Time for...

Welcome to The Alasia Foodie blog.

March has flown by. Spring is in the air, on the ground and in the hearts of everyone. From our windows we spy gorgeous floaty skirts, colourful cardigans and ballet pump flats and over sized sunglasses. The days are longer, the sun shines brightly across the water, and we have sold so many glasses of Pinot Blush - it is definitely Spring.

Gluten free fish & chip time...
This coming Friday (27th March) is our traditional gluten free fish & chip day. You don't have to pre-book.

Click here for other places where you can find gluten free fish & chips...

Time for events...
After a very successful Mother's Day lunch, we will be doing a fabulous Easter Sunday banquet. Easter Sunday falls on Sunday 12th of April. We are doing two or three courses and bookings will be essential so that you aren't disappointed.

If you would like to pre-book an order for one of our delicious home made cakes, please telephone us on 01934621 471. Click here for more...
Time for Easter Eggs...
A Lot Of Chocolate is a fantastic online chocolate company where you will find dairy free and gluten free Easter Eggs, as well as all-year-round chocolates. Get your order in soon so that you can count your eggs and eat them in time for Easter.

Time for British food...
We are also planning a Great British Food Feast to coincide with St George's Day, April 23rd. We will have full details of our menu soon. Bookings for this evening event at The Alasia will be essential so that you aren't disappointed.

There are so many great "foodie" reads to find in book stores and your library.

Make time for...James Martin

Wake up to Saturday Kitchen host James Martin. Flick through the pages of one of his many books where you will find imaginative recipes for great British feasts.

Make time for...
Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink.
Friday 17th, Saturday 18th, and Sunday 19th April 2009.
Northernhay Gardens and Exeter Castle.


Time for cake...

Cake is an important food group and here at The Alasia, Georgina and I make all our gorgeous cakes and slices with a lot of love. Bring your girlfriends, friends or family for morning or afternoon tea with us, or pre order a cake from us for a special occasion. Our cakes are gluten free and some are dairy free. Chat to us about our cake menu.

Make time for...A masterclass in chocolate making.
Chocolate workshops for those of us who LOVE chocolate.
The Chocolate Tart.


Recipe of the week...

The Big Lunch

On Sunday 19 July 2009, the Big Lunch team want as many of the 61 million people in the UK as possible, to simultaneously sit down to lunch together, with their neighbours, in the middle of their street, as a simple but profound act of community.

The Big Lunch is the latest ambitious idea from the Eden Project, in partnership with MasterCard, EDF Energy and the Royal Mail Group and they’re inviting everyone in the UK to come together to have lunch in their streets on one day. To find out more and to get involved visit www.thebiglunch.com


RETURN HOME...

Bimbadge Estate Winery, The Hunter Valley, Australia

An hour and a half from Sydney and you are in wine country - The Hunter Valley.

We were on our belated honeymoon and travelled home to see my friends and family. My best friend arranged a day trip to this award winning winery in late September 2007.

The Bimbadgen Estate Winery is a gem, and the restaurant, perfection. Check all menu items with your table host with regards to any allergies, and their chefs are very knowledgable. Unable to make up my mind, and several glasses of Pinot and Sparkling Shiraz later, I opted for the taster plate made up of duck, salmon and beef - however the duck was off limits for me, so the chef put together another fish taster for me. You can opt for a red taster or a white taster - and each refers to the meat as well as the wine.

Afternoon tea at The Alasia

Georgina and I make all the cakes and some of the desserts here at The Alasia. They are always gluten free and most are dairy free. There is something for everyone. We encourage our customers to come for morning or afternoon tea, cakes and coffee.

If you would like to arrange an afternoon tea for a group of your friends, a baby shower, book club meeting, stitch and bitch, or a chance to get together for a good gossip over freshly made coffees, speciality teas and home made goodies, then telephone ahead and we can design a menu for you.

We use Teapigs tea. The teas come from their country of origin, wrapped in a Japanese silk bag so that the purity of the tea isn't interferred with, and infused in a glass tea pot so that you can see what is going on. We use delicate Jing glass tea cups and matching saucers. It all adds to the visual experience.

