Home » summer

Tag: summer

Relish-A curated list of the best of gluten-free in July 2013

Relish 07: A midsummer night’s dream

Relish-A curated list of the best of gluten-free in July 2013Conferences, schmoferences

Boy, oh boy, oh boy. I have been conferencing it up this summer. So far there has been BlogHer Food in Austin, WordCamp in Chicago and BlogHer 13 in Chicago and in just a couple of weeks I am going to Weapons of Mass Creation in Cleveland. I was able to eat safely at two of the three I have attended so far (can you believe that WordCamp had gluten-free cupcakes? From a bakery celiac friends trust? I was so excited I nearly cried – but don’t tell the nerds that…). WMCFest doesn’t provide food, so I am going to go armed with an arsenal of snacks. Maybe some of the new grown up items from Happy Family…

But let’s talk.

Can I just tell you that you are an amazing community? You all helped fund Erica from Celiac and the Beast‘s kickstarter campaign for her new book. Y’all are super cool like that. And the words of support when April, Erica and I were all handed death on a plate at a conference last weekend was nothing less than swell. I’m glad you all want me to live and the intestines of my gals to stay in tact.

But, you had to know there was going to be a but, can I ask that we all get a little less militant about food? There is a lot of vitriol surrounding the new Pilsbury products and the possibility of a GF Twinkie. Well, I know these things aren’t healthy. And neither are the cookies that I make. Sometimes you just need to be normal and eat refrigerated cookie dough from a tub after drama with some boy who said he’d call and then never did. I think these items might just be the key to moving on just a smidge faster.

Delicious eats.

I love food. And in the summer, when fresh fruit and vegetables are everywhere, food is even better. Here are a few of my favorites from this month.

Relish - Curated Gluten Free Recipes - July 2013

It is no secret that I don’t like beets. But everyone I know does, and frankly, they are so dang beautiful. So, try these Sauteed Beet Greens and Spring Onions (01) from Farm Fresh Eats. Some days I feel like moving to the country and eating a lot of peaches…(pardon the terrible music joke). These Moscato Honey Vanilla Poached Peaches (02)from Busy in Brooklyn look like they are made to inspire cheesy pop music (and I mean that in a good way). I continue my love affair with the food from The Tomato Tart’s kitchen with this delightful Gluten-Free Grilled Cheese with Spicy Berry Chutney (03). One day I am going to just show up at her house and demand dinner (I’ll do the dishes!). And last, but not least, these Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes with Fontina and Thyme (04) from Healthy Green Kitchen look like all my summer fantasies.

Little Treats

This month there are no shoes or fun new lip glosses, but there are some pretty nifty other things. Like books. Lots of books.

Relish - Curated Gluten Free Luxuries - July 2013

I loved this book before BlogHer, but after meeting Sheryl Sandberg and hearing her speak, I think everyone with a vagina should read her book, Lean In (01). And so should everyone who knows someone with one. I am currently working my way through Stephen King’s On Writing (02), and I think that if you write, you should probably read it too. I also just started The Ocean at the End of the Lane (03) and I am hooked. Lastly, I just read a piece on the New York Times about the Jerusalem (04) cookbook from Yotam Ottolenghi (author of Plenty), and realized that not only had I not cooked from it, but that I didn’t have it. Don’t worry, I am remedying that situation ASAP.

Coming up

Next month has more travel, a lot of birthday baking and lots more blog posts! But, while you’re here, take a moment to check out my new blog/design project and maybe (just maybe) like it on Facebook? It is a series of inspirational quotes designed to look pretty nifty (since I am a designer in my other life…) Like the one below:

Chronic Positivity 26: Little by little a little becomes a lot. - Tanzanian Proverb

gluten-free gin cocktail

The Heat Wave – a gluten-free cocktail inspired by Austin, TX

I mean, it is July. Days are just long enough and evenings fade from gold to grapefruit to navy. The air feels a little bit thicker, wrapping you up in the magic feelings of summertime.

Those golden evenings are perfect for several things. Patio dinners. Book reading in the sunshine on the front porch. And cocktails as the day dissipates.

gluten-free gin cocktail

The best evenings are the ones that involve cocktails, a front porch or patio and a few friends. A few hours spent solving all the world’s problems. Fixing boy situations (because, let’s face it, there is always a boy situation).

The best cocktails for these kind of evenings are crisp, refreshing drinks that play up the flavors of the season. And at the moment, I am loving all things gin. (Which is new to me, I used to think cocktails were best when made with whiskey).

