Gordon Ramsay's Home Made Baked Beans

Its been a while since I've posted a Gordon Ramsay recipe, so on this particularly grim British day, I thought I'd warm you up with Gordon's home made baked beans. 

This really should be a guest post from my Husband, but, since he'd much rather be a passive participant, he has graciously allowed me to write the post on his behalf. 

There's something very endearing about a man cooking breakfast, and certainly something I encourage. 

While Pete is definitely in his element alongside the BBQ, he also does a mean Sunday brekkie. 

Raspberry & Lime Financiers (GF)

Ever since becoming gluten intolerant a year ago, Financiers have been my go-to cake. 

Made with almond meal they are dense and sweet, and I make mine with polenta for a little extra crunch! 

12 months ago I posted a recipe for Blueberry & Lavender Financiers, and today I wanted to share a new flavour combination, Raspberry and Lime. 

My friend Meeche is a coeliac and Saraidy makes her the Blueberry Financiers every time she wants to sneak some sweet baby cuddles, and so I thought I'd share a new flavour for you girls to enjoy!!

The ingredients and method are largely the same, but to refresh you...

Gluten Free Brown Sugar Cookies for every bunny

Wishing you such a wonderful Easter Sunday. 

The Easter Bunny has had a bit of a struggle finding us this year, so we are having a very low key Easter (but so far I've managed two serves of ice cream before 2pm, so don't feel too sorry for me!).

Maple Bacon Fudge

It's fudge time.

It's Easter time.

They go one go hand in hand!

Every year it has been our tradition at Easter time that Husband and I would bake fudge (to make me less mopey about being allergic to chocolate).

We really only ever make it just this one time of the year, so whenever I send him a photo of fudge on the stove, he knows Easter is near!

But I wanted to introduce you to something kind of amazing this year....

Weekender Biscuits (GF)

This is one of those recipes from The Australian Women's Weekly "Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits" cookbooks that I think every kid growing up in Australia would know, but the rest of the world raises an eyebrow to! There's a lot of things in that category I have discovered, but don't worry there's not a trace of vegemite to be found. If you'd rather, think of them as "Cornflake Cookies"

I think these are called Weekender Biscuits because they don't last more than the weekend. 

I haven't had these cookies in such a long time, but when I was in Jersey and bought an entire box of Gluten Free Cornflakes (to last just 5 days) I had plenty to spare and so I thought I may as well try and see how they go being gluten free. And well, they were delicious to be frank! 

Rolled in cornflakes (which can be GF) and filled with sultanas (to add some moisture) you would never know they aren't the real deal. We ate an entire batch when we were wandering around the Jersey Zoo, so I had to make another batch to photograph. Shame. 

All the kids gobbled them up too, and each batch lasted just the one day, so maybe they can be called the Saturdayer Biscuits in our house! 

I thought I'd share it with you this fine Friday morning in case you are looking for a new cookie to try this weekend, or want a nostalgic trip down memory lane! Either way, nom nom nom. 

So whatever you call them, however long they last, they are definitely worth making this weekend!

I hope you have something fun planned for the weekend! We are hoping to cheer Oxford on in the Boat Race (unless its raining, we are fair-weather supports) and are hoping to get to the V&A. What have you got on?

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Gordon Ramsay Caramelised Figs : An Anniversary Treat

I've been trying so hard not to write another Gordon Ramsay recipe, but I just can't help it, these are too great to not share!

I love meals that look impressive, but that are actually really easy to make. It was my Husband and my anniversary this week and even though we didn't exchange presents, I did want to make him a special dessert. And as "fruit" is the traditional symbol of a 4th Anniversary, I knew that I wanted to make a fruity dessert. 

When I saw Gordon baking some figs on his Ultimate Cookery Course program I was intrigued. I knew I didn't like figs, but these looked delicious. To say that I don't like figs, is well, a stretch, considering I had never even had one. I am a texture person, and figs challenged my perspective on texture!! Its weird but true. But the seeds, the thick skin, the flesh, it was just all too texturally diverse!!

But I was curious enough with this recipe to give figs a go. When they look like this, its kind of hard to keep nattering on about texture!

