Yule Log/Chocolate Winter Waffles

I'm back home for Christmas now, which means one thing other than free ingredients: dairy free recipes so my dad doesn't feel left out.

Every Christmas I make a yule log and each year I have improved upon last year's recipe. This is my favourite by far. 

Ingredients

for the sponge

5 eggs

125 grams of sugar

25 grams of cocoa powder

100 grams of gluten free self raising flour

for the icing 

400 grams of dairy free dark chocolate (70%+)

8 grams of salt

180 millilitres of boiling water

Method

1. To prepare the icing, break the chocolate up into a microwavable bowl. Add the salt then pour in 130 millilitres of the boiling water. Stir until smooth. Microwave for 15 second blasts if needed. Cover with cling film then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before icing. 
   
2. To make the sponge, crack the eggs into a large bowl and weigh in the sugar. Whisk until pale - almost white. 
   
3. Sieve in the cocoa powder and flour then fold in until there are no lumps. 
4. Pour into a lined 28 by 40cm tin.
5. Bake at 180C for 18 to 20 minutes.
6. Once cooked, leave to cool for 5 minutes then roll with the baking paper attached (follow the pictures below). Leave wrapped in a tea towel until cool.
   
   
   
     
7. When the sponge is cool, remove the icing from the fridge, add the rest of the boiling water until the icing reaches a thin enough paste to spread or pipe onto the cake.
8. Unroll the sponge and spread on the icing, re-roll then decorate to your heart's content.

Serving suggestions

If you don't feel like making an  entire yule log, the sponge mixture is perfect for waffles. Just make up a 20% portion with 1 egg, 25 grams of sugar, 5 grams of cocoa powder and 20 grams of flour. Cook in a waffle maker for 5 to 7 minutes. 

Merry Christmas, Hattie x

Enriched Savoury Scones

These are a perfect free from alternative to dumplings. Their rich buttery flavour makes them a great accompaniment to any winter warmer. I particularly enjoyed them for lunch, dipped in some leftover butternut squash soup topped with crispy bacon.

Ingredients
150 millilitres of warm water
1 teaspoon of honey
2 teaspoons of quick yeast
250 grams of gluten free bread flour
50 grams of sorghum flour
110 grams of cold salted butter (or dairy free alternative) plus extra to drizzle when cooked
1 medium to large egg beaten (or 10 grams of soy flour mixed with 30 millilitres of water)

Method

1. First, stir the honey and yeast into the warm water in a small jug. The water should be above 30C but below 40C. This means it should be about the same temperature as inside your body - 37C. Therefore, it should feel neither hot nor cold if drunk.
2. Place the flours in a large bowl and rub in butter until the mixture forms a breadcrumb-like consistency. 
3. Pour in the egg and yeast mixture then, using a knife, stir until combined. This should be a wet dough. Scrape the dough into a ball then use oiled hands to shape until smooth. Do this quickly, with cold hands to avoid melting the butter.
4. Cover the bowl with cling film then leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 50 minutes.
5. Once proved, use a knife to split the dough into the number of rolls desired. Carefully roll each into a ball, avoiding knocking the air out.  Place the rolls on a tray, cover then leave to  rise for a further 30 to 40 minutes. 
6. Bake in a 160C (fan) oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown on the outside.
7. Once baked, drizzle with melted butter.

Serving suggestions

• If the scones are for dumplings, bake them on top of your casserole.
• Drizzle the rolls with a flavoured butter, I used garlic butter in the photo.

Happy holidays, Love Hattie x

Carrot, Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

A wonderful light winter warmer, full of veggies to fight off those winter colds.

