GLUTEN FREE EXPO FOLLOW UP, PART ONE

THE PASTRY PANTRY
This was the highlight of the expo for me. I had heard about this range of ready made frozen pastry sheets a few weeks ago and have been waiting (impatiently) to try them. On the morning of the expo I was telling my man-friend how excited I was that for Christmas I might be able to make some decent fruit mince pies, so imagine my excitement when that was in fact what they had as their sample dish at the stand! The pastry was impeccible, and the non-GF man-friend agreed. I purchased some of the rough puff pastry to try over the next couple of weeks, perhaps on a chicken and leek pie. I am also going to try a lemon meringue pie with some of the sweet shortcrust - will let you know how they go and share my recipes.




THE BEER FACTORY
I was hoping there would be a selection of GF beers at the expo, but there was only one, The Beer Factory. They have quite a clever idea where you can go and brew your own beer on their premises in Seven Hills or Unanderra using their equipment, making it an economical (and fun) way to get your beer. They have a large selection on non-GF beers, and one GF beer, one cider and one ginger beer. Personally I didn't like the GF beer, it was quite weak and watery. The ginger beer however was spectacular. It had a perfect mix of sweetness against the bite of the ginger. I think a batch will be necessary for this upcoming summer!




GOLDEN FALAFEL
I love a good falafel, and boy are these good! They are crunchy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside and packed with plenty of flavour. The have no trans fat and make for a healthy and easy lunch or dinner. I simply heated mine up in a pan and served with a side salad of finely chopped red cabbage, snow pea sprouts, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.



CASA DE SABOR
This Portuguese mousse is amazing. It's light and fluffy but rich at the same time. It's cream and gluten free and made from all natural ingredients. It's available in four flavours; traditional, orange (my favourite), hazelnut and mocha. You can even serve it like an ice cream straight from the freezer. I took a tub to the man-friends parents place for dinner and served it with strawberries and blueberries - delish!


I've still got lots more products to try out, so stay tuned for more updates!