Recipe: Sugar Free Marzipan (Easy, Low Carb & Gluten Free)

Marzipan and marzipan cookies are a favourite holiday treat of mine. Had I known how easy Marzipan was to make I'd have started doing this years ago.

Sugar Free Marzipan

2.5 cups Almond Meal
1 cup Swerve or erythritol
2 egg whites
1/2 tspn Pure Almond Extract
1 tspn Rosewater (optional)

Method

• Using an electronic food processor or mixer add the almond meal and Swerve

• Alternative sweeteners like Splenda or Stevia can be used but Swerve is the best for taste and carb value in confectionery. 
• Swerve does have carbs but as a sugar alcohol it does not affect blood sugar and can be discounted from the net carb values. 
• Pulse the dry ingredients until a fine powder is formed

• Separate your eggs and put the yolks asside - these will not be used in the recipe and should be used in another dish

• Add the egg whites, Almond extract and Rosewater if using then pulse until a crumbly dough is formed
• Knead on a clean non stick surface - if required dust with a small amount of almond meal to prevent sticking. 

• Once properly kneaded a slightly sticky but smooth dough should be formed
• You can use marzipan in cookies, cakes and pastries but they also make beautiful cake decorations or sweets on their own

• Here I'll show you how I prepared these giftable marzipans using a Mooncake mold but any cookie cutter or pastry plunger cutter works perfectly
• Traditional mooncake molds look like large wooden paddles that you press cakes and pastries into to form presentation shapes for Mid Autumn Festival in Chinese communities, they can be fiddly to get cakes out of. 
• Modern day plunger molds are perfect for forming marzipan and other thick pastries and cost less than $20 for a set. They can be bought online direct from China or via domestic US online stores like Amazon

• Roll out your marzipan to the desired thickness, remember this is a heavy sweet due to the nut content so 1cm (~1/2 inch) is more than enough
• Press the outside of the mold flat to your board and then plunge the decorative pattern into the marzipan, hold for around 2 seconds and then lift the plunger and remove the marzipan
• You may need to push the plunger back down and carefully peel the marzipan off the design, particularly for intricate patterns
• Place in an air tight container and refrigerate until consumption
• If desired dip into 100% cocoa chocolate which has been tempered, but these are delicious on their own
• Makes around 18 1 inch square confections - each serving is 96 calories, 8.3g fat and 1.1g net carb

Recipe: Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Who doesn't love red velvet cake? I see it more as a vehicle for eating cream cheese frosting but the moist dense buttermilk cake is a real hit and stays fresh for several days in the fridge.

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups Plain (all purpose) flour
1 1/2 cups Caster (bakers) sugar
1 tspn baking soda
1 tspn fine salt
1 tspn cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups Canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tbspn red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 tspn white or white wine vinegar
1 tspn vanilla extract
oil / butter for the cake tin
Maraschino cherries for decorating

Cream Cheese frosting:

500g (2 packets) Cream cheese
4 cups Icing (Confectioners) sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (equivalent to 2 sticks)
2 tspn lemon juice

Method

• Preheat your oven to 180C (350F)
• Oil a large cake tin or two layer tins and then dust with flour
• In a large jug or bowl beat the eggs and then add the other liquid ingredients - buttermilk, oil, food colouring, vinegar and vanilla

• Into a separate bowl sift the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, sugar, salt and cocoa
• Into a mixer on low alternate the dry and wet ingredients - 1 cup at a time

