Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a griddle. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Cook large spoonfuls of batter on griddle. Turn to cook on both sides.
• Beat together: 2 Eggs, 1 Tbs. oil, ½ cup liquid (milk, water, other.)
• Mix together and add to above:
1 C Cornmeal
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tsp GF baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Dash of salt
1 cup corn (frozen or canned)
• Add a little more liquid if you want a thinner batter.
• Serve with applesauce, maple syrup, or a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream.
BANANA RAISIN-NUT MUFFINS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 standard muffin pan cups or use liners.
• Beat: 2 large eggs
• Add: ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) or oil
3/4 cup sugar (Raw sugar if available.)
1 T. GF vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. allspice or cloves.
• Add and mix in: 1 cup butter milk, or yogurt, or sour cream.
• Mix together: 1 ½ cups brown rice flour ( or ¾ c. white rice flour & ¾ c. brown rice flour for a lighter muffin) ¾ tsp. salt,
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda,
• Add and mix in: 2 large mashed bananas.
½ cup raisins
½ -3/4 cup walnuts (pecans or other preferred nuts.)
Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake 15 -18 minutes.
When the muffins cool sometimes I like to drizzle on a little icing made with ½ cup confectionary sugar and cream (or milk) and 2 tsp. of vanilla or almond extract. Your choice to drizzle a little or a lot.
Monday, November 2, 2009
What's Cooking For Breakfast II
GF Dessert Spotlight: Crème Brûlée
Make an elegant (and delicious!) statement with crème brûlée. This sophisticated French dessert is naturally gluten-free, and best of all, simple even for even a novice pâtissier.
Some tips when making crème brûlée:
• Heat eggs and milk or cream just to the point where they set and become perfectly smooth and creamy. If the custard exceeds a certain temperature the egg proteins will shrivel into tiny lumps, giving the custard a hard, dry, grainy consistency.
• A water bath, also known as a bain-marie, is the cook’s principal means of managing heat during the cooking of custards. Baking a dish of custard in a larger pan of water partially insulates the custard from the oven’s heat and thereby protects it from overcooking. To bake custards in a water bath, choose a pan large enough to accommodate the cups comfortably. They should not touch one another or the pan sides. Set a cake rack in the pan or cover the pan bottom with a dish towel or several layers of paper towels; the rack or towel(s) will prevent the custards from coming into direct contact with the hot pan bottom. Arrange the custards in the prepared pan, place the pan on a rack in a preheated 325˚F oven, and immediately pour enough scalding-hot tap water into the pain to come one-half to two-thirds of the way up the sides of the custard dishes. By pouring the water into the pan after setting the pan in the oven, you are able to keep the pan steady and prevent splashing water into the custards.
• In testing for doneness, gently shake a cup, and remove the custard from the oven as soon as the center appears quivery, like firm gelatin. Or insert a knife near the edge of the cup; if the blade comes out clean, the custard will be set all the way through when cooled—there is sufficient stored heat in the cups to finish the cooking process. Remove the custards from the pan and cool on a rack. Test them at the centers. If they are as well done as at the edges, set the cups in ice water at once to stop further cooking.
Maple Crème Brûlée
from The Joy of Cooking
A classic recipe with a twist!
2 cups heavy cream
8 large egg yolks or 4 large eggs
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
¾ teaspoon vanilla
Directions
1. Heat the 2 cups of heavy cream almost to a simmer. Simultaneously stir the eggo yolks (or large eggs) with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl until just blended.
2. Gradually stir in the cream. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Pour into four 6-ounce or six 4-ounce custard cups or ramekins and place in a water bath
4. Set the pan in the oven and set the oven temperature at 325˚F. Bake until the custards are set but still slightly quivery in the center when the cups are gently shaken, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the custards from the water bath and let cool to room temperature.
5. Cover each one tighly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to two days. Shortly before serving, gently blot any liquid that has formed on the surface. Sprinkle with sugar to form a thin layer and place under a low broiler. Watch carefully; it will caramelize quickly. Remove and serve promptly.
Pumpkin Crème Brulée
Perfect for fall
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup sugar, plus extra to carmelize top layer
¼ cup brown sugar
8 large egg yolks
1 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
1. In a saucepan, combine cream and sugars. On stovetop, cook until dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Using mixer with whisk attachment, whisk eggs on high for 2 minutes, until lemon colored. With mixer on low, add ¼ of the cream mixture, mix properly, and then continue to slowly add the rest of the cream in small batches.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the cream and egg mixture, and mix thoroughly with a spoon.
