Sweeten Your Gluten-Free Easter with Chutney

Homemade chutneys are a simple and wonderful way to jazz up your holiday ham!

More Gluten-free Easter recipes below:
-Baked Ham With Glazed Apricots
-Chardonnay Poached Salmon with Dill Dijon Whipped Cream
-Rum Buttered Glazed Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Scented Mascarpone
-Mini Frittatas
-Perfect Hash Browns
-Grand Mimosas

Simple Fig Chutney

2 pounds fresh figs, cleaned, stemmed, and halved
2 cups red wine vinegar
2/3 cups of sugar
2/3 cup water

1. Put water into a large pot over medium heat
2. Add sugar and stir until dissolved
3. Add figs and bring to a boil
4. Reduce to a simmer on low, partially covered, for an hour. The figs will reduce. The consistency should be thick, but not dense or dry. It will thicken up as it cools
5. After it cools, you may can the chutney or store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Apple Chutney

2 large tart cooking apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and chopped
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange peel
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon allspice

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 50 minutes
2. Uncover and simmer over low heat for a few minutes more to cook off excess liquid; let cool.
3. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
4. Makes about 2 cups.

Mint-Coriander Chutney

1 bunch fresh mint
1 bunch fresh coriander
5 cloves garlic
1” piece of ginger
2 green chillies
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tsp lime juice

1. Cut off roots from the coriander and any thick stalks from the mint and discard. You should now have enough coriander and mint to loosely fill 1 ½ to 2 cups with each of them.
2. Peel garlic and ginger and remove stalks from green chillies. Wash all these ingredients thoroughly.
3. Grind all the ingredients (including the salt) into a smooth paste in a food processor.
4. Chill and serve.

Baked Ham With Glazed Apricots

1 ready-to-eat ham with bone in (12 to 16 pounds)
Whole cloves, to cover the surface of the ham
¼ cup Dijon mustard (Heinz Dijon mustard is GF!)
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 cups apple juice
1 pound dried apricots
1 cup Madeira
Favorite GF mustards, for serving
Favorite chutneys, for serving

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Peel the skin from the ham and trim the fat, leaving about a ¼-inch layer to protect the meat. With a sharp knife score the fat in a diamond pattern.
3. Set the ham in a shallow baking pan, insert a while clove in the crossed point of each diamond, and pat the mustard evenly over the top and sides of the ham. Sprinkle the top with the brown sugar and pour the apple juice into the bottom of the pan.
4. Bake the ham for 1½ hours, basting frequently.
5. Meanwhile, combine the apricots and Madeira a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat.
6. At 30 minutes from the end of the baking time, add the apricots and their liquid to the roasting pan and continue to bake and baste the ham.
7. Transfer the ham to a large platter. Attach the apricots to the top of the ham with toothpicks. Skim the fat from the pan juices and pour the juices into a sauceboat. Accompany the ham with the mustards, chutneys, and pan juices.

Chardonnay Poached Salmon with Dill Dijon Whipped Cream

3 cups Chardonnay
3 cups water
1 lemon, sliced
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
10 juniper berries, crushed
3 bay leaves
1 stem fresh basil
3 fronds fennel
1 (2 ½ to 3 pound) salmon fillet, skin on
Olive oil
2 lemons, sliced for garnish
Dill Dijon Whipped Cream (recipe below)

Special Equipment:
2 (18 ½-inch or 10 ½-inch) foil pans; Pastry brush

Directions
1. Put the Chardonnay, water, lemon, peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves, basil and 2 fennel fronds into a large saucepan. Place the pan over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the liquid simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the fennel and basil and let cool.
2. Put the salmon into the foil pan and top with the remaining fennel frond. Pour the poaching liquid over the salmon. Cover the pan with foil and seal it tightly. Place the pan into the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil halfway through the cooking process and baste the salmon. Reseal and finish poaching. Remove the pan from the oven, remove the foil and brush the top of the salmon with the poaching liquid to remove any white bits.
3. When the pan is cool enough to handle place it over your sink. With a sharp knife, make a few punctures in the bottom of the pan to let the poaching liquid drain. Place the pan directly into the second pan to prevent dropping. Brush the salmon with olive oil, cover the foil, and refrigerate overnight.
4. To serve, cut the end off the foil pan and, with a spatula, slide the salmon onto a platter. Fan the lemon slices out along the top and garnish the sides with the dill. Serve with Dill Dijon whipped cream on the side.

