Honey sweetened rhubarb raspberry syrup – honing gezoete rabarber frambozen siroop (GF-DF-SF)

Although there is a lot of cooking in my house, there is not much writing, sitting at my desk and blogging going on. Due to some serious shoulder, wrists and other joint problems I cannot do a lot at my computer.

I am also a bit out of tune, because of the cold and wet times we have here. After the long and cold winter I really need the energy of the sun now and with the lack of this vital element  my constitution is getting upset and confused, not knowing how to behave. Is it spring, or is it fall, or is the winter coming again?

Happily there are coming, slowly that is, fresh spring veggies from my organic farmer, but also on the fields and in the pots on my balcony everything is at a hold or growing just slowly,  slowly.

This week I had some rhubarb in my organic box and I just finished making a lovely rhubarb raspberry syrup or something that looks like it, inspired by the Vanilla Bean Blog. I sweetened it just a little bit after cooking.

Swirl it into some yoghurt or make a mocktail with some orange juice and sparkling water or make a spritz, the summer drink last year in Italy: Apérol with some rhubarb syrup, top with prosecco or sparkling water. Imagine the sun shining .

Rhubarb raspberry syrup (2cups)

400g fresh rhubarb

180 g frozen or fresh raspberries

2 cups of water

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3-8 tbsp honey

Clean and cut the rhubarb in small pieces.

Put all ingredients, except the honey, in a sauce pan and bring to the boil, let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain through a fine sieve and press the juices with a wooden spoon. Stir in honey to your taste, for me 3 tablespoons is enough, the perfect balance between the tanginess of the fruits and the sweetness of the honey.

Pour into a bottle and keep it in the fridge.

I let some yoghurt ooze out in a with cheesecloth coated sieve and mix it with the rhubarb syrup and some freshly baked granola.

  

                          

Rabarber frambozen siroop ( ½ l)

400 g verse rabarber

180 g verse of bevroren frambozen

½ l water

1 el vanille extract

3-8 el honing

Maak de rabarber schoon en snijd in kleine stukjes.

Doe alle ingrediënten, behalve de honing, in een steelpan en breng aan de kook, laat 30 minuten zachtjes sudderen.

Giet door een fijne zeef en druk met de bolle kant van een pollepel zoveel mogelijk sap eruit.

Roer de honing erdoor, ik gebruik 3 eetlepels, voor mij de perfecte balans tussen het zuur/wrange van het fruit en het zoete van de honing.

Giet in een fles en bewaar in de koelkast.

Ik laat een halve liter yoghurt uitlekken in een met kaasdoek bekleedde zeef en maak deze heerlijk verfrissende verrine met yoghurt, rabarbersiroop en versgemaakte granola.

Vanilla almond cupcakes – vanille amandel cupcakes (GF- SF)

Just before I fly to Rome, that is tomorrow!!, I’ll give you this so good recipe from Elana Amsterdam’s The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.

It is just right, the only things I changed was the amount of agave nectar: I halved it and that was really enough for me and I use butter instead of grapeseed oil.

I am going to Rome with my son, as a present for his passed exams, so tomorrow this same time I will be enjoying an aperitivo on a small piazza in Trastevere. I have some packing to do, and some cooking of course, but then I am ready to go. For a celiac it is said not to be bad, I will find out and let you now when I am back. I found some addresses on this site. My hotel provides me a with a gluten-free breakfast and very near to my hotel there are 2 gluten-free restaurants and even a bakery!!

Ok, to the recipe now, I’ll take some for breakfast tomorrow cause we fly at 07:00 a.m.!

Vanilla almond cupcakes (9 pcs)

2 large organic eggs, separated in 2 bowls

60 ml melted butter

60 ml agave nectar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice

275 g blanched almond flour, fine

¼ tsp sea salt

½ tsp tartaric acid baking powder

Pre heat the oven on 175 ˚C.

Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix in a bowl the almond flour, sea salt and baking powder an d set aside.

With a hand mixer whisk the egg yolks till pale yellow, then add butter, agave nectar, vanilla extract and lemon juice and whisk for a further 2-3 minutes.

Clean your mixing gear and dry well before you whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture with a spatula.

