Home Made Ice Cream Cones (GF, Organic, Vegan)

Look, I'm so very excited by these. I'm not kidding, of all the things I've been wanting to master, these have been in the top ten. It's not like we're ice cream fiends. In fact, my children polished off a box of cones last week that were left over from my son's first birthday party (he's three and a half). That in and of itself beggars belief. What the heck is used to make these things last so long without losing any of their crunch or crisp? Yikes. 

There's nothing uniform about how they look. But I guess that's part of the appeal. Plus, you can make them large for grown ups or tiny for kids, and all you have to do is change the quantity of batter you pour out. 

I used a frying pan first but then switched to a flat sandwich press which I found much better. 

The trick is not to get too much sugar - you can play around with the quantities to taste, but too much sugar will make them burn before they're cooked through, and not enough will make them not sticky enough. 

To get four small cones or two large ones:

Ingredients

1/3 cup spelt flour

1/3 cup raw organic caster sugar

between 1/3 and 1/2 filtered water

Combine the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined, then add the filtered water, stirring constantly. 

Once you have a batter than resembles a thin pancake batter, you are good to go. Heat your frying pan (and add a little oil or butter), or your sandwich press. Add about two tablespoons of batter and  leave to cook. If you're using a frying pan, keep the heat moderate and flip halfway through. If you're using a sandwich press, cook with the lid up for a couple of minutes then press lid down so that it's firmly pressed against the flattened out cone. 

The trickiest part of these is shaping them, and that's just because they're molten lava hot. I found that laying a clean tea towel out in front of the sandwich press or hot plate was essential. 

I used an egg flip to remove the 'pancake', then, pressing either a spoon or small rolling pin into one pinch point, I was able to clip the bottom (using the tea towel as a sort of glove between my skin and the cone).

 Shape it into a cone and depress for about thirty seconds along the seam until it feels firmly held. I then transferred mine to a small 7 oz beer glass to settle for a few more minutes (an egg cup is great, too). It's amazing how quickly these transform from flat pancakes to rock hard ice cream cones. And I think this must be similar to how fortune cookies are made. 

I served this with an ice cream stalwart - our mango and passionfruit. 

In the ice cream and the cone, there were SIX ingredients, and both components were made today in my own kitchen. As far as desserts go, this one feels pretty awesome. 

A feast fit for a Gruffalo

The Gruffalo is one of the most supremely favourite books in our house (and houses with small people, everywhere, I am sure). If, by some strange and bizarre sequence of events, you've not heard of it, then you simply must get thee to an independent bookseller sharpish and pick up your very own copy. Written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, this book takes your imagination, grips it firmly in its hands and blows it up to the size of a hot air balloon. It's a wonderfully adventurous read, and odd food inventions are central to the narration. 

Tonight, in a tribute to this much treasured story, my little guys are having their own Gruffalo feast, of 'scrambled snake sushi', followed by 'gruffalo crumble with owl ice cream'. Apart from being delicious little meals, the descriptions definitely caught the kids' attentions at the business end of the day. Recipes coming soon. 

When my son asked why there were peas in with his scrambled snake (tuna and greek yoghurt, FYI) I told him without compunction that they're not peas at all, they're ssssnake eyessssss. Hissssssss. 

The Gruffalo Crumble is sugar free, but naturally sweet, with apples, pears, dates and a crumble mix of organic oats, butter and manuka honey with lots of shredded coconut. 

As for that Cheeky Owl Ice Cream (toowit toowooooo!) it's a mix of free range eggs, pure cream, raw caster sugar and homemade praline (only about two teaspoons worth, cracked into tiny shards. I thought it was going too far to tell my son that they were pieces of owl beaks (!) so I've let him crunch away in ignorance... 

Home-made bread

I love to make my own bread. Usually as a quick and easy starter when we have friends for dinner (served with a good quality locally grown olive oil and a homemade dukkah). But now, the more I read labels in the supermarket, the more I despair in terms of how far we have come from traditional fare. Bread, when made at home, is simple and healthful - nutritious, too. If I'm making it for the kids, I form it in a loaf tin so that it's got a bread like shape for sandwiches. 

Ingredients

2.5 cups spelt flour

3/4 cup teipd water

activated yeast (2 tablespoons dried yeast, 1 tablespoon caster sugar, 1/3 cup warm water, combined in mug and left to bubble for about five minutes).

In a large mixing bowl, sift the spelt flour then add the activated yeast and 1/2 the tepid water. Mix, adding extra water slowly as needed until you get the right consistency. I use a kitchenaid with the dough hook, but you can easily do this by hand, either using your fingers to combine and then turning it out onto a flat work surface to knead until elastic, or using a spoon if you don't like the squish squish squish of dough. 

The test of a dough being ready to rise is when you can lightly press a finger into the surface and the finger mark immediately bounces back. Cover it with a bowl and leave to rise for about an hour, until it's roughly doubled in size. Punch it back once and then either shape it into a loose form bread, or press into a loaf tin. Again, leave it to rise for about an hour, making sure it's covered from draughts. 

Preheat the oven to 190'c and bake for around 40 minutes. Once it's finished (and you know it's done by tapping the bottom of the loaf and you hear a solid sound) leave it to cool to room temp. If you're intending to use as a sandwich loaf, refrigerate until cold and then slice thinly. I freeze mine in zip lock bags and then just use as needed. 

Amo Zucchini!

I'm a little annoyed that the lengthy (and because you'll never read it and therefore be able to verify, let me also say witty, insightful and inspiring) post I just penned, errr, tapped out, has been eaten up by my ipad (yes, that is just how tasty it was!) and it's fast approaching the witching hour, all I can do now is bullet point what I originally wrote. 

