Jam Sandwich Cookies

These delicate cookies are perfect for tea or coffee time. I didn’t have fancy cookie cutters, so I used a plain round cutter for the bottoms and a donuts cutter to make the tops. You can use a 2.5-3 inch (6.5-7.5 cm) and a 1 inch (2.5 cm) cutter to cut out the centres of half of the round ones.
For a prettier presentation you can use decorative cutters. 
As for the jam, use any jam you like. I made most of the cookies with homemade quince jam, and the rest with store bought fig jam.
Another tip: dust the tops generously with powdered sugar before placing them on top of the bottoms covered with jam to avoid covering the jam with sugar.
The recipe makes up around 20 cookies.

Ingredients
½ cup butter (softened)
1 tablespoon margarine
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup (packed) icing sugar
2  1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½  teaspoon baking powder

More icing sugar for dusting
Jam of your choice (around 1.5 cups or 450 g)

2.5 inch (6.5 cm) and 1 inch round cookie cutters 

Directions

1. Beat the sugar, butter, shortening and vanilla to obtain a creamy mixture. Add the egg and beat to combine.
2. Combine the flours and the baking powder and add to the previous mixture. Mix until all the ingredients come together to form a soft dough.
3. Form a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 325F (160 C), with the rack in the middle position.
5. Sprinkle work surface with flour. Roll out and flatten the dough to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. I like them very thin but you can make them up to a 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick.
6. Cut the same number of cookies with the round cookie cutter and the donut cookie cutter. If you don't use a donut cookie cuter, cut all the dough with the big cookie cutter, then cut holes in the center of half the cookies with the small cookie cutter. Gather all the scraps, re-roll and cut.
7. Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper spacing them 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) apart.
8. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Wait around 10 mns before transferring them to a cooling rack. They can break easily when hot.
9. Spread 1 teaspoon (or more) of jam on the bottoms (without a hole).
10. Dust generously the tops (with a hole) with icing sugar then place on top to form a sandwich.

Japanese Milk Bread

I made these rolls for breakfast served with chestnut cream and jam, but they can be served as dinner rolls as well.
In the past I shied away of this recipe because of the Tangzhong, but there was absolument no reason for that, it's just a paste made out of milk (or water) and flour. So please don't hesitate to try it.
As you can see I topped some with sesame seeds. 

Ingredients

Tangzhong (Starter)

3 tablespoons (30 g) all purpose flour 

½ cup (125 ml) whole milk

Dough

2 2/3 cups (350 g) all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons (7 g) instant yeast

½ cup (125 ml) whole milk + a little bit for brushing

1 large egg slightly beaten

3 tablespoons (30 g) softened butter cut in small pieces

1 teaspoon salt

Oil

Directions

Tangzhong (Starter)

1. Combine flour and milk in a small saucepan. Whisk on medium heat around 3 minutes until it thickens and forms a paste.
2. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic and let cool. 

The dough

1. Combine the tangzhong and all the ingredients of the dough except the butter then knead 3-4 minutes in a stand up mixer (or by hand).
2. Let the dough rest 15 minutes, then knead again adding the butter a little at a time. It may look messy at the beginning, but when all the butter is absorbed, i twill turn into a nice smooth dough. This should take around 10  minutes.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled in volume.
4. Turn it out on a slightly floured surface, gently deflate and divide in 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.
5. Place the rolls in a pan lined with parchemin paper (or a lightly greased pan), cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again 40 to 50 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush the rolls with milk and bake for 20-25 minutes, until until golden brown on top.

Serving ideas

1) Brush them with plain butter while they are still hot

2) Brush with a mix of butter, honey and cinnamon

Notes
Every oven is different and convection-ovens are even more different. The baking time provided here is for my conventional oven (not convection), which maybe longer or shorter than it would take in yours, so you will have to watch.

Almond Clementine Cake

This is another gluten free cake. Very easy to make and sooo delicious! You have to try it and let me know.
During citrus fruit season, I like to make citrus cakes. I am particularly fond of clementines. They are seedless, sweeter and have softer membranes than mandarins. For these reasons I prefer to use them to bake.

Ingredients
7 clementines (or mandarins)- Around 1 lb (500g)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup (150 g) coconut sugar (or granulated sugar)
2 cups (200 g) almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 

8-inch cake pan (20 cm)

Directions

1. Wash the clementines thoroughly. Cook them in a pot, covered with water for 1 hour or until tender. Keep an eye on the pan, and add more water as necessary. 
2. Drain the clementines in a bowl, let cool, then remove the seeds, if any. 
3. Puree the flesh and half of the skins using a food processor or a hand mixer. Add the juice collected in the bowl. You show obtain around 10 oz (300 g).
4. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degF (190degC).
5. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease lightly.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until thick.
7. Add almond flour, baking powder and clementine pulp, and mix well.
8. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake the cake for 45-50 minutes.

The cake should be slightly moist. Let the cake cool a little bit before unmolding.
Decorate with suprêmes of clementines or just icing sugar.