Ingredients
makes 6 to 8 portions
a pinch of saffron
3 bay leaves
5 medium to large carrots
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 small butternut squash
2 medium or 1 large red onion
2 leeks
3 large cloves of garlic
1 teaspoons of table salt
1 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoons of ground coriander
1 teaspoons of sweet smoked paprika
2 tablespoons of coconut oil (or butter if it doesn't need to be dairy free)

Method

1. First, soak the bay leaves and saffron in 300ml of boiling water.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Peal the carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash and remove the skins from the onions and garlic. Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds using a metal spoon. Removing the ends, roughly slice the carrots, sweet potatoes and squash into 2 to 3 cm chunks and the onions, garlic and leeks about 0.5 to 1 cm slices. 
3. In a large sauce pan, warm the spices and salt in the coconut oil while it melts. Add the onions and leeks then fry on a low heat until they soften. This should take 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves and saffron in their infused water.
4.  Add the chopped vegetables and cover 2/3rds of them with cold water. Leave on a medium to low heat for 2 to 3 hours with the lid on.
5. Remove from the heat and use a potato masher to break up the veggies. Then using a blender, liquefy them into a smooth soup. Season to taste.

Serving suggestions

Serve with fresh bread and crumbled Wensleydale or Stilton cheese.

This can also be used as a pasta sauce. Just add in 6 portions of fresh pasta once liquefied and continue to boil for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Serve topped with rocket, crispy pancetta and shaved parmesan.

Love, Hattie x

Date and Chocolate Torte

A beautifully dense alternative to brownies which some may even consider healthy...

Ingredients

250 grams of pitted dates

200 millilitres of boiling water

5 medium eggs

200 grams of good quality dark chocolate melted (70% to 90%)

150 grams of gluten free self raising flour

Method

1. First, chop the dates into quarters then soak them in boiling water for about half an hour. Pour into a food processor and pulse until it forms a smooth paste.
2. Pour the mixture into a large bowl then add the eggs and melted chocolate. Stir in the self raising flour and beat until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps of flour.
3. Place the batter in a 20 centimetre square tin then bake in an oven preheated to 180C for 15 minutes .

Serving suggestions

To add marshmallows, immediately after the torte is cooked pour about 100 grams of marshmallows over the torte before placing back into the for 5 minutes while the oven is cooling.

Add some chopped almonds, about 150 grams would be a perfect complement to the dark chocolaty flavour.

Alternatively, add a christmassy touch added a layer of thin mints in the center by spreading half the mixture in the bottom of the tin first then placing the thin mints before adding in the rest of the mix.

Snow Ball Dough Balls

Sweet or savoury, these are a Christmas essential.

Ingredients and method

To make the dough, mix 10 grams of soy flour with 30 millilitres of boiling water in a small bowl or jug, stirring until smooth. Whisk in 30 grams of extra virgin olive oil and 100 millilitres of tap water then set aside. In another bowl, mix 1/2 a teaspoon of table salt, 1 teaspoon of yeast and 250 grams of gluten free bread flour. Add the soy mixture then use the back of a metal spoon to press the mix into a dough. Knead the dough for one minute to combine the ingredients thoroughly before placing back into the bowl and covering with clingfilm to prove. Leave the dough in a warm room for 45 minutes to prove. After this, split the dough into approximate 30 grams portions, there should be about 14 to 16. Roll each of these in you hands until smooth and place on a lined baking tray. Then leave to prove for a further 25 minutes covered lightly with clingfilm. During this time, preheat the oven to 170-180C with a clean dry deep tray on the bottom shelf. Just before the dough balls have finished proving, pour 500 millilitres of cold water into the tray. Bake the dough balls on the shelf above for 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the butter by grinding 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary with 1/2 a teaspoon of maldon salt in a large pestle and mortar. When the rosemary is fully ground, add two medium garlic cloves and grind them into a paste with the rosemary. Grind in 100 grams of salted butter half at a time then with a spatula, mix in 30 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil. 

Serve warm, immediately once cooked or reheat in a warm oven before serving.

Alternatively, if you've got a sweet tooth, roll the dough balls in a mix of 50 grams of icing sugar with about 1 to 3 teaspoons of mixed spice immediately after baking. Serve with clotted cream.


Lots of love,
Hattie x

Chocolate Almond Mug Cake

Its not often that I really act like a student, but this was deffinatly one of those occasions. 

"Recycled honey jars are perfect for mug cakes when all your mugs are dirty"

Ingredients
1 small or medium egg
40g of dark chocolate melted (dairy free if needed)
1/2 a handful of ground almonds
And a splash of milk (any type)

Method
Mix all of the ingredients together in the jar then microwave for about 45 seconds on high then top with cream or ice cream to serve.

