Gluten-free Gourmand

I've been working on this recipe for a while.  It was a request on a Facebook survey that I did last spring.  The fact that the request came from my mom inspired me more than a little, I guess.  I am taking some danishes over to my mom this afternoon for her to sample, and I'm so excited to see what she thinks.  I, for one, love these little treats. I modified this recipe from the Danish Pastry Dough recipe on Joe Pastry , a great resource for any technique that is pastry-related. Danish Recipe Makes 8-10 danishes. For this recipe you will need: - 225g  GF Bread Flour Blend - sugar - salt - psyllium husk - eggs - milk - apple cider vinegar - parchment paper - Cultured European style butter, preferably Lurpak - extra flour - I recommend potato starch This recipe takes several hours to make.  I recommend splitting it up into two days.  Any time the dough needs chilling you can extend that step overnight, as long as you wrap it i...

I went out to my garden this weekend and I was blown away by how big everything got after being away for a week.  I harvested five artichokes!  I gave one away to another gardener at my community garden.  Then I saw my strawberries.  It took a while to even locate and pick them all.  Then I had an unusual problem: what do I do with all these strawberries? I could just eat some of them, sure.  And I did.  Immediately.  But for once in my life I had too many strawberries. I decided to whip something up.  My idea was to make something incredibly quick, but still with a beautiful flaky crust.  I had this idea that pie crust doesn't need to take as long as it does with gluten dough because it doesn't need to rest to "relax" the gluten.  Whether or not that's strictly true is unimportant.  Sure, it helps to rest the dough to get the water to absorb evenly, but for the sake of a Lightning Tartlet I decided to omit the resting. ...

I used to say that the only things I missed about eating gluten were croissants and beer.  Those of you that follow my Facebook page know that I've been working really hard to perfect a recipe for croissants.  My next post will be about making the croissant dough.  This post will be about the technique for laminating dough for puff pastry, croissants and danishes.  The three types of dough are a little different from each other, but the technique to incorporate the butter into the dough is the same for all three recipes. You will need: Ingredients 1 recipe puff pastry, croissant, or danish dough. chilled butter for the recipe, usually 12 oz/3sticks/340 grams 2 Tbsp GF flour or starch of your choice potato starch for dusting the dough Equipment parchment paper or, less desirable, plastic wrap rolling pin, preferably a club-style pin but I use a marble rolling pin A dry, clean pastry brush I drew heavily from Joe Pastry's blog post about this same t...

I have found that gluten-free crusts aren't too difficult.  What helps to make them easy is, ironically, their lack of gluten. Wheat-based pie crusts are very finicky.  They have to be rolled out correctly the first time or the gluten is developed and the crust becomes tough.  GF crusts don't have this issue. What makes gluten-free crusts tricky is that they tend to crumble and break apart.  However, you can try rolling them out as many times as you like.  If mine doesn't roll out correctly on the first go I just fold it over onto itself and roll it out again.  You can do this many times for a really flaky, layered pastry.  Or, if all else fails, you can just press it into the pan. The hardest part of making pie crusts for me is the timing and the temperature of the ingredients.  You have to keep the bowl, the ingredients, and the blade cold if you don't want to have your dough turn out like this disaster : Don't. There is a lot of wai...

This weekend I'll be working on a few projects for the good of the gluten-free. I'll be making another attempt at my new gluten-free pancakes recipe. I have so far made several attempts , only some of which have been successful. (As you can see from the photo, I probably won't be recommending that you use this as a waffle recipe.) I am also working on a gluten-free vegan scone recipe which I have high hopes for. Does it sound impossible? Reserve judgment until you hear my idea! I'm relying very heavily on coconut cream for this one. What do you use? What other kinds of baked goods would you like to see a new recipe for? Do you have a favorite recipe of your own for gluten-free scones or pancakes? Do you cook with coconut cream, or have another favorite dairy-free substitute? I want to hear about it! Update: See my successful new gluten-free vegan scone recipe here .

Today was the Starbucks debut of the Valencia Orange Cake. I was surprised they hadn't sold out by 4 o'clock when I went there to pick up three to try. I thought my co-workers might help me taste-test them. Nate and Becca like to cook and eat - they are gourmands by my standards. I thought they might have some added input for my review since they are both gluten-eaters. I returned to work and distributed the surprise treats. Mine was unwrapped and consumed within minutes. Nate unwrapped his and took a bite. "Pretty good," he said. "Is that corn flour?" I checked the ingredients. No corn flour. "That texture might be almond flour," I theorized. Becca unwrapped her cake. "Yeah, pretty good!" she said. So there you have it. It's pretty good and we ate ours before I thought to take a picture, which means something around here because I work in a photo lab. I'm always thinking about pictures. Upon further prodding, N...

I'm not into gimmicks when it comes to scones. I like my scones simple and straight-forward, and I like to be able to taste the flavor of the grains in my four mix. This recipe is none of these things. Nonetheless, it is my finest scone recipe to date. This recipe gives you a very tart, flavorful, citrus-scented scone. It's not even difficult. Simply combine in a small saucepan: 6-8 kumquats, sliced, with the seeds removed the juice of one lemon 1 Tbsp water 3 Tbsp sugar Boil for 5 minutes, adjust the flavors to taste, then simmer until you are ready to top the scones. Use my scone recipe , opting for the lemon zest in the liquid component. You can go even heavier on the zest if you would like; the kumquat glaze will be very strong and will not be overpowered by the lemon zest. I made mini scones this time, which gives you a higher number of scones for the same recipe. I topped the scones with 1-2 kumquat slices per scone, then dripped a few drops of the glaze o...

Among my friends, family, and co-workers I am famous for my scones. I get frequent requests for the recipe.   People are usually surprised to hear that it's wheat-free and gluten-free, it tastes so much like "regular."  Well here it is! The Best Gluten-free Scone Recipe Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together in a large bowl: 2 cups Gluten-free Pastry Flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 Tbsp baking powder (make sure it's GF) 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt plus a pinch 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (if it's not included in your GF flour mix) Cut into pieces and drop in: 6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knives, coating the pieces with flour as you go, until the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized. Keep this mixture cold, chilling it in the refrigerator if the butter starts to soften. Stir in: 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) and/or 1/2 cup dried fruit (optional) Whisk together in a separate bowl: 3/4 cup ...

Today I would like to write an ode to the New Cascadia Traditional tart. I have gained five pounds since this gluten-free bakery kiosk opened in NW Portland not far from where I work. Am I complaining? No - I am still overwhelmed and delighted to go somewhere and be able to eat anything they sell. Their tart looks like something out of the case of a french patisserie, and the taste does not dissappoint. It has a buttery tart crust that is similar to the pastry shell of their galette. It is filled with a custard cream and topped with fruit, in this case apricot and blueberry. The fruit is in turn topped with a simple clear glaze typical of french-style tarts. The only variation from a tart you'd buy in Paris is the crust, which does not have the light flakiness that a true french pastry has. The New Cascadia crusts are a bit heavier and have a little bit of a whole-grain feel to them, but still have a buttery rich quality I love. While I have experienced this tart when ...