Saturday, February 18, 2017

Apricot & Coconut Bliss Balls (GF) (LF)

Bliss Balls are the easiest lactose-free, dairy-free, gluten-free morsels of deliciousness with no added refined sugar you can make. These ones are of the apricot and coconut kind and one of my favourites. Just pop the ingredients in a food processor, blitz, roll into balls and after 30 minutes in the fridge, BOOM! BLISS BALLS!

Apricot & Coconut Bliss Balls


INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup almond meal
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp honey


METHOD:

Put all the ingredients into a food processor.
Pulse until well blended and mixture comes together.
Add a little water (tablespoonfuls at a time) if mixture looks to dry.
Roll into bite-sized balls.
Refrigerate for 30 mins.
Serve.

Enjoy!

Monday, January 30, 2017

Profiteroles (GF) (LF)

Profiteroles are always a delicious favourite. These are gluten-free and filled with dairy-free creme patisserie, topped with a drizzle of melted chocolate, strawberry coulis and served with a side of strawberries... how can you go wrong? I made these for dessert when I visited my brother and sister-in-law for dinner and they loved them. As an experiment I made pear creme patisserie and filled a few with that for a more indulgent treat.



Profiteroles
 
INGREDIENTS:
Profiteroles:
55g margarine
70g rice flour
125ml water
2 eggs

Soy Creme Patisserie:
450ml soy milk
55g caster sugar
55g cornflour
2 eggs


METHOD:
For the creme patisserie:
Whisk all ingredients in a pan and cook over a medium heat until thick.
Remove from heat and cover with non-stick baking paper.
Refrigerate for at least an hour.

To make pear creme patisserie:
Stew 3 pears until soft, puree and add to creme patisserie with 1/4 cup of softly whipped cream.

Creme Patisserie, Pear Puree and Cream
 For the Profiteroles:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
Heat water and margarine for profiteroles in a pan.
Once boiling, remove from heat.
Add flour and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves the side of the pan.
Profiterole Mix - Ready for eggs to be added
Beat eggs in one at a time.
Profiterole Mix - Just after 2 eggs have been added
 Continue beating until mix is smooth and shiny.
Place mixture into a piping bag and pipe rounds onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
Bake for 25 minutes or until puffed up and golden.

Profiteroles - Just out of the oven
When ready, remove profiteroles from oven and quickly pierce the base of them with a cross.

Profiterole - Cross in the base
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled fill the profiteroles with the creme patisserie.
Serve with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of melted chocolate and strawberry coulis.

Enjoy!


Tips and tricks:
- Just omit the cream if you want to make dairy-free creme patisserie
Creme Patisserie and Pear Puree
 - Leave about 5cm between each piped profiterole to give them room to expand
- If you're after a rustic look, just drop tablespoonfuls of mix onto the tray rather than piping
- The cross in the base after cooking the profiteroles is to allow steam to escape, preventing them from going soggy so you can just stab a hole in the side if you aren't too worried about presentation.