Happy Easter!

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Easter Celebration

I want to wish all my readers a wonderful Easter! This jelly roll cake was just one of the highlights of my family's Easter dinner this year. I was actually surprised at how well it came out. Of course it was baked as a flat cake, very light with beaten egg whites and all. I carefully rolled it up between parchment paper as soon as it came out of the oven, and let it cool. After peeling off the paper, I spread the inside with strawberry jelly and whipped cream and rolled it back up. Although we did get a little lenient and deviate from an all-gluten-free flour mixture, the results were worth it. The cake was delicious!

And here is a verse to remind us of the wonderful promise of Easter:

But now Christ is risen from the dead,

and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

For since by man came death,

by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

I Corinthians 15:20-21

Meringue Pie Shell

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Meringue Peaks

Now let's make the meringue shell for that delicious Peachy Birthday Meringue. It's really not as difficult as it looks, and creates a uniquely grain-free pie crust that suits all kinds of fillings.

 

Start by beating four egg whites with 1/4 t. of cream of tarter until foamy. Add 1/2 c. of white sugar a spoonful at a time (yes, I gave in and used sugar since honey simple doesn't work in meringues). Continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, another 4-5 minutes.

 

To prepare the baking sheet, draw an 8-inch circle on a piece of brown paper or parchment paper. Place this (ink side down) on a baking sheet. Spread half of the meringue mixture evenly over the circle. Then drop the rest of the meringue by the spoonful around the edge of the circle, forming small peaks.

 

Bake the meringue in a preheated 250-degree oven for an hour and a half. Without opening the door, turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside to cool for another hour. Remove and cool completely.

Fresh from the Oven

Fill the meringue shell with your favorite filling - click here to see the delicious peach/whipped cream recipe I used. As a side note, this meringue recipe is best eaten within the same day it was made. Otherwise, the peaks will gradually get soggy and fall a bit. However, time does not detract from the exquisite flavor!

Peachy Birthday Meringue

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Peaches and Cream

This beautiful meringue pie was the highlight of my birthday celebration dinner this year. It was not an easy project but turned out very impressively! A rich fruit mixture and a sweet cream topping are alternated in a unique meringue shell. Check out my next post right here to see how to make the meringue.

 

I substituted peaches for raspberries in the original recipe, and I suppose that almost any strongly-flavored fruit would be delicious. I opted for frozen fruit but I am sure that fresh would be even better.

 

To begin, mix 3 T. cornstarch into 1/4 c. water in a saucepan. Add 14-20 oz. of frozen fruit, diced in small pieces. I used a 16-oz bag of frozen peaches. Depending on the juiciness of your fruit, add another 1/2 - 1 c. water. Also stir in 1/4 - 3/4 c. of honey to suit the sweetness of the fruit. Heat to boiling, and cook for a least a minute, or until the fruit is soft. Be sure to stir constantly or it will stick and burn! Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

 

Meanwhile, beat 1 c. of whipping cream in a chilled bowl until it forms stiff peaks.

 

Separately, beat til smooth:    4 oz. softened cream cheese       1/2 t. vanilla        1/2 c. honey

 

Fold the cheese mixture into the whipped cream. To layer the pie, spread a third of the fruit mixture over the meringue shell. Top with half of the whipped cream, another third of the fruit, and the rest of the whipped cream. Finish off with the last third of the fruit mixture, spreading carefully to make a nice, even topping. Chill in the refrigerator at least two hours before serving. Enjoy the taste of summer!

Birthday Treat

Banana Bars

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Snack Time

Here is that moist, sweet, chewy snack for a day when you just need a yummy bite to eat. And, of course, it's still gluten and sugar free! These banana bars are a notch up from regular banana bread, with a delightfully smooth texture and sweet flavor. But the best part is that they're so easy to make. Here's how:

Cream together:

1/2 c. softened butter                                    1/2 c. raw honey

2 eggs                   1 c. sour cream                   1 t. vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, mix well:

2 c. sifted oat-rice flour                  1 t. baking soda           1/4 t. salt

Add the flour to the butter mixture, then stir in 2 mashed bananas (about 1 cup). Spread in a greased 9x13 pan (or a similar size - we used a foil pan for extra-easy cleanup!). Bake in a 350 oven for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

Ready to Bake

Once the bars are cool, we spread a light frosting on top. It was simply delicious!

