Taste Temptation

Christmas cake 2024
Gluten free vanilla cake with raspberry jam and buttercream icing. Weaving the fondant had me talking to myself 😅

Almost that time of year again, where I spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking for family and friends. The tree is up, the menu is chosen, most of the presents are bought.
Do you ever feel too organised, to the point you think you are forgetting something? 🤔

Sugar Cookies
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3 cups gluten free plain flour (I used woolworths brand)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 170C. Line a tray with non-stick baking paper.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer until light and creamy.
Add vanilla and egg and mix through.
In another bowl combine the all the dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time and continue to mix until it is all combined.
Remove from mixer and gently knead.
Separate dough into two balls and wrap one in cling wrap. Don;t chill the dough.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle a small amount of flour on the top. Using a rolling pin, roll until it is about 1cm thick.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Use a metal spatula to transfer shapes to tray.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Repeat with remain dough.

Makes 40

Loaded toast with whipped cream cheese and mixed berry compote.
We use gluten free Vienna loaf that I am able to get from Woolworths most of the time. The cream cheese, I simply whip in my mixer until it becomes light. For the berry compote I usually use regular balsamic vinegar in it but this time I used Flavourista's Toffee Apple Balsamic.

500g mixed frozen berries
2tb Toffee Apple balsamic
2tb sugar

Place all ingredients into a pot and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
The cooking time depends on how thick your like your fruit compote - the longer it cooks the thicker it will become due the additional sugar released by the fruit. For us it lasts in the fridge for week, unless we eat it quicker! I like to have it either on the toast, with porridge (we use either quiona flakes or rice flakes) and warmed up and stirred through vanilla chia seed pudding.

What was I thinking? Starting next week I will be back studying again, which itself is exciting. But, and its a big but, when I was organising my schedule I forgot the class times were Sydney time and not Perth. So comes Tuesday morning of the 17th I'll be dragging myself out of bed for a 6am class, which of course becomes 5am for me when daylight savings starts. I'm tired just thinking about it.

I've been trying out all the gluten free products from an Australian owned company called Flavourista, based in Queensland. We've been really impressed by the amazing quality and flavours of the ones we've tried so far. Highly recommend checking them out.

For this I used their Berry and Vanilla Balsamic, so far one of my favourites!

I cut the pears in half and take out the core.
Then melt a little of butter in an oven proof pan and cooking the pears cut side down for 5 minutes. Pop them in the oven for 25 minutes, can take longer depending on the size and how ripe they are. Take them out and glaze with the balsamic. Pop them back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
Serve them hot, with the vanilla yoghurt, fresh mint and drizzled with more balsamic

And this years biscuits and cookies we always share with our guests

This Christmas we are going with a French inspired menu. Can't wait to share it with my family.