Love,

Hattie x

Quick and Simple Tomato Sauce

A Scrumptiously simple sauce, packed full of flavour.

Ingredients per portion

• 100 grams of your favourite pasta
• A knob of butter or coconut oil (about 10 to 15 grams)
• 40 grams of frozen chopped leeks
• 40 grams of frozen chopped onions
• 1/2 a clove of garlic chopped
• 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs
• 1/2 a red wine stock pot
• 30 grams of tomato purée
• 1/2 teaspoon of caster sugar
• Cheese to top (optional).

Method
Sauté the onions, leeks, herbs and garlic in the butter until they smell sweet then stir in the stock pot and pasta. Pour in enough boiling water to cover the pasta then leave until cooked, adding a little more water if needed. Add the tomato purée and sugar then stir until the sauce is is desired consistency. Serve or just eat out the sauce pan.

Lots of love,

Hattie x

Marshmallow Toffee Crispy Cakes

Hey, so Christmas baking is in full swing, despite it not even being December yet. I'm loving it!
I used to bake these with my sister, call it home sickness or what ever but I decided to bring back the memory.

Ingredients
150 grams of caster sugar
2 tablespoons of water
30 millilitres of cream
150 grams of salted butter cubed
150 grams of marshmallows
and about 300 grams of gluten free rice crispies I recommend these ones (on the link), in my opinion they are the best gluten free rice crispies. They actually have a crispy texture!
Makes about 24 depending on how much you eat along the way.

Method

1. First you need to make the toffee by placing the sugar and water in a large sauce pan. Heat on a medium heat until golden brown at the edges. DO NOT STIR. Do not stir the sugar while its heating. Only stir it once it is golden brown at the edges. When it is golden brown throughout, before it starts to burn, turn off the heat and stir in the cream.
2. Once the toffee has cooled slightly, add the butter and marshmallows, stirring gently until combined. If needed, put the mixture back on a low heat.
3. Fold in the rice crispies a quarter at a time until all of the mixture coats them fully.
4. Finally, use two table spoons or a large ice cream scoop to evenly place the mixture into cake cases. They do not need to be in muffin tins.
5. Leave at room temperature for about an hour to set.

Serving suggestions

Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with mini marshmallows. Finish by dusting with a layer of snowy icing sugar.

These are sure to go down well any time of the year, but they always make me think of Christmas.

Lots of love,

Hattie x

Scrumptious Soft Shortbread Cookies

This is my simple cookie recipe, great for baking with kids over the holidays or for experimenting with your favourite Christmassy flavours. Even wrap up them up in little paper bags or a decorated glass jar and sprinkle with icing sugar for the perfect homemade cheapskate Christmas present.

Ingredients:

• 150g of plain gluten free flour, I used Dove Farms
• 150g of tapioca flour
• 150g of sugar
• 150g of Tesco baking fat or unsalted butter cut into cubes
• 2 medium eggs
• 150g of chocolate chopped or good quality chocolate chips
• 1 pinch of salt

Makes about 16-20

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Weigh out the flour, sugar and fat into a large bowl then rub together with cold hands until it forms a breadcrumb consistency. Beat together the eggs and salt in a separate bowl then use a knife to mix them with the flour. When this forms a soft dough, add the chopped chocolate and continue to stir until combined. Use a dessert spoons to form portions of the cookie dough then gently roll each portion into a ball by hand gently. The mix should be slightly sticky. Place each ball on a lined baking tray evenly spaced. Bake for about 20-25 minutes; until golden brown on the edges and slightly uncooked in the centre then remove from the oven and leave to cool on the trays before eating.

Serving suggestions

For chocolate orange cookies, add the peal of one orange to the flour mix before rubbing in the butter and add your favourite dark or milk chocolate.

For a mint version you could even add 150g of ground up candy canes instead of sugar to see what magic happens.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Hattie x

Spicy Flaxseed Pasta

This is a quick pasta recipe, great with any type of pasta but I particularly like its flavour combination with flaxseed pasta. The dish has a lightly spiced aroma - another perfect winter warmer for those evenings when you get back late and need food quickly.