Then add the dry ingredients and fold them in gently. The purpose of folding is to keep the mixture airy. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes till the tops are golden brown and an in the middle inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool for about 20 minutes in the mold before getting them out.

They are great!

Vanille amandel cupcakes (9 stuks)

2 grote biologische eieren, gesplitst in 2 kommen

60 ml gesmolten boter

60 ml agave nectar

1 el vanilla extract

1 el versgeperst limoen/citroensap

275 g amandelmeel, fijn

¼ tl zeezout

½ tl wijnsteenzuur bakpoeder

Verwarm de oven voor op 175 ˚C.

Doe 9 papieren vormpjes in een muffin vorm.

Meng in een kom het amandelmeel, zout en bakpoeder en zet apart.

Met een handmixer mix je de eidooiers tot ze lichtgeel zijn en dan mix je er de boter, agave nectar, vanille extract en limoen/citroensap door, ongeveer 2-3 minuten.

Was de mixhaken goed en droog ze en mix dan de eiwitten met een mespuntje zout tot stijve pieken. Vouw het eiwit met een spatel in het eidooiermengsel.

Voeg dan het meelmengsel toe en schep er voorzichtig door. De bedoeling is dat het mengsel luchtig blijft. Verdeel het beslag over de muffin cups.

Bak in het midden van de oven 20-25 minuten, tot de bovenkant goudbruin ziet en een saté prikker die je in het midden steekt er schoon uitkomt.

Laat de cupcakes 20 minuten afkoelen in de vorm en haal ze er dan pas uit.

En dan: mmm

Coconut macaroons with a chocolate drizzle – kokosmakronen met een chocolade drizzle (GF-DF-SF)

I was craving for a cookie and wanted to make those so good-looking French macarons, but reading on the internet I came across the “old-fashioned” coconut macaroons, which I used to make at home with my mum.


So easy to make, so flavorsome, naturally gluten-free and ready in a sec!

When they were in the oven I made a lovely chocolate glaze, also without adding sugar, I give them 3 MMM!


Coconut macaroons (8 pcs)

75 g shredded coconut
60 ml agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 organic egg white
1 pinch of salt

Pre heat your oven on 180˚C and prepare a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.

Beat the egg white with the salt till it forms soft peaks.
Fold in the coconut, agave syrup and vanilla extract carefully.

With your hands form 8 small balls which you flatten softly into 8 flat cookies.
Bake your macaroons lightly golden in the middle of the oven, not too brown, the agave will turn bitter then.
Let them cool completely and drizzle with the chocolate glaze.


With the left-over egg yolk you can make this great aioli or you can freeze it to use later.

Chocolate glaze (GF-SF)

35 g chocolate chips or chopped bitter chocolate
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp butter
1 tsp brown rice syrup
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Melt everything except the vanilla extract au bain-marie and mix till it forms a beautiful shiny glaze. Take from the heat and stir in vanilla extract. That’s it, easy and delicious.

Kokosmakronen ( 8 stuks)

75g geraspte kokos
60 ml agavesiroop
1 tl vanille extract
1 biologisch eiwit
snufje zout


Verwarm de oven voor op 180 ˚C en bekleed een bakblik met bakpapier.

Met een handmixer mix je het eiwit met het zout tot ze zachte pieken vormt.
Voeg kokos, vanille en agavesiroop toe en spatel alles voorzichtig door elkaar.

Vorm 8 balletjes met je handen en leg ze op de bakplaat, terwijl je ze zachtjes platdrukt.
Bak je makronen in het midden van de oven tot ze licht goudbruin zijn, bak ze niet te bruin, dan kan de agave bitter gaan smaken.

Laat ze afkoelen en drizzle(?) de chocolade glazuur erover heen.

Met de overgebleven eidooier kin je deze heerlijke aioli maken of vries hem in voor later gebruik.

Chocolade glazuur (GF-SF)

35 g chocolate chips of gehakte bittere chocolade
1 tl kokosolie
1 tl boter
1 tl bruine rijststroop
¼ tl vanille extract

Smelt alles, behalve de vanille extract, in een pan au bain-marie. Roer tot een glanzende saus ontstaat. Haal van het vuur en roer de vanille extract erdoor.
Zo simpel!