MY PICK: GLUTEN FREE BREADS

Gluten free breads have come a long way since I first tasted them in 2002. I remember being appalled by the heavy, crumbly and almost inedible loaves. Now there are plenty of decent breads on the market, phew! After trialling most of them I have decided that Naturally Gluten Free is definitely my favourite brand. The loaves are a decent size (don't you just hate how some brands are miniature?! Mini cupcakes might be cute, but not loaves of bread!), and the textures and flavours are fantastic. They have a large and increasing range of products, and I am totally hooked on the Crunch savoury loaf as well as the Banana Bread. Have a look at their website to find your nearest stockist.

DOUBLE CHOC PECAN BROWNIES

Yum! These brownies are rich and fudgy. Perfect as a gift or for an afternoon treat for the office.

INGREDIENTS
200g dark chocolate
250g butter
1 1/2C brown sugar
4 eggs
1/3C cocoa
1 1/4C gluten free plain flour (I use White Wings)
1/2tsp gluten free baking powder
200g white chocolate, roughly chopped
120g pecans, roughly chopped

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 160ºC. Grease and line your tin.
2. Melt butter and dark chocolate in bowl over a saucepan on simmering water.
3. Once melted, remove from heat and add sugar and eggs and mix in well. Then mix in flour, baking powder and cocoa. The mixture should be quite thick now.
4. Fold in the pecans and white chocolate, then press the mixture evenly into the tin.
5. Pop in the oven for about 50 minutes. Once completely cool, turn out onto a chopping board, dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.

Makes about 20 squares - depending how big you like them!

DARK CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES

I'd always heard that souffles were tricky to make, so thought it would take a few goes to get them right, but these were very easy! I think the key is to have a well greased ramekin, and make sure that you pour the mixture into the ramekin evenly, not spilling any drops onto the rim or down the sides. I served mine with a chocolate cream, simply made by whipping cream with a little sugar and grated chocolate. If you don't like dark chocolate I would imagine this recipe would also work well with milk chocolate.

INGREDIENTS
Soft butter, to grease ramekins
Caster sugar, to dust ramekins
100g dark chocolate
4 eggs, separated

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200ºC. Generously grease ramekins, including rims. Pop in the fridge for about 5 minutes and grease again. Pour a little caster sugar into each ramekin and tip and rotate so that the base and sides are lightly covered. Tip out any left over loose sugar. Place ramekins on a baking tray.
2. Melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Once smooth remove from heat and stir in the egg yolks.
3. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add about 1/3 of the egg whites to the chocolate and mix in well. Then add the rest of the egg whites and fold in gently.
4. Pour or spoon the mixture evenly among the ramekins, being careful not to spill any drops down the sides or on the rims (as this will stop them rising evenly).
5. Pop in the oven for 8-10 minutes. They are ready when they have puffed up nicely. Dust with some icing sugar and serve immediately!

Makes 4 x 150ml ramekins

MY PICK: GLUTEN FREE PASTA

Over the years I have tried many brands of gluten free pasta - some awful, some okay, but the best that I have found is (surprisingly) San Remo gluten free pastas. My favourites are the Spaghetti, Penne and Spirals. Just make sure you cook them in plenty of water!

HOW CUTE ARE THESE?!

These delicious treats were created by my friend, the talented Miss Grace Lee - aren't they just gorgeous?!

NIGELLA'S CHOCOLATE PAVLOVA

My gorgeous friend Tennille sent me this recipe by Nigella Lawson. Already gluten free it didn’t need any alterations from me. It looks fantastic and is so wickedly good! It would be equally delicious topped with blueberries or figs.

INGREDIENTS FOR MERINGUE
6 egg whites
300g caster sugar
3 tbs cocoa powder, sieved
1 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING
500ml double cream
500g raspberries
2–3 tbscoarsely grated dark chocolate

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle approximately 23cm in diameter, smoothing the sides and top. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 150°C and cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. When it’s ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.
3. When you’re ready to serve, invert on to a big, flat-bottomed plate. Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter over the raspberries. Coarsely grate the chocolate so that you get curls rather than rubble, as you don’t want the raspberries’ luscious colour and form to be obscured, and sprinkle haphazardly over the top, letting some fall, as it will, on the plate’s rim.

Serves 8–10

LOOK WHO GAVE MY CUPCAKES THE TICK OF APPROVAL!

None other than Matt Preston from MasterChef!