Ingredients:

•  50 grams of Flaxseedpasta + enough water to cover the pasta
• 1tsp of coconut oil or olive oil
• 40 grams of chopped onions or leaks
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 flat teaspoon of Rose Harissa or any Harissa paste
• 20 grams of tomato puree
• 1/3 of a vegetable stock cube

Serves one

Cooking time ten minutes

Method:

Boil the pasta for 5-7 minutes or until is fully cooked then drain the pasta partly, leaving about 200ml of water. Add the stock cube into the water and stir lightly until dissolved without breaking the pasta. Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil then when you can’t smell the onions anymore, add the Rose Harissa and tomato Puree. After stirring this in until consistent, add in the pasta and stock, heating until the sauce is boiling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Love from, Hattie x

P.S. I made some scrumptious cookies today which I will share with you tomorrow for a bit of motivation in amongst doing my assignments. I am also working on a sourdough bread recipe because I was really interested to see how that would work using a gluten free sourdough starter – more updates on that soon.

London adventures and the Foodies Festival

I absolutely love London and would love to live there in the future. But for now, even a quick weekend in London pretending I do was amazing.

I had the most amazing time, fitting in as many things as possible, from joining some fellow foodies at the Foodies Festival to another visit to my favourite bakery. Even getting into London 2 hours late didn't take any of my plans off the list.

Friday: Beyond Bread rolls are now sold in packets in Whole Foods!! What an amazing find! This is some of the best gluten free bread I have had, being able to buy in bulk to bring them back to Leeds was a great surprise.  

Saturday: I may have met Candice and the Charlotte White...  yes, Candice followed another recipe and made some Christmas cookies but, look at Charlotte's dress - this photo doesn't do it justice. How else can you stand out next to a bake of winner. Watching them bake inspired me to design some lovely naturally GF treats - recipes to come.

We watched the amazing Jane Devonshire from Master Chef make this beauty. While she was cooking, she explained that most of her recipes are naturally gluten free because her son is coeliac. She is currently making a book full of her everyday gluten free recipes, definitely one to look out for! 

I also met the lovely people from Nomad Health again. Go and try some of their pastas, they are amazing and a great change to corn or rice pasta. They also supply all the the weird and wonderful flours I use in my recipes. Marianna, the director did a master class in making gluten free churros using the Free From Fairy flour and they were so moorish!! I was given this bag of flour for free and I will definitely be using it soon, so I will tell you how it goes.

Sunday: After seeing Ruby's of London doughnuts on Instagram every week, I had to taste one for myself - it really was worth the wait. I will be back soon!

Finally, I had to take a trip to Beyond Bread. After a special order brownie and a marvelous mushroom toasty I made my way back to Leeds ready for my Monday 9am.

Here's all my haul from the weekend, what was left by the time I got home that is. 

What are your favourite GF spots in London?

Love, Hattie x

Snowy White Chocolate Ice Cream

Although not continuing my Ben and Jerry's ice cream theme from summer, this is a flavour Ben and Jerry's definitely should do. It's quite similar to their Baked Alaska ice cream but better. White chocolate ice cream and white chocolate in general often have a bad reputation for having a fatty mouth feel but this recipe gets rid of that sensation, having a lovely light and creamy texture making it a perfect alternative to vanilla ice cream whilst being another quick freezing no churn recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs separated
• 30 grams of caster sugar
• 450 grams of white cooking chocolate
• 350 ml of double cream

-Makes about 1.25 litres

Method:

First, use a potato peeler or cheese slicer to finely shave 75 grams of the chocolate into flakes. Leave in the fridge to keep their shape while making the ice cream base.

Next melt the rest of the white chocolate for 30 second blasts until smooth then set aside to cool. In a separate bowl whip the cream until it forms a soft peak then gently fold it into the chocolate using a spatula.

In another bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy then fold into the chocolate mixture as well.

Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks on the surface when you remove the whisk. Carefully fold this into the rest of the mixture before folding in 50 grams of the chocolate flakes in. 

Finally, pour the mixture into a freezable container then sprinkle with the leftover chocolate before freezing for at least 4 hours before eating.


Serving suggestions:
Serve with dark chocolate sauce and raspberry coulis or with chocolate cake or even Christmas pudding!!