I think you start liking gin when you start getting old. Or maybe I just know how to use it now (and I am not having the kind that comes in a plastic bottle…). Its herbal flavors make it a great base to build on top of.

While a Rosemary Gin Fizz might be nice on a summer evening, but The Heat Wave (a crowd-sourced name) hits the spot. Inspired by a drink I had at 24 in Austin last month, this particular cocktail is slightly sweet but a bit sour. Throw in a little basil to up the herbal aroma and you have all the best of summer in a glass.

gluten-free gin cocktail

The Heat Wave – a gluten-free cocktail inspired by Austin, TX

Recipe Type: Cocktail
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 1
Inspired by a cocktail from 24 in Austin, this is pretty much a remixed Mojito. Grapefruit, gin and basil, a new summer classic. You could easily make a pitcher full of this cocktail when you have company.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 ounces gin
  • 1 1/2 ounces grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup
  • 3-4 basil leaves
  • grapefruit wedges to garnish
Instructions
  1. Fill a shaker with ice, the gin, grapefruit juice, simple syrup and 2 basil leaves.
  2. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. You want to bruise the basil to release its flavor.
  3. Strain into a glass over ice. Garnish with an additional basil leaf or two and a grapefruit wedge.
3.2.1337

 

 

Ratio Rally: Angel Food Cake

This post is part of the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally, a group of gluten-free bloggers inspired and empowered by Ruhlman‘s Ratio and started by Shauna at Gluten-Free Girl. We get together each month and post many different takes on the same theme. This month that theme is Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake and the rally is being hosted by Caleigh from Gluten Free[k].

Today is about finding and celebrating joy.

Because it is here. In every day. Even when it hurts to put on real pants. And some days, I need to remind myself of it.

Joy is seeing art exhibits and taking tours in French of the Art Institute with my aunt.

finding joy in the little things

Joy is my cat telling me it is time to go to bed by sitting on my chest so I can no longer see the computer screen. And then refusing to move until i go to sleep.

Joy is how I feel when I step of the train in the Loop and the promise of a good day is hanging in the air.

Joy is a hug sent via email from a friend on the opposite side of the world. And a phone call from that same friend at exactly the wrong time because someone can’t do math.

This is what I am focusing on today.

And sometimes, all you need is a little cake to bring it to you.

The ratio

3 parts egg whites: 3 parts sugar: 1 part flour (the lighter the better).

Not going to lie, I love angel food cake. And there is a recipe that we have used often in our house – one that is gluten free just because it is. The one from the back of the Swan’s Down Potato Starch. It is quite lovely, and it means, dear readers, that this is a fairly flexible cake. Add cocoa or ground chocolate in place of some of the flour for a chocolate cake. Use potato starch or arrowroot because that is what you happen to have. You will still end up with a magical, light cake.

Well, as long as you resist the urge to brush the warm cake with the earl grey syrup. Because I did not. And I melted my cake. And I know better. At least it still tastes good.

The flavors

Rainier cherries pan roasted with cointreau. Earl grey syrup. Orange extract in the cake. I would say, dear friends, that this is one sophisticated cake. The cointreau and the orange extract in the cake help pull the bergamot flavors to the forefront in the tea syrup. The tea itself gives a complex background for the oh-so-sweet cherries.

I whole heartedly suggest that you try the cake with all of these components. Sure, the cake on its own with fresh berries and home made whipped cream would be a perfectly simple dessert. But this my friends, is a rockstar dessert.

This is not your mom’s tired angel food cake.

This is not the Styrofoam textured cake that you can buy at the grocery store (yes, the filled with gluten kind).

This is a melt-in-your-mouth cake. A curl your toes with delight cake. This is the cake you want to make when you are trying to impress someone with your mad skills but can’t pipe frosting for the life of you. Or if you think you aren’t an accomplished baker.

