Gluten Free Monte Carlo Biscuit

This recipe is This is out of a Regional Foods magazine that's about 5 years old.

Photo and recipe rewrite credit Jody Coppins

These are much better if left covered overnight in the fridge, they taste quite cakey.

Great as a Kids Can Do, great for parties and maybe a lunchbox as a treat.

Biscuits

375g Butter
1 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 3/4 cups GF flour ( I use Simple Baking Mix)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups of dessicated coconut
Raspberry Jam

Vanilla Cream

125g butter
1 1/2 cups of icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 tsp milk

Preheat oven to 150 C. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffly, then beat in egss and vanilla.
Carefully stir in sifted flour and baking powder and the coconut until combined.

Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on greased oven trays .( I usually make them bigger so I can use them as dessert)
Flatten with a fork . Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden, cool on a wire rack.

For the filling, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, the gradually add milk beating well.
Spread half the biscuits with jam and the other half with icing, then sandwich together.

Many thanks Jody Coppins for the post.

Traditional Tomato Relish – Gluten Free

I love my relishes and I have been making this tomato relish recipe since I was a kid. I make several batches a year and I vary the amount of chilies to make different levels of spicy taste depending on peoples choice. When people hear that I am making this relish they are usually lining up for their jar. I usually make two lots of this at a time. I have two stock pots and have them bubbling at the same time.

This recipe is a very traditional relish recipe using tomatoes, onions, curry powder and a malt vinegar substitute from Sullivan's Foods www.sullivansfoods.co.nz which has just been released into the market over the past couple of weeks.

The Bin Inn is stocking the malt vinegar substitute so check out your local Bin Inn to see if they have it in stock. www.bininn.co.nz

Ingredients

1.5 kg tomatoes, blanched, skinned and quartered

4 onions, quartered
2 tablespoons salt

2 cups brown sugar

2 & 1/4 cups Sullivan's malt vinegar substitute (You can use apple cider vinegar)

3 chillies

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 heaped tablespoon cornflour (The cornflour gives the relish a nice shiny appearance)

1/4 cup Sullivan's malt vinegar substitute

Method

Layer the tomatoes and onions into a non-metallic bowl, sprinkle with some salt as you make each layer. Cover and leave for 12 hours. Drain off as much of the liquid that has formed.

Put vegetables, sugar, first measure of  Sullivan's malt vinegar substitute and chilies into a preserving pan. Boil gently for 1 & 1/2 hours, stirring frequently. Keep a close eye on it towards the end as it will thicken up and because of the sugar it can burn on the bottom of the put. Also be careful not to splash yourself as the simmering mixture is very hot.

Mix mustard, curry, flour and second measure of  Sullivan's malt vinegar substitute  to a smooth paste and stir this into the relish and boil for another 15 min. Stir frequently.

Pack into sterilised jars, and let them cool. Once they have cooled completely seal them, label them with the date made and store in a dark cool place.

Makes about 4 x 350ml jars

Notes: I sometimes add 4 tablespoons of tomato concentrate when I start to cook to boost the tomato flavour. You can also add a couple of Bay leaves and remove then before you bottle the relish.

I have also sometimes added 2 teaspoons of Tastes Divine Sundried Tomato & Basil Seasoning with great results to the taste.

Tastes Divine Dijon and Thyme Roasted Pork Fillet

I love cooking a nice piece of free farmed pork fillet. It’s a very lean cut of meat and can be cooked in many ways. It's nearly as low in saturated fat as chicken breasts.  

I only select SPCA Blue Tick approved pork. I used Freedom Farms whole pork fillet to make this recipe. 

While this recipe only calls for 1 pork fillet you can easily scale up this recipe to whatever number of servings you need.

Serves 4

1        500g pork fillet, trimmed

1        teaspoon dried thyme 

2        teaspoons minced onion

1-1/2  cups Tastes Divine Natural Breadcrumb Coating Mix

2        large egg whites, lightly beaten

2        tablespoons Gluten Free Dijon Mustard

2        tablespoons Olive oil

Fresh ground salt and pepper to season

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

Put the TastesDivine Natural Breadcrumb Coating Mix, thyme and onion in a medium sized mixing bowl and mix until the ingredients are well combined then place the bread crumbs on a plate.

Season the pork with salt and pepper and cover it with a thin coating of mustard. I use a basting brush to do this. Once you have coated the fillet dip it in the egg whites. Press it in the breadcrumbs.

Using a light coating of Olive oil on a shallow sided roasting pan or on a rack with baking sheet place the coated fillet on it and place in the centre of the pre-heated oven and bake for 30-40 min or until you judge its done. (When its cooked its internal temperature will be 65-70 Deg C at its thickest point)

Remove from the oven when cooked, lightly cover with foil and rest for 5-10 min. Slice when rested into .5-1cm slices and serve and serve.

BBQ Dijon and Sage Pork Fillet

BBQ Dijon and Sage Pork Fillet

I love cooking a nice piece of free farmed pork fillet. It’s a very lean cut of meat and can be cooked in many ways. It's nearly as low in saturated fat as chicken breasts. 

I take lots of care not to over cook the pork. Overcooking will make the pork dry and in my view there is nothing worse that dry pork. 

While this recipe only calls for 1 pork fillet you can easily scale up this recipe to whatever number of servings you need.

Serves 2-4

1        Free Farmed whole pork fillet (I select only pork showing the SPCA Blue

Tick™) Freedom Farms Pork Fillet is a good choice.

2        heaped tablespoons of Gluten free Dijon mustard
2        heaped teaspoons of ground sage
1        clove garlic, minced
3        tablespoons olive or canola oil
          a splash white wine vinegar, about 2 tablespoons
          salt and fresh ground pepper to season

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the Dijon mustard, ground sage, salt, pepper, garlic and the white wine vinegar. Once these are combined whisk in the oil. In a suitable dish cover all the pork with the mixture, cover and let the pork  marinate for at least one hour.

Heat up your BBQ and once hot place the pork on grill on direct high heat. Cook on high for about 4 minutes before flipping. Flip the pork fillet and turn heat down to medium. Continue cooking the fillet and turning occasionally until the fillet is cooked to your desired taste. When cooked remove from heat, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice and serve with your preferred sides.

Baked Potato From Beef & Lamb New Zealand

Suitable for Toddlers and a great recipe to get kids cooking.

• 500g lean beef or lamb mince
• 1 Tbsp canola or sunflower oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 Tbsp tomato purée
• 400g can tomatoes in juice
• 1 tsp mixed herbs or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (optional)
• 4-6 medium sized potatoes
• ½ cup cheese (edam), grated 

Heat the oil in a frying pan, and cook the onion gently for 5-6 minutes, until tender. Add the mince, breaking up with the back of a spoon to form small pieces until cooked thoroughly and no longer pink. Stir in tomato purée, canned tomatoes and herbs. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes until reduced and thick, but still moist.

Bake or microwave 4-6 medium sized potatoes. Combine the mince mixture with the flesh of each potato, reserving the cooked skin. Fill the potato shells with the mince and potato mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with your favourite vegetables.

http://www.recipes.co.nz/baked-potato?pid=885dd5e6-d3ad-4812-ba2c-6646c8247f1f