Products: Orgran Biscotti

I have been enjoying a number of Orgran products and tonight I tried the Orgran Biscotti classic choc oven baked cookies. To be honest when I was in Go Vita Shellharbour I thought it was a cookie mix that I had to cook up myself. Imagine my surprise when I opened the bag and they were ready to eat!

A moreish morsel of chocolatey goodness and gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, yeast, soy and nut free!

Made of maize starch, raw sugar, palm vegetable oil, brown rice flour, coconut desiccated (sulphur dioxide), pea flour, cocoa (3%), brown rice syrup, Psyllium, vegetable gum: guar, raising agents: sodium bicarbonate,
calcium carbonate, salt, Emulsifier: Monoglycerides from vegetable, natural vanilla flavour.


I personally love the tiny bits of shredded coconut which makes it a really nice texture. It was my first time to try them but definitely won't be the last!

Almond Recipes: Marzipan

Another recipe with almonds is marzipan. If you've ever watched Cake Boss or Ace of Cakes you would know some of the amazing cakes and decorations formed out of marzipan. I found a medieval recipe for marzipan that I have added to my files and thought to share with you. Gluten free and a great addition to your desserts platter for special events.

The Commonplace Boke of Lady Avelyn Grene - Marzipan
* 1/2 lb blanched almonds, ground*
* 1/4 lb sugar**
* 1 Tbsp Rosewater
* 1 Tbsp water

Mix Ingredients for marzipan together. Marzipan should resmeble a dough - you should be able to mold it a bit.

*Using a food processor to grind the almonds is recommended. Also, the finer the grind, the more smooth the marzipan. Grinding the almonds to the size of sand granules works well. Be sure to not grind them to almond flour."

Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal. Some marzipan is flavored with rosewater. Persipan is a similar, yet less expensive product, for which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels. In Goa (formerly Portuguese India) almonds are replaced by cashews. Many confectionery products sold as marzipan are made from less expensive materials, such as Soy paste and almond essence. (Source: Wikipedia)

Definition: Marzipan Wikipedia URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marzipan
Image: http://www.jepska.com.au/products/about_marzipan.htm

Lemon and mint sorbet

Continuing with the theme of gluten-free recipes featuring mint I just had to share this amazing lemon and mint sorbet recipe from Australian Gourmet Traveller website newsletter.

This tastes just as you would imagine: light and tangy, with the lingering flavour of mint.

Lemon and mint sorbet

Serves 4
Cooking Time Prep time 10 mins, cook 5 mins (plus freezing)

220 gm	(1 cup) caster sugar
2 tbsp	coarsely chopped mint leaves, plus extra leaves to serve
1	lemon, finely grated rind only, plus extra lemons to serve (optional)
½ tbsp	liquid glucose
75 ml	lemon juice

1

Combine sugar, mint, lemon rind and 125ml water in a saucepan, stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Stir through glucose then lemon juice and strain (discard solids). Freeze in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve scoops of sorbet in hollowed-out lemons, if desired, and garnish with extra mint leaves.

This recipe is from the September 2009 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller. 

 RECIPE Rodney Dunn PHOTOGRAPHY Jason Loucas STYLING Geraldine Munoz

Pretty in Pink Cheesecake

I love Foodbuzz. Whenever I am low on inspiration for cooking ideas or food photography a good dose of food porn always gives me a needed boost. This delicious looking cheesecake by Green Kitchen Stories caught my eye on the front page. I can't wait to make it! Plus it uses almonds and is gluten free!

Frozen Pink Cheesecake


Crust:
300 g (2 cups) almonds
10-12 fresh dates, pitted
2 tbsp coconut oil
a pinch of salt

Filling:
2 cups fresh (or frozen) raspberries & strawberries
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup honey
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup quark or curd (you could probably also replace it with a fat Greek or Turkish yogurt)
Topping:
1 cup fresh summer fruit and a couple of edible flowers

Grind almonds in a blender or a food processor for about a minute. Add dates, coconut oil and salt and run the processor until it all comes together. Flatten it out on the bottom of an 8-inch non-stick spring form. Store in the fridge while you make the filling.

Blend berries, lemon juice and honey. Stir together mascarpone, curd and the blended berries in a large bowl. Pour it on top of the crust in the spring pan and put it in the freezer for 1-2 hours (you can keep it in the freezer for days but then you have to let it soften a bit before you serve it) .
Top the cake with fresh fruit and a couple of flowers. Serve immediately.

Recipe and photo by Green Kitchen Stories
URL: http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/frozen-pink-cheesecake/