I love to make roulades. At Val 21, I usually featured a savory roulade for our vegetarian entree. They are easy to make, impressive and delicious. This weekend I experimented with a gluten-free variety – coconut with whipped cream and fresh strawberries with a touch of cardamom.
I got the idea from the April/May 2009 issue of Living Without Magazine but I made a few changes. At some point, I want to try this recipe without the almond and a combination of coconut flour and another GF flour. I’ll let you know how it compares. Making a roulade is essentially like making a flat souffle, but don’t let that be a deterrent. There is no such thing as a fallen roulade.
Coconut Roulade
Serves 10 to 12
1 cup almond meal
1 cup unsweetened coconut
7 eggs, separated
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract or almond extract
1/8 tsp salt
Place the coconut in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Mix together the almond meal and coconut and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a 11x 16 inch jelly roll pan and then line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, place the egg yolks and sugar and beat with an electric mixer for at least 10 minutes until the mixture makes a long thick ribbon shape when lifted from the bowl (see below).
In another bowl beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Use a pinch of cream of tartar if you want to help it along. Add the salt and then gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Sprinkle the almond/coconut mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the vanilla and then pour into the prepared pan. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Remove the parchment from the pan with the roulade on top. Flip over onto a clean kitchen towel and pull the parchment off gently. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Filling:
2 cups heavy cream
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 vanilla bean, insides scrapped
(Place your left over bean pod into a bowl with sugar to make vanilla scented sugar)
Whip the cream with the sugar. Add the vanilla bean and mix well.
Spread the whipped cream on to the roulade as shown. Then with the longest side facing you, start to roll the towel into a log. Lift the log onto a long platter and refrigerate for a few hours.
Strawberry Garnish
2 pints strawberries
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom
Slice the berries and toss with the lemon juice, cardamom and sugar. Reserve at room temperature until you are ready to serve the cake. Slice the cake on the diagonal and top with the berry mixture, making sure to capture some of the juices!
No comments yet.