• Mix on a medium speed until well combined
• Spoon the mixture into the tin and then smooth the top with a spatula
• Place the tin into the middle of the oven and cook for 30 -35 mins until the middle springs back
• If you are dividing the mixture between two tins then rotate the tins after 15 mins
• Once cooked move the cake to a cooling rack
• After 10 mins remove the cake from the tin and turn back onto the cooling rack
• Once the cake is cooled (and not before!) make the frosting, if you premake the frosting it will lose its consistency and if you try to frost a warm cake it will melt
• Cut the cake in half and leave open to ensure it is cool on the inside while you prepare the frosting
• De-stem and cut your Maraschino cherries in half, leave soaking on paper towel to remove as much of the syrup before you decorate the cake. Syrupy cherries will leak red food colouring onto your beautiful cake and ruin the look of the frosting.
• Let the cream cheese and butter reach room temperature so that they are easy to mix
• Place in a stand mixer and cream the butter until it is pale in colour 
• Add the cream cheese, you may want to add this one half brick at a time
• Then add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time on low (so you don't spray fine sugar all over the kitchen!)
• Once all the cream cheese is incorporated add the lemon juice - or if you prefer you can use vanilla instead but I find lemon brings out the tang of the buttermilk in the cake
• Leave the icing on a medium speed for 4-5 minutes, this will make it light and fluffy and should increase the size of the frosting by about 50%
• Transfer the bottom half of  your cake to a stand or platter and cover the layer with frosting, around 1/2 - 1 cup should provide a thick central layer of frosting
• Carefully place the top half of your cake over the bottom
• Frost all over the top and sides of the cake - use a cake spatula and a turning decorator if you have them
• Once frosted add your drained Maraschino cherries and any birthday candles or candy decorations

Recipe: Spritz butter cookies

Spritz cookies (Spritzgebäck) are a holiday favourite - fancy butter cookies in delightful shapes. What they don't tell you is that they're cheap and easy to make. Forget the expensive tins of butter cookies - Make your own!

For a one time investment of $15 - $20 a cookie press turns out beautiful shapes and adds a little kitchen magic to your baking routine. You can even buy seasonal cutter discs to keep things fresh. 

Spritz cookies

1 cup (2 sticks or 250g) Butter

2 1/4 cups Plain Flour

1/2 cup Castor (Baker's) sugar

1 tspn Vanilla Essence

1 egg

pinch of salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) 
• Soften the butter by leaving out of the fridge or microwaving for 15 seconds (no more!)
• Cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture looks pale
• Add the vanilla and the egg and whip into the butter mixture
• Add the flour and salt and mix until a crumbly dough is formed
• Form a sausage made of dough and feed into the tube of the cookie press
• Line a baking tray with paper or silicon then place your cookie press flat on the tray, pump the handle once to 'spritz' a cookie onto the tray. Some designs may require 2 pumps of the handle. 
• Bake for 8 - 10 mins or until lightly browned around the edges
• Using a spatula carefully move these immediately to a cooling tray. The cookies are delicate while warm - never fear they will cool quickly and you can always eat any broken ones.
• Once cooled move to an airtight container or line a cookie tin with paper - this will prevent the cookies going stale. 
• This recipe should make 2 - 3 trays of small cookies. For the Christmas season I will usually make a double batch. 

Tips:

• Once the cookie press is empty, refill and change the disc - this ensures a variety of shapes throughout your batch
• The key to good spritz cookies is the consistency of the dough - follow the recipe exactly and if you are making a double batch move half the dough to the refrigerator while you are working
• Make sure to clear the bottom of the press before placing again on the tray, sometimes the pressure from the cookie press will cause dough to 'ooze' between cookies and mess up the shape.
• It can take a little practice to get the shapes right. Don't be afraid to remove wonky cookie shapes from the tray and try again - you can always add the dough back to the bowl
• These are delicious plain but they're even better with sprinkles! Consider decorating with one of the following ideas:

• Add food colouring in seasonal colours to the egg/butter mix before adding the flour 
• Glaze with egg wash and then sprinkle with coloured sugar before baking
• Push chocolate chips into the center of the cookies while still warm so that they melt onto the cookie
• Glue sugar pearls or sprinkles in holiday colours to baked cooled cookies with icing
• Dip in a sugar glaze or melted chocolate 

Bask, San Francisco

I come from a Basque family so going to a restaurant like this means competing with my grandmother's cooking, and that's dangerous. San Francisco has a surprisingly large Basque community including multiple Basque restaurants and a cultural centre, so I'm hopeful when I book dinner with friends.

