Can't Control It

Mother's Day was a big cooking and baking day for me: waking up with dad a little earlier than mum to cook breakfast and have a pot of coffee ready to go with a plate of eggs, getting a head start on a rich and freshly flavoured cheesecake for the evening's dessert quickly after breakfast was eaten and cleared, and just before sitting down for a break, and to write, a whole spread of English tea was prepared and served, including Devonshire clotted cream (although we skipped a step and went ahead with buying the store brand).

Since experimenting with gluten free pancakes and crêpes has become sort of a regular occurrence on the weekends (banana pancakes, maple almond pancakes... To name a few, and of those posted), it didn't seem quite special enough of a meal to make for Mother's Day brunch. Plus, mum's favourite has always been a colourful and flavourful plate of freshly cooked eggs, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and you can almost guarantee a good mood out of her (and if you're lucky, a big hug afterwards) by cooking up an array of flavours in complementing herbs and vegetables with one or two softly cooked eggs. So, with the addition of our own flare in the form of steamed kale, roasted asparagus, and freshly sliced avocados, dad and I cooked for mum, which she could enjoy with a large pot of coffee split between the three of us.

We sat underneath the large bouquet of flowers that my sister and I bought for mum together, the bright pinks and purples of roses and tulips, as well as the green of baby ferns, that cast a colourful glow over the table, and made the house look both bright and cheerful - a welcome contrast from outside: overcast and rainy. It also made mum so appreciative, as she loves flowers in the house, and especially loves receiving a stunning bouquet. To show her affection, she fawned over them, placing them in the perfect jar, and cooing at the colours and the shapes of each flowers petals. Later, as we sat down for dinner, she began again, exclaiming how interesting the feathering was on one particular blossom, a perfect complement to the entire arrangement.

"More wine?" I asked, as she continued. It's a mum thing. 

Now we sit as the rain continues, huddled between packed tables with customers similarly scoping out dry ground from the rain. Orders for soups and hot chillis are flying across the counter, as the lineup builds for those who need something to warm up with - we've had our hands heated by chai lattes and London fogs. It seems odd to have everyone back to bright raincoats and dripping brollies, when only last Friday I sat outside this café in shorts and a tank top. Good thing my driving test is in the next hour. I've got the thunder to keep me company; the rain will clean the road for me as well. 

People are using anything for cover from the rain; a man walks along the sidewalk with a chair over his head, the bright colours almost as apparent as the lady ahead's North Face raincoat. I suppose we weren't the only ones caught by surprise in this rain. People beside us exclaim their mixed views on thunderstorms: some eagerly watching the sky with each clap of sound, and others who look back down into steaming mugs, taking a long sip while the sound passes overhead. 

Personally, I love thunderstorms. I love the excitement of the roaring sky and soon after the bright flicker across the clouds, casting eerie shadows for a moment. However, I'm not sure how to take this storm today; there's no telling at the moment whether its a good or bad sign as I sit nervously before my driving exam. Everything has a reason when you're nervous, and everything may or may hold some clues for what's to come. What will happen in the next hour and a half? I guess I'll just have to see what happens, there's no use worrying about it because I can only do what I am able to do, and the rest is in the examiners hands. 

Oh but how I hate leaving things up to someone else's decision. I want to be the one in control, to decide whether I've done all I need to in preparation for this test. I want to skip this nervousness as well, mainly because its of no benefit to me, or the outcome. Butterflies have never left me with a feeling of confidence, and instead keep me away from caffeine which only makes their little wings flutter more excitably. 

Luckily scones can always keep me from lifting off with the wings of butterflies - and I eye the whole wheat scones in this coffee shop enviously. (I should have brought with me the leftovers from yesterday's tea: not too sweet treats for any occasion).

Orange Cranberry Scones

{Print me here}

The refreshing taste of orange, and the tartness of cranberries make the perfect blend of flavours in these scones, baked with almond meal flour for a nutty taste as well. Everybody loves scones, and scones with the sweetness of fresh orange zest make everyone reach for a second helping. And what makes that second helping more enticing: these scones contain no added sugar, oil, or butter. In fact, they're completely dairy-free. For a vegan option, replace the eggs with an egg replacement (1 tablespoon of ground flax and 2 tablespoons of warm water per egg), and use maple or agave syrup instead of honey. Delicious either way, guaranteed!

Served with a topping of fresh jam (we like ginger peach, given to us by friends, or quince jelly - both adding an alternative flavour, one not masked by the overpowering sugary taste often had by store-bought jams and jellies), and freshly whipped clotted cream, scones bring everyone together to the table for an afternoon tea. Even if that means Skyping family members from across the country - conference calls on Skype could bring everyone from England into our home for afternoon tea.

Not just a favourite for special occasions, although the nice china is required for Mother's Day tea, scones are delicious when served with a large pot of steaming black tea.

{Makes 8 scones}

{Ingredients:}

200 grams almond meal flour
115 grams potato flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 eggs
splash of orange extract (it's really not a big deal if you don't have any of this ingredient, instead add another tablespoon of orange zest)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
orange juice as needed

{Directions:}

Preheat the oven to 325° Celsius, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, mixing well to combine.

Making a well in the centre, add the eggs, orange extract, lemon juice, and honey. Starting in the centre, mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir well.

If the batter won't stick, add in a small amount of orange juice at a time, until the mixture just begins to form a large ball.

Cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for ten to fifteen minutes - or until cooled.

Forming palm-sized balls, press the scones down onto the palm of your hand, shaping into eight scones, and placing on the baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, careful not to overcook the scones as there won't be much browning on the tops.

Cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and serve.

Enjoy! xx S

Almost English Scones

Why not add a little Valentines Day flair?

It was as I read a blog post on how to make the perfect gluten free scones on a page of Gluten Free Girl and the Chef last summer that I first began to entertain the notion of starting my own gluten free blog, after just beginning a diet free from wheat and products containing gluten. Perhaps it was the fact that I love scones just a bit too much, and finally realising that I could enjoy them again without the effects of consuming gluten, with the explanation of mixing a perfect blend of flours and a detailed recipe, lead me to think of all those horizons broadening just off the shore. (Waves lapping against the soft stones and making a soothing harmony of sounds, of course.)

Everything just became clearer, and I began a stock pile of recipes to try - have a mentioned the teetering stack of magazine clippings in my bedroom? - Scribbled ideas and replacements to experiment with fill the margins, and the recipes tried are splattered with undetectable ingredients, but at least the pages now smell like home cooking!

It may have also been the fresh reminder of fond memories of that past summer as I sat there with my iPad open to the blog page. I reminisced, there in my kitchen, and longed for the unusually hot English summer we all had enjoyed so immensely, and the basket of fresh scones, tiny pots of clotted cream and jam, and the perfectly sliced cucumber sandwiches for each of us which my family and I sat around in a little garden overlooking the crystal blue waters of the British seaside. English roses swayed from side to side with the winds tickling breath, their red hue dotted along the white fence in pretty contrast.

It was something about those scones, photographed so elegantly and enticingly, that drew me in, and not just with my appetite, but with my imagination. It was as if I thought, okay, I can really do this, as I began the plans in my head.

I admit that I was also nostalgic for the day along that beautiful English coast with my family when everyone was in a good mood and so happy to be together again for a period of the summer. We enjoyed the calm breeze as we walked along the cliffs, waves licking the jagged rocks, and snapped photo after photo of the picturesque landscape.

I may have also been drawn by the thought of having true scones again served with fresh clotted cream and a steaming pot of Darjeeling tea as my uncle, aunt, and I had during our visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum previous to the day when the rest of my family arrived in England. Amongst the historic atmosphere and delicately designed (and preserved) sculptures and artwork we relaxed beneath an extensive mural which began from the floor and extended across the domed ceiling and down again to the cracked wood floor.

I was enticed: because of the beauty and welcoming language of that post, and I was pushed to leap from the safety of experiencing the trial of going gluten free at home, privately, to sharing my venture with others, and open myself to how others appreciate the result of removing gluten from their diet. Without that post, I may not have jumped into writing that first post, to applying myself to upload photos each time, and looking back, I feel as if I would've missed out on something so special to me now had I not taken that vulnerable first step.

If you would like to read the post that brought me into the world of blogging, click here.

So to celebrate the sixth month of this blog, I have found the perfect recipe for scones, complete with homemade clotted cream. So boil the kettle, find a perfect blend of tea leaves, and steep a pot for you and your friends or family.

Almond Flour Blueberry Scones
Print recipe here.

Put an original twist on your plain scones, and enjoy the sweet taste of blueberries, you can use fresh or frozen in this recipe. What better way to enjoy the quiet afternoons than with a good cup of tea and freshly baked scone, sweetened with natural honey and made from fresh ingredients.

An indulgent bakery favourite, that those who often oppose overly sweet goods will love - no refined sugar.

Makes 6-8 biscuits, depending on the thickness and width.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almond flour, plus 1/2 cup as bench flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1-2 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions

Combine almond flour (excluding bench flour), sorghum flour, brown rice flour and baking soda in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, blend melted coconut oil, eggs, honey, and lemon juice.

Add in wet ingredients into the dry mix, stirring until a nice dough forms, adding 1/4 cup of the bench flour as needed if it is too wet.

Add the blueberries, and blend them into the dough, gently pressing them in. If you are using frozen blueberries, be careful not to over mix or your scones will end up blue - mine did! Chill the dough for over 30 minutes in the fridge, covered.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease with oil, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Between two sheets of parchment or wax paper, roll the dough out using the bench flour to keep the dough from sticking. For larger biscuits, roll the dough to 1 inch thick and cut the dough into circles with a wide biscuit cutter approximately the size of a mason jar top. For smaller biscuits, roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick, and use a smaller biscuit cutter if you prefer.

Place the biscuits 1 to 2 inches apart, and bake in the centre of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes. The edges should just begin to crisp golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving still warm and with jam and Clotted Cream (recipe below).

Almost Clotted Cream
From The Little Black Book of Tea
Print recipe here.

The magnificent accompaniment to traditional British scones, or other tea pastries, clotted cream is the "missing link" between the rich and creamy texture of butter, and the sour taste of sour cream (hence the name). Before the surge of an availability of international products in our grocery stores, clotted cream was almost impossible to get in Canada. Fortunately, this is a tasty substitute for your English tea parties.

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

6 ounces of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until it becomes fluffy. Fold in the sour cream and powdered sugar, mixing well.

Spoon into a small serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to be served.

Spread over scones or other pastries, like butter, and top with jam.

Enjoy! xx S.