Dill Dijon Whipped Cream

½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dill, chopped
Salt and pepper

Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl and, using an electric mixer on high, beat until soft peaks form. Add the mustard and continue to beat on medium for 1 minute. Fold in the dill and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a decorative bowl for serving. Yield: 1 cup.

Rum Buttered Glazed Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Scented Mascarpone

6 ounces unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
¼ cup dark rum
1 ripe pineapple, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
9 ounces mascarpone
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
½ cup fresh blueberries

Directions
1. Melt butter, sugar, and rum in a small saucepan. Grill pineapple on both sides until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Spoon rum glaze over grilled pineapple.
2. Whisk together mascarpone and vanilla seeds, Top each slice of pineapple with a dollop of vanilla mascarpone. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries.

Mini Frittatas

Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
8 large eggs
½ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
4 ounces thinly sliced ham, chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
2. Spray 2 mini muffin tins (each with 24 cups) with nonstick spray. Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley. Fill prepared muffin cups almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puff and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide the frittatas onto a platter. Serve immediately.

Perfect Hash Browns

2 large russet potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable pil

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. Scrub the potatoes well and dry with paper towels. Poke several holes in them with a skewer to allow steam to escape. Place the poatoes on a small baking sheet and bake, uncovered, until tender, about 1 hour.
3. Allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate in a plastic bag with a resealable closure overnight.
4. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/3-inch dice. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onion to a small bowl. Add the vegetable oil to the skillet and heat until almost smoking. Add the potatoes and leave to form a crisp crust.
5. Do no disturb the potatoes until a crust is formed, about 5 minutes. Check to see if a crust has formed; if so, give a quick stir. If not, continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the crust has formed. With a spatula, turn over large chunks of the crusted potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until golden brown. Stir in the onion, season again with salt and pepper, and stir until the hash in heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Grand Mimosas

6 tablespoons orange liqueur (e.g. Grand Marnier)
1 bottle brut Champagne or sparkling wine
½ quart orange juice

Directions
To each Champagne flute, add 1 tablespoon orange liqueur. Add Champagne to fill 2/3 of each flute. Top glass of with orange juice. Serve.

A Gluten-Free Passover

Passover is a major festival in the spring, observed and celebrated by Jews around the world, which involves abstaining from forbidden foods. It is a family holiday with different foods, the special meal of the Sedar, and dietary restrictions throughout the following week. Being GF only adds a little twist that can be overcome.

The question of what flour to use when it is generally accepted that only flour from matzoh can be used during Passover has to be answered on an individual basis. GF recipes will not include matzoh meal or matzoh flour because that is usually made from wheat. The Sephardic community considers rice and legumes as acceptable during Passover because these are the main articles of food in their geographic locations. Therefore, many of the following recipes will include these ingredients. Many of the following recipes were adapted from Classic Kosher Cooking for Sam Finkel.

On the Sedar table there is a Passover tray which has symbolic foods arranged and served during the course of the Sedar. All of these foods are GF.

The symbolic foods are:
1. Morar—bitter herbs, horseradish
2. Karpas—a vegetable (a potato, cucumber, lettuce, radish, or parsley)
3. Chazeret—a second more bitter vegetable
4. Charoset—a nut, apple wine mixture
5. Zeroa—the shankbone or neck or poultry, roasted
6. Baytza—a hard boiled egg


APPETIZERS

Vegetarian Chopped Liver
Tastes and looks exactly like chopped liver, yet far easier to digest

3 large onions, diced or thinly sliced
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 1-pound, 4-ounce can peas, drained
½-2/3 cup walnuts
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 hard-boiled eggs
tomatoes and cucumbers, sliced, for garnish

Sauté onions in oil until deep brown. (It is important for the onions to become a deep brown—without burning—in order for color to be the same as chopped liver.) Drain peas, thoroughly squeezing out liquid. Grind walnuts in a food processor or grinder. Add onions and process for an additional half-minute. Add peas and remaining ingredients and process with only a few on-off bursts until combined and smooth. Do not over-process. Serve on lettuce leaves. Yields 8 appetizers.


Chicken Salad Supreme in Orange Shells
This attractive salad is a great way to use leftover chicken. Ideal as an appetizer. An especially big hit with children if you turn the orange shells into “baskets,” making handles from strips of orange peel or colored pipe cleaners.

