! Spice not only helps appease our hunger but it also gets those endorphins buzzing and whizzing and tingling all over your body. And boy do I need some tingling and whizzing. The weather has turned foggy and misty (in other words, nasty), I'm feeling pretty blue and missing summertime. This recipe is adapted from the fabuloso Yotam Ottelenghi and his book Plenty. Having grown up on mediterranean/middle eastern food I'm a fan of his most of the time. A lot of the time I find his recipes have so many blinking ingredients that I give up reading what I need before even trying. Yep, that's the type of person I am. Don't judge.

So taking that in mind and having a bunch of aubergines, egg plants to those stateside, a magical creation was formed! One that had the bosses tell me they want it repeated a lot! Brownie points for Jette *happy face*.

One thing you need and can make is the genius that is THE chilli oil creation that is: whacking some dried chillies/chillies going off/chillies looking wrinkly in the blender with some oil. This keeps in the fridge for Yages. Literally yages. Yes, that word is Yages.

Cut into the flesh to make diamonds trying not to cut through the skin. Stick a garlic clove in as many 'x' as you want. I used roughly 3 clove per half an aubergine the first time and then my peeps asked for more.

At only 28 calories cooked per 100g, this is one veggie to keep around. The latin name is Solanum melongena which means 'soothing mad apple' due to it's reputation back in the day of producing 'instant insanity in the unwary eater'. Genius.

Now it's time to whack on that chilli oil. Slather on a good amount as the aubergine is a sucker for oil. Literally. If you like it really spicy make sure you get lots of the flakes in. The longer the oil as has been sitting the spicier it gets!

While we're are on the subject, let's talk chillies for a moment. Now, we all know there are a ton of varieties and every country worth their chilli metal wants to be the one that introduced the world to the chilli. They are a massive source of antibacterial, antiseptic and stimuli properties (did you read the first paragraph about the whizzing and tingling?) Things that chillies are said to help with are: normalising blood pressure, improving circulatory system, feeding cell structures. They contain Vit A+B+C but, they come with a highly addictive warning. You've been warned.

As part of the nightshade family which is a poison you should be afraid. Afraid of how much goodness this veg has. People use it for helping tumours, preventing cancer, the bioflavonoids it contains are great for renewing arteries, preventing strokes and other haemorrhages. It's a pretty powerful thing. Give it a go. Try and put it into your diet at least once a week when in season. The thing I love most about aubergine this way? The crispy bits around the edge with a spicy tang fading to soft flavourful flesh. Nom nom.

RECIPE:

half an aubergine per person

chilli oil

garlic cloves

oven

2tsps greek yoghurt

buttermilk/goats milk/milk

chilli flakes/lemon/coriander

Cut aubergines in half and score the flesh. Peel the garlic cloves and stick into the 'x' of your cuts. Brush with chilli oil. Put into an oven 200C for about 20-30mins. When they are ready they will be squidgy to the touch and a knife will go in no problem. The bigger the aubergine the longer time in the oven.

Mix 2tbsp of greek yoghurt with enough buttermilk/goats milk/milk to turn  into sauce consistancy. Add some more chilli flakes/squeeze of lemon/chopped fresh coriander or all of theses. Drizzle a little over the middle and serve warm.

P.S. If you make too many halves or have left overs. Remove flesh from skin, blitz with a little oil and you have a fabulously yummy dip. You're welcome.

The taster day

It's a go in our Pink Cottage kitchen today. Tomorrow is my talk with Darina to see where I want my future to go. The word talk seems so small and almost insignificant but this has been on my mind for the better part of the week.

Darina suggests we make her a pot of tea and some biscuits so the pressure is on. Of course you want your biscuits to impress and amaze her with your hidden talent. This is a big moment, I feel.

I've ummed and ahhhed since the beginning of the course, I knew I wanted to speak to her sooner rather than later and have had a few biscuit ideas going through my mind so today, was D day.
I started off the morning making a simple Thyme biscuit. No pictures as they ended up in the hen bin. I had an inkling they wouldn't work as wonderfully as lavender biscuits but you have to try.

Second recipe that has been on my mind was the mix of lemon and cumin. My folks, especially my Indian Father uses cumin like nobodies business. Lemon is such a great flavour and our first week Darina gave us a Lemon fork biscuit recipe. So, what better way to use her recipe but adapt it to my style…I'm hoping (everything crossed that this will work for her as much as it's worked for my housemates).

It's a super simple recipe, cut down to make roughly 20 biscuits, less if you make them bigger obviously.

4oz soft butter
2oz castor sugar
5oz flour
the juice of one lemon and the rind of the same lemon
about 1 teaspoon of whole roasted cumin.

Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the other ingredients and hey presto. Take a teaspoon of dough in wet hands (will stop dough from sticking to your hands), put on baking paper and press with a fork. Pop in the oven at about 110 and check after 10minutes. They want to be golden around the edges.

The flavour that comes from these biscuits is such a far away land combination. A smash of toasted cumin followed by a citrus burst on your tongue. It's magical. A hit in the Pink Cottage. Let's hope Darina thinks so.