Cornbread

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Multicultural Inspiration from... the world of baking!

Ever since starting out on this gluten free thing a few weeks ago, I've been constantly looking for ways to keep getting variety into my diet. I haven't been much of a bread eater for a while now, but every now and then, I just want nothing more than a nice, warm slice of bread with a bit of butter... mmm....

I discovered corn bread not long ago in a local health store. It was just a packet bread mix type thing, and it was simple enough to put together, and it was absolutely delicious. It was quite sweet - Sous-Jeff likened it more to cake than to bread, and he was right (I guess that's why I liked it so much!). So I decided to try my hand at my own version of corn bread!

I took my inspiration from the ever reliable Australian Good Taste magazine's June Cook The Issue Issue, with my own changes (of course!). Instead of following the recipe's cheese and chive method, I decided to make my own gluten free, sweeter version of the bread. Here's what I used to make this delicious loaf:

• 400g tin of corn kernels
• 400g polenta
• 115g gluten free self-raising flour
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 600ml buttermilk
• 150g butter, melted
• 3 eggs, lightly whisked

First up, preheat the oven to 180°C, and line a 18 x 18cm square cake tin (or similar sized loaf tin) with baking paper. Then, put a bit of paper towel on a plate, drain the corn kernels and pour them onto the paper towel to drain further.

Instead of using the corn kernels whole as per the recipe, I decided to throw mine into my food processor and mush them up a little first!

Into a bowl with the flour...

... and the polenta, sugar and salt.

Next in goes the processed corn kernels, buttermilk, butter and eggs, stirring until well combined.

Then, just pour the mixture into the tin and spread it evenly, smoothing it over the top.

Into the oven for around 40 -45 minutes, until it looks like this..

I let my big, square, bread loaf sit in it's tin to cool for a while before taking it out, and I know I should have let it cool a little more before slicing it open and trying a piece, but I couldn't help myself!

The result? Soft, crumbly, delicate, delicious cornbread.

It wasn't quite as sweet as the packet mix I'd made, and it had a far stronger corn flavour (given that I'd used a whole tin of corn kernels!), but it was really, really yummy! It had a very different flavour to any other bread I'd ever tasted - a bit sweet, but definitely savoury with the corn.

It literally fell apart in my fingers as I picked up a pieced to try, and crumbled away under my knife as I spread some butter onto it. Delicious, and completely gluten free! Sous-Jeff took one look at the bread, and dashed to the fridge to fetch a spoon full of his chilli jam. Apparently it was incredible; I value my taste buds, and therefore did not try any.

It actually kept surprisingly well for 4 days or so as well - surprising that it actually lasted that long! I would like to try the cheese and chives version next time now that I've mastered a basic, neutral version of the bread!

Over to you - what's your favourite bread?!

Lemon, Spinach and Ricotta Risotto

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Multicultural Influence of...Italy

So, this gluten free thing actually really isn't as hard as I thought it'd be. I must admit, after watching my sister stick to a gluten free diet for the past few years and listening to her complain about how crap the bread and pasta and other gluten free food is, I was more than a little concerned. But once I realised I could still eat rice, I was a lot more relieved. Take proper, good old fashioned pasta away from an Italian girl, and you have a problem. Take risotto too, and it's just a disaster. 

I've been eating a bit of rice pasta, which is actually no where near as horrible as I was led to believe - as long as you don't over cook it, it's actually quite nice! As for the risotto, I'm glad to report nothing's changed there, I can still cook that as normal! But I felt like being a bit adventurous after stumbling upon a post from Honest Cooking - a lemon risotto with mint and ricotta. I decided to try it without the mint, and with a bit of spinach, and a side of roast veggies. Here's how we went...

Some diced mushrooms, eggplants and zucchinis on an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkled with some basil and salt, into a moderate oven until they start to brown (about 20 minutes).

For the risotto itself, I used:

• 1 cup of arborio rice
• 50g butter
• half a diced onion
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• juice from 1 large lemon
• 3 handfuls of baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped

First, melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat

Add in the onions and cook until they begin to become see through.

Add the rice in and stir to coat with the butter and onion mixture.

Add the wine to the pan, stirring for a few minutes until the liquid begins to become absorbed, then add in a cup of the chicken stock. Add more stock as needed, stirring gently and occasionally until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.

Once the rice is cooked through, add in the spinach and stir until wilted.

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheeses, stirring to combine.

Next, add in the lemon juice and stir to combine, and season with some salt and pepper.

Out of the oven with the veggies, and onto the plate with it all!

Perfectly creamy, thanks to the ricotta, with a little bit, thanks to the lemon. I really loved the texture the spinach provided, and think next time for yet another texture I'll add in some toasted pine nuts.

It was a perfectly warm and comforting winter meal - and best of all, gluten free, so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything! Delicious :)

Quick & Healthy: Moroccan Style Stuffed Capsicums

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Multicultural Influence of... Morocco

Another trip to the Queen Vic Market, another few hours of inspiration to cook. There is nothing better than being surrounded by beautiful, fresh, vibrant produce, and I honestly believe there's no where better than the market for that. While walking through the sheds of fresh fruit, veggies, meats, breads, herbs, and everything in between, an idea springs to my mind. A big, fat, roasted red capsicum... Filled with.... stuff. Not sure what yet, I'm assuming it'll come to me as I continue my market walk. And sure enough, it does. A Moroccan inspired stuffing. Hmmm... With all of my ingredients fresh from the market, let's see what I can concoct...


