Gluten free Yorkshire puddings

Your Yorkshire puddings will look like this

I've just cooked this batch of Yorkshire puddings to freeze for when we have our family gathering - not on Christmas Day this year. Although once my Christmas lunch guests know about them I may need them for the Christmas Day meal as well.

Since one daughter has been gluten free for a long time and another has recently found it helps her deal with some health problems, we will be eating GF. It's much more sociable. So it's gluten free stuffing/pate etc. Another daughter is now a vegetarian, so a nut loaf will also be served.

Anyway, Yorkshire puddings are the holy grail for those who like them, and I'm feeling lucky. I've found a recipe with three ingredients: cornflour, eggs and milk. You can add seasoning, however since the puds are really a receptacle for gravy, do you need to?

No electric whisk btw, save the splatters and use a large hand whisk. Let's go.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING RECIPE

Set oven to hot, 220 c

generously oil a 12 hole muffin tin or similar, including the top and edges of each hole

put the oiled muffin tin into the oven to get to sizzling point

Ingredients

200g cornflour
6 eggs
300 ml milk or nut milk/soya milk

salt and white pepper to taste

Method

• put cornflour in largish bowl adding salt and white pepper if you like
• whisk cornflour gently
• add the eggs and beat until smooth 
• slowly add the milk beating all the time
• when batter is silky like cream transfer it to a jug
• get the hot oiled muffin tin out of the oven and pour the batter into each hole - you should have enough to get nearly to the top of each one
• put the filled tin back into the hot oven and leave the puds for at least 20 minutes - it'll take 20-25 minutes for them to cook through. Checking on them by opening the oven door will ruin the rise, so don't open that door

Stuffing and gravy

I am getting a head start on preparations for the Christmas meal, time to make stock, to be used in the gravy. Looking at the photo, the submerged contents look like a miniature scene more suited to CSI. Sitting on the sidelines I've got some pork shoulder and chicken livers, which I haven't photographed, together with a bottle of brandy. Additional ingredients.

Pictured in the pot is a whole chicken with herbs and the usual, garlic, celery, carrots, onions, peppercorns and cloves. The poached chicken will be mixed with pork shoulder, liver, herbs and brandy, bound together with egg and topped off with bacon. Leftovers gets eaten as pâté after Christmas.

Recipe follows.

cantuccini - gluten free

I'm cooking a batch of cantuccini to give as presents, with port. I couldn't decide on a pudding wine, so fell back on port. My memory of dipping these hard biscuits in alcohol is a fond, and slightly bleary one. I've made them wheat free, using Dove's Farm plain gluten free flour. I hope they turn out really hard. There is no fat in this recipe, apart from what is in the nuts.

Tasters trying this recipe part way through are mmm mmm-ing like mad. Cutting the biscuits half way through, I can see that the dough is much more crumbly than its wheat-packed compadre. The smell is great. I’m cooking the sliced dough at a slightly lower temperature. Pics follow

Here's a reminder of the recipe

Cantuccini

RECIPE

Ingredients:

325g (12oz) plain gluten free flour

300g (11oz) caster sugar

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

200g (12oz) whole unpeeled almonds

125g ground almonds

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Around 1 coffee cup/1/2 small glass alcohol amaretto or brandy

Method:

Set your oven to Gas Mark 4 (180°C/350°F).

Prepare two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Roughly crush about a third of the almonds or chop them a bit

Mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and almonds.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla together and stir them into the dry ingredients, working it into a stiff dough (I use a fork). Add the alcohol bit by bit, by the end if it’s not all sticking together add a few drops of water.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and divide into two.

Roll each half into a sausage and divide again into two, so you have four pieces. I do this because it fits on my baking tray, and makes slightly smaller biscotti.

Put the sausage shaped dough on the lined trays and flatten a little – they will spread a bit, so keep them well spaced.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the logs are well risen and have almost doubled in size.

Leave the oven on.

Cut into slices about 1cm thick. Some people say they should be smaller, but I can’t cut them that small. Don’t worry about leaving space between the slices.

Put the sliced dough back and cook for around 20 minutes more, until they are lightly toasted. Let them cool before storing (or eating).

Makes lots and lots.

 

Easy, delicious, gluten free pork, lemon and thyme stuffing

You would think there was a big market for gluten free food, especially at Christmas. Yet all I could find in the local supermarket was gluten free chocolate macaroons. But what I need is stuffing. So I bought some pork and bacon and set to making my own.


My local butcher does do gluten free sausagemeat, however I wanted to make some without any imitations of flour or bread in it. So I bought some loin chops and some unsmoked bacon to put together with rice and herbs. 

In this stuffing the lemony tang is nicely balanced with the sweetness of the pork. It is a good match for the richness of roast chicken and potatoes. It's also a  As usual the dilemma is how to avoid overeating. 


By the way, there's no egg in this stuffing either, all the sticking together is done by stirring and the rice.

pork loin

Pork, thyme, lemon and parsley stuffing

ingredients

330g pork loin (that's two large chops, with fat)

160g unsmoked back bacon

2 onions

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp dried thyme (or half tbsp of fresh thyme)

zest and juice of one lemon

1/2 mug rice

2 handfuls flaked rice

two healthy pinches of Maldon sea salt

2tsp mixed peppercorns (red, green, black)

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

method

• Cook the rice, stir in zest of lemon and pepper - it'll look like it's covered in ash, but the smell is delicious. Set aside.
• Mince or finely chop the pork and bacon.
• Finely chop onion and garlic, and fry on low heat until translucent, then stir in herbs.
• Mix all ingredients together.



diced pork and bacon ready for mincing 

• Roll into balls and chill for several hours before cooking.

Cook on oiled baking tin for 30m, or until brown at 375°F/190°C/Gas mark 6.

Makes 14 balls, could be 15.

These balls can be made ahead and frozen - add 10m to cooking time if you are cooking from frozen. 

mince old style or with a food processor

notes

• The fat of the pork and bacon keeps the balls moist while cooking. If you think the port is lean, drizzle with olive oil or put a dab of butter on them before cooking. 
• Wrap the balls in bacon if you like, that keeps them moist too.
• the rice flakes make the balls nice and sticky, but you can just use a bit more cooked rice and blitz it with the meat.

This stuffing goes well with roast chicken, such as best roast chicken.


I'm going to try them in a tomato sauce soon.


Aha! in tomato sauce they are great, with rice and a sprinkling of parmesan. Extra pepper.