Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs with Thai Green Curry broth

So it is my final day off work and I am experimenting with some bread and reading about Tolkien and his fascination with this amazing country, Finland, and I suddenly realise that I haven't written up a new recipe in a couple of weeks. So now the dough is proving and I have dug into my pictures to see what recipes I have done recently and I came across this one.

It started when we invited my brother in law and his girlfriend (I'm sure he is ok with me telling the world) over for dinner. She is lactose intolerant and so had to prepare something that was within the bounds of her allergy and the time constraints placed upon me by work, life etc. I had some turkey mince lying around and thought that making some meatballs in a sauce would be quick, easy and tasty. I wanted to make it a little different and so scourged the internet for ideas and after looking at more than a dozen meatball recipes I thought that a Thai style one would be the difference I wanted. I also thought about how I hadn't deliberately made a gluten free food before and so decided to make it both friendly for lactose, gluten and milk intolerant people.

To make enough for 4 people, you will want:-

350g turkey mince
75g rolled oats
1 egg
2 green chillies, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp ground ginger
Juice and zest from 1 lime
1 tsp sugar
400ml coconut milk
100ml water
3 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 aubergine, cubed
4 tbsp fresh parlsey

Put the rolled oats into a food processor and blitz until a powder, pour into a mixing bowl and add the mince. In a pan, sauté the chillies, garlic andonion until soft in some oil, then leave to cool for a few minutes. Add to the mixing bowl and also the egg, ginger, all the zest and half the juice of lime, sugar and seasoning. Mix all together until thoroughly combined and then shape into balls (I got 20 out of this mixture but it all depends on the size you want). Put on a baking tray and cooking in a preheated 150C oven for 15 minutes.

In a saucepan lightly sauté the aubergine and red pepper in some oil then add the curry paste, after a couple of minutes pour in the coconut milk rest of the lime juice and water and bring to a simmer. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes, give it a taste and correct the seasoning.

Take the meatballs out and serve with the sauce and your choice of accompaniment, some boiled rice or pasta is great for this dish. Sprinkle the parsley on top for decoration and refreshing herb flavour.

This dish can be knocked up and out in 30 minutes, making it ideal for a weekly dish for those busy days.

NOTE: Check your oats, some oats cannot be guaranteed to be gluten free because of the way they are grown or processed. If you are not gluten intolerant then it won't be a worry.

The Classic Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee is a traditional French classic that everyone has at least heard off, if not tried. It is simple but in true French style is rich in flavour. It consists of a rich, smooth  custard flavoured traditionally with vanilla and then served with a crispy caramel topping.

The recipe goes back to the mid 1600's but took off as a round the world dessert in the late 1800's with the mass emigrations of people to other parts of the world. I have eaten creme brulee in various parts of the UK, France and Finland and have seen it being served in other places making this a truly international dish.

The plus side to this recipe is that it is a cheap, easy dessert to make. You can wow your dinner guests with your grasp of French cuisine by serving this up at the end of your dinner party. I wow'ed my family this past Sunday with it as my wife had gave me a butane torch for my birthday.

To make enough for 6 people you will need:-

5 large egg yolks
600ml double cream
2 vanilla beans
3 tbsp sugar
about 6 tbsp demerara sugar

Preheat your oven to 150C. Put your cream in a heavy bottomed pan, add the sugar and then split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the insides with the back of a knife, add both the insides and the bean to the cream. Place over a medium heat and gently bring to a simmer, don't let it boil. Take off the heat.

Place your egg yolks into a mixing bowl and place on a towel. Then with a whisk in one hand, pour the cream mixture on top of the eggs whilst whisking. Once all the cream is in, whisk for a little longer and then strain into another container.

Now assemble your ramekins in a baking dish and pour the mixture into each one, leaving space at the top for the sugar. Now pour hot water into the baking dish until it comes up half way of the ramekins. Place into the oven and cook for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Test them before you take them out, you are looking for a nice jiggle, not a liquid one but a jelly like one. Once this has been achieved, take out of the oven and place on the side for 5 minutes. Then put into the fridge for at least 2 hours but it is better overnight.

Take out an hour before you want to serve (traditionally creme brulee is served at room temperature but you can serve straight from fridge), sprinkle a tablespoon of the demerara sugar on top of each one and shake off the excess. Use a butane torch to caramelise the sugar or put under a high heat grill until caramelised. Serve immediately and watch your guests take delight in cracking the crispy sugar and spoon the combined custard and sugar in.