[toggle title_open=”The others!” title_closed=”See the other posts from this month’s rally” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]The others

Adina | Gluten Free Travelette made Cacao Spice Angel Food Cake
Angela | Angela’s Kitchen made Grilled Lemon Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd and Berries
Aunt Mae | Honey From Flinty Rocks made  Angel Food Cake with Lemon Glaze
Caleigh | Gluten Free[k] made Almond Angel Food Stars
Caneel | Mama Me Gluten Free made Angel Food Cake “Pudding” with Fresh Cherry Sauce
Charissa | Zest Bakery Saffron Angel Food Cake (and didn’t post a link!)
gretchen | kumquat made caramel macchiato angel food cake
Heather | Discovering the Extraordinary Coconut Lime Angel Food Cake Roll
Jonathan | The Canary Files made Lavender Angel Food Cupcakes
Pete & Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem made Caramel Peach Angel Food Cake
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies made Peach Angel Food Cake

[/toggle]
Gluten Free Angel Food Cake with Early Grey & Cherries
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 12
Make just the cake, or make it with all the components. Either way you will have an excellent cake.
Ingredients
  • Syrup
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3 earl grey tea bags
  • 200 grams (1 cup) sugar
  • Cake
  • 350 grams (1 3/4 cup) granulated sugar, divided
  • 175 grams (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free all purpose flour*
  • 350 grams (12) egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • Cherry topping
  • 450 grams (1 pound) Rainier or other sweet red cherry, pitted and halved
  • 1/4 cup cointreau
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (or regular sugar if that is all you have)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the tea
  1. Steep the tea in the boiling water and let sit while you make the batter.
Make the batter
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Whisk together the flour and half the sugar, set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites until foamy, about a minute.
  3. Add the the remaining sugar, cream of tartar, lemon juice, salt, vanilla and orange extract to the egg whites.
  4. Increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form.
  5. Now is the time that requires a little patience, fold in the flour/sugar combo 1/3 at a time. You want to make sure that you do not deflate the mixture too much.
  6. Pour batter into a 9 or 10″ tube pan and bake for 30-50 mins. You want a tester inserted into the middle of the cake to come out clean.
Make the syrup
  1. Remove the teabags from the tea. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the strong tea and sugar to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes (you want to end up with about a cup of syrup.
Make the cherries
  1. While the cake is baking, and the syrup is cooking (you do not need to stir it), combine cherries, half the cointreau, the sugar and the salt in a large skillet.
  2. Cook over medium heat until the cherries start to soften. Pour in the remaining cointreau to deglaze the pan and keep cooking until the sauce thickens back up. Stop cooking before the cherries turn to mush.
Assemble
  1. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for an hour and a half. Resist the urge to brush it with the syrup until it is cool.
  2. When cool, poke some holes in the bottom of the cake and brush with the syrup.
  3. Remove cake from pan, poke the top with holes and brush with syrup again.
  4. Top with cherries and serve. Amaze your friends.
Notes

*If you want to use potato starch or arrowroot, please go by weight and not by volume. You will end up with a little more volume wise.
**If you just want a plain cake, skip the orange extract and replace it with vanilla.

WordPress Recipe Plugin and Microformatting by EasyRecipe
2.2.8

 

Quinoa with slow roasted tomatoes

quinoa with slow roasted tomatoesI apologize for not having super awesome photos, but I forgot my camera in Chicago 🙁

I spent Saturday in the Chicago suburbs for a baby shower. I baked brownies and my mom made lemon squares and a fabulous neopolitan cake with ruffles.

Talk about sweet overload.

So, today, although I was recipe testing for a cookbook (sweets of course), I managed to make something, savory, spicy & healthy (egad! I never utter those words on this blog!).

Vegetables, protein and spice. In perfect opposition to all this sweet.

And yes, smoked paprika and aleppo pepper are necessary. Substituting them will make the dish have less pop. But, if you don’t have them, just make the dish without them. It will still be delicious.

Quinoa with Slow Roasted Tomatoes
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 3 hours
Total time: 3 hours 10 mins
Serves: 4
Before you tell me that this is too much work, or time, it is totally worth it. This is a perfectly easy thing to throw together on a Sunday for lunches for the week.
Ingredients
  • 3 large tomatoes, heirloom are best
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 cups stock
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon aleppo pepper (or cayenne if you can’t find aleppo)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Slice tomatoes thinly and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake for 3ish hours. The tomatoes should look a little shriveled, but shouldn’t be completely dry.
  2. In a large saucepan or duch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic & onion and cook until translucent. Add paprika & aleppo and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in dry quinoa and cook for 2 more minutes.
  3. Add the stock, stir and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes, until water is absorbed.
  4. While that is cooking, cut the tomato slices into quarters.
  5. When quinoa is cooked, stir in tomatoes and enjoy.
Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
1.2.4

 

gluten free strawberry chocolate cupcake

Strawberries and chocolate, part 3

gluten free strawberry chocolate cupcake with pan

Blondie and I went to Williams Sonoma on Sunday to take my mom for coffee on her break and to look around for a wedding gift. And I might need some help on figuring out what exactly we should buy. I hate buying strictly from a registry. In fact, for close friends I skip the registry and just buy a nice gift. I like to think that I am good at gift-giving.

