Gluten-Free Peach Crisp

Some summers the peaches are glorious.

And then there’s this year. I haven’t had an excellent peach or nectarine yet.

I bought a bunch a few times and they tasted ok, but not really flavorful. Some were cottony and mealy.

I used the cottony/mealy ones to make sauce — like applesauce only made with peaches (with a bit of cinnamon and a squirt of lemon juice). It was very good. We ate some and I used the rest for quickbread.

I used the sort-of-tasty ones for this peach crisp. This was perfect. Baking — plus some other stuff — brought out the best of the fruit.

And look how easy this dessert is!

Plus, it’s gluten-free, in case you need…

Gluten-Free Peach Crisp

Filling:

• 6 ripe medium peaches

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2 tablespoons minute tapioca

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Crust:

• 1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons butter (margarine or solid coconut oil), cut into chunks

To make the filling: Lightly butter a baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the peaches and place the pieces in the baking dish. Add the sugar, tapioca and lemon juice, toss the ingredients and let rest for 15-20 minutes. 

To make the crust: Mix the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Place on top of the fruit. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Makes 6 servings

Gluten-Free Oat and Yogurt Muffins

It’s easy to spot new trends at the Fancy Food Show. The sales pitches are so obvious that it’s almost comical.

This year at the Javits Center it was “Hey, get your gluten-free stuff here!”

There were signs and setups everywhere I looked for everything “gluten-free” — from grains to cereals to, of course, all sorts of cakes, pastries, candies, cookies and even meat products and, not to be forgotten, every kind of chip in the food world: fava bean, quinoa, falafel and so on.

Btw, it’s also easy to notice the lack of once-fashionable-now-has-beens (at least as far as marketing is concerned). This year I only saw one itty-bitty new product with kale!

Only time will tell whether the ingredients and products of the moment will show themselves to be mere fads or enduring and valuable additions to the culinary coffers of our age. I think people will continue to eat kale because it has proven its worth. But we probably won’t see dozens more kale products in the future because our manufacturers have shifted their focus onto current trends. Like gluten-free.

I believe we will see more and more gluten-free products, a boon for people who actually require gluten-free food. Life can be difficult when you have a health problem, so making it easier to mitigate that problem is a good thing. 

I tried out almond flour, which is gluten-free and very tasty, in a couple of recipes and these muffins, which include oat bran too, were among the winning recipes. They’re easy to bake and don’t require xanthan or guar gum to keep them from crumbling apart.

Gluten-Free Oat and Yogurt Muffins

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup almond flour

1 cup oat bran

2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yogurt

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10 muffin tin cups. Heat the coconut oil and honey together in a small saucepan for about one minute or until the coconut oil has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside. In a bowl, combine the almond flour, oat bran, orange peel, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix well and set aside. Place the yogurt, egg and vanilla extract in another bowl. Add the coconut oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and blend the ingredients thoroughly. Spoon this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and gently combine the ingredients into a batter. Fold in the raisins. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into the muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 10

Gluten-free Gingersnaps

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about sorghum syrup for The Jewish Week and mentioned that this sweetener (which was very popular before cheap, refined sugar came along) was gluten-free. 

But then I gave a recipe for sorghum-sweetened gingersnaps and unfortunately the cookies were not gluten-free.

That was a mistake! 

So here it is, a completely gluten-free recipe for gingersnaps. I like these even better than the original recipe. They are somewhat softer that regular gingersnaps.

Gluten-free Gingersnaps

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup sorghum syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour

3/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup quinoa flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Combine the shortening, coconut oil and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well combined. Add the egg, sorghum syrup and vanilla extract and beat until well blended. Add the gluten-free flour, coconut flour and quinoa flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg and beat until the dough is well blended, smooth and uniform in color. Scoop mounded tablespoons of the dough and place them on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving an inch space between each piece (you will have to repeat or use several cookie sheets). Sprinkle the dough lightly with sugar. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes or until the cookies have spread and are flat and crispy, with lines on the surface.

Makes about 60

Lemon Almond Tea Cake

In the old days Passover desserts were the predictable two: macaroons or spongecake.

We’ve come a long way since then.

Not that I have anything against macaroons and spongecake. In fact, they rank right up there in the favorites category for me.

