The Magic Far Away Tree; Lemon Pop Cakes

images & recipe @http://bananamondaes.wordpress.com

image&recipe @http://bananamondaes

"Silky was pleased. She sat there brushing her beautiful, golden hair and ate sandwiches with them. She brought out a tin of Pop Cakes, which were lovely. As soon as you bit into them they went pop! and you suddenly found your mouth filled with new honey from the middle of the little cakes"

Lemon Cupcakes (Makes 12)
125g butter (room temperature – if you live in Scotland make this warmer that room temperature)
125g caster sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
2 beaten eggs
150g plain flour
1/4 tsp of baking powder
Fizz Wiz popping candy
Sherbert Crystals

Lemon curd filling
grated rind of 2 large lemons
Juice of two lemons
10fl oz water
3 tbsps cornflour
50g sugar
2 egg yolks
40g butter

Vanilla Buttercream icing200g icing sugar (sifted)
100g salted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsps milk or cream

To make the cupcakes:
Start by making your cupcakes. Pre-heat the oven to 82'C (gas mark 4 or 180'F). Get your paper cases ready (I used silicon cases). Put the butter and sugar together into a heavy bowl and beat until light and fluffy.  Add in your eggs one by one. If it looks as if it’s about to curdle (look like scrambled eggs) add in a pinch of flour. When they are beaten into the butter and sugar mixture gradually sift in your flour and baking powder. Use a spatula and fold into the mixture. (to fold, run your spatula around the bold and cut down the middle, then turn that half of the mixture over onto the other half. This way you should delicately mix the flour in without losing the fluffy consistency and air that you have created).

Use two metal spoons, one to scoop up the mixture and the other to push it into the individual cake cases. Put into the oven for between 10 to 15 minutes. If you put a cocktail stick in the middle it should come out dry.

To make the lemon curd centre:
(The trick to making this is have all your ingredients ready before you start)
Mix the cornflour and sugar with a bit of your water until it makes a smooth paste. Add the rest of the water to a saucepan and the add in the grated lemon rind. Let this come to the boil and then simmer for a few minutes. Pour the hot lemon over the cornflour mixture and stir. Pour this back into the saucepan and keep whisking and stirring. Let this boil and bubble slightly. Take off the heat and add in your eggs, then your butter and finally the lemon juice. Keep whisking until smooth. Add more sugar if this is too tart.  When your cupcakes are ready and have cooled, cut a small circle out of the centre of each of them and drop in a dollop of the lemon curd.

To make the buttercream icing:
Put your butter into a mixer and whip until creamy. Gradually sift in a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar and mix. Add in a teaspoon of milk, the vanilla and more icing sugar and mix again. Keep doing this until you reach a thick but creamy consistency. If you are going to use colouring – use a colour paste – rather than liquid colour as this ruins the consistency of your icing. Sprinkle the top of all your cakes with some Fizz Wiz popping candy (I also mixed in a bit of the Fizz Wiz into the icing mixture as well). When ready, pipe over your cupcakes.

To decorate:Sprinkle with raspberry and orange sherbet crystals. I’ve also used some Strawberry Milkshake jelly beans.

Eat immediately.

The Result:
A slight pop, more fizz than anything else, with a touch of zing from the lemon.

Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies

Total time:  35mins

Servings: 11

Image & Recipe @http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Gluten-free-chocolate-brownies-310689

"You can use salted or unsalted butter for these brownies. If you use unsalted butter and want to add some salt, use 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt. I also like to add 2 to 3 tablespoons of roasted cocoa nibs along with the nuts for added chocolaty crunch.

Use very low heat for melting the chocolate and butter. A good trick is to add the butter to the pan first, which melts faster than the chocolate, so you don’t burn the chocolate. You can use a flame-tamer if you’re concerned but I always melt it right over the lowest heat possible and never have had any problems."

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsps butter, salted (or unsalted, see headnote)
• 8 ozs semisweet chocolate (or, 225g bittersweet, chopped)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch process)
• 3 tbsps starch (corn)
• 1 cup nuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)

Method:

1. Line the inside of an 8-inch (23 cm) square pan with foil so that it goes up the sides to the rim. Lightly grease the foil with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350º (180ºC).
2. Melt the butter and chocolate (and salt, if using) in a medium saucepan over very low heat on the stove top, stirring constantly until smooth.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time.
4. Sift together the cocoa powder and corn starch in a small bowl then stir them into the chocolate mixture. Beat the batter vigorously for at least one minute, until the batter is no longer grainy and nearly smooth. It will pull away from the sides of the pan a bit.
5. Add the nuts, if using, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for thirty minutes, or until the brownies feel just set in the center. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing.