Gordon Ramsay caramelised figs Gordon Ramsay caramelised figs Gordon Ramsay caramelised figs

So I made some caramel, baked for 10 minutes and then THOROUGHLY enjoyed my first (and second) fig! 

It is so easy to do, and looks so striking on the Rosemary stick. 

If you like figs (or if you too are scared of them) then you will love them baked, caramelised and on a rosemary skewer!

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 rosemary sprigs
12 fresh figs
4 tbsp icing sugar
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp caster sugar
30g butter, cubed

Method:

1. Make the caramel - - melt the sugar in a pan until it starts to colour, approximately 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and mix in the butter, 2 tablespoons for balsamic vinegar and a dash of water.

2. Remove most of the leaves from the rosemary, all but the end sprigs. Cut the woody end of the rosemary into a sharp point, and thread through the tops of each fig.

3. Sprinkle the icing sugar across the figs and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of balsamic.

4. Place the threaded figs in a baking dish and coat with the caramel.

5. Bake in a moderate oven for 10-15 minutes.

6. Serve immediately with ricotta cheese (or maple cream if you want a real sweet hit) and Gordon sprinkled some almonds over them too, which would be lovely, but I didn't have any on hand. 

There is the slightest hint of rosemary within the figs, which is perfectly balanced by the caramel. The balsamic vinegar in the caramel seems odd at first, but it totally worked. 

I paired the figs with a  maple cream, but it really should go with a dollop of ricotta, as the cream was too sweet. So that's what I will change for next time! 

The flesh is soft and sweet, the seeds crunchy, and the caramel is just divine. My caramel was a little chewy because I was taking photos before serving, but it didn't compromise the flavour, I was licking the bowl clean! 

I'm so happy that I finally gave figs a go, I can't wait to make them again, but this time with the ricotta! Am I the only one who has hesitated with figs??



Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Baked Ricotta Cheesecake with Caramel & Macadamia nuts (GF)

Baked Ricotta Cheesecakes, I've always knew that they existed out there, but never really wanted to stray away from my trusty New York Baked Cheesecake. But, in a bid to be a teeny bit of a healthier dessert option, I explored some cheesecake recipes until I found one that sounded divine. Lost are the health benefits when you add salted caramel sauce and caramelised macadamias, but hey, you can't win them all!!

I made this recipe on Friday when we had a good friend around for dinner and as my Husband said, I have to share this one straight away! It was so much lighter and less "tut tat" than a regular NY Baked. Tut tat is what I call the sensation of when the cheesecake sticks to the roof of your mouth, in case you were wondering!! 

I found this magnificent dessert on Yue's Handicrafts and its one for the books thats for sure. 

You could use any nut you like, but macadamias are by far my favourite nut and was one of the main reasons why I chose this recipe in the first place. There are a few steps involved in this cheesecake, and I plan to use the standard base recipe again and experiment with a citrus topping. 

I followed the recipe, all but for the base. I bought some gluten free cookies to use with melted butter to make the base, so that the entire dessert could be gluten free. I also ended up baking my cheesecake for an additional 15 minutes, for some reason it just seemed way under after 40 minutes. 

Here is the recipe, straight from Yue..

For the Crust160 g any dry/sweet biscuits
40 g unsalted butter, melted

Ricotta cheesecake filling400 g ricotta cheese
200 g cream cheese
120 g caster sugar
1/2 vanilla pod, split & seeded
4 eggs
75 g soured cream

Preparation
Preheat oven at 140C.
Line a parchment paper on the base & grease the side.
Whiz the biscuits into crumbs & mIx with butter, press into the prepared pan.

Method:
1. In large bowl, cream together the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, sugar & vanilla seeds.

2. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, followed by soured cream until smooth.

