Hosting a gluten-free afternoon tea - ideas please

Page 1 / 2

venna2, Oct 26, 8:54pm

I'll be hosting my local writing group (6-7 people) next Friday afternoon. One of the women is gluten-free and I'm trying to cut down on wheat myself. Any ideas for afternoon tea! I'm not a brilliant cook so baking suggestions would have to be easy to follow! I thought of stuffed hard-boiled eggs and maybe rice crackers with something on top. But for something sweet! Ideas welcome! Doesn't have to be elaborate.

arabelle, Oct 26, 9:08pm

fruit and veges are gluten free so what about sliced things like melon etc. carrot sticks to dip into g/f free stuff. beware that if you do cooking that contamination can occur on benches/equipment from wheaten flours. Just check the packets on food its amazing as to what is NOT gluten free.rice crackers with chicken/salmon/olives/cottage cheese. then fresh fruit segments as the sweet.Going to conferences, thats often all they have as finger foods as the sweet to follow the savouries

davidt4, Oct 26, 9:31pm

Chocolate Almond Cake (Elizabeth David)

Serves8 - 10

125g bitter chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
1 tab. brandy
1 tab. strong coffee
100g butter
100g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
3 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 160° C.Butter an 18 cm round tin and line bottom with baking paper.

Put chocolate, brandy & coffee in a bowl over hot water and allow to melt undisturbed.Stir gently to combine.Add butter & sugar and combine.Add almonds and mix well.Beat egg yolks and mix in well.

Beat egg whites until firm, beat in a large tab. then pour chocolate mixture into remaining whites and fold in gently.

Pour into tin and bake 40 – 45 min until almost set but still a little soft in the centre.Cool completely in tin (best overnight).Turn out carefully.

familychch, Oct 26, 9:34pm

http://www.chelsea.co.nz/baking-and-recipes/295/gluten-free-chocolate-brownie.aspx

This is a great recipe, i make it often.
There are some other nice looking gf things on the chelsea website too.

zirconium, Oct 26, 10:00pm

Seriously decadent GF chocolate brownies:
mix together:
200g melted butter
1½ cups brown sugar pressed in firmly
4 eggs
¾ cup cocoa
1 cup ground almonds pressed in a bit
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- beat this as much as you like
- fold in 1 cup chocolate chips
pour into brownie pan (i line pan with baking paper)
bake at 170°C until a skewer comes out non-gooey
let cool for 5 mins, carefully pull out onto rack, cut while still warm
Try and save some for your afternoon tea lol.

vmax2, Oct 26, 10:15pm

cheese and crackers
veges and dip
platter of fruit
nuts and raisins
Don't feel you need to do something sweet.

venna2, Oct 26, 10:18pm

These sound great, thanks. Hopefully the recipes will be useful for others too.

Any suggestions for cakes/biscuits that aren't chocolate! Or that use something other than ground almonds!

My writing group gets a bit out of hand at times, I think, as we take turns hosting it, and there's a tendency for people to - well, not really outdo each other in the culinary stakes, but to feel they have to come up with something quite special. This is probably quite common in these situations. Maybe, as people often do these days with Christmas presents, we should agree to keep it simple! But it's hard to be the person to initiate it.

zirconium, Oct 26, 10:27pm

lemon syrup cake made with a GF baking mix instead of flour is nice, but probably not in the easy to follow category. If you have ever made one with flour might be worth trying!

vmax2, Oct 26, 10:48pm

I like to keep the food simple but make it an occasion by dressing the table up.Nice cloth, fancy plates, cups, candles, flowers etc.

uli, Oct 27, 3:39am

Always a winner: slices of cucumber topped by cream cheese or sour cream and a bit of smoked salmon. Secure with a toothpick. I add a bit of chilli and dill weed to my cheese.

Another great one is boiled eggs, halved and topped with mayo and smoked salmon, add a bit of parsley to that one. Secure with toothpick.

elliehen, Oct 27, 3:50am

If you've expended all your energy making the savoury items and still want a sweet treat, there is a large section of Gluten-free cookies etc in the supermarket.You could initiate the no-baking trend ;)

uli, Oct 27, 6:20am

Yep - wouldn't that be great - more people buying supermarket ready made food with so many additives most people cannot even spell them:)

I think you should start that trend in your area ellie - aren't most people down there staunch "make-yourself" enthusiasts! Get them to stop that . and get them to buy at the Nelson market (maybe too healthy!)or supermarket (even better).

elliehen, Oct 27, 6:47am

If I want you to tell me what to do, uli, I'll start a thread with your name up in lights.

In the meantime, your sarcasm is most unwelcome here.I feel you might need to be reminded of that.

asue, Oct 27, 7:55am

Homemade marshmallow for something sweet to add to the other ideas

uli, Oct 27, 8:18am

Feel all you like ellie :)

elliehen, Oct 27, 9:58am

I'll feel even better if you don't pursue my posts with inane comments.

venna2, Oct 27, 8:09pm

Well, I have no objections whatsoever to buying something at the supermarket. One of our members has already done that, and we all liked it. Even if you make something from scratch, you'll probably be buying ingredients from the supermarket.

I think it's going to be rice crackers with something on them, and stuffed eggs. And a sweet ready made thing from the supermarket, unless someone can give me an easy recipe that's not chocolate - the last person to host the group gave us chocolate cake and I'm not actually that fond of it. Lemon syrup cake sounds lovely but could be a bit complicated for me. I'll google marshmallows, I've never made them. Do you have a recipe, asue!

venna2, Oct 27, 8:09pm

elliehen, Oct 27, 9:43pm

This New Zealand cake looks very straightforward and most people like lemon.I checked out some of the American recipes first and they looked like science experiments ;)

http://www.newworld.co.nz/recipes/gluten-free-lemon-sour-cream-cake/

venna2, Oct 27, 9:59pm

Yes, that does look nice, thanks - I might give it a go! I was in Countdown this morning and was looking at various gluten-free flours, have to say they didn't look very appetising, eg rice flour made from plain white rice! What would you use!

vmax2, Oct 27, 10:25pm

Before I went low carb I was gluten free.I experimented with many flours and never got a combination that tasted quite right.The texture also was never quite right.Either buy something at the shop or don't do anything sweet.From my experience I had lots of gluten free disasters.

elliehen, Oct 27, 10:26pm

I have never baked with gluten-free flour, but I looked at earlier threads and found this.

Maybe those who do gluten-free baking might have suggestions.

venna2, Oct 28, 1:02am

Actually I think I like the recommendation above to either buy something at the shop or don't do anything sweet. I think I too would have disasters. I googled home-made marshmallows, too, and decided I'd rather buy a packet of them.

I feel very admiring of ahaaaaa.

elliehen, Oct 28, 1:44am

I think if I wanted to provide a cake I would make a regular one I knew would be a success and provide an alternative bought "something" for the gluten-free person/s.After all, they're adults and shouldn't feel miffed if others are eating something they can't ;)

vampiriousmist, Oct 28, 2:52am

You can make any baking gluten free - just use gluten free flour - buy a new butter an if you are using icing sugar - use chelsea - cadburys chocolate is also gluten free if you were wanting to bake with that.

As for buying from the supermarket - there is a gingernut cookie in a green packet - they are delicious !

Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread. Have an account? Login here.

Hosting a gluten-free afternoon tea - ideas please

Related Topics