Recipes – Low Tox Life Food

BURNT HONEY SEMIFREDDO

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup (185ml) local honey 600ml organic thin (pouring) cream or coconut cream 8 organic pasture-raised egg yolks 2 organic pasture-raised eggs ½ tsp vanilla bean powder ¼ tsp grated or ground nutmeg Topping 2 cups (300g) pitted cherries or your favourite seasonal fruits, chopped* fresh berries and local edible flowers in season,* to serve grated or ground nutmeg, to serve

With seasonal fruits

Line a 24 cm cake tin or 11 x 27 x 9 cm loaf (bar) tin with baking paper (it will mould to the tin better if you scrunch it up well first, then spread it out to line the tin. Use two strips of paper at right angles, to get good coverage and to have plenty to fold over the top). Combine half of the honey and 2½ tbsp of the cream in a small saucepan and cook on high until the mixture smells super caramelly (almost burnt) for about 4 minutes. Pour immediately into a roomtemperature bowl to cool. Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Place the egg yolks and remaining honey in a medium metal bowl that will sit securely on top of the saucepan without touching the water. Place the bowl over the simmering water and beat with hand-held electric beaters until the mixture is pale, creamy and frothy (taking care not to burn the electrical cord). Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside. Pour the remaining cream into a deep medium bowl and beat until thickened but not too stiff. Gently fold the cream and the cooled burnt honey mixture into the beaten egg mixture. Everything should now be in one bowl.

Pour into the prepared tin, then cover and freeze for 3 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, remove the Semifreddo from the freezer,* take out of the tin by pulling on the paper, then remove the paper and place the Semifreddo on a plate or cake stand. DO NOT PANIC if the paper sticks. Just wait a couple of minutes for the Semifreddo to soften, and it will peel off super easily. Scatter the seasonal fruit and edible flowers over the top and sprinkle with nutmeg. You can keep the Semifreddo in the

Low Tox Life Food

Packed with inspiration and stories from regenerative farmers and what to ask about the produce you buy. There are ways to afford better choices as well as 80 of Alexx's most requested recipes for budget-friendly easily adaptable meals without waste. Images and text from Low Tox Life Food by Alexx Stuart, photography by Cath Muscat. Murdoch Books RRP $36.99.

ADAPTABLE CAKE

TO JAZZ IT UP (OPTIONAL)

1–2 overripe bananas, finely chopped (but use only 1⁄3 cup/115g maple syrup) 80g frozen berries 80g super-finely chopped sweet red apple and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ cup (40g) dried cranberries 8 sulphur-free dried apricots, finely chopped 80g dark chocolate (85 percent cacao), roughly chopped (and replace 1½ tablespoons of the buckwheat or tapioca flour with 1½ tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder) INGREDIENTS

3 organic pasture-raised eggs ½ cup (175g) maple syrup, rice malt syrup or honey 2 tsps vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla bean powder 2½ tbsps coconut flour* 1⁄3 cup (50g) buckwheat flour* 1⁄3 cup (45g) tapioca flour* ½ cup (125ml) melted butter, ghee or coconut oil, cooled 1 heaped tsp baking powder 1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a 20 cm round cake tin with unbleached baking paper (or do non-stick the old-fashioned way by coating the tin with melted butter or olive oil, then dusting it with flour and shaking off any excess). Combine the eggs and maple syrup in a large bowl. If using liquid vanilla extract, add now. Beat using a blender, food processor or hand-held electric mixer until you can see lots of air bubbles. Sift the flours into the egg mixture, then add the vanilla powder (if using), butter, baking powder, lemon juice and your chosen adventure from the list, if using. Stir gently until just combined. Set aside to stand for 1 minute. The mixture will thicken. Pour or spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 22–25 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. A double batch in a single larger tin will take longer, 35–40 minutes. Serves 6

*Notes: Why three different flours and not just one of them? I’ve found that for perfectly textured gluten-free cakes and pastry, you need a blend of a few different light and heavy flours and nut meals. Feel free, instead of the three flours listed, to add the same total volume of a gluten-free allpurpose flour if that’s easier for you. If one of the flours you use is coconut flour, add an extra third of the total volume used here.

SPICED PUMPKIN PIE

With an almond and ginger crust

INGREDIENTS

Spiced pastry and/or cookies

200g frozen or chilled butter

½ cup (60g) quinoa flakes or rolled (porridge) oats 1½ cups (190g) tapioca flour or arrowroot

120g hazelnut or almond meal 100g buckwheat flour, plus extra for dusting 2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cardamom ½ tsp vanilla bean powder ½ cup (115g) maple syrup or honey, at room temperature FILLING

2 cups (400g) roasted and cooled butternut or Kent pumpkin 5 organic pasture-raised eggs 120ml (4 fl oz) maple syrup or honey ½ cup (125ml) coconut cream or organic thin (pouring) cream ½ cup (125ml) milk of your choice 2 tablespoons tapioca flour, arrowroot or cornflour

½ tsp ground or grated nutmeg plus extra to serve 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp salt

To make the filling, blend all the ingredients on high for 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature while you prepare the pastry. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly grease a round 20–23 cm pie dish or tin.

To make the pastry, pop all the ingredients except the maple syrup or honey in a food processor and pulse three or four times, for 3–4 seconds at a time, until the mixture resembles moist sand or breadcrumbs. On low, gradually add the maple syrup or honey over a few seconds, until the mixture forms a dough. If it’s a bit crumbly, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Dust a clean work surface generously with flour. Transfer the dough to the work surface and shape it into a ball. Place ball of dough in the prepared pie dish and, using clean fingers, press into the bottom and sides to cover evenly, to about 5 mm thickness. Break off any that comes up over the edges and set aside for making decorative cookies, as in the photo. Using a fork, gently prick the pastry bottom all over, about 10 times. Place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry and cover with baking weights or uncooked legumes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C. Add the filling to the pastry and bake for 40–50 minutes, until the centre barely wobbles. Sprinkle with extra nutmeg and serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8–10

Cooking time 55 minutes total To make cookies: Roll dough to about 5mm thick. Cut using a cookie-cutter and spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for about 15 minutes. Cool on tray.