3. Pour into the prepared pan & bake for 40 min.

4. Turn off the heating, leave the cheesecake to cool inside the oven.

5. Remove from the oven & refrigerate for at least 2 h.

Butter caramel sauce160 g granulated sugar
65 g unsalted butter
100 ml whipping cream

1. In a saucepan, heat together the butter & sugar until amber brown.

2. Carefully add the whipping cream & stir until smooth.

3. Remove from heating & set aside for cooling.

Caramelised macadamia nuts200 g macadamia nuts
120 g granulated sugar

1. Roast the macadamia nuts at 140C for 15 min & line a tray with a parchment paper.

2. In a clean pan, heat sugar until it caramelises.

3. Add the nuts & mix gently until most nuts are coated in caramel,

4. Pour the nuts on the tray & leave to set.

5. Once set, chop roughly & use for decoration.

If you enjoy a cheesecake and are keen to try a slightly lighter version, give this one a try! Its a bit of a mess, but you'll enjoy cleaning it up!!!

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Gluten Free Pear & Almond Cake (my version of Valentines Day!)

Happy Valentines Day to everyone out there who celebrates it! With my Birthday in February and our anniversary in March, we have more than enough Lovin' happening at this time of the year so are happy to sit this day out and leave Feb 14th to you!! 

Even though I don't officially celebrate the Feast of Saint Valentine on this one particular day each year, doesn't mean I that I don't express my love for my loves in my way, with food (and I don't miss out on all things heart-shaped either (glittery gold heart elbow pads and heart plasters)). 

I have always expressed love through food. It is how I care, comfort, celebrate and love.

It is kind of like a book of Maddie's (Hug Time, I've mentioned it before), in which the little cat tries to go around the whole world hugging everyone, and finishes with this...

"The world is so big...And yet so small, It's time that we embrace it all. That's something that we all can do. Start with the one who's closest to you"

And so I bake. And cook. And embrace the one's who are closest to me, by cooking and baking with all of my heart.

I wanted to share this recipe today because it is how I am loving on you for reading meg-made, commenting, emailing and supporting me. I express my appreciation and love with food, so this particular Valentines Day I share with you a new favourite and delicious sweet treat!

I have started really experimenting with my Gluten Free cakes lately, mostly using almond meal/flour as the base flour. The tried and tested Orange & Almond was always a winner, so next I tried a Carrot & Almond cake, and that too was a winner. So when I found a recipe for a GF Pear & Almond cake I knew I had to give that a try too. And it too, did not disappoint. 

The first clear sign that I was onto something good was the titled of the blog where I found it, Momma's Gotta Bake! I love it! The number of times I've said this to my husband in the past two years when I've been stressed out of my whits and needed to relax, "can you watch Maddie for a bit honey, Mama's gotta bake!!". It was where I went to when I needed my happy, quiet and therapeutic space. 

This recipe is directly from Mamma's Gotta Bake  the only change I made was that I only made half the recipe (big mistake that turned out to be!!). 

Ingredients

4 pears, any kind, 3 for batter 1 for topping

1 3/4 cups sugar plus additional 3 teaspoons

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 1/4 cups ground almond meal

8 large eggs, room temp

1 teaspoon, plus additional 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon neutral tasting oil (like canola or grape seed)

1/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and place the rack in the center position. Spray a 10″ spring form pan with cooking spray. PAM original cooking spray is gluten free, however PAM Spray for Baking is not.  Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit on the bottom of the spring form pan.
2. For my cake, I used  Bartlett, Anjou and Bosc pears, but any firm ripe pear will work.  Peel and core the three pears and then roughly chop them. Place the chopped pears into a small saucepan and add the lemon juice and 3 teaspoons of sugar. Cook the pears over medium heat in the covered pan for 10 minutes. Let cool. When cooled, mash the pears with a fork into a coarse puree.
3. Place the almond meal and 1 3/4 cups sugar in the bowl of a large food processor, and give it 5-6 long pulses. (This makes a large quantity of batter, so you’ll need a large food processor, not the mini kind). Add the eggs one at a time, along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and the pear puree. Pulse until all ingredients are incorporated. Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor, you can use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour the batter into the spring form pan.
4. Next, peel and core the fourth pear and slice it into 1/4″ slices. In a medium skillet, heat the oil and the honey stirring until the mixture begins to bubble. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. Add the pear slices and toss gently to coat.
5. Sprinkle the almonds over the top of the cake, and add the pear slices in a pinwheel shape. Spoon the remaining sauce in the pan over the top of the cake. Bake for 55-65 minutes until the cake begins to brown and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. As my cake was starting to brown too much, I placed some foil over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking. Keep in mind that all ovens are different so the baking time is an estimate. 