Lots of love, Hattie x 

Chocolatey Profiteroles

Bring the party favourite into your own home with this little gluten free recipe.

Ingredients

• 200ml of cold water
• 1.5 tbsp honey
• 100g of salted butter cubed
• 70g of tapioca flour
• 70g of sorghum flour
• 4 eggs beaten

To top: 200ml of double cream to fill and 150ml of double cream and 150g of dark chocolate for the ganache.

Makes 30-35 profiteroles

Method
First weigh out all the ingredients placing the water, honey and butter in a sauce pan, the flours in a large bowl and the eggs in a jug.

Place the sauce pan on a medium to high heat until it is boiling vigorously. At this point, turn to low then immeditly add the flour, beating with a wooden spoon until you form a smooth thick paste.

Pour the paste into the bowl that the flour was in then whisk in the eggs half at a time using an electric whisk or beat in slowly with a wooden spoon. Continue to beat or whisk until the mixture cools to room temperature.

Spoon half the mixture into a piping bag (I recommend the ones on this link) then pipe the mixture into circles of about 4 cm diameters onto a lined tray then repeat with the other half of the mixture.

Bake in an oven preheated to 170C for 20 to 25 minute or until golden brown and puffed up then remove them and turn the oven off. Use a skewer to make a hole through the top of each one then place back in the oven to cool and dry for about an hour.

Whisk up the cream and place in another piping bag. Cutting a small nozzle of less than 0.5 cm this time, pipe the cream into the profiteroles through the hole you made.

Finally make the chocolate ganache by warming the cream and adding the chopped chocolate then stirring until it is all melted, if needed, microwave for 20 seconds. Spread 1 tsp of the ganache onto each profiterole over the hole then sprinkle with chocolate nibs.

Serving suggestions:
Fill with salted caramel or custard and top with white icing it spun toffee, what ever you fancy.


Enjoy, love Hattie x

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I am now on Bloglovin! Use the link above to follow me and keep up to date with all my recipes and adventures.

Hattie x

P.S. I am finalizing my profiterole recipe tonight so that will be up this evening or tomorrow!!

Gluten Free Flat breads

This is a great versatile dough recipe for flat breads, lunch time wraps, or even as a pizza base. The light risen bubbly texture gives the perfect flexibility to stuff them full of rich sauces or rip them and dip them into a generous portion of oil.

Ingredients

• 7 grams dried yeast
• 1tsp sugar
• 200ml of milk
• 25g of butter
• 200g of plain gluten free flour plus extra to knead
• 100g of potato flour
• 70g of corn flour
• 10g of Xanthan gum
• 1tsp of salt
• Rapeseed oil

Makes 8 flat breads

Method

• Warm the milk with the butter in a sauce pan until all of the butter is melted then stir until the milk cools to body temperature, just dip a finger in to check the temperature is not hot or cold. Add the yeast then set aside for about 10 minutes to form a foam.
• Place the flours, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl then pour in the milk mixture slowly stirring with a knife.
• Knead the dough for 15 minutes then place in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film, leave in a warm place to prove for at least an hour or until needed.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface then split the mixture into 8 equal portions, rolling them into smooth balls before rolling out to the thickness of a 10p coin with a rolling pin. 
• Fry each on both sides in a hot dry pan until golden brown on both sides.

Serving suggestions
Serve plain or add some fresh rosemary to the dough before frying and serve with some balsamic and olive oil. This recipe is also my go to for alternative to naan breads. By just adding a couple of teaspoons of black onion seeds you can create the perfect flavour to go with any curry or dhal.

Hattie x

High Fibre Brown Loaf

A lovely light gluten free bread perfect to go with soup for a winter warmer. 

Ingredients

• 550ml of warm water
• 1tsp of honey, set or pure
• 20g of yeast
• 400g of brown bread flour - I recommend Doves Farm's blend
• 60g of Sorghum flour plus extra for kneading
• 40g of Teff flour
• 30g of Psyllium husk  (powder or not)
• 10g of salt
• 45g of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium egg
• 10g of cider vinegar.