But now Passover desserts are so gourmet. And there’s lots to choose from and to cook or bake at home. I remember when flourless chocolate cake first appeared on the Passover scene. Now that seems old hat too. There’s so much more.

At any rate, I make a variety of different Passover desserts every year, some tried-and-true and always a couple of new ones. Some sweet with honey, some chocolatey. Some plain like this one for Lemon-Almond Cake. It’s a good choice after a heavy meal because it is light and fluffy and there’s no a sugar load of frosting or anything gooey.

This cake is wonderful as is. But of course, goes nicely with fresh fruit or sorbet or ice cream. Or with the Roasted Fruit Cocktail I wrote about yesterday. If you just can’t resist, there’s always a sauce you can pour on top, like zabaglione or caramel.

Lemon Almond Tea Cake

1-1/2 cups finely chopped almonds

1/2 cup potato starch

1 tablespoon kosher for Passover baking powder

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

4 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

6 tablespoons lemon juice

Passover Confectioner’s sugar 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan and place a parchment paper circle on the bottom of the pan. Place the almonds in a bowl. Add the potato starch, baking powder and lemon peel and whisk ingredients thoroughly. Set aside. Place the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a food processor and process until thick and lighter in color. With the machine running, add the vegetable oil and melted, cooled coconut oil until all has been incorporated. Using the pulse feature, work in the ground almond mixture and lemon juice. Spoon the mixture into a large bowl. In another bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), beat the egg whites until they are glossy and stand in stiff peaks. Mix about 1/3 of the beaten whites into the batter, to lighten it, then fold the remaining beaten whites into the batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place the pan on a cake rack. Let the cake cool in the pan. Remove from the pan. Dust with Passover confectioner’s sugar.

NOTE: you can make this without the baking powder; the cake will be more dense, but taste delicious

Gluten-Free Hello Dolly Cookies

Yes, yes, yesterday I was all about how to keep the pounds off during the holiday season and then I went and baked some Hello Dolly Bars.

But I do have a good excuse. First, I bake for a bi-monthly Tea our local Hadassah group hosts for cancer patients and their caregivers at Stamford Hospital, so these will NOT wind up in my freezer where they will tempt me (or Ed).

Second, I needed to bake some gluten-free cookies and experimented with these well-known bar cookies. Instead of using graham crackers I substituted almond meal and it worked out really well.

I confess — I did taste! But as I mentioned yesterday, just a taste, not two or three pieces.

I have no idea why these are called Hello Dolly Bars. I know people who call them Magic Bars or 7-Layer Bars. Some people have said the name has something to do with the Broadway musical, “Hello Dolly,” which opened in 1964, but recipes for similar cookies were around before then, so I don’t think so.

You can use this recipe with the usual graham cracker crumbs (1-1/2 cups instead of the 2 cups of almond meal). I have also made them with chocolate cookie crumbs. Also, I use almonds because my daughter is allergic to walnuts and pecans, but you can use those. Or cashews.

Gluten-Free Hello Dolly Cookies

2 cups very finely ground almonds or almond meal

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

1-1/3 cups packaged coconut shreds

14-15 ounce can condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ground almonds and melted butter together and press into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan. Sprinkle the surface with the cinnamon. Scatter the nuts and chocolate chips evenly on top. Scatter the coconut evenly on top. Pour the milk gradually over the entire surface to evenly cover as much as possible. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan. Cut into 36 bars. Makes 36

Sean Dunn Ginger Gluten Free Pumpkin Tart

Recently I posted a recipe for gluten-free pumpkin pie and Sean Dunn sent me a message thanking me for it. She also sent me her own gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe. It’s made with a cookie crust.

Cookie crusts (usually made with about 1-1/2 cups crushed cookies mixed with about 5 tablespoons melted butter) are ideal for creamy pies like pumpkin (chocolate cream, banana cream, coconut custard, etc.) because they don’t get soggy (which sometimes happens with a traditional pie crust).

So, here is her recipe, a pumpkin pie using a gluten-free crust made with gingersnaps.

From Sean Dunn:

This recipe is easily made gluten free by substituting gluten free ginger snaps in for normal ones. I particularly like it because it is not too heavy after a big meal like thanksgiving, and it is not over spiced like store bought pumpkin pie. In my experience this recipe has been a crowd-pleaser, and you’ll soon be getting requests for the recipie.

