Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Gluten-Free Desserts

GLUTEN-FREE GLAZED RAW APPLE COOKIES
½ CUP BUTTER OR SHORTENING
1 ½ CUP BROWN SUGAR-FIRMLY PACKED
1 TSP. SALT
1 TSP. CINNAMON
½ TSP. NUTMEG
½ TSP CLOVES
1 LARGE EGG OR EGG SUBSTITUTE
1 CUP RICE FLOUR*
¾ CUP SORGHUM FLOUR OR RICE FLOUR*
½ CUP TAPIOCA FLOUR*
1 TSP. BAKING SODA
¼ CUP MILK
2 CUPS FINELY CHOPPED OR GRATED RAW APPLES (PEELED)
1 CUP CHOPPED NUTS
BEAT FIRST SEVEN INGREDIENTS IN MIXING BOWL UNTIL BLENDED AND FLUFFY. (IF EG REPLACER IS USE FLUFFINESS WILL PROBABLY NOT HAPPEN) ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS. BEAT WELL. DROP ON BAKING SHEET BY TEASPOONFUL.
BAKE ABOUT 10-12 MINUTES IN 400 DEG. OVEN.
SPREAD WITH GLAZE:
1 CUP POWDERED SUGAR
1TBSP MELTED BUTTER
1 ½ TBSP HOT MILK OR MILK SUBSTITUTE
1 ½ TSP VANILLA
SPREAD THINLY ON WARM COOKIES. DO NOT STACK COOKIES WHILE WARM.
*MIXTURE OF FLOURS IS NOT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. USE WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU. FLOURS THAT ARE ALREADY MIXED TO “PERFECTION” CAN BE FOUND AT YOUR LOCAL HEALTH FOOD STORE OR HEALTH FOOD AISLE. These cookies turn out so well. You can even dare serve them to your pickiest family and guests. They probably won’t even suspect they are gluten free…unless you’ve already built up a reputation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GLUTEN-FREE RICE-FLOUR PIE CRUST
1 CUP RICE-FLOUR
¼ CUP SOFTENED BUTTER
2 TBSP WARM WATER
USING A PASTRY CUTTER OR FORK MIX THESE INGREDIENTS UNTIL JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PIE CRUST, CRUMBLY, BUT MIXED. PLACE A SHEET OF WAX PAPER ON THE COUNTER. GATHER THE DOUGH IN ONE BIG LUMP AND PLACE ONTO WAX PAPER. PLACE ANOTHER PIECE OF WAX PAPER ON TOP. USING A ROLLING PIN, ROLL OUT TO FIT A 9” PIE PLATE. PEEL THE TOP PIECE OF WAX PAPER OFF OF THE DOUGH GENTLY. NOW THIS PART TAKES SOME ART AND AGILITY. HAVE YOUR PIE PLATE HANDY. FLIP THE DOUGH AND WAX PAPER INTO THE PIE PLATE. CAREFULLY PEEL THE 2ND PIECE OF WAX PAPER OFF OF THE DOUGH. MOST LIKELY THE CRUST HAS BROKEN SOMEWHERE. JUST PINCH BACK TOGETHER AND NEATEN THE EDGES.
FOR AN UNFILLED CRUST BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 18 MINUTES OR UNTIL SLIGHT CRACKS APPEAR. COOL BEFORE FILLING.
FOR A FILLED CRUST BAKE EMPTY SHELL AT 350 DEGREES FOR 5 MINUTES. ADD DESIRED FILLING , ADD A TOP CRUST IF DESIRED, AND FINISH BAKING AS RECIPE DIRECTS.
This recipe turns out extremely well. It takes practice to make it perfectly pretty, but the taste is so much like the real thing! It has only been recently that I discovered this recipe and I am still very excited about it. There is so much still yet to be discovered in this gluten-free world.
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GLUTEN-FREE RICE AND ALMOND-FLOUR PIE CRUST

