Tuesday 28 May 2013

Poached Pears with a Raspberry Reduction GF SCD


Pears are notoriously difficult to store. Trying to catch them when they're perfectly ripe is probably one of the reasons why they're not as popular as they should be. They're either too hard or too ripe. But one of the ways around this problem is to cook them.



I chose conference pears for this recipe but you can use any variety, just ensure that they are ripe AND still firm. I made these to eat straight away but if you leave them in the liquid overnight the colour will be much deeper and richer. The ones below were left for 24 hours.



Poached Pears with a Raspberry Reduction GF SCD 

4 - 6 pears
400 g frozen or fresh raspberries
1½ pints filtered water
2 tblsps honey (or other liquid sweetener)
½ - 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 split vanilla pod

Tip the raspberries into a pan. Peel the pears carefully.



Place in a pan on top of the raspberries then add just enough filtered water to cover them.



Add 1 tablespoon of honey or other liquid sweetener, bring to the boil then simmer very gently for about fifteen to thirty minutes depending on the size of the pears. Test to see if they are soft by inserting a sharp knife carefully into the pear. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the pears from the pan. They will be pink. If you want them to be a richer colour just let the pears cool in the pan, then chill overnight. This will intensify the colour and flavour as in the picture above.



Strain the raspberries then pour the liquid into a clean pan. Add the sliced vanilla pod or the vanilla extract and another tablespoon of honey (or chosen sweetener) to the pan. Bring to the boil and reduce the liquid by at least half to thicken it. I used just over half a teaspoon of vanilla extract but taste the sauce and add a little more vanilla extract and/or sweetener if you wish.


Remove the vanilla pod if you used one then pour the sauce over the pears.


Serve with a few raspberries and vanilla cashew cream or coconut cream..



Tuesday 21 May 2013

Grain Free & Tree Nut Free Crunchy Cereal GF SCD


“When You’re Grain Free and Feeling Like A Nut, But Can’t Eat Tree Nuts or Peanuts!” - this is the theme for the "Go Ahead Honey it's Gluten Free" event hosted by Shirley of GFE - Gluten Free Easily this month. I'm always ready for a challenge and this recipe came about by accident when some cookies I'd created failed! I adjusted the recipe and created a crunchy cereal or topping or snack which is rather addictive so be careful you don't eat too much!

Sunday 19 May 2013

Stuffed & Roasted Onions GF SCD


We consume pounds of onions in one week, at least two a day not including all the red onions and shallots we like to roast as well. They are extremely high in flavonoids which tend to be at their highest in the outer skins. One which is worth a mention is quercetin, a potent natural anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory. This can be found in yellow and red onions and is believed to help hay fever sufferers, something some of you may find interesting as we approach the Summer months! High in Vitamin C, onions are also a good source of chromium, copper and manganese.

Thursday 9 May 2013

Lentil Pie GF with SCD options


A week or so ago, I was delighted to find out that my blog is now part of the Sainsbury's Blogger Network so when I was asked to write about my signature dish, I was more than happy to say "yes". But what is my signature dish? I asked the family for some ideas. My husband thought it was my lemon pie recipe.  My eldest remembers his favourites from the past and thought it was "square pizza" - I used to make a fantastic home-made pizza.