If you have a dietary intolerance and sometimes feel you're missing out on foods you'd love to eat, this book is for you. Intolerance-Friendly Kitchen is all about reliable recipes that are gluten free, low FODMAP and vegetarian, and cater wherever possible to diets without dairy, eggs, nuts, grains, starches or gums.
Georgia McDermott - also known as much-loved Melbourne food blogger @georgeats - is passionate about making life's delicious moments accessible to everyone, and she's done all the painstaking recipe testing so you don't have to. Whether it's knowing the best flour to use for a certain cake or pastry, or offering a substitution to cut the lactose but keep the flavour, she has worked out how to get the best results every time.
- Intolerance-friendly Kitchen, by Georgia McDermott. Penguin. $34.99.
Vegan breakfast banana bread
The year 2020 taught us a few things, and one of them was the importance of a good banana bread. This version is refined sugar free, dairy free and vegan, which all sounds pretty good to me. While the quantity of ripe banana in this bread is within FODMAP limits, it might not agree with some. If you don't get along with ripe bananas, use just ripe or slightly under-ripe ones instead. I find it can be helpful to roast these first to bring out their sweetness and flavour.
Ingredients
200g fine white rice flour
60g tapioca flour
2 1/4 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
200g banana, ripe or just ripe + 50g extra for decoration (optional)
100g light brown sugar
160ml FODMAP-friendly plant-based milk of choice
80ml oil (I have used vegetable and olive)
1 tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar)
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
pinch of fine salt
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 21.5cm x 11.5cm (base measurement) loaf pan.
2. Place flours, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Mash the banana in a medium bowl, keeping some larger chunks for texture. Mix in the dry ingredients.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in any additions here if using (see notes). You can top the bread with some thinly sliced banana coins or slices, but this is optional.
5. Pour the mixture into the pan, sitting it on a baking tray. Cook for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If necessary, cover with foil and continue to cook for a further 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
6. Set loaf aside to cool in pan for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with vegan, FODMAP-friendly yoghurt if desired.
Notes: This banana bread will keep in an airtight container for up to three to four days. You can mix in several things here: chocolate, nuts or berries. Just make sure any additions are vegan, low FODMAP and gluten free if they need to be.
Makes 1 loaf.
Lactose free, gum free, egg free, vegan, FODMAP friendly, gluten free, dairy free.
Vegan chocolate cake
As someone who has been known to eat butter on its own (apologies to all my non-elasticated pairs of pants), I am always in awe of how I almost prefer vegan cakes and muffins. Without butter or eggs, I find that flavours really shine. This cake is no exception: rich and uber chocolatey, it keeps exceedingly well due to the oil-based batter. Tapioca flour is essential here; in the absence of eggs or gums, it helps keep everything together.
Dry ingredients:
120g fine white rice flour
30g tapioca flour
45g Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp psyllium husk
Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup FODMAP-friendly plant-based milk of choice
2 tsp acid (white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
150g light brown sugar
125ml vegetable oil
2 tbsp fresh espresso coffee (or extra boiling water)
180ml boiling water
For the vegan chocolate buttercream:
100g plant-based butter, thoroughly chilled
160g pure icing sugar
45g Dutch processed cocoa
pinch of fine salt
1-2 tbsp FODMAP-friendly plant-based milk of choice
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 20 cm (base measurement) round cake tin. As the batter is quite liquid, a springform pan isn't suitable here.
2. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. In another medium bowl, combine milk and acid and set aside for two minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil and espresso and whisk to combine. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter. It should feel lightly aerated under the whisk.
4. Add the boiling water and whisk to combine. This will bloom the cocoa and gelatinise the starches in the flours, helping hold the cake together.
5. Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool in tin for 15-20 minutes before gently transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. While the cake is baking, make the icing. Combine the plant-based butter and icing sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Use hand beaters or your stand mixer with paddle attachment to beat until light and fluffy. I find this process a lot quicker with plant-based butter. If it begins to melt at any time, chill for 10-15 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until combined. Taste and adjust according to your preferences.
7. Once the cake is completely cooled, ice it with the buttercream and serve.
Notes: This cake keeps well in an airtight container on the bench for three to five days, and can be frozen.
Serves 8-10.
Egg free, vegan, gum free, FODMAP friendly, gluten free.
Burned basque cheesecake
Basque-style cheesecake is a straightforward yet impressive variety that hails from San Sebastian, Spain. It utilises high heat to form a deeply caramelised crust on both the top and bottom of the cheesecake. With the advent of lactose-free dairy, there's no reason why this delicacy can't be FODMAP friendly. Generally, a Basque cheesecake uses a bit of flour to stabilise the cream cheese, but I didn't find it necessary here. On the question of necessity, a note on the vanilla bean paste and lemon juice: they're optional and not in any way traditional, but I think they add a lovely complexity of flavour.
Ingredients
1 kg lactose-free, full-fat cream cheese
4 extra-large eggs
250ml lactose-free cream
275g caster sugar
pinch of fine salt
2-3 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
2-3 tsp lemon juice (optional)
Method
1. Allow the cream cheese, eggs and cream to come to room temperature before you begin. Soft cream cheese is essential for a smooth cheesecake.
2. Preheat oven to 220C. Line a 24 cm (base measurement) round springform tin with two large overlapping pieces of baking paper, allowing excess to overhang and form handles. It can help to scrunch up the pieces of paper, so they sit compliantly in the tin.
3. Place cream cheese in a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer. Using electric beaters or a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat on medium-low speed until smooth. Add the sugar and continue beating until sugar has dissolved, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula as you go.
4. On low speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down bowl as necessary. Add cream, salt and optional flavourings. Scrape down bowl one last time before mixing until smooth.
5. Pour batter into prepared tin. Gently bang pan against the benchtop to remove any bubbles. Place tin on a baking tray and bake for 40 minutes to one hour (see notes), checking every so often to ensure top is not browning too quickly. If it is, lower the heat a little or gently tent the cheesecake with foil and continue cooking. The cheesecake is cooked when the top is caramelised but there is still a bit of jiggle in the centre.
6. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake to cool with the door ajar. If you've tented the cheesecake with foil, make sure it has some air circulation so it doesn't sweat. Leave the cheesecake to cool, a few hours or up to overnight. You can easily serve this cheesecake as a standalone dessert, but it also works nicely with some berries.
Notes: Everyone's oven is a little different, so it's important to keep an eye on your cheesecake and turn the heat down as necessary. So too is everyone's cheesecake preference - if you prefer custardy innards, you can cook it for less than the specified time. Personally, I prefer to make my cheesecake the night before and allow it to firm up in the fridge before eating. If you don't have a sweet tooth, you can drop the sugar back to one cup. Cheesecake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for two to three days.
Serves 8-10.
Lactose free, gum free, free from high starch flours, grain FODMAP friendly, gluten free.