MAKES 1 CRUST
1/3 CUP WHOLE ALMONDS
¾ CUP BROWN RICE FLOUR
¼ TSP. GROUND CINNAMON(OPTIONAL)
PINCH OF GROUND CLOVES (OPTIONAL)
3 TBSP WATER
2 TBSP OIL
2 TBSP HONEY OR APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE
¼ TSP SALT
GRIND THE ALMONDS TO A FINE POWDER IN A BLENDER. TRANSFER THEM TO A 9” PIE PLATE. ADD THE FLOUR, CINAMON, CLOVES, AND SALT. MIX WELL WITH A FORK.
COMBINE THE WATER, OIL, AND HONEY IN SMALL SAUCEPAN. HEAT GENTLY UNTIL HONEY LIQUEFIES. POUR INTO THE PIE PLATE. STIR WITH FORK UNTIL WELL BLENDED. LET STAND FOR FLOUR TO ABSORB LIQUID.
SHAPE CRUST BY PRESSING MIXTURE FIRMLY INTO PLACE WITH FINGERS, COVERING BOTTOM AND SIDES OF PLATE.
FOR UNFILLED CRUST:
BAKE EMPTY SHELL AT 350 DEG. FOR 18 MINUTES OR UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWN AND MARKED WITH A FEW CRACKS. COOL BEFORE FILLING.
FOR FILLED CRUST:
BAKE EMPTY SHELL AT 350 DEG. FOR 5 MINUTES. ADD DESIRED FILLING AND FINISH BAKING AS YOUR RECIPE DIRECTS.
This recipe is more like a crumb crust. It is very good and much quicker than the other recipe. I like this one with apple filling the best. It is also good with gelatin pies.

Gluten-Free Main Dishes

GLUTEN-FREE UPSIDE-DOWN PIZZA

1 ½ LB. HAMBURGER
GARLIC
SALT
OREGANO
1 CHOPPED ONION
1 CAN PIZZA SAUCE (I use plain tomato sauce and just add plenty of oregano)
8 OZ. MOZZERELLA CHEESE
PARMESAN CHEESE (OPTIONAL)
DOUGH:1 CUP RICE FLOUR
1 TSP. SALT
1 CUP MILK OR MILK SUBSTITUTE
1 TBSP. OIL
2 EGGS OR EGG SUBSTITUTE
BROWN MEAT, SALT, OREGANO AND ONION. DRAIN OFF FAT. ADD PIZZA SAUCE. PLACE IN 9 BY 13-INCH CAKE PAN. SPRINKLE ON CHEESE(S). MIX REMAINING INGREDIENTS TO MAKE DOUGH. POUR OVER MEAT MIXTURE. BAKE AT 350 DEG. FOR 30 MINUTES.
This is a very delicious recipe. This is one you can serve to the whole family. If they are just too picky you can change the rice flour to wheat and there you go. Make two dishes of it and enjoy together.
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GLUTEN FREE PIZZA
You can make gluten free pizza crust by using the biscuit recipe under Gluten-free breads. Press the biscuit dough onto a baking sheet or stone and top with all your favorite toppings.:)

