What is with all the gluten-free?

Someone had to change their diet.

And gluten-free flour is evil.

But, I found a good way to use the bastard and make really good pancakes. Yeah, they don't taste like cardboard hockey pucks.

But they aren't good for you either.
Not that you care when you have pancakes for breakfast. Oh, the reason why these were good is that they didn't taste like they were gluten-free, they just looked wrong.

Gluten-free pancakes
serves everyone else

1 small bottle (300ml?) of fresh cream
zest of a lime
1-2 tsp of baking soda (I think this is what made it not puck-like)
2 eggs
gluten-free flour
raw sugar

Whisk together the cream, lime, baking soda and eggs. Add the flour till you have the consistency of thickened cream. Don't worry about over mixing, there is no gluten. I think I used about 1/2-3/4 a cup.
Add the sugar to taste and fry off in a heavy skillet.
And don't forget, the first one is not for the crowd.

The kids ate it with sugar and lemon, honey, nuttelex, cashew butter, jam and plain.

Ok

So, the problem here is how I transport this one without destroying it.

Salted caramel and dark chocolate tart.

Pastry
50g butter
50g icing sugar
1 egg
140g plain flour

Salted caramel
135g sugar
50ml cream
60g butter
salt

Chocolate ganache
110g dark chocolate (I used 70%)
1/2 cup of cream


Make your dough by creaming the icing sugar with the butter. Add the egg and then bring it together with the flour.
Don't do what I did and use the food processor because you used it for the Pissaladiere. Worst move ever.
Refrigerate the dough in cling film for an hour or so. Till it is cold and hard.

Roll it out on a well greased tray.
Blind bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius and then, remove the weights and bake until golden. Around 10 minutes.

Make the caramel by placing the sugar in a pot and cooking it until it is a deep brown.
Then, add your butter and cream as a stopper with the mixture off the heat. Stir and then place back on the heat. Add salt to taste as you stir to combine and pour on the base of the tart.

Then, make your ganache by melting the chocolate and cream together and pour it over the caramel. This is a picture of it before I banged the tray a few times to get the air bubbles out.
Refrigerate until it properly sets and then figure out how you're going to take it to Fitzroy when the tin has a removable bottom which you cannot control.

People, you are eating this one...suggestions???

I did what?

Pancakes for dinner.

Not crepes, where it would possibly be acceptable and easy to make savoury...but pancakes.

If there is anything that anyone has learnt from knowing me or even reading this blog, it is that I am not too keen on sweets, desserts, or what is essentially a dessert for breakfast.
Even at dessert, I choose cheese. I AM the cheese.

So, why the want for something sweet...or even, a pancake?

My only conclusion is that I am doing that crazy female hormonal thing that happens once a month, which funnily enough coincides with the full moon (according to one of my friend's observations).

There was also the welcome addition of a ginger ice cream that was donated to me from the Slow Food Market, made by the Gundowring Finest Ice Cream people. Surprising chunks of ginger made me all warm and fuzzy inside, so I am going to have to hide the rest of the half litre in the back of the freezer (which is like playing a really cold, 3D game of Tetris).

They're stupidly fluffy, rich and remind me of New York. So, obviously, I couldn't even make it through one. Funnily enough, I remember after parties, I would usually make up 3 batches of this and give it to the leftovers on my couch so they would help me clean up.

Why didn't I think of that on Saturday?

Yeah, blame the weather.

Buttermilk Pancakes
makes 12
375g plain flour
3 tbs caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
750ml buttermilk
125ml milk
3 eggs
85g butter, melted

In a huge-ass bowl, combine and sift the dry ingredients together.
In a separate bowl, beat together the wet ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk lightly with a fork, but don't overdo it. It may look like lumpy vomit.
Cook them in 1/2 cups and serve with whatever you want. In my case, ginger ice cream and maple syrup went on one quarter and ricotta, lemon and honey went on the other.

They keep well in foil, freeze well and can be warmed in the foil in the oven.

Then, go for a jog.