From Chef Oonagh Williams of



Royal Temptations Catering

About 6 dinner party portions

Ingredients:

• ½ stick (2oz) butter or olive oil, but butter is richer flavored
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 ribs or stalks of celery, washed and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 c water
• 1 x 8oz can no salt tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free chicken stock concentrate
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free tomato ketchup
• coffee filter filled with ½ teaspoon dry thyme, 1 bay leaf, some fresh parsley stalks and tied shut
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• grated rind of ¼ lemon
• 2 tbsp sherry
• 1/3 lb cooked, peeled salad shrimp.
• 2 x 6 oz cans of crab meat, well drained, or 8 oz fresh or frozen crab, thawed
• dash of fresh nutmeg
• dash of cayenne pepper (if you like a bite to your soup)
• Fresh, chopped parsley to garnish.
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a 3 quart non-stick pan. Add onions, garlic, carrot and celery and cook, covered over a low heat, for about 10 minutes until they soften. This is known as “sweating” the vegetables and allows more flavor to develop rather than just cooking them immediately in stock.

2. Add the water, tomato sauce, stock, ketchup, coffee filter of herbs and freshly ground pepper. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook covered for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3. Remove herb packet and then use an immersion blender and puree the vegetable and stock mix directly in the pan. (You can also pour into a blender or food processor and puree.)

4. Add the lemon rind, nutmeg, cayenne (if desired), cream and cornstarch mix.

5. Add sherry and bring back to just under a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add thawed shrimp, drained crab and simmer for 1 minute.

6. Turn off heat, add parsley and let sit for a few minutes. You don’t want to boil any soup with a milk mix added as it can break up. Too much heat will also toughen the shrimp and also will prevent you from appreciating the flavor of the soup.

Note:Always check the label to ensure ingredients are gluten-free.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

• 3.52 oz. bar of Toblerone. If you can’t eat Toblerone, then use either regular chocolate or a dairy-free chocolate
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1-2 tsp. of your favorite liqueur or ½ tsp. vanilla or almond extract.

Directions:

1. In a microwave safe bowl, heat ¼ cup of cream until hot (about 30-40 seconds).

2. Remove Toblerone from paper and foil wrapping and break up into pieces. Stir into hot cream and leave for 2 minutes. Stir again and microwave as necessary so chocolate melts. With Toblerone, there will still be bits due to nuts and nougat in chocolate. Stir in liqueur or extract.

3. Let chocolate mix cool for 10-20 minutes. It will thicken slightly.

4. Whisk remaining ¼ cup of cream until stiff, then gently whisk melted chocolate mix into cream mix. Pour into two pretty glasses and chill. You can also use pretty tea cups or custard cups. Serve as is or topped with more whipped cream and strawberries.

Tips and Alternatives: To save time, make this recipe the night before Valentine’s Day.

For dairy-free: Use dairy-free chocolate and whatever cream substitute you like to melt the chocolate. Increase liquid for melting. Whisk one egg white until stiff and then fold into chocolate mix once cooled.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of Freirich eye round cut of corned beef (or any other cut if you can’t find round)
• 12 oz bottle of gluten-free beer (note that gluten-removed beer is not safe for those with celiac disease. Learn more.)
• 2 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch thick slices
• ½ lb peeled pearl onions (I buy them frozen and allow to thaw)
• 1–2 lbs of potatoes, peeled and cut into thick chunks
• Cornstarch mixed with cold water (optional, used to thicken juices at the end)

Directions:

1. Place beef in slow cooker or oven-safe casserole dish.
2. Pour the beer and water around the beef. Mix mustard and brown sugar together and smear over the beef.
3. Add the chopped onion, garlic and bay leaves.
4. Cook the meat until tender. For slow cookers, it’s about 6 hours on low for a 6-quart slow cooker. In the oven, cook at 325°F for about 3 hours.
5. About 1 hour before the meat is tender, add sliced carrots, pearl onions and potato chunks. If using a slow cooker, turn it up to high so the vegetables cook through.
6. Remove the tender meat from the casserole and let rest for at least 15 minutes. This also gives you enough time to cook the vegetables longer if they are not tender enough.
7. Add cornstarch/water mixture if the juices need some thickening.
8. Serve slices of corned beef with the potatoes, carrots and onions.