Gluten-Free Breads

GLUTEN-FREE RICE FLOUR YEAST BREAD
1 ¾ CUPS WHITE OR BROWN RICE FLOUR
¼ CUP TAPIOCA FLOUR
ONE PKG. YEAST(2 ½ TSP)
2 TSP. XANTHAN GUM
1 ½ CUPS BUTTERMILK, RICE, SOY, OR GOAT MILK
¼ CUP SUGAR OR 1/8 CUP HONEY
3 TBSP. BUTTER OR MARGARINE
1 TSP. SALT
2 EGGS OR EGG SUBSTITUTE
½ CUP PACKAGED INSTANT MASHED POTATOES FLAKES OR BUDS
2 TSP. CORNMEAL
IN A LARGE MIXING BOWL COMBINE 1 CUP OF THE RICE FLOUR, TAPIOCA FLOUR, YEAST, AND XANTHAN GUM. IN A MEDIUM SAUCEPAN HEAT AND STIR THE BUTTERMILK, SUGAR, BUTTER, AND SALT OVER LOW HEAT JUST TILL WARM (120 DEG. TO 130 DEG.) AND THE MARGARINE ALMOST MELTS. ADD THE EGGS. BEAT WITH AN ELECTRIC MIXER ON LOW TO MEDIUM SPEED FOR 30 SECONDS, SCRAPING SIDES OF BOWL. BEAT ON HIGH SPEED FOR 2 MINUTES MORE. USING A WOODEN SPOON, STIR IN POTATO FLAKES OR BUDS AND THE REMAINING ¾ CUP RICE FLOUR TO MAKE A SOFT DOUGH. COVER AND LET RISE IN A WARM PLACE TILL DOUBLE (1 TO 1 ¼ HOURS).
LIGHTLY GREASE A 1 ½-QUART SOUFFLE DISH OR CASSEROLE OR AN 8by4by2-INCH LOAF PAN. LIGHTLY SPRINKLE DISH OR PAN WITH CORNMEAL. STIR DOWN DOUGH AND SPREAD EVENLY IN PREPARED CASSEROLE OR PAN. COVER AND LET RISE TILL NEARLY DOUBLE (30 TO 45 MINUTES). BAKE IN A 375 DEG. OVEN FOR 35 TO 40 MINUTES OR TILL CENTER OF BREAD SPRINGS BACK WHEN TOUCHED. IF NECESSARY, COVER BREAD WITH FOIL DURING THE LAST 15 MINUTES OF BAKING TO PREVENT OVER BROWNING. REMOVE FROM CASSEROLE OR PAN. COOL BREAD ON A WIRE RACK. MAKES 1 LOAF(16 SERVINGS).
HERB BREAD: STIR IN ¾ TSP. CRUSHED, DRIED HERB (SUCH AS DILL WEED, BASIL, OR SAGE) ALONG WITH POTATO FLAKES OR BUDS.FRUIT N’ SPICE BREAD: ADD ¾ TSP. CARDAMOM OR CINNAMON TO THE RICE FLOUR MIXTURE. STIR IN ¾ CUP DRIED FRUIT (SUCH AS LIGHT RAISINS, DRIED CHERRIES, SNIPPED DATES, OR MIXED DRIED FRUIT BITS) ALONG WITH THE POTATO FLAKES OR BUDS. ORANGE NUT BREAD: STIR 1 ½ TSP FINELY SHREDDED ORANGE PEEL INTO THE RICE FLOUR MIXTURE. STIR IN ½ CUP FINELY CHOPPED TOASTED PECANS OR ALMONDS WITH THE POTATO BUDS.This recipe is very yummy. It will make a rather small loaf, but a very light one for being gluten free. It takes a bit of time and a few ingredients that you might not have on hand, but it is the simplest I have found. If you are short on time and don’t mind spending a little bit more money, you might consider ”Pamela’s Bread Mix”. I have really enjoyed this myself. Your local health food store and sometimes even your local grocery store will carry this. If your grocery store does not carry it, most likely you can order a case for a reasonable price or just ask them to carry it. (This applies to most of your gluten free products.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GLUTEN-FREE BISCUITS

2 CUP RICE FLOUR
4 TSP BAKING POWDER
½ TSP SALT
¼ CUP BUTTER, MARGARINE, OR OIL
(OPTIONAL) 1 TBSP HONEY, MOLASSES, OR 2 TBSP SUGAR
ADD MILK TO MAKE STIFF, BUT SOFT DOUGH.
PREHEAT OVEN TO 425 DEGREES
COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS. STIR IN WET INGREDIENTS. SPOON GENTLY ONTO UNGREASED BAKING SHEET. BAKE FOR 15-20 MINUTES.
Another suggestion for biscuits. Bob’s Red Mill and many other brands carry delicious gluten-free biscuit mixes. I usually make this recipe because it is much cheaper and tastes pretty good. The only drawback I see is that it doesn’t flake quite the same way as a wheat biscuit.
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GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA CRUST
Make a batch of your favorite gluten-free biscuit dough and press onto an ungreased baking sheet or stone. Put desired toppings on and bake at 425 deg. for 20 min.
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GLUTEN-FREE PANCAKES