First things first, oven on 180°C, and slice the tops off the capsicums.

Into the oven they go, on a baking paper lined tray, until they start to blister, turning them every 10 minutes of so.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan, and throw in some diced onion (about half a large onion) and two cloves of minced garlic, until the onion starts to soften and brown slightly.

Next, in goes around 500g of gluten free sausage mince. Looooove it!

On top of the mince, a bit of Moroccan spice mix and sweet paprika, and cook it up until it's brown and cooked through...

... like this!

Next in goes half a grated zucchini...

... and about half a cup of saffron rice (I like to put a bit of water, a bit of white wine and a pinch of saffron threads in a saucepan, and throw in some paella rice, bringing it to a boil and then simmering until it's cooked through).

After combining that, I throw in a handful of toasted slivered almonds and pine nuts, to add a nice crunchy texture and a delicious flavour.

And here's the finished product, ready to go inside the roasted capsicums! Easy!

Out of the oven with the capsicums - they're not over roasted, as I need them to still stand up in the bowl; if they're too soft, they'll just collapse.

Spoon in the stuffing and top with a bit of crumbled feta cheese!

And that's it! Quick, simple, yummy, and looks awfully pretty! And the bonus is, you can eat the bowl as you work your way through the stuffing! I think this would also work great with eggplant, or even a large tomato to hold it all in.

It may look like a bit of work and not so "quick," but it actually is - you just throw everything into the fry pan while the capsicums roast, and you can cook up a whole lot of rice and leave it in the fridge for a few days, taking out what you need as you need it! And as long as you don't use a heap of oil and very lean mince, it actually isn't terribly unhealthy, particularly because you don't need a heap of stuffing in the capsicum.

Over to you guys; where do you find inspiration to create something a little different in the kitchen?

White Chocolate & Coconut Ice Cream

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Multicultural Inspiration from... family :)

"I feel like ice cream."
"We don't have any."
"I know... I could make some..?"
"It wouldn't freeze in time to eat it tonight."
"I know... I could make some for tomorrow night...?"
"Do you even know how to make ice cream?"
"I could Google it..."


This was the conversation that went on between Sous-Jeff and I on Friday night. Ice cream cravings are a killer. And they must be dealt with swiftly. On goes the computer and I click onto Google.

Dad discovered the ice cream attachment to mum's Kitchen Aid last summer, and has been making the most amazing ice cream ever since. Unfortunately, I didn't have the ice cream attachment, or the patience to make dad's super chocolate. I do, however, have some standard Kitchen Aid attachments, a spare $10, and just enough energy to get down to the super market and back. I also had possession of a recipe that would produce a batch of ice cream quite quickly and with minimal effort and ingredients. This, I had to try.


I adapted my ice cream recipe from this one found on the recipes.com.au website. I looooove the combination of any chocolate with coconut, and have really been enjoying the white chocolate lately, so I decide to stick with that combo.


All I needed to make it was:

• a 395g tin of sweetened condensed milk
• 600ml cream (I used 300ml light cream and 300ml standard cream)
• 1/4 cup coconut rum
• 1/4 cup dessicated coconut (I used 1/2 cup dessicated, 1/2 cup shredded - I told you I like coconut!)
• 1/2 packet Nestle white chocolate melts, melted (I may have used 3/4 of a packet... and broke the rest of the packet up into smaller pieces to add in later...)

All you need to do is melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water...

... combine the creams, condensed milk and rum in a bowl...

... and then I put the flat beater attachment onto my Kitchen Aid, but I'm guessing you could just do this part with electric hand beaters (it'd just take a bit longer).

I also decided that putting the guard on would be a good idea, having an inkling that this process could get messy (and it did)...

... and I just left the Kitchen Aid to do it's thing for 15 minutes or so, until it was nice and thick like this!

Add in the melted white chocolate, white choc chips and coconut, and gently fold in...

... until it looks something like this...

... and pop it into a plastic tub and into the freezer over night!

With the ice cream freezing away, Sous-Jeff and I put on a dvd and fall asleep, almost forgetting about our little creation... Until about 10am the next morning when I simply cannot wait any longer and absolutely MUST try some!

I had my concerns, with this not being a "real" ice cream, made in a "traditional," proper fashion, but upon tasting a scoop of this creamy, sweet goodness, all of my concerns vanished. 

It scoops out relatively easily, and has the beautiful silky, creamy taste of the condensed milk (which I love), complementing the coconut and chocolate perfectly. I may have put a little too much chocolate in there, but that didn't bother me too much! Sous-Jeff on the other hand thought that it detracted from the ice cream a little.

I also discovered another fabulous add in to my ice cream - I had some left over egg whites from something else I'd made the afternoon before, and whisked them up with some sugar and some more coconut, baked them in the oven for 20 minutes or so, crumbled them up and added my newly made coconut macaroons to my ice cream - YUM!!!

Over to you lovely readers - if you could make any flavour ice cream, what would it be? And what would you top it with?