The Lauburu (Basque cross) is on just about everything, which is a sure sign that the staff and owners are actually Basque. I have a lauburu tattoo which quickly draws attention from our waiter and he asks about where my family is from. It turns out the chef at Bask is from Eibar in Gipuzkoa - the same home town as my family - and the food is consequently authentic and familiar.

There are larger 'main' dishes on the menu but I think of pintxos as the ultimate Basque food, and since I'm catching up with friends from Australia some drinks and a variety of small plates is about perfect.

Charcuterie plate $15USD

Serrano ham, chorizo and blood sausage are served with lots of bread. Every meal with my family would start with chorizo and bread so this is a must for me. This is chorizo as I remember it - hard cut spicey cured paprika sausage not the soft fresh sausage mince style that is common in Californian Mexican cooking.

Goat Cheese $10USD

Covered with pistachio and honey served over sultanas and caramelised onions then baked until warm and gooey. Perfect for sharing if you can fight your other diners for the dish. The tart goat cheese is offset by the sweet honey and crunchy nuts making this a perfect multi taste multi texture dish.

Albondigas $10USD

Basque style meatballs served in tomato sauce. Meatballs might seem simple but they call out to childhood nostalgia for just about everyone. Unlike American meatballs most European meatballs are made with multiple types of meat - in this case Lamb and Beef. I'm glad for the additional flavour profile since Lamb is not that common here in San Francisco. The sauce is very traditional and worth scooping up with the bread.

Ham Croquettes $9.50USD

Another childhood favourite croquetas in many forms are common throughout Spain. These are a traditional ham croquettes with an egg and roux based soft and salty filling. Perfect drinking food.

Gambas al ajillo $9.50USD

Prawns are fried simply in olive oil and garlic and served with lemon and a spicy aioli

Brie Bites $10.50USD

Not for the dieter this is rich beyond compare. Chunks of brie are covered in breading and then deep fried, served with a sweet jam. 

Tortilla $9USD

When people in California talk about tortillas they mean the thin corn or wheat bread products, but this egg and potato frittata is what the Spanish mean. Thinly sliced onion and potato is mixed with egg and fried in a pan then sliced into portions. This rendition is covered in more of the spicy aioli served with other dishes. 

Patatas Bravas $9USD

Another potato dish and a sure hit for the family - fried potates are served in a spicy tomato sauce. Great with cold beer or cider.

Arugula Salad $10USD

All that rich food needs a few vegetables to cut through the fat. This is really a California style dish but goes well with the Basque food. Arugula is dressed and toped with beets, blue cheese, walnuts and apple. 

 Brussel Sprouts $9.50USD

Brussel sprouts are one of those foods that I have discovered as an adult. Many people find that the savoury taste is only appealing as they age but for me these were decidedly absent in my house altogether - I am the only fan in my family! This is a great classic version fried with bacon and topped with parmesan cheese. The savoury taste is excellent with the meat dishes.

Flan $7USD

Time for dessert for some of the diners! We opt for more traditional Spanish options. Flan is an egg custard baked with a toffee bottom that self sauces when turned out of the custard cup. This isn't the best flan I've had - you can see the air bubbles have not been well tapped out so that the custard isn't as smooth as I like. The taste is spot on though. 

Churros $7USD

Churros are fairly common in California where there is a large Latin population but this is just how they should be served - covered in cinnamon sugar in small bites with a rich chocolate dipping sauce. If you can fit in more fried food after all those tasty tapas this is recommended and my partner looks like a kid in a candy shop as he wades in.

My impression? The food was very authentic and tasty, there is a huge range of small dishes that is sure to appeal to just about every diner including children and fussy eaters. There's a great range of wine, beer and cider available if you want to stay for a few drinks and small nibbles. Service was good though the restaurant was very busy on a Saturday night. Well worth a stop, I will definitely be taking family here when they visit.

Bask

http://www.basksf.com

42 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94111

Basque comfort food and small plates, great for sharing and drinking

Snapshot: Powell's Sweet Shoppe, Windsor

One of the best things in small towns is old fashioned sweet shops, or milk bars as I'd have called them. Powell's is a fantastic example in Sonoma which offers huge ranges of themed candy and gifts. Powell's have several locations around the Bay Area but since these days I only eat sugar on vacations it's best that I don't visit any of the others!

