Cheese and Chorizo Puffs

These little Brazilian breads are an absolute delight and so easy to make.

The batter also keeps for a couple of days on the fridge so you can make them fresh as you need them.

Makes 60-70 mini muffin sized puffs.

Ingredients

100g chorizo

170g cheddar, finely grated

350g tapioca flour

350mls milk

150mls oil

2 eggs

Method

Cook the chorizo over a high heat until crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan and place on some kitchen paper to remove excess fat. Allow to cool completely.

Grease 3 x 24 mini muffin tins if you are using all of the batter.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Once the chorizo is cool, place in a food processor and pulse until it creates a chorizo crumb.

Now add all of the other ingredients and whizz to form a batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared tins, no more than two thirds full.

Place the trays in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Cornbread With Fresh Corn, Jalapeños And Cheese

Perfect with a bowl of chilli or soup, this corn bread is easy to make and considering that it’s gluten free, pretty close to the real thing!

For the cheese I just use what hard cheese is needing used up in the fridge, a mixture is fine too, this one had cheddar and mozzarella!

Leftovers are great toasted under the grill with an egg on top for breakfast the next day!

Makes a 32x25cm loaf.

Ingredients

300g fresh corn kernels or frozen at room temperature

150g grated cheese

3 jalapeños, deseeded and diced finely

300g masa lista

160g gluten free plain flour

1 tablespoon gluten free baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

salt

2 eggs

500mls buttermilk

450mls milk

100mls vegetable oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade.

Pour the oil into a heavy duty, non stick roasting tin.

Once the oven is up to temperature, pop the roasting tin in to heat.

While that’s in the oven prepare the other ingredients.

In one bowl, combine the sweetcorn, cheese, jalapeños, masa lista, GF plain flour, baking power, bicarbonate and salt.

In a jug, whisk the egg and then add the buttermilk and milk, whisk well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir well.

Once the pan is very hot in the oven, take it out and pour the hot oil into the batter, mix well.

Pour the batter into the tin, spread out if needed and return the tin to the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 200 degrees centigrade.

If the bread is browning too quickly, cover the it loosely with foil.

Bake for 30minutes.

Allow to cool a little in the tin before serving.

Fruit Mince Bread And Butter Pudding

There is something about the smell of fruit mincemeat that always makes me rather nostalgic, not just for the Festive season but cold winters nights and roaring fires!

Ofcourse, we are now heading for summer in Western Australia and when it hits it will be with us for months so just before it warms up too much, one final blast of winter comfort food!

This pudding can be made with regular or gluten free bread. If you are using gluten free bread try and find the lightest loaf you can!!! The ones like bricks are not ideal!

If you want to sneak some wholemeal bread in, go ahead, the mincemeat colours the bread enough for the fussiest of children not to notice!

Serves 8.

Ingredients

8 large slices of bread

250g fruit mincemeat

50g butter, softened

4 eggs, beaten

250mls milk

150mls cream

50g caster sugar

Method

Grease a 18x22cm baking dish.

Cut the crusts off the bread, spread lightly with the butter and then cut the bread into quarters, I like triangles!

Lay a layer of bread, with each triangle overlapping, butter side up.

Sprinkle over half of the mincemeat.

Add another layer of bread and again sprinkle over the remaining mincemeat.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream and sugar.

Pour this egg mixture over the bread and press gently down so that all of the bread is soaked.

Set the pudding aside, if you have time 24 hours in the fridge will do it no harm, otherwise an hour or two is enough.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Bake the pudding for 35-40minutes until golden brown and crispy on top.

 

 

 

 

Crusted Lamb Racks with Garlic and Rosemary – Gluten Free

These are an absolute treat!

Lamb, rosemary and garlic go so well together and these morsels do not last, I couldn’t take a photo of these nicely plated up as they just flew of the chopping board!

This is classed as caveman food by the boys so they happily eat them with their fingers and even with sides of potatoes and veg they will quite happily eat 5 or 6 cutlets each if given the choice!

I use gluten free breadcrumbs in our house but feel free to substitute for regular bread. To make gluten free fresh bread crumbs I buy a gluten free loaf and process it to crumbs, any leftovers go in the freezer for another day.

Serves 8-10.

Ingredients

4x 8-9 rib racks

150g gluten free fresh breadcrumbs

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large sprigs rosemary, leaves chopped

50mls olive oil

salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Centigrade.

In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, rosemary, oil and salt and pepper.

Lay the racks onto a prepared baking sheet.

Take handfuls of the breadcrumb mix and firmly push it onto the top of the racks until they are all covered with a layer of breadcrumbs.

Pop them in the oven and bake for 25-30mins depending on how you like them, 25mins gives a pink centre, by 30mins it will be cooked through at such a high heat.

Remove from the oven and set aside for 5-10mins to allow the meat to rest, this will ensure the juice stays in the meat when you carve.

I like to pop 2-3 cutlets onto each plate as a first serve.