We sell our Teapigs tea here at the restaurant for £3.65 for a box of 15 Japanese silk bags. We are proud to say that The Alasia is the only eatery in Weston-super-Mare to stock this beautiful range of teas.

We grind our coffee from the bean fresh at least three times daily. Our beans are a blend of Columbian and Kenyan and are supplied by Ciko. We have been barista trained too, so you can be assured that your coffee is made with love.

Recipe of the week

ITALIAN ESPRESSO MOUSSE WITH HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD DIPPERS
(Gluten free and dairy free)
An explosion of cream and dark chocolate with a hit of real espresso.

Ingredients for the Mousse (GF and DF):
2 x 120g/150g of 85% dark chocolate
A table spoon of Pure Soya margarine (for melting)
One standard shot of freshly made espresso
2 large eggs, separated, plus 1 large egg white
2 tablespoons caster sugar
100ml of Soya cream (I use Alpro)
Walnut pieces to decorate
Whole coffee bean for grating on top of finished mousse for taste
Ingredients for the Hazelnut Shortbread (GF and DF):
Half a small cup of roughly chopped hazelnuts
125g of Soya margarine
115g (or half a cup) of caster sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons of Essence of Rose Water
180g (or one and half cups) of Dove’s Gluten Free Plain Flour, sifted
1 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder
2 tablespoons of Dove’s Gluten Free Plain Flour – extra for rolling the dough

Method for the Mousse:
Break up the dark chocolate, put into a heatproof bowl with the butter and melt gently, stirring occasionally with a spatula. Don’t take your eyes off the melting chocolate.

Once melted, stir through the soya cream (do not let it boil).
Remove the bowl from the heat, stir gently and leave to cool for a minute.
Cool your already made espresso coffee slightly then stir into the chocolate and soya cream mix.

Stir in the 2 egg yolks.
In a separate bowl, whisk the 3 egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Stir about a quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture to soften it and then fold this mixture into the remaining egg whites with a metal spoon.
Spoon the mixture into espresso cups.
Decorate with the walnut halves and then cover and chill overnight. Bring out of the fridge 15–20 minutes before serving, to allow the mousse to ‘come to’ and grate a coffee bean over the top for decoration and added taste.
Serve with the Hazelnut Shortbread for dipping on the side.

Method for the Hazelnut Shortbread:
The idea of the shortbread is to accompany the mousse for dipping. It is truly scrumptious.
Place the Soya margarine and sugar in a large china bowl and beat until pale and creamy.

Add the egg and mix until combined.
Add the rose water and stir through until smooth.
Finally, add in the nuts, the GF plain flour and the GF baking powder.
Fold through until a stiff dough forms.
Sift the extra flour over a clean, dry work surface.
Remove the dough from the bowl and roll into logs.
Wrap in Cling film and refrigerate until firm (approximately 30 minutes).
Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
Remove the dough logs from the refrigerator and slice into 5mm thick rounds.
Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and place the biscuits in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.



CHICK PEA CHOCOLATE CAKE
Gluten free and dairy free. Naturally low G.I

INGREDIENTS

1 can of chick peas (I used cannellini beans and it worked well)
2/3 cup orange juice
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of sugar or honey (I used less honey...I'd say if you use honey, use about 2/3 cup)
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
(The recipe didn't call for this but I added a little salt to the batter too, say 1/4 tsp)

INTRODUCTION
This sounds totally bizarre but makes a chocolate cake that is everything a chocolate cake should be. It was emailed to me - one of those recipes with vague details - and unfortunately whoever wrote this up in the first place didn't specify the dimensions of the baking pan; I used a 9-inch square one and it turned out fine. If you wanted to make a layer cake I'd double the recipe. I bet this would be great with frosting or icing sugar or something on it, or with chocolate chips in it. It makes one of those nice dense yet fluffy, very moist cakes. Yum. I will definitely be making this one again. And again. This cake also happens to be gluten free, as long as your baking powder doesn't have gluten in it.

METHOD
Blend the chickpeas until smooth in a blender or food processor, and mix in all the rest of the ingredients until blended. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.