Storage: The brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days, or frozen for at least 1 month.

Troubleshooting: If the finished brownies are crumbly, that means you didn’t beat the batter long enough in step #4. You can use the brownie bits to fold into just-churned ice cream.

Inspiration; Great Feasts from Fiction

Article from Channel4.com

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

The plot: A group of wholesome children stumble across an enchanted tree, home to a host of unusual characters and a ladder to ever changing worlds.
The feast: Honey flavoured pop biscuits that explode in your mouth, google buns full of sherbet that make your mouth froth and toffee shocks that get bigger and bigger the harder you suck.
What you'll need: A vivid imagination, an adventurous spirit and a big old tree you can clamber around inside.
Who to invite: If you know anyone with a moon for a face then they'd be a good bet as would the hard of hearing, old washer women and hoards of eager children.

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien

The plot: The first in a historic series of books telling the story of heroic captain, Jack Aubrey, and his maritime voyages throughout the Napoleonic wars.
The feast: Biscuits with weevils, freshly killed goats, plenty of limes and a good pint of grog.
What you'll need: A noble heart, lots of vitamin C, a penchant for port and a thirst for strong rum.
Who to invite: Old sea dogs, courageous captains, people who like dining at sea. But not one for fussy eaters.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling

The plot: Downtrodden orphan, Harry Potter, discovers he's a wizard on his 11th birthday then gets whisked off to wizard school to fight evil and learn some spells.
The feast: Chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, liquorice wands and Bertie Blott's every flavour beans, all washed down with a pint of butterbeer.
What you'll need: A big old castle, some spirited kids, self-clearing tables and big dose of magic.
Who to invite: Wizards, obviously, along with giants and elves. Anyone open to edible surprises but strictly no muggles.

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The plot: A lonely mole gets tired of spring cleaning and heads to the river bank in search of adventure.
The feast: A picnic fit for a king, including: 'coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrench
rollscressandwidgespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonade
sodawater'. Phew.
What you'll need: A big basket, a slowly winding river, the sun in the sky and some amiable chums.
Who to invite: Rats, moles, badgers and toads are a given though anyone who appreciates a good English spread is sure to appreciate an invite.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The plot: A newborn caterpillar goes on the mother of all binge fests.
The feast: One apple, two pears, three plums, four strawberries, five oranges, one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, one slice of watermelon and a nice green leaf.
What you'll need: A crate-load of party food, trousers with an elasticated waistband, a bucket, a dark space to recover.
Who to invite: No-one - this is all about going solo.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

The plot: Being born at the stroke of midnight when India becomes an independent nation mystically ties the massive-nosed Saleem to his homeland and the scores of other children born on the same fateful day.
The feast: Copious curries and legendary chutneys cooked by Saleem's spinster aunt, who transfers her emotions into her dishes, leaving the diners with a feeling of bitterness and discontent.
What you'll need: Lime pickle, a compulsion to cook at moments of extreme emotion.
Who to invite: 1,001 people who share your birthday.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

The plot: A plucky orphan flees the workhouse and reluctantly goes on the rob with a motley crew in the murky streets of Victorian London.
The feast: Not quite enough gruel.
What you'll need: A grim childhood. An appetite for porridge. A stingy server.
Who to invite: Children with small appetites.

Gluten Free, Vegan Gingerbread Cake

image & recipe @http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Gluten-free-vegan-gingerbread-307895

Adapted from Joy of Cooking's Applesauce Gingerbread.

Makes one 8x8 cake.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 6 tablespoons warm water
• 5/6 cup (100 grams) millet flour
• 5/6 cup (100 grams) teff flour
• 1/3 cup (50 grams) potato starch (not flour)
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the flax and warm water until the mixture is thick and creamy. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
3. Sift the dry ingredients (except the coconut palm sugar) into a large mixing bowl.
4. In another mixing bowl, combine the coconut palm sugar, molasses, coconut oil, applesauce, and flax mixture; whisk until well blended. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to blend.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until set in the middle and a tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack until cake is cool enough to handle, then turn out.

Best eaten the same day. Refrigerate leftovers.