Tips/Alternatives:

• Ensure you cook the meat in a dish with a lid. Otherwise the juices evaporate, leaving the meat dry and salty.
• If you like to serve corned beef with cabbage: Quarter, remove core and finely slice a head of green cabbage. Cook in boiling, lightly salted water for about 8 minutes until only just tender. Drain and return to hot pan with butter and some freshly ground black pepper.
• I find most pre-seasoned meats to be too salty, so the day before cooking I remove the beef from the packaging, rinse it off and then soak it overnight in water in the fridge. The next day, I remove it from the water and rinse it before placing in the slow cooker or casserole dish.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Makes one 7-inch round loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Oonagh’s Gluten-Free Flour Mix, or gluten-free flour mix
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum (leave out if your flour blend already has it)
• 1 tbsp gluten-free baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2/3 cup buttermilk or mix of sour cream and milk (equal parts, whisked together)
• 1 large egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Add egg to buttermilk or sour cream/milk blend. Stir in baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, combine gluten-free flour, salt, xanthan gum, baking powder and sugar. Stir together.
4. Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
5. Add buttermilk or sour cream/milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until soft, moist dough forms. Add more liquid if needed. This dough should not be dry and hard, and it may be necessary to add some more milk or water to get a soft, sticky dough to form. If you think mix is too wet, wait a moment or two. I find that baking powder and xanthan gum almost immediately thicken dough.
6. Place dough on a baking sheet dusted with gluten-free flour or stone and gently pat out to a 7” circle, 3/4” thick, (any thinner and the bread will be tough). Cut halfway through the top of the loaf with a sharp knife, one way and then the other so that when bread is cooked it will form into four crusty quarters but still joined together.
7. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until bread is well risen, hard on top to the touch and sounds hollow if you tap the bottom of the bread. When you think bread is cooked, cook for about 5 minutes more. Undercooked bread will leave a floury, grainy taste in mouth.
8. Remove from oven and serve with fresh butter.

Tips and Alternatives: For special occasions, add raisins or gluten-free chocolate chips. You can also serve the bread with imported Irish smoked salmon for a real St. Patrick’s Day treat.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 slices of gluten-free bread or soft rolls made into soft breadcrumbs in food processor. I use half of a gluten-free bagel.
• 2 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chopped freshly parsley
• ½ tsp. dried thyme or 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1 Tbsp. celery leaves, if you have them
• ¼ cup of potato flour mixed with salt and pepper (You can make this by grinding gluten-free potato flakes in the food processor)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 12 oz. packet of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 2 cups of gluten-free chicken stock
• 1 cup of heavy or whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp. sherry or more to taste
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• Fresh parsley (to garnish)
• 1-2 Tbsp gluten-free cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water
• Baby carrots (optional)

Directions:

1. Pound chicken breasts thin between two sheets of plastic wrap.

2. Place bacon and onion in a microwave safe bowl and cook in microwave for about 3 minutes until bacon is giving up its fat and onion is softening. The bacon and onion can also be cooked on the stove in a small pan without browning.

3. Add fresh chopped parsley, thyme, celery leaves, breadcrumbs and pepper. Mix well. I normally don’t add salt because of the bacon.

4. Lay out each chicken breast on the plastic wrap, pretty side down, and divide stuffing between breasts. Spread stuffing out down the middle of each breast, but try not to let it reach to the very edges, as the filling will fall out.

5. Roll up each breast like a jelly roll and secure with a skewer. Use 3-4” stainless steel skewers. Wooden toothpicks will swell in chicken and be difficult to remove.

6. Turn each roll in seasoned potato flour. Heat 10” non-stick skillet over medium heat, add butter and oil. Once butter/oil mix has melted, add each chicken roll and cook, turning until nicely golden brown on each side – about 3 minutes. This frying is done to add color to the chicken and additional flavor to the sauce.

7. Add mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes. You can add baby carrots to the pan with the mushrooms. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Large chicken breasts will need longer to cook.