Anyways, we were wandering through the store and we walked by the pizza stones. I stopped, picked up a small one and told Blondie that I thought that I needed to get one.

He asked me what the point was.

I guess this shouldn’t suprise me. This is the same boy who said that all you really need is a 1/4 cup measuring cup. (I think this is because he has melted or snapped the handles off of the 99¢ set that he got when he moved into his first apartment).

I explained the science behind it to him, and a woman who was working right there said I sounded just like my mother.

Apparently, I am that age. You know, the age where you turn into your mother. You realize you say the same kind of things and you share hobbies and that for the first time in your life you aren’t fighting the inevitable.

I think it also was the first time in forever that I walked out of that store without a new pan or spice blend for my kitchen in ages. Or a gift. We ended up not buying the gift just yet.

Oh well.

I decided that I wanted vanilla cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting last night. And then I remembered that this month’s Ratio Rally is white or yellow cake. And if I baked those, I would have to wait a whole week to share them. And I couldn’t leave you hanging that long.

So last night,  I invented these cupcakes. The method is similar to the way I made my gluten free chai cupcakes and results in the perfect cake texture.

I swear I have more imagination than this. But I really love strawberries and chocolate. Together.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Ganache
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 90 mins
Total time: 1 hour 45 mins
Serves: 24
These are very possible the best strawberry cupcakes ever.
Ingredients
  • 110 grams (1 cup) tapioca starch
  • 140 grams (1 cup) sweet white sorghum flour
  • 80 grams (1/2 cup) brown rice flour
  • 20 grams (3 tablespoons) flax meal
  • pinch of salt
  • 350 grams (1 3/4 cups) sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, very soft, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup (240 ml) milk (I used coconut milk)
  • 1/4 cup strawberry jam
  • 2 tablespoons strawberry liqueur
  • pink food coloring (optional)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 75 grams (3/4 cup) cocoa
  • 85 grams (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
  • 1 stick soft butter
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon strawberry jam
  • 2 tablespoons strawberry liqueur
  • 200 grams (1 3/4 cup) powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
  2. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour. Add eggs, one at a time. Add the strawberry liqueur and jam to a small bowl with the milk and whisk together.
  3. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. At this point you can add some pink food coloring if you want. Otherwise the cake will be just slightly pink.
  4. Using an ice cream scoop for even cupcakes, divide batter among liners, filling about two-thirds full.
  5. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 24 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter.
  6. While cupcakes are cooling, make the ganache. Sift together the cocoa and the 3/4 cup of powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer, fit with the whisk attachment. Bring milk to a simmer and add it to the bowl of the mixer. Beat together until smooth. Scrape down the sides and beat until incorporated. Let cool to room temperature. Cube the butter & whisk it in. Add the strawberry liqueur and jam, mix until combined. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until it has reached the desired consistency.
Notes

If you prefer more of a frosting, double everything in the ganache except for the 2nd powdered sugar. You will need to triple or quadruple it.This way you can top your cupcakes with a fluffy dome of frosting.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
1.2.4

 

 

 

blueberry ginger syrup in a bottle

Blueberry Ginger Syrup

I have been doing delayed spring cleaning around here this weekend. Blondie didn’t come to visit (last minute Cubs tickets or some nonsense 🙂 ), so I have been spending some time doing the cleaning and organizing that I neglect the weekends that I visit him or he visits me (which is almost every weekend). And I am writing up this recipe so that I can put off the pile of laundry that is calling my name.

A couple of weeks ago, Blondie and I went blueberry picking. Aside from the biting flies, we had a great time. And there were just enough extra blueberries from that pie (which I have been dreaming about having again) to make syrup.

I actually made this syrup that same weekend, but I hadn’t had it on anything other than on a spoon. I didn’t want the berries to go to waste, but there weren’t enough to make preserves.

