Thursday 27 March 2014

Mother's Day Afternoon Tea

If brunch and a pre-baked gift does not suit your mum, then surely an afternoon tea will tick all the right boxes.





If you need an easy option, we love Glebe Farm's seriously simple scone mix- all you need are a couple of basic ingredients and some clotted cream and lovely strawberry jam. Take all the credit for making a perfect addition to the afternoon tea (without revealing that Glebe Farm did all the hard work for you!)

Other useful additions to the afternoon tea menu are finger sandwiches (of course). We love to use Barkat Multigrain Sliced Bread to make ours- we cut of the crusts and then fill with egg mayonaise, cucumber and cream cheese and if we are feeling really naughty chocolate spread and banana. Surely that wil put a smile on your mum's face?



We also think Warburton's Blueberry Muffins will make a great addition on your afternoon tea table.



Other ideas are Barkat teacakes, wafers and ginger cookies!


So whether you are spoiling your mum with an outing at one of our favourite Gluten Free destinations or if you making a special afternoon for her at home- we hope you have a lovely Sunday with all the family!

Tuesday 25 March 2014

Mother's Day Preparations


Yesterday we gave you brunch options, but if you'd rather give your mum an edible gift that she can share with the family (yourself included) why not go for one of these yummy cake recipes:



Rhubarb and Lemon Cake


Ingredients:
  1. 225g caster sugar

  1. Zest 1 lemon

  1. 4 medium eggs at room temperature, beaten

  1. 75g ground almonds

  1. 200g Barkat all purpose flour

  1. 140g forced rhubarb, washed and cut into small chunks

  1. 1 tbsp demerara sugar

  1. For the topping

  1. 75ml double cream

  1. 3 tbsp lemon curd, plus extra for drizzling




  1. Method:


  • Heat oven to 180C. 
  • Lightly butter a deep, round 20cm cake tin and line the base with a circle of non-stick baking parchment.
  • Place the butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy, then add the caster sugar and lemon zest and beat again. Gradually add the eggs to the mixture, beating well with each addition, until fully combined. The mixture will begin to look glossy – if at any stage the mixture curdles, beat in a spoonful of ground almonds and continue to add the egg until it is all mixed nicely!
  • Stir in the ground almonds, then the gluten free flour, and fold everything carefully together using a large spoon. 
  • Fold through half the rhubarb, then transfer the mixture into the prepared cake tin and scatter with the remaining rhubarb. Finish with the demerara sugar sprinkled on top. Bake the cake for 45 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
  • Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly in the tin, then remove from the tin. When the cake is cold, make the topping.
  • Whip the cream in a large bowl until it forms soft peaks. In a small bowl, loosen the lemon curd with 1 tbsp water and carefully fold it through the cream, without overworking. Spread over the cake, drizzle with a little more lemon curd just before you serve it!



If you're after another fruity option - make your mum one of our favourite baking treats: 

Peach, Blueberry and Soured Cream Muffins

Ingredients:


Method:


  • Heat the oven to 200C and put 8 muffin cases in a muffin tray. 
  • Mix the flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl, add the melted butter, soured cream, eggs and lemon zest and beat just long enough to give a thick, smooth mixture – making sure you don’t over-beat. Carefully stir in the fruit and finally the sparkling water (this is what makes the muffins so light and fluffy), until just evenly combined.
  • Divide the mixture between the muffin cases – they should be nice and full. Sprinkle generously with the sugar and bake for 25-30 mins or until risen and golden. The muffins are best served just warm.
  • They keep fresh for about 3 days and you can just heat them up in the microwave.


If you want an easier option, just order one of our favourite fruity cake mixes by Glebe Farm. You just need to add a couple of basic ingredients and they taste like you've spent hours slaving away in the kitchen! 

We love the blueberry and cranberry muffin mix!


Enjoy these fruity treats with your mum. More ideas to come tomorrow!

Sunday 23 March 2014

Gluten Free Gifts for Mother's Day


Mother's Day is just around the corner. Spoil your mum this weekend by indulging her with some of our favourite gluten free treats. 



Let's kick of our list of ideas with: 

Breakfast in Bed:

There's nothing better than having breakfast delivered straight to your bed. We love eggs in the morning and this toastie recipe is seriously special! 

Ingredients:

2 slices of Barkat country loaf
1/2 ripe avocado
A segment of lemon
A few slices of smoked salmon
1 large egg

Method:


  • Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Butter both sides of each slice of bread, then cut a large circle or heart (if you have a biscuit cutter) out of the centre of one slice.
  • Place the slices of bread, including the cut-out piece, into the frying pan and cook for 2 mins until golden. While the bread is cooking, slice the avocado and squeeze over the lemon juice. 
  • Flip the bread over, then crack the egg into the cut-out hole. After 1-2 mins, the whole slice of bread and cut-out piece should be golden brown on both sides. Place the whole slice of bread on a plate. Cover the pan with a lid, or some foil, and lower the heat. Continue cooking for a further 1-2 mins until the egg is done to your liking.
  • Top the toasted slice of bread with the avocado, smoked salmon and season with a twist of pepper. Put the egg-in-the-hole slice on top and serve with an extra wedge of lemon, if you like.




This dish looks great too!

If your mum has more of a sweet tooth why not serve some Barkat waffles with a drizzle of maple syrup and berries?




All you need to do is toast the waffles, transfer to a plate and then add your favourite sweet (or savoury) toppings!

We will be adding different indulgent Mother's Day gluten free treats all week! 
So come back for more...