Beat well and smooth over bars:

1/4 c. softened cream cheese                         1/4 c. softened butter

2 t. vanilla extract                             1/4 - 1/2 c. raw honey

Once you taste these, you'll want to keep them around all the time to grab for a quick snack or even breakfast. These banana bars are a real treat!

Italian Salad

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Green Salad

Here is a fresh green salad to brighten up your day. When this cold winter weather keeps you shut indoors, fresh vegetables are especially important to replace nutrients that come from sunshine.

Feel free to substitute your favorite veggies with any of my ingredients. I exchanged tomatoes and pimientos for the mushrooms and peppers in the original recipe, and added cheese and raisins for variety. I like the mixture of sweet and sour flavors in this Italian-style salad. It's really easy to throw together. Here's how:

Combine in a large salad bowl:

1 head green or Romaine lettuce, soaked in ice water and cut in bite-size pieces

1/2 c. frozen green beans, blanched for 3 minutes

1 small head broccoli florets, torn in bite-size pieces and blanched for 1 minute

1/2 c. cheddar or Colby cheese, cut in 1" squares, 1/4" thick

1 - 2 Roma tomatoes, cut in julienne strips

1/4 c. raisins                               1 T. diced pimientos

For the salad dressing, combine in a jar and shake well:

1/4 c. olive oil                1/4 c. canola oil

2 t. mustard                          2 t. honey

1t. basil                          1/2 t. oregano

1 t. red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Pour over salad and refrigerate for a half hour or so to allow flavors to develop. Serve in salad bowls and garnish with fresh basil or parsley, if desired. The salad is a great compliment for a steaming bowl of soup, perfect for a cold winter day!

Winter White Soup

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Cream of Potato Soup

This steaming, creamy soup will dispel the chill on any of these blistery winter days. Using time-saving shortcuts, it requires less work than most cream of potato soups and can be whipped up an hour from dinner. Plus, it compliments meat entrees, salad, or even tacos (which is what my sister served together for her birthday!).

To start, peel and chop in 1/2 inch pieces:

6 potatoes                      1 carrot                    2 celery stalks 

1/2 to 2 onions - to suit your taste     

Place in a pot with:

 2 c. water (or enough to cover)                     1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. basil               1/4 t. thyme                  1/2 t. celery seed

Bring to a boil and simmer til tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the cream sauce, melt 4 T. of butter on low heat. Stir in 1/4 c. flour until smooth, and then gradually add 2 c. milk (we used a mixture of whipping cream plus water, which gave a nice smooth texture). Once the sauce has thickened, stir it into the simmering vegetables.

Serve piping hot and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese.

Fall Pear Tart

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Pear Delight

For many country people, the coming of autumn means syrupy fruit pies, steaming apple tarts, and chewy zucchini bread. For the conscientious eater, all of these wonderful treats translate into two sad things: gluten and sugar. Not good. But I have good news: you can enjoy these fall foods without the bad ingredients! Here is a wonderful pear dessert, best with those fresh pears picked from the backyard tree or bought at the farmer's market. Non-gluten oat and rice flour and nutritious honey replace the sugar and wheat. You may notice how small portions the recipe makes. That's intentional: my family of five would split this dessert in order to reduce the sugar intake even more. Less, more often, is the best way to go when you're watching your carbs.

Heating Pears

 To make the pear sauce layer in this delicious dessert, combine in a small saucepan:

2 ripe pears, chopped                                       2 T. cubed butter

3 T. raw honey                              1/8 t. each cinnamon & cloves

Simmer, covered, on low heat for 20 minutes til soft. Uncover and continue to simmer until most of the liquid is gone. This will take 5-20 minutes, depending on how juicy your pears are. Once finished, pour the pears into the bottom of a greased 7x9 glass dish.