How to use it:

  • Use it on crepes or pancakes.
  • It makes a great cocktail – add 2 T to a 12 ounce sorghum beer.
  • Add it to sparkling water or club soda for a sweet & spicy soda
Blueberry Ginger Syrup
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Sauce
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 8
Home made syrups are a great way to spice up your pancakes, ice cream or beverages.
Ingredients
  • 4 cups (560 grams) blueberries rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped ginger
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
Instructions
  1. Bring the blueberries, ginger and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
  2. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth lined colander, pressing the liquid from the fruit with a wooden spoon.
  3. Return the juice to the saucepan and add the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Transfer to a bottle or jar and cool to room temperature before refrigerating. The syrup will keep for several weeks (but it might not last!) in the fridge.
Notes

Add about 1/4 cup of the syrup to club soda for a fizzy berry pop or to a cold beer for a great summer cocktail.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
1.2.4

 

Gluten Free Blueberry Almond Pie

Hidden secret pie

Hidden Surprise Pie
I was going to wait to post this pie. I made it this pie this weekend so that I could have a successful crust recipe to use for the Pie Party today. But I couldn’t keep this to myself.

Blondie & I went blueberry picking this weekend. I had wanted to make jam but we didn’t pick enough for jam. So, I did what any girl who needed to perfect a pie crust recipe and had extra blueberries would do, I planned to make a pie. I did more research. I needed a stick of butter per crust (top & bottom). I read that vodka helps make a tender crust. And that you need to bake your pie on a baking sheet so that the bottom cooks faster and doesn’t get mushy.

I also had to make this an exceptional pie. Plain blueberry pie is delicious. I’m sure blueberry and ginger go well together. But, I already used ginger and peach, I needed something different. In the cabinet I found almonds & almond paste! I was set.

I present to you Hidden Secret Pie!

Gluten Free Blueberry Almond Pie

Blueberry Almond Pie
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 8
The sweetness of the paste contrasts with the tangy berries in this not too sweet filling and the almonds give some necessary crunch.
Ingredients
  • 30 grams ground flax seeds
  • 90 grams brown rice flour
  • 90 grams sweet white sorghum flour
  • 60 grams sweet rice flour
  • 40 grams tapioca starch
  • 40 grams corn starch
  • 2 sticks butter, frozen
  • 2 tablespoons vodka, ice cold
  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • 4 cups blueberries
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
  • 8 oz almond paste
Instructions
  1. Make the crust: Whisk together your flours for the crust in a large mixing bowl. Grate the frozen butter into the flours using a cheese grater or microplane. Using a pastry blender, make sure your flours and butter are well mixed. It should look like mildly clumpy sand. Add the vodka. Pour in the water a little at a time, mixing with a spatula. As soon as the dough starts to come together, stop mixing. Pat into 2 disks about 4″ in diameter, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 mins. Once chilled, roll out one of your disks of dough to about 1/4″ thick. Place in pie pan and smooth to corners. Trim over hang and crimp edges. Pop in the freezer while you do the next steps.
  2. Make the filling: Place a baking sheet on the middle rack in your oven & preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together blueberries, sliced almonds, sugar, salt and tapioca starch in a large bowl.
  3. Make the lattice: Roll out your second bit of pie crust and cut into thin strips or cookie cutter designs. Save extra crust to make pies in jars or pocket pies.
  4. Assemble the pie: Remove the pie shell from the freezer and pour in half the filling. Pinch out the almond paste into an 1/8″ disk that covers the filling. (You can piece it together from smaller pieces if it is easier – no one sees it). Pour in the rest of the filling on top. Place the top crust (lattice or design) on top of the pie. Crimp edges. You can add additional decorations with any leftover almond paste.
  5. Bake: Place on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. The filling will bubble and the crust will be golden brown when the pie is ready. You can use an egg wash and sprinkle the crust with sugar when there is about 10 minutes of cooking time left, if you want. I didn’t do this. But you can.
Notes

You can substitute all the flours in the crust for 2 1/2 cups of an all purpose blend like Cup4Cup or Jules’ Nearly Normal Flour.

WordPress Recipe Plugin and Microformatting by EasyRecipe
2.2.6
ginger bourbon peach pie

Pie party!

ginger bourbon peach pieThere is an internet pie party today. There are nearly 1500 people participating. So, here’s my first ever attempt at pie.

There were peaches at the farmer’s market. I had to wait 20 minutes in line for peaches, now that there is variety (and fruit) there are three times the number of people shopping at the market, and they were the first peaches of the season.