8. Remove chicken from pan to a warm plate or very low oven.

9. Add cream and cornstarch mix to pan. Bring to a boil and cook over a gentle heat until sauce thickens. Depending on how much liquid evaporates, you might need to add more stock or cream or use more cornstarch to thicken.

10. Add sherry and nutmeg, stir well, taste and adjust seasoning. Cook sauce for about 2 minutes after you add sherry to allow alcohol to cook out and sherry flavor to mellow.

10. Remove skewer from each breast, cut in half on a diagonal or into 4 slices. Serve on individual plates with sauce to garnish. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Tips and Alternatives:

Serve this dish with plain red potatoes, cooked and swirled with melted butter and either chopped fresh chives or thinly sliced green onions.

To reduce the calorie content, use ham instead of bacon and olive oil instead of butter.

To make dairy-free, use Asian-style coconut milk instead of cream.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of



Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

• 4 large onions, about 1 1/2 lbs. total weight, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. butter or oil – I tend to use olive oil.
• 4 carrots, peeled (I shred them in food processor; you can also just cut them into small dice)
• 5 cup gluten-free chicken stock or beef stock for deeper flavor
• 1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp of dried thyme and some parsley stalks placed in a small conical coffee filter bag that is folded closed and tied into a packet. Known as a bouquet garni.
• Pinch of finely grated fresh nutmeg
• 2-4 tbsp sherry
• 12 oz. can of evaporated skim/fat free milk or milk substitute (I have tried this with fat free half and half, but it breaks up and looks curdled. This doesn’t affect the flavor just the visual appearance. Fresh cream is the best for flavor but contains more calories)
• 1 tbsp gluten-free cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
• 2-4 oz strong cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the butter/oil gently in large saucepan, add onions and turn in butter/oil. Lower heat and leave to cook covered for 5-10 minutes without browning (known as ‘sweating’). As you cut up each onion, add it to saucepan so they start cooking.

2. Add the carrots, stock, quinoa, salt & pepper, and the bouquet garni of parsley and thyme.

3. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until quinoa is tender. Turning the heat off briefly at this stage will allow the quinoa more time to swell and cook.

4. Add sherry and nutmeg and cook for about 5 minutes.

5. Add evaporated milk and cornstarch mixed with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes until soup thickens slightly.

6. Adjust seasoning and add freshly chopped parsley to taste.

Tips/Alternatives:

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

Cake

• 2 oz. soft, room temperature butter or butter substitute
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ½ cup Oonagh’s Gluten-Free Flour Mix
• ¼ cup almond meal/almond flour (If you can’t have nuts, just use the flour mix)
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• Slightly rounded ½ cup pitted chopped dates.
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 3/8 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• Pinch of salt

Sauce

• ½ stick butter
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cream
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans or other nuts (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. rum or other alcohol you can tolerate (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put dates in heat proof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Add vanilla extract and baking soda.

2. Cream butter and sugar together until fairly light, creamy and fluffy.

3. Slowly beat in egg, then beat mixture well.

4. Combine gluten-free flour mix, almond meal, salt and baking powder and carefully fold into butter mix. Don’t over mix; it will still look dry and floury.

5. Gently fold date and liquid into mix. It will now look sloppy and lumpy, not like a normal cake batter. Don’t worry.

6. Grease 6 ramekins or custard cups (6 oz. each), then use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to divide batter up among the ramekins.

7. Place ramekins on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. They will look light and fluffy, but might sink in the middle. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

8. While cakes are cooking, prepare the sauce. Melt butter, then stir in brown sugar, cream and nuts. Simmer until sugar is melted and sauce starts bubbling and looking toffeeish. Only a few minutes. Add rum and simmer for 1 minute.

9. Turn cakes out onto plates and cover with sauce. If you leave them to absorb the sauce for ½ hour, they are even better. Then you just pop them back into oven or microwave to make them warm from the oven again.

Tips and Alternatives:

Do not attempt to use 4 ramekins and overfill them with batter. The cakes will spill over as they cook.

The cakes freeze well and can last in the fridge for a few days.