Kids delight candies abounded everywhere like cheap chews, gum, lollipops and chocolate bars. Many old fashioned selections were available and an entire wall of jelly bean flavours.

Big sections of themed sweets can be found like this explosion of pink. There were Hello Kitty, My Little Pony and romantic gifts a plenty. Super hero and less pinkified options also available.

The chocolate cabinet included selections like hand filled chocolates, truffles and dipped confections like turtles, pretzels and toffees.

The ice cream / soda bar included options for all the treats you might want from an old fashioned soda shop like ice cream sodas, milk shakes, ice cream and sundaes. The soft drinks included an array of original and natural flavours

 We settled on some simple gelato cups with an included chocolate straw, great for sharing in the park opposite the sweet shop.

Powell's Sweet Shoppe

http://powellsss.com/go/ 

720 McClelland Dr
Windsor, CA 95492

Old fashioned sweet & soda shop
Great for kids and families

Snapshot: Krakowska Manafaktura Czekolady

Krakow makes wonderful sweets; sticky sweet drinks, perfect parfaits, warming spiced cakes and fruit specialties abound. You can easily lose count of the number of chocolate makers around the Old Town but this chocolate store and cafe was a real highlight for me and a great place to pick up souvenirs.

Upstairs is a gorgeous coffee shop with quaint doilies and personalised crockery. The staff speak minimal English but do offer an English menu. 

They serve amazing hot chocolates and coffees.

Or if you prefer they'll serve you an entire cup of melted chocolate straight from their kitchens.

Downstairs is a veritable wonderland of chocolate purchases. Many of these are just novelty formations of pure chocolate in white, milk and dark. Adult items could be found for buck's and hen's nights, touristy formations of Krakow Dragons and Castles or Christian symbols for Easter. 

If you're looking for a reasonably priced gift in Krakow they offer a number of pure chocolate tablets gift boxed with the Krakow Castle on them. 

For a more upscale gift consider getting a box of handmade chocolates. Krakowska Manafaktura Czekolady make gorgeous marzipans from a variety of nuts, cream truffles and liqueur fruits. They offer gift boxing that is designed to endure a flight home. 

Krakowska Manafaktura Czekolady

http://chocolate.krakow.pl/gb/ 

Upscale chocolate store and cafe

Recipe: Low Carb Peanut Butter Cups

You can always buy Atkins' brand low carb peanut butter cups but I'm not a fan of processed foods and the quality of the chocolate leaves a lot to be desired. These are my 'go to' low carb treat, they're easy to make and very satisfying.

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cups

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

115g (4oz) 100% Cocoa chocolate

1 tspn natural vanilla essence

100g unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated Splenda

Method

• I buy 100% Cacao Ghirardelli baking chocolate; it melts well and the texture is smoother than many other low sugar/high cocoa bars on the market. 
• I tried experimenting with adding sweetener to the chocolate but it causes it to split. If you must have sweetened chocolate use Liquid Stevia or Sucralose and melt the chocolate with 1 tbspn of coconut oil using a double boiler.
• Prepare enough space in your freezer for a baking tray, you will need the space for 3 separate phases of preparation. 
• Take a muffin tray and line it with muffin cases; I use silicon muffin cases for easy removal and no papery bits in your chocolate. 
• Melt half the chocolate using a double boiler or a microwave on high for 1 minute. Place 1 tspn of the melted chocolate into each muffin case. 
• While the chocolate is still warm swhirl the tray so that the chocolate covers the bottom of the muffin case. If you have a deft hand you can get the chocolate to also coat the sides of the muffin tin so that it will encase the peanut mixture later.
• Place the tray into the freezer for 20 mins to let the chocolate set, this is vital to get the layered cup effect. Once the bottom layer is cold you can begin to prepare the peanut mixture.
• Heat the peanut butter and butter until they are melted together, this will seem quite liquid but once cooled will add a creamy effect. Add the Splenda and Vanilla essence to the peanut mixture and stir thoroughly until the Splenda has dissolved.
• Place 1 tbspn of the peanut mixture in each muffin tin and return the tray to the freezer for another 20 mins or until the peanut mixture sets.
• Melt the remaining chocolate and place 1 tspn of chocolate into each muffin tin. Again swhirl the tray so that the melted chocolate completely covers the peanut mixture. 
• Return the tray to the freezer for at least 20 more minutes, once the cups are fully set you can remove them from the tray and store in an airtight container. Keep refrigerated for up to a month.
• This makes 24 small (86 cals, 2.3g net carbs, 8.3g fat) or 12 very generous (172 cals, 4.5g net carbs, 16.5g fat) peanut butter cups.