I give you Sweet Champaign Pie. (Have you seen the movie Waitress? It came out 4 years ago. The main character makes pie and names them after what is going on in her life.) It is made with bourbon soaked peaches and ginger chips. I found the magic in making pies this weekend. The meditation that comes with making the crust by hand and the satisfaction that comes from eating it while it is still warm enough to be a gooey mess.

Now, of crust is scary, go get a pre-made crust (whole foods sells a decent pre-made one), and make this pie.

Ginger Bourbon Peach Pie
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 8
Peaches, bourbon, ginger. This is pie for the soul.
Ingredients
  • 15 grams ground flax seeds
  • 45 grams brown rice flour
  • 45 grams sweet white sorghum flour
  • 30 grams sweet rice flour
  • 20 grams tapioca starch
  • 20 grams corn starch
  • 1 stick butter, frozen
  • 1 tablespoon vodka, ice cold
  • 1/4 cup ice water
  • 4 cups sliced peaches
  • 1/2 cup crystallized ginger chips
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
Instructions
  1. Make the crust: Whisk together your flours for the crust in a large mixing bowl. Grate the frozen butter into the flours using a cheese grater or microplane. Using a pastry blender, make sure your flours and butter are well mixed. It should look like mildly clumpy sand. Add the vodka. Pour in the water a little at a time, mixing with a spatula. As soon as the dough starts to come together, stop mixing. Pat into a disk about 4″ in diameter, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 mins.Once chilled, roll out your dough to about 1/4″ thick.Place in pie pan and smooth to corners. Trim over hang and crimp edges. Pop in the freezer while you do the next steps.
  2. Make the filling: While your crust is chilling, pace a cookie sheet on the middle rack of your oven and to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. This will help keep your bottom crust from getting soggy. Mix together peaches, ginger chips, sugars, bourbon and tapioca starch. Let stand for 15 minutes while your oven heats.
  3. Assemble the pie: When your oven is hot, remove the crust from the freezer and scoop filling into the shell. If your peaches have let off a lot of juice, it is ok to leave it in the bowl, you don’t want a soupy mess.
  4. Bake: Place pie on the hot cookie pan in the oven. Bake for 40-50 mins. You know it is done when the filling is boiling. Let stand for 2 hours.
  5. Scoop the filling into your cold pie shell
Notes

These directions are for making the dough by hand, if you have a food processor the dough comes together quite a bit quicker.

Don’t have a scale? Use 1 1/4 cups of a commercial all purpose blend.

Can’t do bourbon? Substitute 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract for the bourbon.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
1.2.4

 

white chili with turkey

White Chili with Turkey

white chili with turkeyI made this for dinner on Thursday night. I had picked up the peppers because they were on sale. I was going to make a chimichuri sauce for our steak dinner this weekend. But I got greedy & needed a change of pace from the pasta. No chimichuri for Blondie. But, there was leftover chili. Not that I wanted to share.

This is not your mom’s spicy tomato-y chili. There are not so many beans in here that you will be suffering, just enough to give it some body. The heat is not a slow cooked one, but a bright, fresh, tangy heat.

There is coriander in this recipe which lends a bright, lemony flavor to the chili. Don’t leave it out, it really makes the peppers sing. Fresh cilantro is also key – if you don’t have any, just leave it out. The dried stuff doesn’t work here. You can swap the turkey for shredded chicken, but don’t use ground chicken. It just isn’t moist enough.

 

White Turkey Chilli
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Serves: 4
This easy chili comes together in about 30 minutes with minimal effort. It is spicy & light enough for a summer dinner.
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground turkey, browned
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 serrano peppers, seeded & chopped
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
  • 1 anaheim pepper, seeded & chopped
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 can navy beans (or other white beans), drained
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Saute the peppers and onion in the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Cook until the onions become translucent.
  2. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin and cayenne and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
  3. Add chicken stock and beans. Cook for about 30 minutes.
  4. Add cooked turkey & half the cilantro. Cook for about 5 minutes more (the meat should be heated through.
  5. Add half the cilantro and lime juice. Cook for about 1 more minute.
  6. If you like a smoother chili, blend with an immersion belnder for about 30 seconds, or place half the chili into a blender.
  7. Garnish with remaining cilantro and sour cream (or greek yogurt).
Notes

This is so easy, it almost makes itself. It also freezes well and keeps for a few days in the fridge. It is pretty low calorie, and fairly light. If you want a vegetarian version, use 2 cans of beans, omit the chili and use vegetable stock.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
1.2.4