(Here's my little foil creation that I put around and on top of my cake to continue cooking the middle, without overcooking the outsides....)

  6. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes and then you can remove the sides. 

PMI

Plus = No GF floury taste, moist yet light, love the honey'd pear on top!

Minus = Only that I made 1/2 batch

Interesting = It's like an apple tea cake, but with pear!!

I wish you a happy Valentines Day today and hope you are embracing the one who's closest to you!

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Meg(a) Hash Brown Baked Eggs Benedict (gluten free)

Eggs benedict have always always been a firm favourite of mine. My friend Saraidy and I used to rate  the eggs benedict wherever we ate so that we could find the ultimate hollandaise in Brisbane! And it seems this quest is still going strong, as it's seems I've been ordering it around the world a lot lately too... there was Sarabeth's, Granger & Co, Gramercy Terrace, just to name a few!

I made it my goal about 10 years ago to learn and perfect a homemade hollandaise sauce, and ever since then, we've had Egg's Benedict every other weekend! 

I wrote a post on my old blog two years ago about my "Meggs Benedict" but have been experimenting in the past few months with some new types of Benedict, and I do believe I have come up with the ultimate Meg(a) Hash Brown Eggs Benedict!! 

Whether you  have avocado or don't, whether you prefer ham or smoked salmon, or even if you like wilted spinach or don't; THE single most important component of a good benedict is the hollandaise. 

If it's rubbish, the whole thing will be ruined. I like mine to be buttery, thick, creamy, not too tangy and definitely lots of it!! I don't know if anyone would be interested in knowing how I make mine or not, but I wanted to share my recent brunch trial which was a bit of a shake up of the old Benedict. 

Firstly, as I can't eat gluten I don't get to enjoy a toasted bagel or muffin I'd rather not have any bread at all. I've been making mini potato hash browns (potato cakes) to use as the base, but recently tried a few new ways, and then I discovered that my favourite way, is also Gordon's way.

Yes yes yes, I am Gordon Ramsay obsessed right now, but seriously we are so much in sync right now it's scary!!! So much so that the other day my Husband said to me "you and Gordon are two peas in a time-displaced pod". He is definitely the chef I most resonate with and aspire to be like, and who cooks so many meals that I adore! I was excited to see him making one giant hash brown too, as the basis for baked eggs, but more excited that he left it there, and allowed me to elevate it to the next level and make Benedict out of it!

I Instagrammed a photo of this huge hash brown that I made in my Le Creuset Casserole dish, which I then used as the base for brunch with some friends recently. 

It was so much easier to make breakfast like this for a group, no fiddling around with 8 small hash browns, and it looked far more impressive (for half the effort) too!!

To make the Giant Hash Brown (Gluten Free):

Grate 3 large potatoes and then squeeze out all of the water. Microwave for about 4 minutes until the potato is partially cooked. Then add a some salt and little gluten-free flour so that the potato is less sticky and easier to handle (no more than half a cup). Then put some oil and butter in a non-stick pan and cook until browned on both sides. 

Then arrange the ham on top of the hash brown in a ring formation to form a bit of hollow for the eggs to go. Crack your eggs and then place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs (although always until the whites are cooked through). 

Cover with your creamy and buttery Hollandaise, and I like mine served with avo, but to each their own!! It was so so good and everyone enjoyed every last mouthful!

This was the brunch that we then served up the Brunch Dessert for, as we were all feeling a little on the heavy side after this feast!!!! 

PMI

Plus = gluten free, creative take on eggs benedict, filling, delicious, easy to make for entertaining

Minus = was pretty heavy and I overbaked the eggs a little, I need to practice baking eggs more!

Interesting = You are limited by your pan, so generally can't fit as many eggs as you'd normally have

I am really getting into Brunch these days, we are finding it to be the perfect social catch ups with a toddler! So I'll apologise now if you are getting a bit sick of seeing Brunch ideas here, but also, warn you that there are many, many more to come!!!

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!