Savoiardi for tiramisu (gluten free)

My birthday is coming up and I always celebrate with my favourite dessert - tiramisu!

Having started a wheat-free diet, I could not use the savoiardi sponge fingers that you can buy in a packet.  Boo...

But that gave me the motivation to make my own!

I used the recipe used by The Daring Kitchen for its February 2010 Tiramisu challenge, which was based on one from Le Cordon  Bleu at Home, substituting gluten free flour for cake flour.  The method is very similar to making the lemon delicious pudding as it relies on whipped egg whites for much of its puffiness and structure.

Savoiardi sponge fingers (aka. Ladyfingers)
Recipe from Le Cordon Bleu at Home, via The Daring Kitchen.
Makes around 35 2cm x 8cm fingers

3 eggs, separated
75g sugar
95g gluten-free plain flour (I use White Wings brand)
50g icing sugar

Preheat oven to 175C.  Line 2 baking trays with paper.

In a clean, grease-free bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Gradually add the sugar and keep beating until the egg whites become stiff, glossy and smooth.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks with a fork.  Fold the egg yolks into the egg white.

Sift over the flour and fold in gently until just combined.

Fill a piping bag/ziploc bag with the batter and snip off the end to create a 2cm wide nozzle.  Pipe 8-10cm strips, leaving about 2cm of space in between each strip to allow for the fingers to expand.

Dust half of the icing sugar over the strips, wait for 5 minutes (the sugar will become moist and glisten) then dust with the remaining sugar.

Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes, rotate the trays, then bake for another 5 minutes or until the fingers have puffed up and become light brown.

Take the fingers out of the oven and cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.  The cooled biscuits can keep in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.

(Note: This makes soft biscuits.  If you want the crispier sort, turn the oven down to 120C after the 15 minutes and bake for a further10-20 minutes until hard and crispy.)

Made two batches - one with icing sugar on top, and one without (I forgot!)

I will post the recipe for tiramisu later.

--


I am submitting this (again!) to Little Thumbs Up for the Egg-themed month of August!  Just a coincidence that I have been making egg-based bakes.

Little Thumbs Up has been organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and is hosted this month by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.

Lemon delicious pudding - sour story with a sweet ending

I was initially planning on making this for a friend who is very fond of lemons.  But our meeting fell through at the last minute and I found myself looking sadly at my separated eggs and zested juiced lemons.

I ended up making this anyway and enjoyed it greatly with my family.  The lemon is balanced by the sugar while retaining its lovely tang.  Paired with a generous scoop of ice cream, it makes the perfect pudding for a cold winter's night.

Lemon delicious pudding
Adapted from My Darling Lemon Thyme

40g butter, softened
140g ground raw sugar (I found that this was a little too much, might reduce it to 120g or even 100g next time)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
80ml lemon juice
250ml milk (I used "light" 98.5% fat-free milk)
Icing sugar, to finish
Ice cream or cream, to serve

Set the oven at 180 C.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.  Add lemon zest and egg yolks and beat until combined.  Sift over corn starch and baking powder and beat until combined.
Add the lemon juice and milk and stir - it will become a rather runny batter.

With clean beaters and in a clean, grease-free bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Delicately fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined.  This is a time for gentle hands!

Pour into a greased baking dish (I used a 1.6L casserole).  Create a bain marie by putting the baking dish into a deep roasting tin and filling the tin with boiling water until it comes halfway up the side of the dish.  This is infinitely easier if you pour in the water after the tin has been placed in the oven!

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until puffed and risen and golden on top.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve warm with a big dollop of the good stuff.

(Can be made in small ramekins for individual serves - don't forget to adjust the baking time, though!)

--



I am pretty excited to be linking my first real food post to Little Thumbs Up for the Egg-themed month of August!  Little Thumbs Up has been organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and is hosted this month by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.

Inaugural greetings

Hello hello!

I hail from Melbourne, Australia, so this koala is quite apt for a first post.

And the fact that I only have default Windows pictures on my computer.