Cook: Parsnips and Yams for Crispy Gluten-Free Biscuit Treats?

Parsnips. Delicious. Definitely one of my favourite vegetables, yet I hardly ever buy them.

This gluten and grain-free biscuit recipe was again inspired by Adam’s Luxury and Eve’s Cookery in the British Library. It contains several truly delicious parsnip recipes. I plan to make parsnip fritters this week, before I leave for milder climes and sallett days. I have some pheasant in the fridge and I think parsnips will be a perfect accompaniment. More on that in a few days.

The recipe I found from 1744 instructed me to take parsnip roots, scrape them, slice them thin, dry in an oven and beat them to a powder.

I could do this.

Or. I’ll save my parsnips (and all that beating energy), as I have some yam flour in the larder, which I need to use up. It’s called Fufu flour. You can buy it at any Asian supermarket and most shops in Chinatown! It’s basically taro. or yam. so many names.

You can make taro cakes, yam cakes, sweet or savoury or both. It’s slow to cook, but it’s so moist, dense, elastic-y and flavoursome, it’s worth it.

Yam Cakes (based on Parsnip Cakes from 1744)

Here’s two sweetly gluten free versions for you – I also have a post for you soon with savoury yam cakes.

A sweet and thin, crispy yam croustade that can go in the school lunchbox.

Cashew Nut Bikkies that you can enjoy at home or give as a gift.

Crispy Yam Thins &

Caramelised Cashew Nut and Yam Biscuits –

Two Gluten Free Recipes, One Mix

Preparation Time: 15mins

Cooking Time: 1 hour plus

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Fufu flour (yam or taro flour)
• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup of rice milk
• 1 ½ cups double cream (if you can tolerate dairy) or butter or coconut cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar or fine coconut sugar
• 1 tsp seasalt

For the Caramelised Cashew Nut Biscuits

• ½ cup cashews
• 2 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar

For the Crispy Yam Thins

• ½ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°
2. Butter a round cake tin, preferably one whose base is removable.
3. Grease a cookie tray.
4. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The mix will thicken. Keep stirring while it starts to cook, kneading it with the wooden spoon constantly.
5. When it is smooth and thick (stir for at least 3-4 minutes), you are ready to make your cakes.

For the Caramelised Cashew Nut Cookies.

1. Crush the cashews and sugar together in a pestle and mortar. Put the mix onto a plate.
2. Make little balls of the Fufu mix, then roll them in the cashew/sugar mix.
3. Flatten into bikkie size cakes, place them on the cookie tray and put in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 160° and cook for a further 45 minutes. Once cooked, you can leave them to cool a little on the baking tray. Turn the oven up to 200° again, then when they can be handled without breaking, turn each one and put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes to crisp up on the underside.
4. Leave to cool completely.
5. The outside will be crispy, while the inside will be chewy, soft and dense. Best eaten within a day or two.

Chewy, Dense, with a crispy, caramelised Nut crust.

For the Crispy Lunchbox Yam Thins

1. Preheat oven to 200°
2. Add the brown sugar to the remaining mix and combine in the saucepan.
3. Put in the cake tin, smooth the surface and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from the freezer and cut pizza-shaped lines in the surface, as you might on a round shortbread.
5. Prick all over with a fork.
6. Place in the oven for 10 minutes at 200°, then reduce to 160° for a further 50 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, allow to cool until it can be handled without falling apart, again turning up the oven to 200°
8. Turn over, remove sides of cake tin if possible, and return to the oven for a further 10 mins at 200°.
9. Turn over again, Slice it up along the lines, once almost cool. Best eaten at room temperature within a day or two.