Method

• Stir the water, honey and yeast together in a jug and leave on the side until needed.
• Weigh out the flours, Psyllium husk and salt in a large bowl and use a whisk to mix them.
• Place the oil, egg and vinegar in center of the flour mix then add the yeasty water. Using a knife, mix the ingredients until it forms a dough.
• Knead the dough on a floured surface for ten minutes. Although kneading is not essential because there is no gluten to develop it is a great way to combine the ingredients and soften the flour. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover then leave to prove for an hour in a warm place.
• Knead the dough for one minute to knock out the air then shape it and place it on a tray before leaving it to prove again for half an hour.
• Bake in a 160C preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Hattie x

GF Pizza in 30 Minutes

This is a no rise gluten free pizza recipe perfect for those unhealthy cravings when you should probably have something slightly more nutritious – i.e. instead of a take away. The combination of flours gives the base a great flavour and high in fibre means it will make you feel fuller for longer.

This recipe makes enough dough for one 11″ pizza, just multiply it if you want to make more.

Ingredients:

For the pizza base

• 5 grams of yeast + 3 grams of sugar (optional – added for flavour)
• 100 grams of warm water
• 80 grams of self raising flour
• 40 grams of Teff flour – available at most health food stores
• 1/4 teaspoon of table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum
• Gram flour or plain flour to roll out the dough.

To top

• 50 grams of hot water
• 1/2 a vegetable stock cube
• 35 grams of tomato puree
• Herbs – I used Waitrose Italian frozen herb mix 
• Cheese – I used pizza mozzarella but any cheese you fancy will do.

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200C
• Place the yeast, water and sugar in a cup and leave for a minute while you weigh out the flours, salt and xanthan gum into a small bowl.
• Mix the yeasty water with the flour mix till it forms a thick paste then flour your hands and the baking tray. I used a stone pizza tray because I seem to love stoneware at the moment and I found it at an outlet the other day for just £4.
• Get the mixture into a ball roughly in your hands first then press it out on the tray until thin before placing it in the oven to part cook for 5 minutes.
• In the 5 minutes, make the tomato sauce by breaking up the stock cube in the hot water then stirring in the tomato puree.
• Remove the pizza base from the oven and spread over the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese and herbs then place back in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

I am currently trying to update my blog using another website to make it more mobile friendly so I will keep you up to date when I move everything over.

Hattie x

Mushroom Risotto

Mushrooms used to be the only vegetable I would eat so I eat a lot of them. Their flavour and texture isn’t for everyone but if you like them even half as much as I do, this recipe is for you.

Ingredients. 

• 20 grams of dried mushrooms
• 150 grams of Arborio rice
• 30 grams of salted butter
• Half a leak or medium onion finely chopped, fresh or frozen
• 1 vegetable stock cube, I use Tesco Value ones because they are gluten free at no extra cost
• 80 grams of frozen sliced mushrooms or about 6 medium chestnut mushrooms sliced
• 50 grams of grated Parmesan or any strong hard cheese
• Black pepper to taste
• Chopped parsley to serve.

Serves 2

Method.

Firstly, soak the dried mushrooms in half a litre of hot water for 20 minutes. Use the first 10 minutes to chop up the onion and mushrooms if you are not using frozen vegetables. With 10 minutes to go, melt the butter in a sauce pan on a medium heat and add the rice. Stir continuously but allow the rice to toast and brown, don’t worry if the butter browns too, it will add to the nutty flavour.

When the rice has been toasting for about 5 minutes, add the leeks (or onion) and the stock cube and stir until they soften before adding the mushrooms. Pour in half of the mushroom water and continue to stir regularly until the water is soaked up before adding the rest of the stock including the mushrooms and continuing to stir. The rice will need to boil for about 20 minutes, if it is white Arborio rice and up to an hour if it is brown. Continue to boil on a medium heat until the rice is cooked, add more water if needed. When the rice is cooked and the water has become starchy and coats the back of the spoon, add the Parmesan and pepper to taste.

Serve topped with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Perfect to serve along side my gluten free Rosemary Focaccia.

Enjoy,

Hattie x

Student Kitchen: Top TipsS

For this blog post, I thought I would write something a bit different while I am finalizing some of my latest recipes (including my gluten free pizza in 30minutes recipe!!).

Here are my kitchen top tips from my student experience, do you have any others?