The topping is just as easy. Cut 3 T. of softened butter into 1/2 c. sifted oat-rice flour. Add 1 T. of cream and enough water to make a spreadable batter. Gently layer the topping over the pears. Bake in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned. Serve immediately. This warm, fruity dessert is best topped with vanilla ice cream. 

World's Best Pizza

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Too Good To Eat

Well, now that we have a great pizza crust in the oven, let's get some mouth-watering toppers going. The main feature is the hamburger sauce, which I like to start a couple hours ahead of time to let it simmer. Here's the recipe for one 12" pizza pan.

In a medium saucepan on high heat, melt 2 T. butter and fry 3 T. chopped onion. Stir a few minutes, then add and brown:

1 fresh tomato, chopped               1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes, chopped

Next, add 1 1/2 lbs. of hamburger and mix well. Sprinkle over the meat:

1 T. oregano                    2 t. basil                     1 t. thyme

2 t. chili powder           1 t. raw honey                 2 t. olive oil

Stir for 4-5 minutes, until about a third of the beef is brown. Turn onto very low simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.

Right before baking, make a white sauce and stir the beef mixture into it. This makes a nice creamy layer to spread on the pizza. For the whitesauce:

Brown 2 T. flour in 2 T. butter in another saucepan. Add 1/4 c. of heavy cream and 1/4 c. of water. Stir til thickened, then add to beef (or vice versa). Remove from heat immediately.
 

To layer the pizza, first spread on the beef mixture. Top with 2-3 cups of fresh cauliflower florets, blanched. Sprinkle on 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, and then 1/4 c. diced pimientos. Garnish with any other condiments to your liking. Bake again for 10-15 minutes, til nicely browned. Enjoy fresh and hot from the oven!

Perfect Pizza Crust

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Fresh from the Oven

You are probably thinking as you read this post title, can you really avoid white flour, tomato sauce, and prepared-food preservatives, and still enjoy pizza? The answer is a definite yes. Okay, it's not going to be exactly the same thing you can buy prepared in a pizza box; it's going to be better! So please, let me explain how I make my own gluten-free, sugar-free, preservative-free pizza!

The basis of the crust was a specially-prepared pizza crust mix of non-gluten flours. You can buy a similar mix in almost any large supermarket or health food store. Most mixtures are based on rice flour or garbanzo bean flour, and then use xanthum gum, arrowroot, tapioca, and/or other flours to hold them together.

The flour mix you buy should have directions as to how to make a 12"-pizza pan crust. Experiment and tweak the measurements to suit your oven and your tastes. In my experience, the recipes usually call for 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water, 2 eggs, 2-6 T olive oil, and a bit of vinegar for one recipe. And then, of course, a packet of instant yeast and sweetener. I use raw honey as the sweetener and it has worked fine. I always proof the yeast in the warm water and then let the dough rise 15-20 minutes before spreading it on the sheet.

The pizza dough may be the thick, gluey consistency of regular bread dough, or it may be a bit runnier, more like cookie dough. It depends on the particular mix; both consistencies work fine, only the baking time may be different. Here is a great trick for spreading sticky pizza dough onto the sheet: lay a piece of cling wrap on top of the dough lump in the middle of the pan, and use a rolling pin (i.e. empty jelly jar in my kitchen) to roll it out to the edges. Works every time! Bake in a 400-degree oven for 10-15 minutes, usually.

Well, this post is long enough; I guess you will have to wait til next time to find out my secret recipe for "the world's best pizza topping"! 

Happy Easter!

Holidays

Braided Bread

May I wish all my dear readers the same wonderful Easter celebration that my family had today! My younger brother and sister made this beautiful bread for our dinner. It used a special blend of gluten-free flour (rice flour, tapioca, xanthum gum, yes, even chickpea and buckwheat flour) and came out just like regular wheat bread! And just look at the eggs . . .  we dyed our own duck eggs since they were the only white ones we had--all our chicken eggs were brown.