Lime Pie with Coconut Milk

I wanted to try out something different from the traditional lemon meringue pie. Well, actually I was craving a lemon pie, but I didn't have lemons, only limes and I didn't have enough eggs, didn't feel like going to the store! So I changed my recipe: substituted limes for lemons, coconut milk for regular milk, and I used 3 eggs instead of 4. It turned out absolutely to die for: not very tangy, not too sweet , the meringue very thin and crisp. I don't like the thick meringue which tastes a bit like raw egg whites. I must admit the meringue is not as beautiful as it should be though. I have not whisked enough while on the simmer. Nonetheless, the taste was there.

Ingredients
Dough :
2 cups flour
½ cup butter (softened)
3 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons sugar
3-4 tablespoons water

Filling:
½ cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon lime zest
1 can coconut milk
2 Tablespoons starch
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar

Meringue:
3 egg whites
3 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar
pinch of salt

11 in (27 cm) pie pan with a removable bottom, if possible.

Directions
Crust

1. Combine the flour, sugar, butter and shortening to obtain something like a coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle the water, one tablespoon at a time and mix just enough for the mixture to hold together and turn into a smooth dough.  Add more water if needed.
2. Form a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 400F (200 C), with the rack in the middle position.
4. Sprinkle work surface with flour. Roll out and transfer to the pan pressing up the sides.
5. Bake the shell for 20 minutes

Filling

1. Combine lime juice, zest and starch in a medium saucepan. Add the coconut milk and whisk until smooth. Bring gently to a boil, stirring frequently.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until the mixture turns almost white.
3. Gradually pour the warm mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly.
4. Return everything to the saucepan and stir constantly over medium-low heat until it thickens. You should not let it boil otherwise you may end up with lumps.
5. Pour lemon filling into cooled crust.

Meringue

1. Combine together the egg whites, sugar and salt in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. 
2. Whisk to obtain firm peaks. 
3. Cover edges of the pie crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning. Spoon the meringue over the pie filling. Return the pie to a 300 deg oven for 30-40 minutes or until the meringue gets slightly brown.

Sprinkle with sugar for decoration.

Coconut Flour Birthday Cake

Since my daughter started her Paleo diet a year ago, I have been making her delicious microwave coconut mug cakes every time she comes over. So I figured why not make a layered cake using a similar recipe for her birthday, but this time baked in the oven! It turned out to be this splendid birthday cake.
It was so delicious, moist and light.  Everybody loved it!  You don't have to be on any specific diet to enjoy it.

I had tried it before the big day just to make sure it would make a nice birthday cake, and used half the ingredients below to make only one cake, no filling and no frosting. It worked out perfectly. I served the cake topped with leftover cooked strawberries in light syrup. My husband and I loved it!
To make it a birthday cake, I simply made two layers, added lemon curd and some delicious coconut whipped cream topped with fresh berries. I have to admit I cheated a little bit to have a nice white cake: instead of using coconut sugar for the whipped cream, I used organic granulated sugar. But I made some whipped cream with coconut sugar on the side so she could scrape the white one and add the brown one.

Of course, this cake is also gluten free, grain free and dairy free!

Ingredients
Cake :
1 cup coconut flour
1/2  teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
6 egg yolks, 8 egg whites  (large)
2/3 cup maple syrup (or other sweetener of your choice)
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
½ cup ghee melted (or coconut oil)
1/2 cup coconut cream

Filling:

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice (I used 2 meyer lemons)
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons arrow root

1/2 cup strawberry compote (or any other fruit compote of your choice)
1/2 cup blueberry compote

Topping:
1 can 560ml (19oz) coconut cream (refrigerated for at least 24 hours)
3 Tablespoons coconut sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
12 strawberries
1 cup blueberries

2 cake pans 8 inches diameter

Directions
Cake

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degF (190degC)
2. Line the bottom of the pans with parchemin paper and grease lightly.
3. Separate the egg whites and yolks. Keep 2 egg yolks aside for the filling cream
4. In a bowl, beat the 6 egg yolks until fluffy, add the liquid ingredients and the lemon zest
5. Sift coconut flour and baking soda and add to the liquid ingredients stirring with a spatula until well combined.
6. Beat the egg whites until very firm and fold in delicately in the flour mixture, a small quantity at a time.
7. Pour 1/2 the batter in each pan.
8. Bake the cakes for 25 minutes

Note: let the cakes cool a little bit before unmolding. They are very delicate and break easily, so be careful.

Filling

1. In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until the mixture turns almost white. 
2. Add the lemon juice, water, zest and arrow root
3. Bring gently to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.
4. Remove from the heat.
5. Pour lemon filling into cooled crust.

Topping

1. Open the coconut can and scoop only the thickened part into a cold mixing bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla.
2. Whisk to obtain firm peaks.

Assembling the cake
Spread the first cake with the lemon cream using a spatula, cover with a layer of strawberry compote, a layer of blueberry compote, cover with the second layer. Evenly cover the whole cake with the coconut whipped cream using a spatula. Decorate with  fresh strawberries and blueberries.