Fawn's Leapfrog Cupcakes, Pixie Hollow

image & recipe @spoonful.com

What you'll need

• Batch of baked Vanilla cupcakes
• Frosting tinted "frog" green
• Small tube of white decorating frosting or cookie icing
• Small candy eyes (look for them in the baking aisle at large craft or department stores)
• White candy melts
• Green or sour apple-flavored gummy ring-style candies
• Kitchen scissors

How to make it

1. Frost the cupcakes green.
2. 
   For each frog, create a pair of large eyeballs by using dots of decorating frosting or 
   icing to stick candy eyes to the centers of white Candy Melts, as shown. 
   Set the eyeballs aside until the icing hardens and holds.
3. 
   Cut a gummy ring candy in half to create two green "eye sockets."
4. Gently press the cut ends of each pair of gummy rings down into a frosted cupcake top, positioning them side-by-side just a bit in front of the center. Place a candy eyeball right in front of each socket, again gently pushing the lower edge into the frosting.

Gluten Free Croutons

Total time: 20mins

image & recipe @http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Gluten-Free-Tuesday_-How-to-Make-Croutons-Serious-Eats-41862

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cubed gluten-free bread
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbs
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
• Kosher salt

Method:

1. To make croutons in the oven. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 160'C  [325 'F].
2. In small bowl, toss together bread and melted butter/oil. All bread cubes should be lightly coated with butter/oil. Add more butter/oil, if needed. Add dried herbs, garlic powder and a light sprinkling of kosher salt. Toss. Each bread cube should be lightly coated with herbs.
3. Spread cubes on an 18x13-inch baking sheet. Arrange cubes in one layer.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Toss cubes and return to the oven. Bake until croutons are crispy and golden brown, about five minutes. Remove croutons from oven and allow to cool.
5. To make croutons in a skillet. Follow step two above. Heat one teaspoon butter or oil in a medium (10-inch) non-stick skillet over medium high heat until butter is melted and bubbling or until oil is shimmering. Add bread cubes. Toast, stirring occasionally, until croutons are toasted. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Alice in Wonderland/Pixie Hollow Button Cookies

image & recipe @spoonful.com

What you'll need

• Batch of sugar cookie dough (homemade or store bought)
• Food coloring
• Plastic kitchen gloves (for kneading food coloring into the dough)
• Rolling pin
• Flour
• Wax paper
• Small round cookie or fondant cutters (about 2 1/4 inches wide)
• Small bottle cap (slightly smaller than the fondant cutter)
• Wooden kitchen skewer
• Spatula
• Baking sheet
• Wire rack

How to make it

1. Divide the dough into thirds or quarters. Then knead a different shade of food coloring into each portion of dough. Chill the dough so that it will be stiff enough to hold its shape while baking.
2. When you're ready to start baking, work with one color of dough at a time. Roll the dough out to about a 1/4-inch thickness and use the cookie or fondant cutter to cut out a bunch of small circles. If you like, use a small bottle cap to gently imprint an inner circle on some or all of the buttons.
3. Use the blunt end of the kitchen skewer to make a set of two or four buttonholes in the center of each cookie.
4. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake them according to the recipe directions. Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool before serving. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Potato Gnocchi

Active time: 1 hour

Total time: 2 hours

Serves: 4-6 people

image & recipe @http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Gluten-Free-Potato-Gnocchi-Serious-Eats-296416

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, washed
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 2 large eggs
• Kosher salt

Method:

1.   Adjust oven rack to center middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce potatoes a few times with a knife and place on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, about one hour. Remove potatoes from oven and allow to cool.
2. .  Whisk together white rice flour and sweet rice flour. Using the flour mixture, flour your counter. Peel the potatoes and pass through a potato ricer onto the counter. Whisk together eggs and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour over the potatoes. Work the egg mixture into the potatoes with a bench scrapper or fork until potatoes begin to hold together. Mixture will be sticky.
3. . Work one cup of the flour mixture into the potato mixture. Start by working the flour into the potato mixture with a bench scrapper or fork. As soon as a dough begins to form, begin kneading the dough by hand until all the flour is incorporated. The dough should be firm and not sticky. If it is, add the remaining flour mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time. (You can test the gnocchi by boiling a small pot of water and cooking a small piece of dough. The gnocchi should hold together.)
4. . Divide the dough into quarters. Then, as you work with it, cut each quarter in half. Cover remaining dough with a damp paper towel. Roll out each dough eighth into a log. Cut into bite-size pieces. Shape by either pressing a small indentation into each gnocchi or rolling the gnocchi over a fork or gnocchi board.
5. Transfer shaped gnocchi to a lightly white rice-floured baking sheet. Shaped gnocchi can either be frozen or cooked right away.
6. To Freeze: Place baking sheet filled with gnocchi in the freezer. Once the gnocchi are frozen, transfer to a plastic freezer bag. Gnocchi may be frozen for up to two months. Cook as directed below. 