4 oranges
2 ½ cups cooked diced chicken
¼ cup slivered almonds
2 stalks celery, diced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon salt
whole blanched almonds, for garnish

Cut the orange into halves. With a grapefruit knife, hollow out fruit from peels. Chop fruit coarsely. Combine with remaining ingredients. Pile high in orange shells and garnish with almonds. Makes 8 orange “baskets.”

Variation
Combine chicken or turkey cubes with small green grapes (instead of oranges), thinly sliced celery, diced green pepper, coarsely chopped nuts, and mayonnaise. Pile high on a platter and garnish with small bunches of green and red grapes and parsley.

PASSOVER RECIPES

Gefilte Fish
Serves 8-10

Fish Stock:
Head and bones of fish
1 large onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ quarts water

Place all ingredients for fish stock into a large pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer while preparing gefilte fish.

Fish:
2 lbs of ground fish (carp, whitefish, pike, or a combination)
1 large onions, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
1 tablespoon salt
4-5 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
2 tablespoons potato starch

Combine all of the ingredients for the fish, form into oval balls, drop into fish stock, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 ½ hours.

Serve with homemade mayonnaise or horseradish.

Homemade Mayonnaise
Why make your own mayonnaise when it’s so readily available? Because there’s nothing like the special taste of homemade mayonnaise without preservatives or additives. It transforms a simple salad into a delicacy. Refer to “Variation” of Homemade Horseradish (see following recipe) for a delicious sauce.

2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups pure virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

Mix eggs, mustard, sugar, and salt in a blender or food processor for about 4 seconds. Then, while motor is running, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture thickens. Stop motor and stir in vinegar by hand. Cover and refrigerate. Yields 2 ¾ cups.

Homemade Horseradish
Horseradish and gefilte fish are almost inseparable companions. The combination originated in Russia, but today it is savored by the Jews of many countries. Gefilte fish is served without horseradish or Rosh Hashanah, when many people avoid sharp or bitter foods and only eat sweet foods to symbolize a sweet year to come. The beets not only add color, but they make the wild root milder.

1 8-ounce horseradish root
4 medium beets, peeled and cooked
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice

Peel horseradish root. Grind horseradish and beets in a food processor or blender until fine. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into jars, cover, and refrigerate. Can be frozen (leave 1-inch space at top of jar for mixture to expand).

VEGETABLES

Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups
Sweet potatoes—also known as yams—are far more perishable than regular white potatoes. They are high in vitamin A. To keep from darkening after peeling, sprinkle with lemon juice. This is a festive way of serving sweet potatoes. It can be made the day before and heated before serving. Use the scooped-out orange pulp for fruit salad or fresh orange juice.

6 medium sweet potatoes, cooked
3 tablespoons margarine
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins
1 7 ½-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
6 oranges, cut into halves

Peel and mash sweet potatoes with margarine, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. Stir in raisins and pineapple. Prepare orange cups by scooping out orange pulp or pressing out with the juicer, being careful to leave the shells intact. Pile hot mixture high in the orange shells. Place on a greased cookie sheet and heat in a preheated 350˚ oven for 15 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 12 orange cups.

Potato Shells
This is an attractive way of serving vegetables. It can be made ahead of time, then filled with cooked or creamed vegetables and heated just before serving. Lends a professional touch to your table.

2 ½ pounds potatoes, cooked, drained, and mashed
2 tablespoons margarine
salt and pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten

Combine all ingredients. Fill a pastry bag with mixture and squeeze to form 8-10 flat solid circles on a well-greased baking sheet. Pipe an additional circle on the edge of each circle to form a shell. Bake in a 375˚ oven for 15-20 minutes. Fill baked shells with hot seasoned vegetables—cooked peas, string beans, carrots, or as desired. Yields 8-10 2 ½-inch shells.

Variation
To form shells without using a pastry bag, place a small mound of mashed potatoes on a well-greased baking sheet. Hollow out center and smooth edges to form a shell. Bake as directed above. Fill with steamed or creamed vegetables.


Braised Brussels in Mustard Sauce
You can use any kind of prepared mustard in this recipe, from Dijon to good old French’s yellow. Serves four.