The dying process was so simple: we mixed 2 t. white vinegar in 2 cups of water, which was enough to cover one or two eggs in a small container. We mixed food coloring in til quite dark, doing each color in a separate bowl. The eggs only needed to soak about 45 minutes, depending on how dark we wanted them. It was amazing--it really worked! The only catch was, if we hard boiled them, the color came off immediately. So hard boil first if you use this method. However, interestingly enough, the bread recipe used uncooked eggs, and once baked in the oven, they were just as if hard boiled!

 I just had the idea of making a little nest in the middle with another colored egg . . .

Happy Easter!

Almond Snowdrifts

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Wintry Treat

When the snow flakes are coming down fast and you know it's going to be a long winter day indoors, what's the perfect cake to make? How about whipping up some of your very own snowdrifts? Whatever the weather, you are sure to love this creamy yet light cake with a creative touch. Just please don't try to go sledding in the icing!

Whipping up this easy cake is simple. First, beat with a hand mixer:

1/2 c. softened butter                     1/2 c. raw honey                    2 eggs

Add:                      1/2 c. flour                                 1 t. baking soda

                    1 c. sour cream                                      1 t. vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine:

2 t. cinnamon                                 1/4 c. flour                            1 egg

2 T. honey                              1/4 c. pecans or walnuts, chopped

Pour half of the batter into a greased 9" round cake pan. Drizzle half of the nut mixture on top. Repeat with second half of batter and nuts.

Bake cake in a 350 oven for 35-40 minutes, til lightly browned. Cool and turn onto a plate.

For the icing, whip 1/2 c. cold cream with 2 T. honey and 2-3 t. vanilla til soft peaks form. Gently pile onto top of cake with a rubber spatula, making peaks and valleys like ocean waves. Carefully place toasted slivered almonds on top. Now you have footprints in your snowdrifts!

Snowy Marbled Cake

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Chewy Delight

Well, all this trecking around is making me hungry, how about you? Try out this delicious cake to top off any dinner! The marbled chocolate and white batter has a simply wonderful texture, and the sugar-free icing tops it all off with perfection.

To start, combine:

2 c. coarsely sifted oat-rice flour                        1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon                    1/4 t. nutmeg                 1/4 t. salt

Melt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to combine:

1/2 c. raw honey                1/2 c. canola oil                  2 T. butter

In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs well. Add 1/2 t. vanilla, and almost all of the honey mixture, leaving 2 T. in the saucepan. Then beat this egg mixture into the flour combination. Did you get all that?

Last step: add to the saucepan of honey/oil mixture and stir:

5 t. unsweetened cocoa powder                 2 T. water

Now for the fun part! Pour half of the cake batter into a buttered glass pan (9x9 or 7x12 is great). Stir another quarter of the batter (half of what's left) into the pan of cocoa and drizzle over the pan of batter. Finally, pour the rest of the white batter on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until cake is almost set and browned on top. Cool and remove from pan.

Enjoy a piece of warm cake topped with whipped cream or cream cheese frosting. To make your own sugar-free whipped cream, beat 1/2 c. of cold whipping cream with a handmixer. After about 30 seconds, add 1 t. vanilla and 1/4 c. honey (or to suit your liking). Here's a cake you can feel good about eating!
I will also take the opportunity to say Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother! If it were possible to send an e-cake, I would be the first--I'm sending this one to her!!



Shepherd's Pie

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Holiday Main-Stay

Christmas dinner wouldn't be the same without a hearty home-cooked casserole. Here is a wonderful dish, sure to please all your loved ones coming in for the holidays. Our family enjoyed this recipe for Thanksgiving, but it would be excellent for Christmas or New Years too. Here's the best part: you can prepare both the meat and topping up to 3 days ahead; on the holiday morning, just grab them out of the fridge and throw them into the pan!

