gluten free in sorrento

As promised here is a gluten free sweetie. Thanks to Helen and Nina at Stringer's cafe in Sorrento for sharing their recipe for Zarbo slice, a super sweet gluten free treat comprising a biscuit base topped with a mix of walnuts, shredded coconut, chocolate, chips and sultanas. If you don't want to bake it yourself, drive to Sorrento and visit Stringer's for a slice and a well made coffee and enjoy the view looking down the hill to the pine trees lining the bay. Every day has that holiday feel with views like this.

Stringer's Stores are located in a 100 year old limestone building at:

2 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento. Ph: 03. 5984 2010

In their grocery store you will find plenty of Mornington Peninsula produce including beautiful artisan cheeses from Red Hill Cheese and goat's milk cheeses from Main Ridge Dairy. The cafe offers a delicious range of packaged sandwiches and salads ready to go, great for a picnic on the beach or at the nearby Sorrento Historic Park, plus hot food such as homemade soups in winter, sausage rolls, lentil and vegie pasties and ever popular mini savoury tarts with spinach and cheese or egg and bacon tart for breakfast. All food items including the wide selection of cakes, biscuits and slices are handmade in the kitchen upstairs.

It's been a while since I've posted some beachy pics of my Sorrento/Blairgowrie neighborhood, so here's the recipe followed by some shots of Stringer's and then sand and sea.

This is Stringer's adaptation to make it gluten free of a recipe from the Zarbo Café in Auckland that published it in their cookbook.

The original recipe ‘Hello Rosie Slice’ in their cookbook used 250g crushed malt biscuits and 100g of butter melted to make the base. Stringer's adapted that to use gluten free rice cookies but then they stopped making those cookies completely gluten free so they started making their own pastry base with gluten free flour.

SIZE

20x30 cm slice tin (cuts to 18 slices)

Sweet short crust pastry – can be done in mixer or by hand

200g unsalted butter

100g pure icing sugar, sifted

2 free range egg yolks

250g gluten free flour

1 free range egg beaten

Chill in fridge until firm, press out into lined baking tray and then blind bake at 160 degrees until brown (circa 20 mins)

Topping - Mix in bowl

2 cups walnut pieces

1.5 cups dark chocolate buttons chopped

1 cup sultanas

3 cups long thread coconut

500g sweetened condensed milk

Top pastry with mix and bake again until top is brown, approx. 10 minutes, the finished product should be slightly moist and sticky. Cut when cold.