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