Can you ever have too many cookery books?

When I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease nearly three years ago, I sorted through all my foodie books weeding out the ones that would be unable to inspire my new restricted diet. Never one for baking bread, making pasta or pies my collection was surprisingly, positively brimming with gluten free recipes, although I made enough room for a couple of specific gluten free cookbooks... it is an addiction I am allowed to indulge after all.

But in doing this I did notice how I indulge much more in the researching and buying of food books than using them. Only a few are splattered with sauces and splodged with butter, as I tend to use the books for a reference to the principles of a dish I wish to cook, rather than cook a recipe step by step. And I free style much more after being in India without ANY cookbooks to rely on.

For example, one of my best friends gave me Maggie Beers' cook book last Christmas and as another festive season approaches, I realised I have not cooked a single recipe from it. I have read it from cover to cover propped up on my knees in bed, after which I dreamt of my own living in my own veranda wrapped house surrounded by a heaving diverse orchard....So with more time on my hands these days I decided to start a list - recipes I want to cook, detailing the books, recipe and pages it can be found to make it all the easier to put into action:

Chickepea flatbread

Fig Cake

Italian Christmas cake

Gluten free BBQ sauce

Almond macaroons

Gluten free choux pastry

Slow roasted shoulder of pork

Plum cake

Celeriac remoulade and much much more...

And as a testament to the power of lists, I have cooked the chickpea flat bread twice, tried my alternative Italian Christmas cake, made BBQ sauce, slow roasted a shoulder of pork... and the celeriac is lurking in the fridge. I think I need to add more recipes to my list as Ihaven'tcooked a familiar recipe all week! And the beauty of this is, I keep finding more and more naturally gluten free recipes hidden in all these undiscovered cookbooks.

You may also enjoy reading:

Gluten Free Girl

Andrew Whitely uses his gluten free loaf

Competition for Borough Market?

London Farmers's Markets, who run authentic and certified produce markets with a selection that enables you to complete your weekly shop have begun their foray south of the river. Brixton opened to much acclaim from local residents a month or so ago, and at the beginning of November they opened in Bermondsey.

Most Londoners, let along Brits are unfamiliar with places south of the river, and Bermondsey may not mean much to many. However to those in the know, this area is a foodie mecca, home to the food temple that is Borough Market, awesome local coffee roasters and merchants Monmouth Coffee and legendary fromagerie Neal's Yard Dairy. Just a five minute walk from here is Bermondsey St, an extension of foodie heaven with a great selection of restaurants, coffee shops and bars and now Bermondsey Farmers Market.

As a local (just 6minutes from my home by train) it's a real breath of fresh air to have some well priced, local, seasonal produce being sold by the producer without jostling with tourists and long lens cameras to get near to some over priced food, as is the case at Borough. A great selection of meats, seasonal veggies, apple and pear varieties demonstrating the diversity of British fruit, fresh fish prepared in front of you...these traders are why I love farmers markets.

So, for those of you in the mood for buying your weekly shop in the tranquillity of an open square free from tourists head to Bermondsey Farmers Market, open from the very sociable hours of 10am til 2pm, and you will discover the real heart of London food shopping.

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Billingsgate market

Farmers Markets

Old Delhi Spice Market

Gluten Free Pancakes for Brunch

I have always loved a weekend brunch and before I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, we frequently descended on the wide selection of places in Chiswick (where we lived before our urban Peckham life) which served all day breakfasts. By this I don’t mean the English fry up, although that had to be available as the default for Jack, but rather pancakes, waffles, brioche, poached eggs on English muffins, kedgeree and the likes of the modern American / Aussie concept of brunch.Having to eat gluten free, this is no longer much fun. Partly because you have the whole hooha of eating out and the “I’m a Coeliac” speech which for me is a little involved before the first meal of the day. But also, the gluten free selection is always the same; eggs, bacon, yoghurt, fruit... basically what I have during the week and not the indulgent, “I wouldn’t bother to make this myself for breakfast” occasion I imagine.

So rather than miss out, I have taken to experimenting with making brunch at home, and one success I have been having is with pancakes. Whilst learning about the food in India, I discovered that they use gram flour (chickpea flour) for pancakes and although the flavour of chickpeas is a little savoury for my idea of breakfast this provides a base from which to experiment. What I have found was that most gluten free flours such as rice flour, Doves plain flour, buckwheat and corn flour all make great pancakes so long as you add enough liquid. I find that adding a touch of baking powder lightens the mixture, and leaving it to rest seems to help in making a richer batter too.

The recipe below is interchangeable depending on the flours you have to hand. When I was in India I used to make coconut pancakes substituting some of the milk for coconut milk producing a richer and moister breakfast base.

In terms of toppings, I go with the season’s fruit offerings, topped with yoghurt, crème fraiche or whatever’s in the fridge, but this morning’s winning combination was vanilla apple compote, with crème fraiche and maple syrup. I’m next going to try mixing stuff into the batter... pear slices with cinnamon, raisins and maple syrup or even the last of my frozen blackberries.

Ingredients

2tbsp Doves gluten free plain flour

2tbsp rice flour

2tbsp gram flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1tbsp sugar

Pinch of salt

1 egg lightly beaten

about 100ml of milk

Method

Mix together the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt making a well in the centre.

Add the egg to the well and mix in the flours gradually.

Pour in about half the milk and mix in all the dry ingredients.

You want to get the mixture to a double cream consistency, so trust yourself and use your judgement. If you add too much liquid, whisk in a little more flour a little at a time.

Set the batter aside for 10-20mins to rest if you have time.

Heat a heavy based pan on a low heat and melt a small knob of butter in the pan. (most pans are non-stick as are mine, however I like the flavour it gives. Feel free to use a little sunflower oil instead.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the mixture onto the pan to make a scotch pancake size, and repeat depending on the size of your pan and how many you can fit in.

Cook on a low to medium heat and watch for bubbles to appear on the uncooked surface before flipping the pancake with a fish slice. This should take a minute or two.

Cook on the other side for a similar amount of time being careful not to overcook and dry out your breakfast.

Remove from the pan to a warmed plate and cover in foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Devour with seasonal toppings and yoghurt, or whatever takes your fancy.

You may also enjoy:

Savoury Brunch

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes

Films for thought

Have you seen the film Julie and Julia?

Being both a foodie and massive Meryl Streep fan, I was there like a shot. I loved it. Belly laughing out loud is so much fun, as was saying “BONJOUR!!!!” a la Julia all the way home.

But it did unexpectedly make me think about the future of my own blog, which I have been unable to write on. Julie, a central character who blogs about her year cooking every recipe in the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child came across as self referencing and wallowing. She seriously made me cringe. Is that how the world sees bloggers, self indulgent, self referencing, forever aspiring writers? It put me right off going online, and made me really try to answer the question I have been considering for a while now; do I want to keep my blog going.

So whilst I refrained from posting and mulling the decision over I then watched the film State of Play, where another lame-o girly opinion posting blogger worked for a newspaper. She too was this waif of a writer, who just posted gossip and opinion... the case was going firmly for shutting Figs and Lavender down.

But then I started experimenting with gluten free flat bread, meanwhile thinking about all the pointers to make on a blogpost about it. Following this, I read a piece by my friend Jo over at Capers in the Kitchen about the importance of blogs, especially for women which swayed my decision further... Blogs do have a place... which brought me back to the reason I began writing here nearly two years ago... to share with the world my gluten free discoveries. Be they recipes, restaurant experiences or honest accounts of the challenges faced living naturally gluten free I want people to benefit from my experience and experiments.

So you are stuck with me for another couple of years at least. Although only until I get the book deal and subsequent film made, of course!