Gluten Free Profiteroles

OK, so this is not my recipe, but it is a great recipe for anyone feeling a bit profiteroly ;)

The recipe is from @nels3 on twitter, who also writes the blog: http://fabulouslyfreefrom.wordpress.com/

I changed the proportions for the choux pastry a little, as the first time I did it my mix was too runny and the result was not great, so I reduced the amount of water to 100ml instead of the 150ml in the recipe. And with that, the result was amazing, as you can see in the photos.

Here is the link to her recipe:
http://fabulouslyfreefrom.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/gluten-free-chocolate-profiteroles/

Also, I did not fancy cream for the filling, so I made some creme patissiere (very thick custard) using the recipe (also dairy free) from Glutoniana, here is the link to the recipe (in Spanish):

http://glutoniana.com/2014/03/11/crema-pastelera-sin-gluten-y-sin-lactosa/

The only thing that was a bit messy was the chocolate topping, I think I was just tired by then, so although it is not too pretty, it was very tasty ;)

Gluten Free Camden part 3: Cookies and Scream

 

After having one of the lovely Honest Burgers at the Camden restaurant, we managed to drag ourselves a few steps to Cookies and Scream so that we could enjoy a sweet treat.
My tummy was quite full, but how often do you find yourself surrounded by so many great looking and smelling cookies and puds that are also gluten-free?

Well, one is not made of stone and I got myself an Apollo cake. It might not look like much in the picture, but trust me it was very very yummy.

I shared it after dinner with my sister and followed the instructions they gave me: heat slightly in the microwave (40 secs is enough) and enjoy with some ice-cream.
I did that and was just sorry that I had not got any other treats from them.
All their products are gluten-free and vegan so no need to worry about what to pick.

Ben from the group got some cookie sandwiches that looked quite interesting (sorry no pic), so I might have to drag myself to Camden again and check that out. Fully recommended!

Check their website: http://cookiesandscream.com/index.html

Gluten Free Camden 2: Honest burgers



GF Honest Burger

After a fantastic Friday in Camden it was time for another visit! I met the Gluten Free London club (meetup) at Honest Burgers on Saturday.
I can't believe I had not visited yet, as it is the most talked about place for gluten-free burgers.

The burger can be ordered with a normal or gluten-free bun, and I have to say the bun was very nice. I ordered the Honest Burger without cheese and the flavours of bacon, gherkins and onion relish did complement it really well. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as much as the rosemary chips and the onion rings which were also gluten-free.


GF onion rings

I drank some of their homemade lemonade which I enjoyed, and they also have Daura Damm gluten free beer if you fancy it.

The restaurant is quite small but also quite casual which adds to the charm.
When we arrived around 12ish there was nowhere for us to sit together but some lovely ladies moved tables to accommodate us.
Who says London people cannot be kind?

After a much enjoyed lunch we moved just a few steps to Cookies and Scream for dessert (see review later), although it was a take home pud for me, as I was completely full.

Overall the burger was fantastic, much better than the one I've had before at Vorzars (meat just ok) or the one at GBK (bun a bit dry). I recommend it.
http://www.honestburgers.co.uk/

Gluten Free Camden 1: Camden Lock Market

On Friday 1st of August there was a Gluten Free Food Festival at Camden Lock Market. I had heard about it on twitter and it sounded quite exciting!

So there I was at 1pm with my friend Freddie checking out the lovely food on offer.
There was also a stall from Whole Foods with demonstrations through the day, so all in all, a busy Friday at Camden Lock.

 

@theCircusBros Stuffed Omelettes

We both had one of the stuffed Spanish omelettes from Circus Bros. The omelettes are cooked in a small pan so they are perfect for one. You can have them plain, but who could with the amazing leg of ham on display? I had some Serrano ham and red peppers as filling for mine, and I can say it's one of the best Spanish omelettes I've eaten in a long time, even better than the one I make myself.

www.cowboycottagepie.com American fusion

They told me they are at Camden lock regularly so definitely worth a visit.


And what about the lovely American fusion dishes from www.cowboycottagepie.com ?

The food looked also delicious, with those nachos, beans and corn bread, definitely one for future visits, as she is there from Thursday to Monday, and all her products are gluten free and dairy free.




    


@RomeosGFbakery

I also tasted the bruchetta from Romeos GF Bakery and I have to say I was impressed. I had already heard a lot of good things about them, and will have to arrange a visit soon.
They are based in Islington:
167 Upper Street, London N1 1US
http://www.romeosglutenfreebakery.co.uk/



Paleo Menu from @FeedmePrimal

 There was some Paleo food on offer by Feed me Primal, who are there regularly too. Their meetballs looked delicious, you can check all their dishes on their website:
http://feedmeprimal.co.uk/

 Overall a very enjoyable day, good food, good company and lots of sunshine!

I just had to get ready for another Camden day on Saturday when I visited Honest Burgers and Cookies and Scream, but that is a story for another post.
Camden is very gluten-free friendly!


Udi's cookies and other Gluten Free biscuits

I love cookies and was quite happy to get some samples from Udi's at the Allergy Show.

Everyone I spoke to was raving about the "Oreo" like cookies, named "chocolate flavour sandwich cookies" by Udi's. They were delicious indeed, I was very happy to get some samples to take home.

The cookies are brilliant, although I think they need a snappier name. What about Rodeos?

