Elderflower and blueberry pavlova – low fodmap low lactose

Imagine you are going to a party and have no time to prepare a dessert. If you have made the elderflower cordial recipe then you can whip up this beautiful dessert to take to a summer party and impress your friends! It will take just ten minutes to prepare. I have used frozen blueberries – cheaper than the fresh variety, when defrosted they are softer and have more juice than the fresh varieties. Forgive me for also using a purchased pavlova base – again another time saving tip. This dessert is again another treat to have occasionally in your diet – there are plenty of healthy eating recipes on my blog, sprinkled with the occasional dessert. I have not added any sugar to the blueberries as the pavlova contains plenty. It is important that people who have to follow free from diets know how to produce all recipes in my opinion – so that people can make a choice in their diet. The only concession to the ‘free from’ isle is the lactose free mascarpone cheese, which is divine.

 

Ingredients

1 Shop bought pavlova base

200g of frozen blueberries

1 tub of lactose free mascarpone cheese

70ml of Elderflower cordial

Method

Add the elderflower cordial to the lactose free mascarpone cheese and mix well

Add this to the pavlova

Pile the blueberries on the top of the pavlova

Enjoy!

Serves 6

 

 

The pavlova base was purchased by me from Morrisons, the lactose free mascarpone cheese from Tesco and the pavlova was decorated with elder flowers and borage flowers – these are not an essential addition to the dish.

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Elderflower Cordial

On a walk this afternoon I gathered a handful of elderflowers. This recipe is based on a recipe from the book Hedgerow Cookbook. The elder is a wonderful bush although it generally doesn’t look that way when you find one. It is generally a wizened looking gnarled tree with moss growing on it but it produces the most wonderful flowers and fruit – the only decision to be made is whether to pick the flowers or save them till the berries arrive later. Or you could pick a smaller amount and save some berries for later in the year, if you can get to them before the birds do. Making this squash fills the whole house with the odour of elderberry blossom and is a wonderful treat – don’t forget this is concentrated squash and yes it does contain some sugar – but this can be drunk occasionally as a treat.

 

Ingredients

12 elderflower heads

18g citric acid

1 unwaxed lemon

400g granulated sugar

3/4 pint water

 

Method

Wash the flower heads under running water and add to a bowl with lemon peel and sliced lemon.

Add the water to a pan and then the citric acid and granulated sugar.

Heat the water till the sugar and citric acid has dissolved

Pour the liquid over the flowers and lemon and leave overnight to steep.

Strain off the liquid and put it into bottles.

This will keep a few days in the fridge.

Jules_GastroRD4 Comments

Warm Potato Salad

This potato salad is great for a summer barbecue and really easy to make. I have used lactose free plain yoghurt with mayonnaise to keep the calories lower and chives to flavour the salad. If you serve it slightly warm the mayonnaise soaks into the potatoes and also it means that if you have a problem with resistant starches you can avoid these too. I used Jersey potatoes – the best, but any salad potato will be suitable to use. It really couldn’t be easier to make!

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Ingredients

450g small jersey potatoes or small salad potatoes

1 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of lactose free plain yoghurt

Chopped chives

Salt and pepper to taste

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Method

Boil the potatoes in salted water till soft.

Drain well.

Add the yoghurt and mayonnaise to a dish, season and add finely chopped chives.

Mix with the warm potatoes.

I decorated with some thyme leaves and chopped chard stems.

I hope you enjoy it!

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Lebanese grilled lamb with lactose free yoghurt

I adore Ottolenghi recipes but he does use lots of fodmaps in them so I was very surprised to find a Lebanese seven spice rub in Marks and Spencer that is low fodmap and just the right spice mix for rubbing into meat and using on a grill or barbecue. so here is a good lamb recipe for those hot days when barbecues and eating al fresco is such a good idea.

Ingredients

2 lamb steaks

Enough Lebanese seven spice mix to coat both steaks

Cook on the barbecue still well cooked*

1 pack of chard

Lactose free yoghurt (Tesco Greek)

Chopped chard stems

1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

Mix 2 heaped tablespoons of yoghurt with half a grated lemon peel and 3-4 chopped chard stalks

Take the lamb steaks and coat in Lebanese seven spice powder and grill for 2 minutes at high heat on each side – then 5 minutes extra to cook through.*Do you like your meat pink? If you do then ensure that you cook the edges till they are well seared and reach a temperature of 70 degrees C. This should ensure that pathogenic bacteria on the surface of the meat are killed. The foods to cook well through on a barbecue are hamburgers (the mince surfaces are found throughout the burger so it needs to be cooked through.) Chicken also needs thorough cooking – cook a little in the oven or microwave before finishing on the barbecue.

Blanch the chard leaves is hot water for a few seconds and serve with olives, grated lemon rind and chard. This recipe serves two people.

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Pasty

I can’t claim that these are the Cornish variety but they are tasty and the celeriac gives a nice celery flavour to them. The pasty is a portable treat that can be taken on any picnic and these are low fodmap and very filling.

Ingredients

300g of gluten free plain flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

50g butter

1 egg

1 extra egg for glazing and extra flour for rolling out the pastry

500g of beef skirt

1oog of celeriac

Fresh Thyme

Salt and pepper

Method

Add the flour to a bowl and salt and pepper and xanthan gum – stir well into the flour

Cut up the butter into cubes and rub into the flour

Add the egg and extra water if required and bring the pastry together

Knead the pastry till smooth

Chill

Whilst the pastry is chilling chop the meat and celeriac into small cubes

Add the thyme

break the second egg into a bowl and whisk

Roll out the pastry in between cling film

Cut out disks about the size of a small plate

Add a small amount of meat and celeriac and thyme to half the disk

Add salt and pepper

Brush egg around the pastry edge on the half of the disc with filling

Bring over the other half of the disk to make the lid and crimp

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash

Cook at 165 degrees C or Gas mark 3 for 50-55 minutes

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Jules_GastroRD6 Comments

Courgette and walnut salad – low fodmap

Raw courgette adds another dimension to this dish it is crunchy and refreshing. This dish uses the yellow variety but is just as good with the green courgette.

Ingredients

2 yellow courgettes

1 handful of walnuts

1 handful of pumpkin seeds

100g of corn based couscous

2 teaspoons of grained mustard

Red leaved lettuce

1 yellow pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Spiralise the courgette into thick spirals. Pour boiling water onto the corn based couscous and leave to soak up the liquid and cool, add the mustard and mix well. Combine all the ingredients to the salad season and mix well. Serve and enjoy.

Serves 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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