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp. soft butter – use solid butter substitute for dairy free; do not use an oil.
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¾ cup almond flour or almond meal
• Pinch of salt
• ½ tsp. almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat butter, sugar, almonds, salt and extract together to a soft, sticky, paste-like consistency.
3. Use a cupcake pan and put 2 tbsp. in each of 8 cupcake holes. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. (You will see a lot of melted butter around the tarts as they cook.)
4. Remove from oven, press down the dough to start forming a hollow with walls. Cook for further 5-10 minutes depending on oven. They will be golden brown around edges but can still be pale in middle.
5. Cool in pan so they harden a little, but do not let them go cold as they harden and shatter when you try to remove them from pan.
6. Serve topped with whipped cream or chocolate ganache and fruit. Or, follow the instruction below for Irish Cream Filling.

Irish Cream Filling
Ingredients:

• ½ cup heavy or whipping cream
• 1/2 cup gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 to 4 Tbsp. Irish cream or other liqueur

Directions:

1. Heat cream in microwave safe bowl until very hot but not boiling over.
2. Stir in chocolate, allow to melt, stir well and microwave more if chocolate isn’t smooth enough.
3. Add alcohol and refrigerate for several hours until stiffer than set jello pudding.
4. Either just spoon chocolate into tarts or whisk until stiff and pipe into tarts. Whisking turns chocolate a lighter color. Piped chocolate will set up stiffer with refrigeration. Tarts stay stable even if filled earlier in the day and refrigerated.

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

This is a hearty soup, so only serve a small portion for Easter Meal.

The original recipe came from one of those tiny Church cookbooks (only Greek recipes) from a friend, Sheila, who married into a Greek-American family. She’s changed it to their liking and I did as well, based on what I had and what I liked. Some people (like me) prefer it extremely lemony – my husband does not. I have always thought this soup was made just with rice.

My friend likes to add orzo, similarly to the many recipes I’ve seen that only quote orzo. However, I would think that a Greek recipe would not use orzo. Original recipes cook the whole chicken and use the stock. Again, I think this would have been a recipe where the old layer or rooster was cooked until tender and the soup was made with the stock, perhaps with no chicken, with the chicken being used for other meals. Some recipes use a large amount of just egg yolks, but me and my friend use whole eggs. 4 egg yolks is the equivalent of one whole egg – that is a lot of egg whites leftover, but just egg yolks gives a deeper yellow color and creamier soup, but it also adds to cholesterol. Sheila recommends the Imagine brand of chicken stock (yes, gluten-free) for flavor. Use either homemade stock, purchase gluten-free stock you like, or carefully use chicken stock concentrate, which can be very salty.

Makes 6 servings:

Ingredients:

• 6 cups (48 fl oz.) gluten-free chicken stock or water plus concentrate
• Medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 stalks or celery, washed, quartered lengthwise and cut into small slices
• 2 carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut into small slices (not traditional, but adds flavor)
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely crushed
• 2 Tbsp. (30ml) olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp. sugar
• Zest and juice of half a lemon (add more to your taste. If you add empty shell of lemon to soup it can become bitter. I prefer zest and juice of one lemon)
• ½ cup (120 ml) raw rice
• 2 Tbsp. uncooked gluten-free orzo (the more rice/orzo you use, the thicker the soup)
• 2 whole eggs at room temperature
• 8 oz. (250 g ) or more cooked brown meat chicken, cut into small pieces– roughly legs and thighs from bought rotisserie chicken. Brown meat stays moister and Sheila’s husband doesn’t like brown meat for a meal.
• Feta cheese crumbles (Optional, but this is my husband’s preference. Sheila says no, that’s not how Greeks eat Feta. This is true, but my husband likes it!

Directions:

1. In a minimum 8 cup pan, gently cook onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until softening. Stir in raw rice and cook for a few more minutes.
2. Add garlic, chicken, bay leaf, zest and juice of lemon, salt and pepper to taste and stock.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 10 minutes.
4. Add gluten-free orzo if using and continue to cook for about 15 more minutes until vegetables are soft and rice and orzo are cooked.
5. Taste soup and add more lemon, salt etc. to your taste.
6. Break eggs into a 2 cup jug and whisk with an immersion blender. Slowly add about 1 cup of stock from the pan (without any vegetables, etc.) and blend eggs and hot stock.
7. Pour egg stock mix back into pan, stir well and turn off heat. This egg stock mix also thickens soup. If you boil the soup, the eggs can ‘curdle’.
8. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and some feta.
9. Soup will thicken more as rice and orzo, sit so you might have to add more stock to your taste. These proportions make a thick soup.
10. If you make soup a day in advance, only do the egg stock mix as you reheat it to serve.
11. Consider adding some chopped fresh mint, oregano (Sheila’s family didn’t like that), basil or dill.
12. Provide extra lemon wedges for lemonaholics. Make it your new chicken soup.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