Basic store cupboard ingredients. Lots of other students and food bloggers have their own list of basic/essential store cupboard ingredients, but here are my top 10:

1. Gluten free bread flour – I use doves farm white bread flour and I have just managed to get hold some of their GF brown bread flour, can’t wait to try it out!
2. Gluten free self-raising flour – Perfect for cakes, pancakes and general gluten free baking with the baking powder adding a little extra rise to make up for the absent gluten.
3. Soya and/or chickpea flour. Both have amazing nutty, savoury flavours great to roll out dough or pastry in whilst also being high in protein so can replace gluten and eggs in most baked goods.
4. Salt and pepper
5. Herbs
6. Cider vinegar or white wine vinegar – vinegar is needed in most gluten free bread recipes to help the texture but I also use it in savoury sauces to bring out flavours.
7. Eggs
8. Yeast
9. Bicarbonate of soda
10. Caster sugar

Befriend the freezer – you never know when you are going to get offered free food or end up eating at someone’s house. Avoid fresh food going off, vegetables loosing nutrients and wasting your student finance by buying frozen vegetables which generally cheaper anyway but you can’t freeze most vegetables in a conventional freezer because of the freezing process. Other essentials like cheese and meat you can freeze yourself but I recommend that you chop it up first. This is just a fraction of the contents of my freezer for ideas…

Get some cook books. As a student, it is very easy to get into the stereo typical cycle of always eating pasta. Get a few simple cook books to look through while watching TV to give you some inspiration for you meals. One of my favorites is Courtyard Kitchen, it has great for dinners full of flavour on the cheap.

Meal plan before you go shopping. Whatever day of the week suits you for doing your food shop, take the time to plan your meals for the next week or for a few days around your plans. And trust me, you will spend less and have more money to spend on clothes, in which you may actually end up spending more but oh well you have new clothes.

Cook for 2. Always cook for 2. Whether you end up putting a portion in the freezer for another day or giving it to a house mate who has had a tough day, or lets be honest, eating it all. Its always worth making more than you need.

Herbs. Get them fresh and in pots, give them a little water when you get you cup of tea in the morning, brighten up the kitchen but don’t forget to move them out when there’s a party. Leeds uni has a lovely farmers market every Monday that sells herb posts but most supermarkets also sell them cheaply. Even grow them from seeds if you are feeling super keen. Herbs are great to chuck into meals at the begining or end to add an extra bit of flavour, you cant really go wrong with them. I recommend having the basic basil, rosemary and coriander but parsley and mint are also good ones to have in. Another plus is that they get rid of that well known student house smell.

Student kitchens often very small for the number of people, if like me you are running out of space in your cupboards or you can’t reach the things at the back, put a crate in each cupboard and use as a draw. I used these ones which I put all my clothes in to bring them up to uni. Forgive the mess, its been a busy week.If you are feeling a bit edgy, you could even buy wooden ones from Ikea!

Bakers gonna bake. Stock up on ingredients when they are on offer, particularly eggs, butter and chocolate. They last ages, even eggs can last weeks past their sell by date. This will mean you always have the ingredients in to bake a cake – no popping into the expensive local for top ups.

Coffee shop lovers. If you like your daily rants with friends or cant work in your room but student finance is running low, go to the same coffee shop every time. This may sound boring but as well as actually using those loyalty cards, you will get to know the employees and meet people that aren’t students! Plus, you might get some free extras. but shhh.

Finally, gluten free students. If you are not on prescription, like me, life can be very expensive so I usually make my own bread. It doesn’t take long as most GF recipes don’t need kneading. I always aim to do work during the proving time too, although often that ends up being TV time. Each batch of bread usually lasts me a week or if you want to eat it fresher, freeze half the loaf sliced. Gluten free bread recipes are becoming a lot better and all you need is some basic ingredients all included in my basic shopping list above. I have a few recipes of my own on my blog and I am working on a gluten free baguette recipe as well as the 30 minute pizza base recipe. If you want a basic bread as good, if not better than the stuff in shops, use the doves farm bread recipe on the packet of their bread flour. Some recipes are a bit hit and miss but that one does not need any unusual ingredients.

I would love to hear some of your top tips, I hope you find these useful.

Hattie x