Recipe: Low carb "coconut rough" bites

Whether you're looking for 'fat bombs' to add fat calories or whether you just need a sweet treat without breaking a low carb diet this low carb rendition of an antipodean favourite is just delicious.

Low Carb Coconut Rough

1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup Splenda
50g unsweetened baking chocolate
1 tbpsn cocoa
2 - 4 tbpsn cream or coconut cream

Method

• In a pan melt the coconut oil, this will be soft at room temperature and will require only light simmering
• Add the Splenda and stir until the sweetener is melted
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler and add to the oil mixture; then add the cocoa and mix thoroughly
• Add the shredded coconut and stir while heating on a low temperature
• Slowly add the cream, for a vegan variation use coconut cream
• Cook until all the coconut is soaked through with the fudge mixture,
• When the mixture has reached the consistency of gravy turn the heat off
• Take a small pan or tupperware container - I used a 10cm * 15cm container
• Pour the hot fudge mixture into the pan, you may need to tap the container on the bench to get the coconut mixture to create a smooth top
• Leave to rest until close to room temperature and then refrigerate until solid, preferably overnight
• If a white layer forms on the outside this is excess coconut oil that has not soaked into the coconut and is perfectly safe to eat
• Cut into cubes, this recipe should make around 25 pieces
• A shout out to Guittard 100% Cacao baking chocolate which is delicious and the lowest carb chocolate I can find on the market
• Calories listed are for the whole batch per piece macros are 62 Calories, 1.6g Carb (1.3g net), 6.7g Fat

Recipe: Low Carb Gluten Free Coconut Cookies

The hunt for the perfect low carb sweet treat continues. These cookies are great because they're low carb, gluten free and nut free meaning you can serve them at school and work functions to cover many diet needs. Due to the high oil and low flour ingredients you should treat this dough as you would shortbread.

Low Carb Gluten Free Coconut Cookies

1/2 cup raw coconut flour

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 tspn baking soda

4 tbpsn butter

2 tbspn coconut oil

1 cup Splenda

1 egg

Method

• Preheat the oven to 165C (325F)
• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well
• Melt the butter and the coconut oil in the microwave for 20 secs on high
• Add the melted oils and the egg to the dry ingredients
• Mix well using an electric hand mixture or wooden spoon
• Tip the mixture onto parchment paper and knead into a dough
• Place a second piece of parchment paper over the top of the dough and roll to around 5mm depth
• Place the rolled dough into the fridge - the oils will need to set slightly before you are able to cut the cookie shapes
• Cut the dough using a small glass or a cookie cutter - due to the high oil content the dough can be volatile simpler shapes are easier to prepare
• Reform the ball of dough, the heat from your hands should be enough to make the oils malleable again and then roll flat
• Repeat until all the mixture is used
• Place on baking paper and put in the oven to bake for 5-7 minutes
• Once browned leave to cool on a cooling rack, the dough will firm significantly once cooled
• Makes around 24 small cookies
• Macros per cookie; 50 calories, 3.4g carbs (1.5g net), 3.8g fat

Keto friendly recipes: Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

This is my first round of low carb baking and boy is it an easy recipe. 