¾ CUP RICE FLOUR
¼ CUP TAPIOCA FLOUR
1 TSP. XANTHAN GUM
3 TSP. BAKING POWDER
½ TSP. SALT
MIX DRY INGREDIENTS.
ADD:
1 EGG OR EGG REPLACER
¼ CUP OIL
MILK TO DESIRED CONSISTENCY.
This recipe is actually just a converted run of the mill(no pun intended) pancake recipe. Instead of 1 cup wheat I made a mixture of rice, tapioca and xanthan gum. Instead of ¾ cup milk I say “to desired consistency” because everyone wants their gluten-free pancakes different. Some like them thick and heavy and some like them thin and light. The quality of your rice flour will also affect how much milk you need. Sometimes after a batter sits for a minute you will need to add more milk as the rice flour will begin to absorb the moisture.
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GLUTEN-FREE TORTILLAS/CREPES
1 CUP RICE FLOUR
¾ C CORN, MILLET OR RICE*
5 TBSP CORNSTARCH, ARROWROOT OR TAPIOCA FLOUR
2 EGGS OR EGG SUBSTITUTE (if eating all of them right away you can leave this out altogether in my opinion)
1 TSP SALT
1 TBSP SUGAR OR ½ TBSP HONEY**
3 TBSP OIL
APPROX. 2 CUPS MILK OR UNTIL BATTER IS VERY THIN. ABOUT THE CONSISTENCY OF BUTTERMILK.
MIX ALL INGREDIENTS. POUR ONTO HEATED AND OILED SKILLET IN ROUNDS. SMOOTH OUT IN CIRCULAR MOTION WITH SPOON. THIS BATTER HAS A TENDENCY TO STICK TO THE SKILLET. BE PATIENT. WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THE TORTILLA IS READY TO TURN. START FLIPPING BY WORKING AROUND THE EDGES GENTLY. THEN START MOVING SPATULA TOWARDS THE MIDDLE. FLIP AND THE YOU ARE ONLY A MINUTE OR TWO AWAY FROM HAVING A COMPLETED TORTILLA OR CREPE!


*USE RICE FLOUR IF MAKING CREPES.
**LEAVE OUT IF MAKING TORTILLAS.
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Crackers:
1/2 C. RICE FLOUR
1/2 C.CORNSTARCH
1/2 C.POTATO STARCH
1/4 C. TAPIOCA STARCH
1/4 C.SORGHUM FLOUR
[OR 2 CUPS GF FLOUR MIX] (I USED 1/2 C. ARROWROOT, 3/4 C. TAPIOCA STARCH, AND 3/4 C BROWN RICE FLOUR)
1 TSP. XANTHAN GUM
1 TSP. SALT
1/2 TSP. BAKING POWDER
1/4 C. BUTTER
1/2 C. MILK
1 EGG OR EGG REPLACER
Blend dry ingredients. Cut in butter until the mixture is fine crumbs. Add the milk & egg and mix into a dough. Either roll it out and cut into squares or roll it into balls and flatten. Stab each cracker a few times with a fork and sprinkle with a little bit of salt.
There are any different variations you can use if you use your imagination. For example, try adding shredded cheese and/or spices.
Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.
These crackers are best fresh and right after cooled. They are still good the next day, but they start to get like hard tack pretty quickly. Edible, but not exactly a normal cracker.
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HONEY CRUNCH SQUARES
This is a variation of the cracker recipe that I came up with. Everyone loved it! It lasted about a day and a half before it was nearly all munched away. The honey prevents it from turning to hard tack, but it won't turn to a soggy mush as soon as you poor milk on it. It stays crunchy til the last bite! You can use your own imagination to create variations of this to make a different flavor of cereal or to make graham crackers, wheat thin replacements or whatever you like!

1/2 C. ARROWROOT
3/4 C. TAPIOCA STARCH
3/4 C. BROWN RICE FLOUR
1/2 TSP. SALT
1/2 TSP. BAKING POWDER
1/4 C. BUTTER
1/4 C. LIQUEFIED HONEY(SLOWLY WARM ON LOW HEAT TO LIQUEFY)
1/4 C. MILK
[THE GOAL BETWEEN THE MILK AND THE HONEY IS TO GET 1/2 C MOISTURE. IF YOU FIND THIS RECIPE TO BE TOO SWEET, REPLACE SOME OF THE HONEY WITH MILK]
1 EGG OR EGG REPLACER

Blend dry ingredients. Cut in butter until the mixture is fine crumbs. Add the milk and egg and mix into a dough. Roll out to about 1/8" thickness. Cut into little bitesized squares or whatever bite sized shape is desired. If you end up making this as a sweet cracker poke holes in the dough before baking.
Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 deg. for about 9 min. The edges should turn a golden brown.