1. I love zucchini (AMO ZUCCHINI! LONG LIVE THE GREEN!)

2. Penne Giardiniera obsessed

3. Bastardised version which my kids love (including homegrown zucchini flowers) 

4. Recipe to follow. x

Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows on a Rainy Afternoon

After the hell-on-earth heatwave we've had for most of the last month, you can well imagine our jubilation at waking up to the sound of delightful rain! And rain it has, all day long.

The air is thick with the smell of it, and the sky is woolly and grey. A cool breeze is finally running through the house, trying to whisper relief into the heat fatigued timber and bricks. And my little people have finally been able to get back into the garden without sunscreen, hats and long sleeves. They've had a lovely morning playing in puddles and getting muddy, and now, as the day draws to a close, I'm giving them the perfect afternoon (in my opinion, anyway). Snow White, and hot chocolates with marshmallows. 

These are heavenly 'made from scratch', but if I'm completely honest, that had more to do with the ingredients I had to hand than any virtuousness on my behalf.

Homemade marshmallow is both easy and incomparably delicious - a wholly different creature to the powdery puffs you buy at the supermarket. Using organic raw caster sugar, gelatine and water (with two drops of naturally derived pink colouring) I made this marbled bloc of mallow. 

For the hot chocolate, I melted dark chocolate over low temperature, slowly whisking a full fat milk from a good quality and local dairy. 

As this was for small people, I then let the hot chocolate cool down a bit before serving with a scoop of the chilled marshmallow on top. 

I'll confess, I have puritan tastebuds when it comes to drink - I'll take my water in abundance with my poisons on the side (coffee, black, and wine, red). But one sip of this tempted me into the realm of impossible-to-resistness and I poured myself half a cup. 

Now, back to those sweet little dwarves of mine and the fabulous Snow White!

Steamed Gow Gee - vegan.

Ingredients: 

Store bought gow gee papers (round) - available in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets, or asian grocers

A combination of filling - I used onion, potato, celery, garlic, peas and mushrooms, which I minced by hand to a fine consistency

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

Butter/oil for frying

A little water

Melt butter in a pan over moderate heat. Add your vegetables and cook until soft. Add the spices and stir until combined. 

Lay the gow gee papers out on a clean work surface and spoon a small teaspoon into the centre of each round. 

Using a clean finger or pastry brush, run a little water around 1/2 of the outer rim of the pastry, then fold in half to form a crescent shape. Clip the outer edges together, applying firm pressure, to make the shape. 

Steam for around 3 - 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Once you've steamed them, tip a little cold water over the top to make them easier to lift from the steamer. 

I served these with a sauce made with sesame oil, honey and white wine vinegar, plus filtered water. 

Alphabet Cookies

"Now I know my ABCs (and ONE TWO THREEs) won't you come and have cookies with me?" Well, that's the way it goes in my house!

A little while ago I bought these awesome alphabet stamps from a great antique market. Each individual letter is about the size of an old fashioned type writer key and I love love love them. I gave them a good wash before baking with them, of course, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to use them for anything other than words in cookies now!

A while ago I blogged my outrage about biscuits being made with packet cake mix, and this is why. These little guys have butter, organic raw caster sugar, spelt flour, vanilla seeds and a little filtered water. That is it. What a fun and treat-tastic way to help little guys learn their letters and numbers.

Croquette, Vegan and GF

Okay. These are insanely easy and fun to make and I can't believe I haven't been making them before now. Croquettes can be made with pretty much any combination of ingredients that you like, or have on hand. Do you like ham and cheese? Fine, that will work. Vegetarian? Great - add whichever vegetables you like. Salmon? Tuna? Sundried tomato and feta? The possibilities are as endless as your pantry and imagination. Here's the basics. 

Make a white sauce, and for the purposes of this recipe, I used olive oil instead of butter, spelt flour* to make a roux, then used a vegetable stock instead of milk. Of course, you can make your white sauce with butter, flour and full fat milk, it just depends on your preferences. 

Once you've got a good, thick white sauce, place it in the fridge to cool and thicken then add whatever flavourings you want. I added a mix of broccoli, carrots, onion, cauliflower and zucchini, all finely cubed and chopped. You can add cheese if you'd like, herbs, garlic etc. 

Add a little extra flour if your mix is too sloppy. You want to be able to form a scoop of the batter into a sausage shape, then crumb (cornflake crumbs, almond meal, rice crumb or wholegrain breadcrumb). Fry over moderate heat until browned on all sides then finish in the oven for around 20 minutes (on 180'c). 

No-Fry Falafel

Back when I was veggo, falafel were one of my favourite things ever. So delicious and full of flavour, and reasonably virtuous. I've tweaked my technique to make them even better for you, and my kids LOVE these. My son would eat a whole batch if I left him alone with them. 

Ingredients: 

Two tins organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed. 

3 tablespoons spelt flour/rice flour/corn crumbs

3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped. 

1/2 an onion, roughly chopped

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional - my kids don't seem to mind the kick it gives them). 

A couple of teaspoons good quality Olive Oil, and a few wedges of lemon or lime to serve. 

Preheat oven to 160'c.

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pulse until it's coming together semi dough like, but don't over process it. Add a little extra flour if necessary or a little water if it's too dry. 

Use a teaspoon to scoop our a small amount, roll into a ball between wet palms and then place on a baking tray lined with paper. Bake for around forty minutes then remove from heat. They'll be a little cracked on top - that's fine. Drizzle with olive oil. Either serve immediately with lemon or lime, or leave to cool to room temp then you can refrigerate for a couple of days.