4. Place 8 custard cups or ramekins in a water bath (as described above). Place in a preheated oven and cook for 50-55 minutes, or until the crème brulée is set. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Remove from fridge and place ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar evenly on top of each Crème Brulée. To caramelize the sugar, either use a kitchen torch or broil in oven.
6. After caramelizing sugar, let cool for five minutes before serving.
Scrumptious, Satifying Soups
Fall is a wonderful time for warm, soothing soups, and for celiacs looking for a good home-cooked meal, few options are come by as naturally. Soup’s versatility (ingredient-wise) makes it a particularly good option for those who are gluten-free, and its low-maintenance approach means that practically anybody can make great soup!
It’s true, soups can require a bit of patience, although there are plenty of soups that can be made quickly (see our Chicken, Avocado, and Tomato soup, below). The trick is to have all of your ingredients on hand, and to look thoroughly through your recipe before you begin so you know what’s ahead of you.
If you don’t have time to make your own stock, you may certainly use store-bought stock or broth (do, however, check the label thoroughly—sometimes gluten-containing additives make their way into these products!). If you have the time, however, using homemade stock will simply transform your soups! We’ve included a recipe for poultry stock, below, as required by some of our recipes. Homemade stocks can keep 3-4 days in the fridge, or can be frozen (incredibly!) for up to 6 months. Make your homemade stock in advance to cut down on your soup’s start-to-finish time.
Poultry Stock
About 10 cups
Combine in a stockpot over medium heat:
3 to 4 pounds poultry parts
Cold water to cover
Bring slowly to a boil, reduce the heat at once, simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes, skimming often. Add:
1 onion, quartered
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
8 black or white peppercorns
Several sprigs of fresh dill
2 whole cloves (optional)
Simmer, partly covered, for 3 to 4 hours, adding water to cover, if necessary, and skimming. Strain and cool uncovered, then refrigerate covered. Remove the fat when ready to use.
Making a bouquet garni
If you don't have fresh dill (or even if you do), creating a bouquet garni is a more involved, but wonderful, alternative. A bouquet barni is a bundled mixture of vegetables, herbs, and spices that is used to flavor soup, stock, and sauces. The bundle is removed before the soup, stock, or sauce is used. If you have fresh herbs available to you,
Bunch together:
3 or 4 sprigs parsley
1/3 to ½ bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
1 leek, white portion only (optional)
2 wholes cloves (optional)
Bind tightly with kitchen string.
Don’t have fresh herbs to use? Wrap dry herbs—coarsely crumbled but not powdered, in 4-inch squares of cheesecloth tied into pouches. They may be stored in a tightly covered container for up to a month.
Yields 12 bags:
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
12 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried celery leaves
Pumpkin Soup
About 5 cups
Heat in a soup pot over medium heat:
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
Add and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes:
1 cup minced onions
½ cup minced celery
Stir in:
3 cups canned pumpkin or 2 pounds fresh pumpkin, cooked
3 cups GF poultry stock or vegetable stock (McCormick, Herb Ox, and Pacific are all GF)
1 tablespoon sugar or 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup heavy cream or half-and-half (optional)
Heat through, but do not boil. Puree and reheat.
Chicken, Avocado, and Tomato Soup
5 cups
Bring to a boil in a large saucepan:
4 cups poultry stock
Stir in just before serving:
1 cup cooking chicken, shredded or diced
Garnish with:
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
¼ cup diced yellow or sweet onion
¼ cup diced tomatoes
2 red radishes, slivered (optional)
Season with:
Salt and pepper to taste
Mediterranean White Bean Soup
About 6 cups
Soak:
1 cup dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini, rinsed
Drain and place in a soup pot, along with:
¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
8 garlic cloves, chopped or sliced
7 cups water
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Stir in and heat through:
½ cup chopped tomatoes
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup olive oil
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Corn Chowder
About 6 cups
Cook, stirring, in a soup pot over medium-low heat until beginning to crisp, 10 to 15 minutes:
4 slices GF bacon, chopped (many brands are GF, but check the label; Oscar Meyer, Boar's Head, Hormel, and Applegate Farms bacon are all GF)
Leaving the bacon in the pan, spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add and cook, stirring, under tender and slightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes:
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, diced
Meanwhile, remove the kernels from:
6 small ears corn
Set the kernels aside and add the cobs to the pot, along with:
4 ½ cups milk
2 medium potatoes, diced
Submerge the corncobs in the milk. Bring the milk almost to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cobs. Stir in the reserved corn kernels, with:
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon white or black pepper
Simmer gently until the corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. With a slotted spoon, remove 1 ½ cups solids from the soup and puree until smooth. Return to the soup and add:
1 tablespoon butter
Let stand until the butter is melted, then stir and serve.
