Spring is in the air....I think!

St David's day treats

Yesterday, March 1st, was officially the first day of spring and I'm sure the birds were singing a little louder though they still had their woolly hats on.  It was also St David's day, the patron saint of Wales, so I thought we should have some Welsh themed treats and what could be more Welsh than Welsh cakes?  I have tried to reduce the carb content in my recipe though they are still fairly high in fat especially if you butter them before eating, which I recommend.

Welsh Cakes (Gluten free and low sugar)

 

Ingredients

• 170g gluten free self raising flour (I used Doves Farm)
• 55g ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 110g butter or margarine (I used a reduced fat, spreadable butter)
• 15g Truvia sweetener
• 60g currants
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Sift the flour, mixed spice and xanthan gum into a bowl.  
2. Mix in the ground almonds then rub in the butter or margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  
3. Stir in the Truvia and currants.
4. Add the egg, then bring the mixture together with your hands.  You should have a soft but not sticky dough.  Add a little extra flour if necessary to form a dough you can roll out.
5. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 0.5cm thick then cut into rounds with a plain or fluted cutter (6-8cm).
6. Heat a lightly greased griddle or heavy frying pan.  Cook the cakes for about 3 minutes on each side, over a low to medium heat, until golden brown.
7. Serve buttered.

Makes about 16 and I calculated that each cake has roughly 12g of carbs.

Pastry made nuttier

Continuing the whole "Welsh" theme we had a Leek Quiche for tea.  I quite often make a quiche but writing this blog has really made me think about how I cook and I wondered if I could make a lower carb version of my normal pastry.  I have seen recipes for Walnut pastry but as I'm not keen on walnuts I though I'd give hazelnuts a try instead.  We really liked this alternative and I will always make it this way from now on.  I guess I really should have used Caerphilly cheese but Wensleydale was a tasty alternative.  It's also good with Cheddar.

Please note this recipe does not involve blind baking the pastry.  It always seems to turn out fine though and I'm a great fan of anything that saves a bit of time.

Finally, gluten free pastry can be difficult to handle.  But I find that if you use an egg to bind the dough and cut your rolled out pastry into smaller pieces before transferring to your dish, it makes it easier.

Leek and Wensleydale quiche with a hazelnut pastry (Gluten free)

Ingredients
For the pastry:

• 35g hazelnuts, ground (using a food processor or hand grinder)
• 100 gluten free plain flour (I find Juvela gluten free Harvest White Mix the best for pastry.  This is available on prescription in the UK)
• 50g butter or margarine
• 1 egg, beaten

I used roughly 1 quarter hazelnuts to three quarters flour for my pastry.  This quantity is enough for a 22cm flan dish.

For the filling:

• 40g butter
• 300g leeks, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
• 20g gluten free plain flour
• 200ml milk
• 75g Wensleydale cheese, grated
• 2 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper
• grated nutmeg (optional)

1. Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the ground hazelnuts.  Rub in the butter or margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the beaten egg then bring together into a ball.  If it is too sticky add a little more flour to make a soft dough.  If you have time, wrap in clingfilm and chill.
3. Roll out the pastry to a circle big enough to fit your flan dish.  Cut your circle into four quarters then use a fish slice to lift into your dish.  Overlap the edges of your quarters, then use your fingers to press down and seal the overlap.  Neaten the pastry at the edge of your dish.
4. Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F / Gas 5.
5. To make your filling, melt the butter in a pan, add the leeks, cover and cook gently for 20 minutes until soft and golden.
6. Stir the flour into the cooked leeks, then add the milk and continue stirring until thickened.  Stir in the grated cheese, grated nutmeg and seasoning to taste.  Take off the heat and stir in the beaten egg.
7. Pour the mixture into the pastry case then bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.  Leave to cool for a few minutes before cutting.

Makes 5 generous portions.  My rough estimate of carbs per portion is 22g.