1 pound brussel sprouts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup minced shallots
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
1/3 cup water, divide
¼ cup mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

Cut off the base of a sprout with a sharp knife. Slice a piece from one side of the sprout. Slice a piece from one side of the sprout. Place it cut side down and cut it crosswise into about 5 slices. Repeat with all the sprouts. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium for 1 minute. Add olive oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add shallots; sauté for 2 minutes. Sir in sprouts, salt (if using), and 3 tablespoons water; spread everything evenly across the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine mustard, brown sugar, and remaining water in a small bowl, stir until blended. Once sprouts have cooked for 5 minutes, pour mustard mixture over them and stir. Reduce heat to low, cover, cook for 3 minutes, then stir. Remove from heat or, if you prefer, cook for 5 minutes more—the sprouts will get browner and more intensely flavored. Serve hot or warm with black pepper.

Roasted Potato Medley
Serves six.

2 sweet potatoes
4 Yukon Gold potatoes
8 new potatoes
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes. Scrub the new potatoes and cut into cubes. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan. Add enough lightly salted water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for potatoes for 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a large nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with tarragon, salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes until browned and crisp, about 25 minutes.

DESSERTS

Pesach Coconut Cake
A chocolate cake with a thick layer or coconut. A real favorite for Pesach.

6 eggs, separated
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups shredded coconut
3 tablespoons oil
½ cup potato flour, sifted
¼ cup sweet red wine
1/3 cup cocoa

Beat egg whites until frothy, gradually adding ¾ cup of the sugar. Beat until they hold stiff peaks. Divide beaten egg whites into 2 equal parts. Fold coconut into 1 of the parts. Beat egg yolks with remaining sugar until light and thick. Stir in oil, potato flour, wine, and cocoa. Fold in the portion of the egg whites without coconut. To create a sandwich effect, pour ½ of the cocoa mixture into a 10-inch springform, or tube pan. Pour egg white-coconut mixture on top, spreading evenly. Spread remainder of cocoa batter evenly over coconut mixture. Bake in a preheated 350˚ oven for 45-50 minutes. Let cool, and frost with Continental Chocolate Icing. Serves 10-12.


Continental Chocolate Icing

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
2 tablespoons Sabra liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt chocolate and margarine over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in Sabra liqueur and vanilla extract. Spread while warm.

Pesach Chocolate Nut Torte
A rich, delicious torte, made without matzo meal.

10 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon salt

Beat egg yolks until light and thick, adding sugar gradually. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. To egg yolk mixture, stir in melted chocolate, nuts, and salt. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and old carefully into yolk mixture. Pour into a 10-inch tube pan, greased on bottom only, and bake in a preheated 350˚ oven for 1 hour. Invert to cool.

Chocolate Flake Potato Flour Sponge Cake
A sponge cake for those who don’t eat matzo meal on Pesach.

7-8 large eggs, separated
1 ½ cups sugar
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon or orange
¾ cup potato flour
1 packet vanilla sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, grated

Beat egg whites until frothy. Gradually add half of the sugar, and beat until they can hold stiff peaks. Set aside. In another bowl, without washing beaters, beat egg yolks and remaining sugar until light and thick. Stir in remaining ingredients except chocolate. Gently fold beaten egg whites into yolk mixture. Fold in grated chocolate. Pour into a greased, 10-inch tube pan. Bake in a preheated 350˚ oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and invert over neck of a bottle. When cool, spread with Orange Icing.


Orange Icing

3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons margarine
grated rind of 1 orange

Place cornstarch, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Cook over low heat while stirring until thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and orange rind.

Sachertorte
Adapted from the Frog Commissary Cookbook by Steven Poses, Anne Clark, and Becky Roller

Cake
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
8 ounces Unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons GF vanilla extract
1/3 cup potato starch
1 cup walnuts, very finely ground
8 egg yolks
8 egg whites
2/3 cups apricot jam

Icing
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons instant coffee
6 ounces Semisweet chocolate, chopped (don’t use chocolate chips)

Butter and flour 9” x 2 ½ spring form pan. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Melt chocolate and cool until lukewarm. Cream the butter, salt, vanilla, and sugar. Toss together the potato starch and walnuts. Add the egg yolks one by one to the butter sugar mixture. Stir in the chocolate and the nuts. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and stir ¼ of them into the chocolate mixture to lighten the batter, fold into the remaining egg whites. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for one hour. Let cool for 20 minutes and remove from pan. Push down the sides to be even with the middle. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack set over wax paper. The bottom is now the top. Cool completely.

Heat the apricot jam, push it through a sieve, and brush over the top and sides of the cooled cake. Let the glaze set for about 1 ½ hrs before icing the cake.