To start, brown 1/2 c. chopped onion in 3 T. olive oil, in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add 2 pounds of beef (hamburger, chopped chuck roast, or your favorite cut of meat). Continuing to brown, stir in:

3 T. flour           1 T. fresh ginger, minced               2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 t. ground cloves             2 t. chili powder                    1 c. pitted prunes, chopped

Once the meat is about half browned, stir in 1-2 c. of chicken broth (or water), just covering meat, and simmer on very low for 1-2 hours.

Optional: blanch 10 oz. of pearl onions in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, peel, and add to the beef stew. NOTE: We did not do this since we could not find pearl onions at our supermarket. It was fine without, though I imagine it'd be even better with!

Meanwhile, peel 2 pounds of red potatoes and 1 pound of carrots; chop in 2-inch pieces. Place in a pan of water with 2 T. salt and boil til tender. Drain and mash. Then stir in a heated mixture of 1 c. whole milk and 1/4 c. butter. Here is the point at which everything could go into the fridge until Christmas morning.

To assemble the casserole, spoon the stew into a 9x13 glass dish. Cover with the vegetable mash, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 c. grated gouda, gruyere, or sharp cheddar cheese. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Dish out and enjoy!

Amazing Brownies

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Dig in!

Did you think brownies were something you’d have to give up if you went gluten-free? Well, not any more, with this amazing, no-wheat recipe that my sister perfected! Even with a small amount of chocolate (reducing the carbs and other unwanted things), it still came out very rich. And then there’s the secret to that pink icing, we’ll get to in a minute!

Combine and microwave on high til melted, stirring to combine:

1-2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (depending on your taste), chopped in small pieces    

1/4 c. butter                          1 T. cocoa powder

Next, whisk together in a bowl:

1/2 c. honey                  1/4 t. salt                   1/2 t. vanilla extract

melted chocolate mixture   

Add 2 eggs, mixing after each. Last stir in 1/2 c. sifted oat/rice flour and 1/4 t. baking powder.

Spread the batter in a 7x9-inch glass pan (or something around that size), lined with foil and greased well. Bake for 25-30 minutes, til just set in center.

For the frosting, combine:

1/2 c. cream cheese                 1/4 c. honey                  1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. blackberry jam

(Can you guess which ingredient lends that gorgeous purple color?)

Beat with a mixer til very smooth. Gently spread over brownies while still warm.

Pretty Purple Frosting

Of course, you can use cocoa powder instead of the jelly for a more traditional icing. Both are delicious, of course.

This recipe makes a very small pan on purpose. Since it’s still a bit heavy with carbs (the chocolate and all), we like to give out pretty small servings at once. They’re so good, a little bit goes a long way! Enjoy!

Summer Salad

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Rainbow Veggie Salad

Nothing gets closer to the taste of summer than this peak-of-the-season salad. It features all the wonderful vegetables you can find in the garden or farmer’s market, literally a rainbow-colored salad. I’ll leave it to you to pick out each color in the salad! (Hint: There’s just one color missing: blue.)

Now some don’t like raw carrots or squash in salad, but the key is to chop them very thin and flat, stir fry style. You can see what I mean in the picture. Well, let’s get started! This salad is very simple to throw together. Just chop and mix in a large bowl:

1 head Romaine or green leaf lettuce, soaked in ice water and chopped roughly   

2 carrots, thinly sliced                1/2 yellow (summer) squash, thinly sliced   

1/4 c. raisins                              1 chopped ripe tomato

For the dressing, combine in a jar:

1/2 c. oil                          1/4 c. water                          2 T. honey 

1 T. Dijon mustard              1 T. white wine vinegar          1 t. basil

Shake well and pour over the salad.

A hint of sweetness from the raisins makes this colorful, crunchy salad a top winner! Try it, and tell me what you think!

Tuna Rollups

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Tuna-Filled Blintzes

Here is a delicious summer recipe to fill up those Basic Blintzes we just made. The best part is, this filling couldn’t be easier to throw together! Experiment with your own seasonings...even replace the cream cheese with mayo or sour cream.