Ingredients:
Sugar, Rice Flour, Potato Starch,Vegetable Fats (Palm Fat, Coconut Fat), Corn Starch, Glucose Syrup, Dextrose, Cocoa Powder (2.5%), Soya Flour, Sunflower Oil, Thickener (Xanthan Gum), Vanilla Natural Flavouring, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Salt May also contain Eggs
A serving of two cookies (30gr) has 142 calories (2.7gr saturated fat, 6.4gr sugar).
They are very nice and I would be happy to add them to my shopping list if they were easily available. They are currently available at Tesco (£3) at their Lifestyle Food Fair (till end of August, 4 for 3 at Extra stores).

However they are very similar to another cookie on the market by Lovemore.

Lovemore O'Choco Ingredients:
Rice Flour, Sugar, Vegetable Fats, Corn Starch, Cocoa Powder (7%), Potato Starch, Corn Flour, Dextrose, Glucose Syrup, Refined Sunflower Oil, Rice Starch, Raising Agent: Sodium Hydrogencarbonate, Thickener: Xanthan Gum, Flavourings, Emulsifier: Soy Lecithin, Table Salt, Biscuits contain ca. 30% of Cream
A serving of two cookies (33gr) has 148 calories (3.2gr saturated fat, 7.6gr sugar). They are sold as dairy free, so I take it that the cream they mention is soya based. I've bought them in the past at Ocado (£1.95) or Waitrose.

Between the two I wouldn't know which to choose as they are so similar. The Lovemore O'Choco cookie has a taste closer to dark chocolate and Udi's is a little bit less bitter. For me it would be a matter of availability.

What I'd like from both brands is to have the product in smaller packs of two/four biscuits so that they are easy to take away in your lunch box or when travelling (see later on review of Kelkin wafers).

I also got a sample of Udi's gluten free lemon wafers, which were delicious.
If I had to choose between the "Oreo like" and this ones, it would be a difficult choice. I've been happily testing both on and off and, as with the other ones, I'd buy them if they were easily available.

Udi's Lemon Wafer ingredients:
Cane Sugar, Potato Starch, Palm Oil, Soya Oil, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Citric Acid, Salt, Raising Agents (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Lemon Flavouring May also contain Egg, Milk, Peanuts and Tree Nuts
Available at Tesco during their Lifestlyle food Fair (£3, offer 4 for 3)
There is a chocolate option available too.

I am comparing them to Kelkin's wafers, as it's the only other wafer I've found available so far.

Kelkin Wafer Ingredients:
Milk Chocolate 80% (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Whole Milk Powder, Cocoa Mass, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavour), Vegetable Fat, Sugar, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Teff Flour, Soya Flour, Skimmed Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Vegetable Oil, Free Range Egg Yolk, Salt, Raising Agent: Sodium Bicarbonate May contain; traces of hazelnuts and peanuts
I vaguely remember finding them at Salisbury's or Waitrose. They also have some orange Jaffa cakes that are very nice.

Which one do I prefer?
For taste I would choose Udi's one, it is lighter in consistency and it's more wafer-like. I find that Kelkin's has too much chocolate coating (very close to a KitKat).
However, I love the presentation of Kelkin's, with the individual wrap for each one. Not only it is easy to pop one in your bag or your lunch box, it also keeps the wafer in top condition until you open it.
What I found with Udi's wafer is that the first few I had were lovely and crisp, but by the time I got to the last one, it wasn't very crisp anymore. I'd say individual wrapping would be fantastic to have, as a pack of Udi's wafers is likely to last for a while, specially if there is only one coeliac/gluten intolerant in the household.

Overall, I would recommend all the biscuits here, all tasty in their different ways, just need to have them all in one supermarket to make my day!

Gazpacho Cold Soup - Naturally Gluten Free

When the weather is as hot as this week, only one thing is on my mind, Gazpacho soup.

This cold soup is full of vitamins, as it's made with lots of raw vegetables, and because it has ice cubes too, it's cold cold, brilliant.

There are many recipes out there but in my family it's always made the same way.



Ingredients:
6 tomatoes peeled and cut in chunks
1/2 cucumber in chunks
1 green pepper in chunks
1 garlic clove
1 slice of bread in pieces (without crust)
1 tbsp of mayonnaise (could use olive oil instead)
1 tbsp of cider vinegar (or wine vinegar)
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of sweet paprika
1 tray of ice cubes (or 1/2 glass of water and 6 ice cubes if you don't want it too cold)

Instructions:
It is very easy, put all the ingredients except the ice in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.
You can add a bit of water to help the process along.
Once everything is mixed, add the ice cubes and mix again until smooth.
The result is a very cold soup with bits, marvellous!!!
If you don't like the idea of bits, you can always use a colander to get rid of them, it will be just as nice.

Pasta from Elena gluten free




Pappardelle with tomato, asparagus and chorizo

I bought some pasta from Elena's gluten free way at the Allergy Show.
When I can, I always try to find Italian pasta, specially Pappardelle or Tagliatelle nests, they are my favourites.
There are two brands available from Elena's, Dialsi and Piaceri Mediterranei.

I got a packet of each and recently tried the Piacery Mediterranei Pappardelle.
These pasta ribbons are lovely and I really enjoyed my dinner.
I added a sauce made with tomato sauce (one tin of chopped tomatoes, one tsp of olive oil, half tsp of salt, half tsp of sugar and some ground pepper, cooked slowly for 30 mins or so), asparagus and chorizo.
Fantastic dinner, now looking forward to the  Tagliatelle ;)
My only concern is that the ribbons tend to break after cooking, I guess that is the corn.

Mediterranei Pappardelle Ingredients: Yellow maize flour (49,8%), white maize flour (49,8%), emulsifier: mono and diglycerides of fatty acids)
Dialsi Taglieatelle Ingredients: Rice flour, corn flour
Both ingredients lists are quite short, which I like, no nasty E numbers around.

They are available to buy on her website:
http://www.elenasgfway.co.uk/