CÉAD MILE FÁILTE
AKA Egg and Smoked Salmon Torte – lunch, dinner or appetizer

This recipe isn’t written in stone. Make as much egg salad as you like, to your own favorite recipe. I do like adding green of green onions or chives to the salad. I don’t add pickles or chopped celery since I like a smooth mix. Smash the hard boiled eggs to make them very creamy or just use the egg slicer in both directions and leave in little pieces. I like to use a mix of mayo and plain Greek yogurt for better calories and the tang of yogurt. Again, make the salad to your taste.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, hard boiled, cooled and peeled.
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) Greek Yogurt or more mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp. green of green onions or chives, finely chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Toppings:

• Crème Frâiche – you can also substitute sour cream or cream cheese.
• Sliced smoked salmon as much as you like or can afford. I buy imported Scottish or Irish smoked salmon, since that’s what I grew up on. You can use another smoked fish or even tiny salad shrimp or fresh salmon.
• Salmon Roe Caviar or other ‘caviars’. I like the color of salmon roe caviar. There are various brands available, some reasonably priced and shelf stable, others more expensive and in deli section. It is optional, fancy for a party, but my husband doesn’t like it. Many don’t like fish eggs!
• Lemon slices
• Thin slices of green of green onions.

Directions:

1. Mix egg salad ingredients together. Put all of egg salad in one plastic wrap lined wide shallow cereal or soup bowl or in lined individual ramekins or custard cups. Chill for several hours or overnight.
2. To serve. Turn egg salad onto one large plate or individual serving plates and remove plastic wrap.
3. Spread a layer of crème frâiche across the top of egg salad.
4. Either chop smoked salmon into small pieces and arrange on top or roll slices into small jelly rolls and arrange on top. Leave a space in the middle to pile the caviar.
5. Sprinkle with some green of green onions.
6. Garnish with lemon slices and slices of sweet pickled cucumber (or bread and butter pickle slices not spears) or bed of lettuce for a meal.

Additional Ideas:

This dish is excellent served with Irish soda bread.

Crème Frâiche basically tastes like a cross between heavy cream and sour cream, is thick like sour cream, but doesn’t break up as easily when you add it to hot sauces. You can even add sugar or honey to sweeten it for putting on top of desserts.

I take equal quantities of heavy cream and sour cream. Either half a cup or one cup of each, depending on what total quantity I need. Put the heavy cream in microwave safe container and warm in microwave until it is blood heat, comfortably warm, but not over 100 degrees. Then, stir in same quantity of sour cream (I tend to buy lite sour cream for less calories in normal cooking), mix well and leave covered on the counter for 12-36 hours until thickened. I find that within about 6 hours it has thickened to sour cream consistency and that’s in my cooler house. You can help process by immersing sealed container in a container of warm water and changing the water periodically.

About Chef Oonagh Williams

Chef Oonagh Williams has just been chosen as one of New Hampshire’s WZID’s Outstanding Women for 2015. See her at the WZID Women’s Expo Saturday, March 7 and watch her on WMUR’s Cooks Corner on Friday, March 13 with St. Patrick’s Day recipes. Like her at Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh on Facebook. Chef Oonagh will be at Concord Co-Op on Thursday, March 12, Atkinson Library on Tuesday, March 24 and Westford MA on Thursday, March 26 – programs on the power of food – best medicine or worse poison. Chef Oonagh also does Corporate Lunch ‘n Learns and speaks at various celiac disease conferences. Check the newsletter archives for more of Chef Oonagh’s St. Patricks Day recipes, beef in gluten-free beer, Irish Chicken Rolls, Sticky Toffee puddings and more.