Prawns with peaches at the Hazelhurst Gallery

It's not only beaches, bikinis and flag-waving Aussies in Sydney's Sutherland Shire. It's also home to the Hazelhurst Gallery at Gymea where you can take in some art and enjoy a gluten-free (GF) lunch.

The regional gallery and arts centre has a lovely terrace cafe/restaurant which overlooks the garden. The day Bruce and I met his shire-residing Mum and Dad for lunch, there were three GF options (marked with asterisks) on the regular menu and one GF special. 

My meal of king prawn and grilled peach with pan seared haloumi, asparagus and rocket salad and lemon dressing was absolutely delicious and very fresh. It was a good choice for lunch as it wasn't too heavy and I love the addition of fruits like peaches and nectarines in salads.

The other two gluten-free dishes were seared chicken tenderloin with spiced fig, fetta and hazelnut salad drizzled with shiraz caramel and tea-smoked Atlantic salmon in lemongrass/lime butter with glass noodles (hopefully gluten-free) cucumber, coriander, mint salad, sesame dressing and crispy eschalot.

While I didn't need dessert I couldn't resist trying the rosewater pavlova with double cream coconut ice cream and fresh strawberries.  You could really taste the rosewater but it wasn't too overpowering.

At most restaurants there is usually only one GF option on the sweets menu but not at Hazelhurst. I had the choice of three out of five. There was also an individual flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, berry coulis and double cream and a classic creme brulee with poached peaches.  My mouth is watering now! Hazelhurst also has a breakfast menu with GF bread served on request.

The day we were there the staff were setting up The Leslie Walton Collection, which opened last weekend.  The collection includes works from Australian artists Roland Wakelin, Grace Cossington Smith, Elioth Gruner and John Peter Russell.  It runs till 8 May.

Another exhibition which also opened last weekend is 'Made in the Shire'. Thirty years on from the surf book and movie 'Puberty Blues', the exhibition features photographs of some of the Shire's desperate romantics and high school sweethearts by Emma Thomson, taken during her residency at Hazelhurst.

Hazelhurst also runs art classes for adults and children. The gallery is at 728 Kingsway Gymea and is open Monday to Friday from 10am-5pm.

Lemon strawberry muffins on Sunday

With my sister and nephew in town from Wagga Wagga and Canberra, and my brother's family over from Botany, I cooked up a batch of lemon strawberry muffins on Sunday morning.

The recipe was from Jody Vassallo's Wheat and Gluten Free book, which is endorsed by Coeliac Society of Australia.

I also made a batch of mixed berry muffins from a gluten-free packet mix. The general consensus was that the lemon strawberry muffins were far superior to the packet mix ones. While the packet mix was very quick and easy, you were left with a bicarb soda taste in your mouth after eating them.

The lemon strawberry muffins were a big hit with the family, so I will be making them again. Here is Jody Vassallo's recipe:

Lemon Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients: 300g strawberries, hulled, 300g gluten-free self-raising flour, 170g caster sugar, 30g baby rice cereal, 3 teaspoons lemon zest, 375g skim or no-fat milk, 2 eggs lightly beaten, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius. Line a 12 x 1 third cup capacity muffin pan with muffin cases.

2. Roughly chop half the strawberries. Cut the remaining strawberries in half and set aside.

3. Sift the flour into a bowl, stir in the sugar, rice cereal, chopped strawberries and lemon zest and make a well in the centre. Whisk together the milk, eggs and oil, pour into the well and gently mix with a metal spoon until the ingredients are just combined.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cases. Press the reserved strawberries into the tops of the  muffins. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and risen. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12.

Coeliac Awareness Week targets men

With recent studies showing that men account for less than one third of all coeliac blood tests in Australia, the Coeliac Society of Australia is targetting men during Coeliac Awareness Week - 13-19 March.




Across the country they are asking the question: 'Mate, have you lost your Mojo? 

Does this sound like you or the man in your life?

• You often fall asleep in the chair after dinner.
• You don’t have the energy to run around with your kids.
• You find it hard to concentrate at work.
• You feel exhausted during the day and need an afternoon nap.
• You’re too tired to play sport or exercise these days.

The Coeliac Society says if you’re putting all this down to working long hours, leading a busy lifestyle or just getting older - think again. Tiredness like this can be one of the first symptoms of untreated coeliac disease. Other signs can be stomach cramps, reflux, wind, diarrhoea or constipation and anaemia.

They say it's important for men with these symptoms to be tested because if coeliac disease is not treated, it can result in conditions that can prove fatal, including liver disease and cancer.

Coeliac disease is very common – at least one in 100 Australians have it and it occurs in both men and women. Unfortunately, 75 per cent of those people are not diagnosed.

In the past it was thought that women were more likely to suffer from coeliac disease as many more women were diagnosed. However, more recent research has shown that the inbalance in diagnosis between the sexes is because more women are tested and subsequently diagnosed.

The Society says too many people – and men in particular - brush aside symptoms of tiredness for all sorts of reasons. But tiredness like this is not normal.

As someone who lost their 'mojo' with symptoms described above for nearly four years, all I can say is go and get tested. If you are coeliac and you go on a strict gluten-free diet your energy, well-being  and health will be restored.

If you, or anyone you know, has unexplained tiredness or lethargy, or any of the symptoms listed above, call the Coeliac Awareness Hotline now on 1300 273 272 for a free brochure or jump on the website . In the long term, taking that first step could be life saving. You can follow the Coeliac Society on Twitter http://twitter.com/CoeliacSocAust

Sweet treats in Petersham's Little Portugal

While we can't eat the famous Portuguese tarts, coeliacs certainly don't miss out when it comes to sweet treats at Sweet Belem.