To Cook: Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook half the fresh or frozen gnocchi in the boiling water until they float, about four minutes. (Taste one gnocchi to ensure it is cooked through). Remove the gnocchi from the water with a skimmer and transfer to a bowl or pot of sauce. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. If gnocchi must be held for more than a moment, drizzle with oil and toss to prevent sticking.

Cars; Lightning McQueen Cupcakes

image & recipe @spoonful.com

What you'll need

• Batch of frosted cupcakes
• White chocolate candy bar or bar of white baking chocolate
• Red cupcake icing
• Toothpick
• Mini chocolate chips
• Chocolate candies with brown shells (such as M&Ms
• Small chocolate candies with yellow shells (such as M&M Minis)

How to make it

1. 
   For the windshields, cut small rectangles (about 1- by 1.75-inches) from the white chocolate. Pipe a line of red icing trim along the side and top edges of each rectangle. Then use the tip of a toothpick to "drill" shallow holes where the eyes will go, and gently press mini chocolate chips (tips down) in place. Set the windshields aside until the icing hardens.
2. Working with one cupcake at a time, frost the top with red icing. Gently press a windshield partway down into the center of the cupcake. chocolate. Pipe a line of red icing trim along the side and top edges of each rectangle. Then use the tip of a toothpick to "drill" shallow holes where the eyes will go, and gently press mini chocolate chips (tips down) in place. Set the windshields aside until the icing hardens.
3. Press two sets of brown-shelled candies into the frosting on the sides of the cupcake for tires.
4. Add headlights by turning yellow-shelled candies on edge and pressing them into the frosting (a toothpick comes in handy for this). For a mouth, press a small curve of white chocolate into the frosting at the front of the cupcake.

Cars; Tow Mater Cupcakes

image & recipe @spoonful.com

What you'll need

• 1 box cake mix
• 2 16 oz cans of milk chocolate frosting
• 16 oz can of vanilla frosting
• 6 cup large muffin baking pan
• 12 cup regular size cupcake baking pan
• 4.44 oz box of Keebler Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper Cookies (100 Calorie Right Bites)
• Ziploc bag
• 12 White M&M's candies (headlights)
• 12 Green M&M's candies (eyes)
• 6 Eclipse gum pieces (teeth)
• 6 inch cardboard cake boards
• Black edible ink pen
• Toothpicks

How to make it

1. Coat both pans with non-stick spray. Prepare cake batter and fill both pans about 2/3 full. Bake as directed on the package and let cool.
2. 
   Count out 60 cookies and set aside. Place the remaining cookies in a Ziploc bag and finely crush them with a rolling pin or glass.
3. 
   Set aside 12 green and 12 white M&M's. (Use yellow if you can't easily find the white ones.)
4. 
   For Mater's teeth, cut each piece of gum into two pieces so one piece is larger than the other.
5. 
   Cut the tops off of 6 of the cupcakes so you can place them upside down for the truck bed. Before turning upside down, frost the sides and bottom (now top) with milk chocolate frosting and sprinkle with cookie crumbs
6. 
   Place the cupcakes, cut side down toward the back of a 6-inch cake board. Place a dollop of frosting on the board to help the cupcakes stay in place.
7. 
   Frost the sides of the larger muffin-size cupcakes. Sprinkle some of the crushed cookie pieces on the sides and then place on the cake board right in front of the other cupcake. Frost the top and sprinkle with more cookie crumbs. Attach one cookie to the front of each muffin-size cupcake for the mouth.
8. For each tire, attach two cookies together using frosting and then attach two tires to the larger cupcake and two in back to the smaller cupcake.
9. 
   Place one more cookie on the top for the tire on Mater's hood. Attach the teeth to the cookie mouth with a small amount of frosting.
10. 
    For the top of the trucks, first frost about half of each of the remaining cupcakes with vanilla frosting. You can place these in the freezer for a few minutes for the frosting to harden and then it will be easier to frost over the vanilla edges with chocolate frosting to finish Mater's face. Frost the sides and top with chocolate and sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
11. 
    Attach two green M&M's in place for eyes and two white M&M's in place for headlights. Use a black edible ink pen to draw pupils on the eyes and when dry, you can use a toothpick to dot a small amount of vanilla frosting for extra detail. Heat it slightly in the microwave and it will be easier to dot on.