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup of chunky peanut butter
1 cup of cream cheese
2 eggs
1.5 cups splenda
Whole peanuts for garnish

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Measure peanut butter and place in a mixing bowl
• Put the cream cheese in the microwave for 10 secs to soften then add to the bowl
• Put eggs and Splenda in the bowl and mix thoroughly. If you use an electric mixer be careful as this batter is very soft and can splash
• Place baking paper on a baking tin, put a spoon of batter about 2 inches apart for each cookie. Smaller cookies are best as these are very calorie dense
• Flatten the dough with a fork to form a cookie, these cookies will not spread so the size of  the cookie will remain the same after baking
• Press one whole roasted peanut into the top of each cookie
• Bake for 15 mins and then place on a cooling rack once cooked
• The cookies will be very soft while warm, best to wait until cooled before picking up
• Makes around 24 cookies 
• Nutrition below is for the whole batch. Macros per cookie are 92 calories, 3g Carbs (2.3 Net), 7.6g fat

Review: Fleur de Lys, San Francisco

When you're living on a different continent to your partner you want the times that you get together to be special.  What could be more special for two foodies than a degustation at one of San Francisco's most famous restaurants?

Fleur de Lys is Hubert Keller's delightful formal dining offering which offers some novel dishes and interesting taste and texture explorations. 

As it was a special date night we opted for the luxurious 5 course menu $98USD plus matching wine tastings for $75USD each. The wine tastings were a little overly generous in my mind, our formal dining manners went out the window somewhere around course 4 and lead to us raucously giggling throughout the final dishes. 

Fig and walnut bread to start

Amuse bouche of pesto volute and miniature pickles

"Symphony of" Toasted duck ham and mozzarella slider, French potato salad with white anchovy, "Faux gras" mousse and piquillo gazpacho 

You just know that I'm going to order any dish with liver mousse but the slider and the gazpacho (complete with straw!) really take the cake. 

"Colourful" vegetable ragout served with poached egg, truffles and truffle port wine sauce. 

Honestly poached egg dishes are one of my favourite things to order in formal restaurants as they really elevate a wonderful texture out of the breakfast plate. 

Muscovy duck breast with Eggplant, Olive Salad, purple olive jus and duck confit "cigar"

Cigars of rich meat are one of my favourite things of all time and even though I had duck in my apetizer this was delicious. The spiced pudding side dish was another textural deviation that surprised and delighted. 

Bacon crusted sea scallops with black beluga lentils, pork belly, pickled shallots and harissa

Pork belly topped with scallop *and* bacon? It's rather like he listed all the decadent ingredients he could and then played darts and added whatever he hit. 

Coffee rubbed buffalo steak with pickled figs caramelised leeks, espresso and fig red wine sauce and cornbread Madeleine

One of the most excellent signs of good service is when the waiter will let me make substitutions. In this case I asked for an additional meat course rather than the seafood course and was obliged without issue. 

Oven roasted venison loin with truffled baby bok choy accented with a rich cocoa nib red wine reduction, Spanish chorizo and a cocoa tuile

This dish just oozes with dark decadence. All it needs is a side of tobacco jus and the sticky rich combination is complete.

Fleurburger - lightly spiced dark chocolate ganache, home made Beignet Banana flavoured milk shake and frozen fennel ice cream "Pommes Frites"

The most famous (and most novel!) dish on the menu, a confusing delight of sweets made to look like a classic American takeout meal. 

Alsation pain d'epices mousse bar - Mango and raspberry flavoured ice cream on lime meringue Esprite gateau "Black Forest", cherry compote flavoured with Balsamic and fleur de sel

Another dish with so many tastes and textures, each a little morsel of wonder. 

Petit fours

But wait there's more! Coffee and cognac and another flight of taste adventures. 

What can you say? Hubert Keller is a celebrated chef for good reason and a celebrity chef that deserves his fame. The variation in textures and tastes and the decadent ingredients that formal dining affords (including so many of my favourite foods) are just wonderful. Added to this the price difference between food of this quality between the US and Australia means that I would have been fairly happy at twice the price. Hardly an every week outing but a very reasonable sum for such excellent food when out for a special date night. 

Fleur de Lys

http://www.hubertkeller.com/restaurants/fleur-de-lys.html

Formal dining degustation
Book well in advance and be on time for your seating


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