Gluten free chicken goujons - quick and easy recipe

For the last couple of weeks its be pretty warm in these parts (well for Lancashire anyway) and I wanted a dish that could be served both hot or cold depending on the weather. This is an easy dish and is great finger food served with dips and sauces or on a more formal basis with vegetables or salad. I would image it would be popular with kiddies too as it very similar to chicken nuggets, except a lot more healthy as its gluten free and not cooked in oil, another added benefit is that a meal can be on the table quickly and ideal for eating outside in the garden whilst the lovely weather lasts.

What you need

• Chicken breast - per portion ( I used 2)
• Lemon juice - freshly squeezed ideally
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Polenta -fine grain
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

What you do

• Pre heat your oven to 200c
• Locate a suitable oven tray or pan, I used my Pampered chef stoneware tray and it worked a treat
• Slice the chicken breast fillets into finger thick strips
• Place in bowl and season well with salt and pepper, toss in the lemon juice and a slug of olive oil
• Ensure they are coated well
• On a plate pour out a good layer of polenta and grate over a good quantity of parmesan cheese, mix together.
• Coat each strip well with the polenta and parmesan mixture, pressing in the coating.
• Place on a baking tray and bake for 15 -20 minutes, until golden and cooked through. This will all depend on the thickness of your strips
• Serve hot or cold with salad, dips and sauces or with oven baked "chips"

The featured salad is avocado, mizuna and rocket tossed in a lemon juice and olive oil dressing. This dish would be great served cold al fresco with a selection of dips as part of a picnic feast.

Four Seasons Food is being hosted this month at Eat your Veg with the theme "Al Fresco"  , its hosted in rotation with Delicieux 

                                                         

Strawberry, rhubarb and creme fraiche pavlova

We are currently dealing with a surfeit of eggs in our household (our chickens are in full production ! not that I'm complaining) so any recipe that uses a good quantity of eggs is welcome at the moment. I love Pavlova and still remember the first time I experienced this blousey confection at a friends birthday party when I was about 10 years old, I was blown away with the crunchy crumbly yet marshmallowy texture of the meringue offset by the creamy fruity centre.

This Pavlova uses local strawberries, some homemade homegrown rhubarb anise compote (see earlier post here) to contrast with a cream fraiche and yogurt centre which was slightly sweetened with a little icing sugar.

I love the rustic look of this dish, garnished with just fresh fruit and lemon balm leaves and it tastes amazing, I can't for the life of me recall why I don't make this more often........, I'm off to the kitchen for another slice.

What you need

• 4 egg whites
• 220g Caster Sugar
• Lemon juice - generous splash (this is to make the meringue marshmallowy in the middle)

For the filling 

• 1  pot of Creme fraiche
• Half a large pot of Greek yogurt
• Icing sugar, 1 tbsp
• Fresh fruit of your choice, I used local strawberries and rhubarb compote/jam
• A few lemon balm or mint leaves
• Icing sugar

What you do 

• Pre heat the oven to 140c / 275F, gas mark 1
• Prepare your baking tray with either using a silicone sheet or a large piece of baking parchment.
• Whisk the egg whites in a scrupulously clean mixer bowl until stiff, add the lemon juice and caster sugar whilst still whisking in roughly tablespoon amounts until all incorporated and the meringue is all glossy and shiny
• Scoop the meringue onto the prepared baking tray making a rough circle about 8 inches in diameter, make the sides higher the middle so it can hold the filling.
• Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours until very lightly golden and firm to touch,switch the oven off and allow to cool fully in the oven with the door slightly wedged open with a tea towel
• Once fully cool remove from the oven.
• To make the filling mix the creme fraiche and Greek yogurt with a little icing sugar, spoon into the centre of the Pavlova
• Drizzle with the rhubarb compote and top with fresh fruit
• Dust with icing sugar and dot with artistically with a few lemon balm or mint leaves

I am also going to use this post as an entry in this months cooking with herbs challenge as the recipe features the beautiful lemon sherbety leaves of lemon balm as a garnish. I think the dish would also work beautifully with elderflower scented strawberry compote. The challenge this month is hosted right here on Lancashire Food

                                                               

I am also linking up to Four Seasons Food Summer who's theme this month is red, well this is strawberry red. Created by Eat your Veg and Delicieux, its being hosted our on the Spicy Pear this month

Here is an instagram image of the partially demolished pavlova ! , very rustic but very very delicious.....