At 35B and 35C New Canterbury Road, Petersham, on Sydney's Little Portugal food strip, this 'cake boutique' offers a wide-range of gluten-free choices.

Last Sunday I tried the very moist and sweet, raspberry lemon roulade. As Bruce said after he'd had a taste: "You could never say that cake was dry!"

Made with polenta, it is a traditional Portuguese cake or dessert. The orange roulade is also made with polenta.

Other options include the orange jaffa chocolate truffle and flourless chocolate and orange cakes. All the cakes are made on-site, joint owner Lina Correia informed me.

Sweet Belem is a cute little cafe, decorated to take you on a trip to Portugal, if only gastronomically. And I love looking up at the ceiling painted like the sky.

Maeve O'Mara's Gourmet Safaris take walking tours to the restaurants, cafes and food outlets in Petersham's Little Portugal.

The Booker Prize, Bill Granger and Book Club

Bill Granger made an appearance at our book club on Sunday night. Well, not really, but one of his recipes did - baked chicken with lemon, potato and green olives.

It's on page 94 of his Feed Me Now cookbook. As Bill says: "I adore this kind of all-in-one meal that is baked and served in the same dish." And it's full of mouth-watering flavours.

It was a good accompaniment for our discussion on Sonya Hartnet's Butterfly and Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. Everyone had something positive to say about the young adult story Butterfly but not all in the group reached the end of Hilary Mantel's 600 and something page book. Wolf Hall is the retelling of Thomas Cromwell's life - the blacksmith boy who became Henry VIII's right-hand man

Most found the novel quite a hard read with Belinda the only book club member to reach the end. At least everyone attempted to read the 2009 Man Booker-prize winning novel - except me. I got my wires crossed and read or rather half-read the 2010 winner, The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson. 

With two Booker prize winners on the table we had an interesting discussion on the types of novels that win this annual fiction award. We now move on to Sydney author Margo Lanagan's award-winning novel, Tender Morsels.  Described by publishers' Allen and Unwin as fiercely poetic, exquisite and unforgettable; fantasy at its heart-wrenching best. I wonder what food will go with this vivid fairytale?

Hope you enjoy making and tasting Bill's great dish which of course is gluten-free.

Bill Granger's baked chicken with lemon, potato and green olives

Ingredients: 1kg roasting potatoes, such as Desiree, 1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges, 75g green olives, 1 lemon, sliced, 50g pancetta, cut into strips, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 120ml chicken stock, 1 x 1.7g chicken, jointed, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional).

Method: Preheat the oven to 180 C. Cut the potatoes into chunks and place in a roasting tin or ovenproof dish. Scatter over the onion, olives, lemon, pancetta and bay leaves. Stir the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar into the chicken stock, then pour over potatoes. Lay the chicken pieces on top, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes or until the chicken is golden.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a warm plate, cover with foil and set aside to rest in a warm place. Increase the oven setting to 220 C and return the roasting tin or dish to the oven for 10 minutes or until the potatoes, onion and lemon slices are well coloured.

Place the chicken back on top of the potatoes, scatter over some chopped parsley, if you like, and serve.

Mango and macadamia nut cake at Collector

You don't expect to find gluten-free food at a place called The Daily Pie. Surprisingly I did.

On the way  back from Canberra last Saturday I dropped into The Daily Pie at Collector, just off the Federal Highway, an hour north of Canberra and not far from Goulburn. Apart from needing to 'stop, revive, survive', my main reason for diverting was to see if a new eatery had replaced the Lynwood Cafe, which closed 18 months ago.  The Lynwood Cafe was a bit of an institution in the tiny town for more than 10 years. Its reputation for excellent food lured many drivers to detour for lunch.

There's no new cafe in its place but the people at The Daily Pie tell me that the building was purchased by a Sydney artist who has made the former restaurant her home and studio. It is expected that it will open as a gallery on weekends soon.

But back to The Daily Pie. Serving me that morning were Sarah and Emma De Bruin, who with mother Helen run the cafe. Helen makes all the pies but being coeliac, she has to get other members of the family to taste them.

While I couldn't eat the pies I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet gluten-free options. There was the standard orange and almond cake and a chocolate one too. But I couldn't go past the mango and macadamia cake. It was delicious with a strong mango flavour and crunchy macadamias throughout. 

The cafe also stocks a range of honey and jams and Lynwood Preserves, made by the former owners of the Lynwood Cafe. Lynwood Preserves is a regular exhibitor at Collector's annual pumpkin festival held on Sunday, 1 May.

The Daily Pie will be closed for the month of February for renovations. When it re-opens in March Sarah and Emma said there will be more gluten-free options on the menu. You can find The Daily Pie at  8 Church Street Collector. It's hard to miss as it's housed in a former Golden Fleece and Caltex service station. Open from 10am to 5pm Thursday to Sunday, it certainly beats McDonalds.

Australia Day coffee & cake in Petersham

After a morning dip at the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre in Petersham Park we dropped into the Palace Pantry for coffee.

On the corner of Palace and Brighton Streets, just up from the pool and Petersham Park, the Palace Pantry offers delicious gluten-free sweet treats.

Made on site by pastry chef Takato, the cakes are superior to many gluten-free ones on offer at other cafes.

Being coeliac I have become a connoisseur of orange and almond cakes. The one at the Palace Pantry was the nicest I have tasted in a long time as it was very moist and orangey.  Another time I tried the caramel round which was also delicious. Next visit I will choose the gluten-free chocolate brownie.

And for all you non-coeliacs out there the Palace Pantry makes delicious pies. Bruce is having a lamb, potato and rosemary one now. "It's beautiful," he just called out from his spot on the couch watching the tennis. Isn't it great to have a day off during the week!

You can find the Palace Pantry on Facebook. More on this inner west treat soon.