Dutch Poffertjes (Wheat Free, Dairy Free)

Enjoying Dutch Poffertjes with Uncle Mat!

Just the thought of Dutch Poffertjes makes my heart do a happy dance!!! Since having discovered that I’m intolerant to wheat I could no longer enjoy these little treats, however during my last visit to Holland in June I discovered that they used to originally be made using Buckwheat flour! Unfortunately you need a special Poffertjes Pan to make these, and I’m so grateful to my Oma for giving me hers along with a delicious recipe!

Dutch Poffertjes

Ingredients:
1C Flour (Wheat free: Use Buckwheat)
1 ½ tsp Baking powder
1 Tbs Sugar
Pinch Salt
½ C Milk (DF: Use rice or soya milk)
½ C Water
1 tsp Oil
2 Eggs
1ml Vanilla Essence
Oil for the pan

Method:
1. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Mix the wet ingredients together in a jug.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into a well in the dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly.
4. Allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Oil the Poffertjes Pan, and heat on the stove. (Gas works marvelously)
6. Pour +- 20ml into each well.
7. When bubbles start to appear you can use a fork tip to flip them over and cook the other side.
8. Serve hot, piled on a plate with dots of butter and generous sprinkles of Icing Sugar.
(Warning! Don’t inhale as you take a bite ;) )

Serves 2-4

Eet smakelijk!

Day 10 - Coconut & Honey Cake (wheat,gluten & dairy free)

This Coconut & Honey Cake is one of my all time childhood favorites. My Oma used to make it on special occasions. It is a lovely moist cake with a delicious crispy topping. Delish!

Coconut & Honey Cake (wheat, gluten and dairy free)

Ingredients:
75g Butter (Df: Use Wooden spoon margarine)
150ml Milk (Df: Use rice milk)
2 Eggs
1C Castor sugar
1C Flour (Gf: Use a gluten free flour mix 275ml)
5ml Baking powder
Pinch of salt

Topping Ingredients:
100g Butter (Wooden spoon margarine)
1C Coconut
50ml Honey
50ml Milk (Rice milk)
50ml White or Brown sugar

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180*C. Grease a 23cm cake tin.
2. In a jug, melt the butter and milk in the microwave. Allow to cool until lukewarm.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add the lukewarm milk and mix.
4. Add the flour and salt and mix well until smooth.
5. Pour the batter into the cake tin and press lightly, removing air bubbles.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
7. To make the topping: Heat the topping ingredients in a saucepan until boiling, keep warm.
8. Invert the cake on to an oven proof plate and spoon the topping on top.
9. Place the cake under the grill until browned, but watch out that it doesn't burn!

Makes 1 delicious cake!

1/3 of the Way in the 31 Day Challenge!

Well I can hardly believe that we're already on day 10 of the 31 Days challenge! It's been so much fun to finally get a grip on my recipe file, and so fulfilling to see more of my recipes online. It's also been precious to take this walk down memory lane as each recipe brings back such vivid memories of a certain time or stage of my life.

It also reminds me of the precious loved ones who've shared their recipes with me. Some are family, some old friends, some I don't have the blessing of seeing anymore and some have passed away. But by sharing a recipe with me all those years ago, these recipes will continue to remind me of them and bring a grateful smile to my face each time I bake or cook.

I love how food is such a central theme around our times of getting together with the ones we love. Precious memories are made around the dinner table as we linger at the table while chatting and laughing about the day's events. Not to mention how we all gather around a memorable Christmas Dinner, or Birthday Champagne Breakfast! Eating and enjoying good food is at the core of our nature, across all cultures, and is a tradition to be treasured.

So the next time you prepare a meal for your family, try not to be rushed. Take your time, cook it with love. And encourage the recipients of your labours to savour and enjoy each bite. Linger longer at your table. Really engage with each other, take time to talk, to laugh and to listen.

And may I encourage you to take the time to share your recipes, and to leave a lasting legacy for your children, for a time when you will no longer be around to spoil them with your culinary delights!

Day 4 Bonus! Chocolate Marie Squares (DF)

Photo Credit: Hub pages . com

This is a precious recipe that brings back so many childhood memories of precious time spent visiting my Oma Jeltje on her large sunny property in South Africa with a garden most children dream of. If my memory serves me correctly she would make Date Squares for the Grown Ups and these Chocolate Marie Squares for the children at Christmas time. But they're good any time of year!

Choc-Marie Squares (DF)

Ingredients:
500g  Icing sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
4 Tbs Cocoa powder
250g  Margarine (DF: Use Wooden spoon margarine)
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 1/4 Packets Marie Biscuits

 
Method:
1. Mix the sugar, salt, cocoa & margarine with mixer in a mixing bowl.
2. Melt for 2 min in the microwave.
3. Add egg & vanilla & mix until smooth.
4. Add crushed Marie biscuits. Pour into a greased baking tray and smooth the surface.
5. Allow it to set in the fridge for 1 1/2 hours before cutting into uniform squares.

Makes: 1 tray

Day 1 Bonus! - Lemon Curd

Some of the fondest memories I have of my childhood are of weekends spent at my Oma’s house. Her home was always a warm and safe place with lots of love, cookies, play tents, picnics and bubbles, home grown veggies and Lemon Curd! It is her recipe that I share below. Last week my brother came to stay with us in Knysna for a week and on his list of fun things to do was “Make Lemon Curd”! The recipe as it appears below only makes +- 2 jars, so I recommend tripling it, we do! It stores well for a long time, just be sure to sterilize your glass jars well before hand.

Lemon Curd (with Dairy free Notes)

Ingredients:

2 Cups Sugar

125g Butter (DF: use Wooden spoon Margarine)

3 lemons – Grate the rind off one, and juice all 3

4 Eggs

2-3 Sterilized jars

Method:

1. Mix the sugar, butter and lemon juice and rind in a medium sized pot over low heat.

2. Stir constantly and bring it to a boil.

3. Beat the eggs in a jug. Pour a very thin stream of egg into the hot lemon mixture while stirring the lemon mixture vigorously. This is tricky, but if you add too much egg at a time it will harden into scrambled egg!

4. Keep stirring until the lemon curd bubbles and thickens slightly. It will set further on standing.

5. Pour into sterilized jars while still hot, seal.

6. Now all you need is a pretty home made label!

Makes: 2-3 Jars

South African Malva Pudding (G, W, D Free)

This recipe comes from my Oma Jeltje's kitchen and is an all time favorite!!! She knows that it is Malcolm's favorite dessert so she used to make it for him every time we'd go there for supper. Now that we live in Knysna, we miss out on her amazing home-cooked meals. :( Sniff
NOTE: To make this wheat, gluten and dairy free follow the brackets ()

South African Malva Pudding

Ingredients:
5ml Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 C Milk (Rice milk)
200g Flour (Use Gluten free flour)
5ml Baking Powder (gluten free)
100g White Sugar
2 Eggs
30ml Smooth Apricot Jam
20g Softened Butter (dairy free margarine like Wooden Spoon)

Sauce:
1 1/2 C Water
1C Cream (Rice milk)
1/2C Margarine
1/2C White sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180*. Spray a 2l casserole dish (make sure of size!)
2. Dissolve the Bicarb in the milk. Set aside.
3. Measure all the other ingredients into a large mixing bowl, add the soda milk and blend until smooth.
4. Spoon the mixture into the casserole dish and bake for 25-30 minutes.
5. While you wait, heat the sauce ingredients until sugar dissolves.
6. Pour the hot sauce over the pudding as it comes out of the oven. Allow it to soak in.
7. Serve hot with custard or ice cream.

Serves 10                  ~ Double to make for a crowd of 20!