On Friday night I was lucky enough to go with my friend Catherine to see the movie "Quartet". It was a fabulous movie, especially if you're a muso like me, all those temperamental artistic types are very true to life. By 9:30 we were feeling a bit peckish and went to the nearby "Cinema Cafe" on Oxford Street at Bulimba. Now I'm not a coeliac myself, but I am greatly tempted by Chocolate mud cake, and the Cinema Cafe's offering happened to be gluten free. It was served warmed with ice-cream and I'm sorry, I did mean to take a photo of the frosting oozing down the sides of the cake, but by the time I remembered I was going to take a photo I found that it was all gone! It was fantastic. I think it was a hazelnut base with a very stiff almost mousse-like centre. And it wasn't the only gluten free cake on offer. There was a home-baked orange and almond cake which looked a lot more rustic and enjoyable than the heavy, mass produced version which seems to be on offer in most coffee shops these days. There were others, but my memory fails me, I think blotted out by the intense chocolate rush!
I did remember to glance over the menu and there was gluten free bread available and lots of gluten free options listed on all the breakfasts, lunches, mains and desserts. I thought that this offering sounded rather good:
Prawn Hot Pot Ala Puttanesca juicy tiger prawns cooked in evoo w cherry tomato, fresh chilli & garlic, capers, olives, served w warm bread 16.9 GF option anchovies optional.
The prices are on the higher end of cafe prices, but it's a nice sounding menu and I guess that's what you expect in Oxford Street. I am definitely planning to head back there with the rest of the family in tow. Sorry about the photo - here's a photo of the cafe so you can find it easily if you want to try for yourself!
I have a good recipe for a GF banana cake type thing -
ReplyDeleteSugar-free banana cake
Ingredients
• 125g self-raising GF flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75g sultanas
• 50g butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• drizzle agave syrup, to serve (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/ gas mark 4. Grease and line a 450g loaf/1lb tin with baking parchment.
2. Weigh the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sultanas into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Then weigh the butter, vanilla essence, egg, milk and mashed bananas and put into another bowl or jug and mix with a small balloon whisk or fork. Pour the ‘wet’ banana mixture into the ‘dry’ flour mixture and combine thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Weighing needs to be very accurate when baking so help older children to measure carefully. Younger children can also get involved by spooning or pouring into the scales with adult supervision. Younger children can also beat the egg with a fork and mash the banana with a potato masher.
3. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 - 40 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the tin for 10 mins then turn out.
4. Drizzle with agave syrup if using.