Gluten Free Ice Cream - Pecan and Caramel Swirl

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

The gluten free food freak had a birthday recently, so out came the trusty Gaggia ice-cream maker for some outrageously good desserts. Hard-core ice-cream makers are expensive, but boy do they work! It takes about 5 minutes to get everything ready, then you switch it on for 30 minutes and watch it do it's magic. And when you see how much sugar and cream goes into proper ice-cream, it's easier not to over-indulge..... (in theory, this one is so good I had to keep tasting the caramel at regular intervals just to make sure it was still as nice as it was 30 seconds ago)

Gluten Free Ice Cream - Pecan and Caramel Swirl

Switch on your ice-cream maker and let cool for 5 minutes.

Take a large jug or bowl and place it on your scales. Measure into the jug 200g of full fat milk, 200g double (heavy) cream, 150g of sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir together and pour into the ice-cream maker. Leave to work it's magic for 30 minutes or so.

Take about 30g of pecan nuts and roughly chop. Just before the ice-cream is finished, add your pecan nuts and allow the paddle to mix through.

Scoop out your ice-cream into a plastic, sealable box. Take a jar of good quality ready made caramel and gently swirl in a few spoonfuls - don't mix too vigourously otherwise it will turn into caramel ice-cream with no difference between the ice-cream and the caramel. Keep adding caramel until you're happy with the amount - probably somewhere between 100-200g.

(If you can't find ready made gluten free caramel in a jar, you could either melt 100g of caramel toffees in a glass bowl over a pan of hot water, or if you're really going for it, carefully boil a tin of sweetened milk in a pan of water for 3-4 hours, ensuring there is plenty liquid in the pan at all times).

Place the ice-cream in the freezer until you are ready to use it. The beauty of this gluten free ice cream is that you can make it well in advance and casually whip it out in a flourish of domestic goddessness, and wow your guests. And if you're lucky, there might be a little left for you to demolish another day.

Smoked haddock tartare

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

Another Food-Doctor inspired gluten free recipe, this Smoked haddock tartare won't be to everyone's taste as it uses raw (well smoked) fish, but I thought it was really, really good.

Smoked haddock tartare

You want to get yourself some mildly smoked haddock if you can - otherwise it might be a bit full on.

Serves 4

200g (7oz) smoked haddock
Juice & rind of 1 lemon (actually, using 1/2 lemon 1/2 lime is really good, as it reduces the sharpness in favour of more flavour)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon capers, finely chopped
Small handful chopped fresh dill
Small handful chopped fresh chives (you could use finely sliced spring onions)

Skin the haddock and chop it into really small dice (under 1/2 cm square). Do this by slicing it into strips first, then slicing across them. Mix the fish with the lemon/lime juice, mustard, capers and herbs. Let it marinate for about half an hour and the juice will part-cook the fish.

Serve with a nice spicy salad and some toast or other hefty carbohydrate :-)

Homemade Gluten Free Chilli Sauce - Spicy Stiry Fry Sauce

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

Here's a hot hot hot homemade gluten free chilli sauce recipe - great for stir-fry's or over grilled chicken or fish.

Gluten Free Chilli Sauce
Tip - make double and freeze some in ice cube trays or small pots, and you've got more in store.
Makes about 250ml
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 red onion, choppedar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce (Thai nam pla)
1 red pepper
2 red chillies, trimmed, deseeded and chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. Yes that's it. Not that hard really. No excuses, give it a go. Tonight. Oh okay, after you've been shopping.

I think this sauce needs cooked before you use it, otherwise the flavours are a bit harsh, (and hot!) so I wouldn't use it as a salad dressing or dipping sauce. But if you're a chilli demon, go for it in it's raw, unadultered state!

This gluten free chilli sauce is perhaps a bit hot for wee ones but great for big kids. Try it if you dare!

Homemade Gluten Free Salad Dressing Recipe - Spicy Cucumber Dressing

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free

It's salad time in the gluten free food freak's house, and although there are a few ready made gluten free salad dressings in the shops, you can't go wrong with a fresh homemade gluten free salad dressing. This recipe has crunchy cucumber and plenty of spicy heat from chilli, garlic and ginger.

Gluten Free Salad Dressing Recipe - Spicy Cucumber Dressing
Makes about 500ml
225ml rice vinegar
225ml water
125g sugar
3cm piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
salt
225g cucumber, grated
6 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 chillies, trimmed, seeded and finely chopped

Put the vinegar, water, sugar, garlic and ginger in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring continuously until the sugar dissolved. Add a little salt. Leave to cool.

Put the cucumber, onion and chillies into a sealable container or jar. Strain the cooled sauce through a sieve and stir well. Stores in the fridge for about 7 days.

Try making this homemade gluten free salad dressing and you will be back for more. Spicy, crunchy and juicy, it's great just over leaves or for a more substantial salad, cook and cool some rice noodles, add some chicken or tofu and other crunchy, seasonal veggies. Delicious.

Quick gluten free flatbread

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

I've blogged a favourite flatbread recipe before, but this is even easier. It's less versatile as it's definitely a savoury bread, but it is very easy and a quick carb to make if you're out of gluten free bread.

Gluten free flatbread recipe

Makes 4 flat breads

100g (3 1/2 oz) gluten free chick-pea (gram) flour
40ml (2 fl oz) olive oil
200ml (7 fl oz) water
Small handfull fresh coriander, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon

Put the flour in a bowl and pour the olive oil slowly into a well in the middle. Then gradually add the water while mixing continuously. You should get a batter that is fairly thick - it should pour, but not spread to the edges of the pan when you pour it in. Add the coriander and lemon zest and stir.

Get a non-stick frying pan nice and hot, add a little oil for frying and pour in 100ml of batter, which will form a pancake about 20cm across. Once this side is browned, turn it over and cook the other side. Lift it out and keep it warm while you cook the rest of the batter.

You can freeze any unused flat breads and simply pop them in the toaster when you want to use them. This is a really handy way of making sure you're got gluten free bread on hand.

This gluten free flat bread recipe came from the Food Doctor Everyday Diet book. The Food Doctor (Ian Marber) happens to be a coeliac, and so many of his recipes are gluten free, as well as being very tasty, and nice and low on the GL scale.

Quick dairy-free rice pudding

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

As well as the gluten free food freak, our wee one is still dairy-free because we discovered dairy was what was giving her eczema. So tonight Gluten Free Food Wifie decided to whip up a dairy free rice pudding so all the family can enjoy it. Better still, it was made in a pan, so it's pretty quick and easy.

Quick gluten free, dairy free rice pudding

50g pudding rice (not arborio rice as we accidentally used! ;-)
250ml gluten free rice milk (don't use Rice Dream, it has barley in it)
1/2 cinammon stick (or 1 tsp ground cinammon)
1 star anise (optional)
1-2 tsp honey
Small grate nutmeg (optional)
3 tsps ground almonds

Put everything except honey and nutmeg in a pan, bring to boil and simmer very gently for 18-20 minutes, checking regularly you aren't running out of liquid. Add honey and nutmeg to taste. Add the almonds - this will help make it less sugary and lower the GI. Once done, add a little more liquid to create a nice creamy finish.

You can make this dariy-free rice pudding while cooking your main dish - it's a luxurious pudding the family will love.