Ginger Pumpkin Tart

Adapted from this recipe. 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups crushed ginger snaps
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree,
• 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• Pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put a 9-inch removable-bottom fluted tart pan on a baking sheet.

Make the crust by combining the ginger cookie crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl, until well blended. Add the crumbs to the tart pan and evenly press over the bottom and up the sides with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake until set and a bit darker in color, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, condensed milk, egg yolks and salt until well blended. Pour the filling into the cooled crust, return to the oven, and bake until set and beginning to brown on the top, about 30 minutes. Remove tart from the oven, cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator, at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

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Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

It’s one thing if people are fussy about food and make a big deal about it when there’s a mushroom or hunk of broccoli on their plate. 

But it’s really quite another thing when there are actual health concerns. Issues like allergies, lactose intolerance, high blood pressure, gluten intolerance. And so on. Or when someone has a commitment to vegetarianism. 

To me, none of these is the same as being fussy. So if I have a guest at my table for, say Thanksgiving, I try to accomodate. 

My daughter has a life-threatening allergy to fish and certain nuts. We discovered this early on so I learned how to change recipes and substitute. I also become more aware of and sensitive to other people’s health issues.

I never cook fish when Gillian visits. I never bake or cook with walnuts or pecans.  I bake Hazelnut or Cashew Pie, not pecan pie. 

On Thanksgiving we sometimes have guests who are vegetarians and some who can’t eat gluten. So I’ll make Mujadarah as an additional main course (that’s a bulgur wheat and lentil casserole) — it’s also a good side dish with turkey!

And I’ll bake a gluten-free pie. This year it’s Pumpkin Pie. 

It can be a challenge to cook for people who can’t eat the usual foods you cook. But I have found it to be an enjoyable creative challenge. 

In case you need dessert for someone who’s on a gluten-free diet, here’s one for gluten-free Pumpkin Pie. Everyone else will enjoy it too.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

1-3/4 cups mashed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons molasses or pure maple syrup

3 large eggs

1-1/2 cups half and half cream, evaporated milk or nut milk 

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 9-inch unbaked gluten-free pie crust

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the pumpkin, brown sugar, white sugar and molasses in a bowl and beat with a whisk or electric beater set at medium for a minute or until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the cream until well blended. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat ingredients for a minute or until well blended. Pour into the pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for another 55-60 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let cool. Makes one pie serving 8 people

Crust:

1 cup rice flour

1/4 cup almond flour or garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup cornstarch or potato starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

5 tablespoons cold butter or margarine

3 tablespoons cold water or milk 

Place the rice flour, almond flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and shortening and work into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your fingers, until the mixture is crumbly. (To use a food processor, use the pulse feature.) Add the liquid and mix until a soft ball of dough forms. Press the dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. NOTE: instead of the rice and almond flours plus cornstarch, you can use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour

Sautéed Quinoa with Scallions and Mint

Passover, with all its dietary prohibitions, can create cooking issues.

Add another factor, like having to cook for someone who’s a vegan or is lactose-intolerant or who is allergic to nuts or other ingredients, and you really have to be creative about dinner.

My cousin Leslie had several guests at her Seder who had special dietary needs. One is her daughter-in-law who is vegan, gluten-intolerant, allergic to mushrooms and nuts and goodness knows what else. She couldn’t eat the matzo-ball soup, turkey, matzo stuffing with mushrooms, onions and celery or the honey-hazelnut macaroon tart. 

It meant lots of extra cooking. 

But sometimes preparing a dish for someone whose diet requires extra effort not only reaps rewards in the form of gratitude from the person you’re cooking for, but also because you might discover a dish that will appeal to everyone, so you can make more of it the next time, and cut out one that only a few can eat.

Consider this dish made with quinoa, which is fine for Passover and for nut-free, gluten-free, lactose-free vegan diets.

Sautéed Quinoa with Scallions and Mint

(photo from JoyofKosher.com)

1 cup quinoa

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 large scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Rinse the quinoa several times in a strainer. Place the quinoa and 1-1/2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a wok, stir-fry pan, or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook for 2–3 minutes or until they have softened. Return the quinoa to the pan and cook, stirring to distribute ingredients evenly. Sprinkle with the mint, lemon peel and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about one minute or until the ingredients are hot. Makes 4 servings.