Cherry Tarts - Gluten Free

Its cherry season!  After a trip to the Cherry festival in Ficksburg, we had all these cherry's  and decided to make gluten free cherry tarts for dessert.  You can make them with Tennis Biscuits or Marie Biscuits if you don't have an allergy to wheat or gluten.  This recipe makes 4 small tarts. The gluton free biscuits can be found at Pick n Pay or Dischem.

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 box Gullon gluten free cookies, crushed

6 tablespoons margarine, melted

500g cherries, stalked and stoned

75g brown sugar

 

Method

 

1. Spay and cook the tart pans.

2. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted margarine.

3. Press some of the mixture into the four tart pans, enough to cover the base and sides. Save some of the crushed biscuit mix for the tops.

 

 

4.  Mix the cherries with the brown sugar.

5. Divide the cherries between the four tart pans and top with the remaining biscuits.

6. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

7. Remove the tart tin and serve with a little brown sugar sprinkled on top. Serve with cream or custard

Cream Puffs

Like all things delicious, these are definitely worth making.  You can make them as big or small as you like, I like them seriously big, with loads of filling oozing out when you take a bite.....yum!  

 

They're not as hard to make as they look, so here goes.... 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 roll puff pastry, thawed

65g flour

pinch of salt

50g margarine

150ml water

2 eggs, lightly beaten plus

1 egg, beaten for brushing the puff pastry

small amount of castor sugar

 

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.

2. Roll out the puff pastry a little bit on a lightly floured surface.

3.  Cut into squares about 10cm x 10cm. (I didn't have a cutter so used the lid off a small Pyrex dish). Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

 

 

4. Sift the flour and the salt into a bowl.

5. Put the water and the margarine in a pan and heat very gently until the margarine has melted.

6. Increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately tip in all the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the flour is mixed into the liquid.

8. Return the pan to a low heat and beat the mixture until it begins to form a ball and leave the sides of the pan. About 1 minute.

9. Remove the pan from the heat again and allow to cool for 3 minutes.

 

 

10. Add the beaten egg, a little at a time, beating well between each addition, until you have a very smooth shiny paste, thick enough to hold its shape.

11. Put the mixture into a piping bag. (Doing the chef thing here doesn't work for me - trying to hold the piping bag and spoon all the mixture in is near impossible with one hand, so I put the piping bag into a tall glass and spoon the mixture in that way.)

 

12. Pipe a round of mixture onto the centre of the puff pastry squares. Divide the mixture onto 6 squares (if large) or 12 squares (if small).

 

 

13. Fold the corners of the puff pastry into the centre of the choux pastry.

 

 

14. Egg wash the puff pastry and sprinkle with a little castor sugar.

15. Bake for about 35 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and the choux pastry has risen.

16. Pierce several holes in the choux bun, using a skewer.

17. Return the pastry to the oven for 5 minutes more to dry out.

18. Cool on a wire rack.

 

 

Filling

125ml fresh cream

180g Caramel Treat

50g milk chocolate

small amount of icing sugar

 

1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.

2. In a separate bowl mix the caramel treat well to remove any lumps.

3. Combine the caramel treat with the cream, mix lightly.

4. Spoon the cream mixture into a piping bag.

5. Pipe the cream mixture into the centre of the choux buns.

6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time.

 

 

7. Drizzle over the pastries.

8. Sprinkle lightly with sifted icing sugar.

 





 

 

 

 

Cocktail Meat Pies with Roasted Vegatables

I was paging through some magazines the other day and came across this recipe for meat pies....yum! Sounds awesome!!  These could be really good as cocktail party food.  As we don't have all the ingredients , it's a case of - ok, so what do we have!!   So we make a few changes, make much smaller pies and serve them with sweet chilli sauce and wow, are these good!!  Now to arrange the party.....

Ingredients

 

1 small potato, peeled and chopped

1 small carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup butternut, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons thyme

300g beef mince

2 teaspoons flour

2/3 cup vegetable stock

2 teaspoons chutney

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

1/4 cup frozen peas

puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, lightly beaten

sweet chilli sauce, to serve

 

Method

 

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees C.

2. Place the potato, carrot and butternut on a baking tray, sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix.

3. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender.

 

 

4. Heat the remaining oil.  Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook until soft.

5. Add the mince and cook until browned.

 

 

6.  Mix in the flour and cook for a further minute.

7. Add the stock, chutney and cabbage and cook until thickened slightly.

8. Remove from the heat and add in the peas, roasted vegatables, salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

9. Allow to cool completely.

10. Cut out 8 x 8cm rounds from the pastry (or use a pastry press).

 

 

11. Brush the edges with egg and fold over the pastry, pinching to seal.

 

 

12. Brush with egg and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

13. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

14. Serve with sweet chilli sauce for dipping.

 

 

 

 

 



Chocolate Whisper Cupcakes

Chocolate is always a favourite in the house.....and so are cupcakes.  I got this recipe back in 1982 and it has become a firm favourite.  Originally for a layer cake, with a bit of tweaking it makes fabulous cupcakes.

 

Ingredients

 

 3 eggs

175g Castor sugar

60ml oil

60ml Cocoa, dissolved in

125ml hot water, allow to cool

120g flour

10ml baking powder

2ml salt

5ml vanilla essence

1 pkt Cadbury Whispers

 

Method

 

1. Heat oven to 200 degree C.

2.  Place paper cups in baking tray.

 

 

3. Beat eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy.

4. Add oil and mix well.

5. Fold in sifted flour, baking powder and salt, alternatively with the cocoa mixture, into the egg mixture.

 

 

6. Add the vanilla essence and mix lightly.

7.  Pour a little mixture into paper cups and place 1 whisper in the centre of each.

 

 

8. Cover with the remaining mixture.

9. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Chocolate Icing

 

Ingredients

 

120g margarine

240g icing sugar

60ml cocoa

5ml vanilla essence

CadburyWhispers

 

Method

 

1. Beat the margarine well.

2. Sift the icing sugar and coca together and beat into the margarine.

3. Add the vanilla essence and beat well.

4. When the cupcakes are cool, pipe on the icing and decorate with a Whisper and some edible glitter.

 

 

 

 

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea on the weekend is just a must!  Growing up it was usually scones with apricot jam and cream. Today anything sweet will do with a cup of Earl grey tea.  Yum!!!

The other day at our local market I found a jar of orange peel rolls preserved in sugar syrup.  Now....what to do with them. 

Staring at all the recipe books in the kitchen, I remember that my mom used to make cupcakes with granadillas (passion fruit), ah ha....cupcakes, why not!! 

Orange cupcakes with orange frosting and an orange twirl.

 

 

Ingredients

 

70g margarine

210g castor sugar

2 eggs

260g cake flour

6g baking powder

pinch of salt

5ml vanilla essence

200ml milk

zest from 1 orange

 

Method

 

1. Heat oven to moderate (180 C)

2. Put paper cups into patty tins.

3. Cream the margarine and the castor sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.

5.  Add the zest of about half an orange.

 

 

6. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

7. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk and vanilla essence, blending gently.

8. Spoon into paper cups and bake for 15 minutes.

 

9. Turn out onto cooling tray and cover with frosting when cool.

 

 Frosting

 

125g margarine

140g icing sugar

12,5ml orange juice

25ml milk

orange peel rolls

 

1. Cream the margarine and icing sugar.

2. Add the orange juice and mix well.

3. Add the milk.

4. Pipe over the cakes and decorate with the orange peel rolls and edible glitter.