To begin, mix all ingredients in a bowl:

1 12-oz can light tongol tuna, drained and flaked                    1/2 c. chopped celery 

8 oz. Cream cheese, room temperature                         1/2 c. chopped pickles    

2 T. mustard          1 t. basil          2 T. green pepper salsa (we like tomatillo sauce)

Spread a sort of log (inch-thick or so) on one end of each blintz. Gently roll the blintzes up and stick a toothpick through each one to hold them together. These rollups are best if served still slightly warm. The real test of perfection is whether you can pick them up and eat them with your fingers! Just kidding….either way, they’re going to be delicious!

Tuna Rollup Ingredients

Basic Blintzes

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Frying the Blintz

Blintzes are basically a cross between pancakes and tortillas. And they are more versatile than either one—the fillings you could roll up in a blintz are endless! Another plus, for the low-carb menus, is the small amount of flour in each one—very low in grain starch.

To start, combine in a medium-size bowl:

1/2 c. sifted oat/rice flour               1/2 t. salt               1 egg                1/2 c. water

Beat well with a fork. The batter should be very runny.

Next, heat 3 T. of canola oil a small non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour about 2 T. of batter into the hot oil. Quickly swirl the batter to form a thin, even pancake—it will cook instantly when it hits the pan.

Fry the blintz for 1-2 minutes, till it’s dry underneath but just a bit moist on top. Remove, add more oil as needed, and repeat. Whisk more water into the batter as you go to keep it water-thin. This recipe will make about 6 small blintzes.

For best wrapping results, fill the blintzes while still warm. Use your favorite spread, or wait for my Tuna Rollups recipe coming up next!

Heart Cake

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Independence Cake Variation

Here is a creative variation on the Independence Cake! We liked this recipe so well we decided to have it again, but a flag didn't seem quite appropriate (or worth the work), so we wanted to try something else. I arranged the strawberry halves in a heart shape (not nearly as neatly as my sister did the flag!), surrounded by blueberries. Maybe serve on Valentine's Day...? Get creative! What other red and blue designs could you make?

Cheesy Mice

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Ever Seen a Cute Mouse?

There’s a good possibility this goofy recipe will actually make your mother jump up on a chair and scream!! Just kidding—I’ve seen real mice in our henhouse, and they don’t compare to these guys! Another easy recipe with a whole lot of zing.

Start with three hardboiled eggs. Cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks. Mash the yolks with 3 T. shredded cheddar cheese and herbs of your choice. Spoon the mixture back into the egg whites and smooth the surface. Turn the egg halves upside down and arrange on a plate.

Cut slits into the pointed ends of the eggs and insert:

Radish or carrot slices for ears                    Carrot piece for nose

Currants (or halved raisins) for eyes                       Radish roots for tails

Serve garnished with sliced cheese, herbs, or tomatoes. Here is one mouse I would like to eat!

Hard Boiling Eggs

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Hardboiled Eggs in Ice Water

There are so many methods out there for hard boiling eggs, it can get quite confusing. In fact, my art teacher’s mother used to know her eggs were done when all the water was gone from the pan! My method is a bit different. First, your pot must allow all the eggs to sit on the bottom—too small and they won’t cook evenly. Fill the pan with enough water to submerge the eggs with at least 2” to spare and bring it to a rolling boil. Gently add the eggs with a slotted spoon (or else they’ll bust like the two in my picture above). Bring them back to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and set a timer for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, fix a bowl with cold water and ice. After exactly 12 minutes, dip the eggs out with the slotted spoon into their ice bath. Let them cool for a while, then drain and peel them. Besides peeling beautifully, these eggs should have spongy whites and moist yolks—not runny, yet not dried out and crumbly either. Now you’re ready to make Egg Salad, Tuna Pizza, Caesar Salad, Cheesy Mice, or your favorite egg recipe!