Breathing fresh air

For the first time in three years, I spent the day in the countryside, with no agenda and no schedule for weeks behind or in front of me. And for the first time in nine years, I am on summer vacation! I realize that this may be my first and last true summer break since high school, so I am (gently) trying to make the most of it.

Alex and I have been focused on setting up our new apartment, but also on sleeping in, taking naps, and eating delicious foodie. So much so that a drive to the country to acquire even more foodie was the perfect way to spend our Friday. We loaded up our (new!) car with homemade guacamole and chips and drove north to a farm somewhere on the Maryland/Pennsylvania border. Even on the highway we were struck by the incredible lushness of our environment, how all of the trees and wildflowers seemed to be concentrated versions of what we were used to in Upstate New York. Everything oozed green.

When we arrived at the farm, we purchased some of their famous salsa and had a picnic in the shade of pine trees before setting out for the blueberry patches. The fields that awaited us were dotted with blue, purple and green.

I come from a long line of women who are great "pickers," as my mom says, so I took the job pretty seriously, sampling each bush for flavor before cleaning it of ripe berries and plunking them into my mixing bowl. Alex took a more relaxed approach. But with nowhere to be and nothing on our plates but blueberries, we were in no hurry.

We ended up with twelve or fifteen pounds of the most delicious, sun-warmed berries. Nothing compared to the forty pounds I would pick each summer with my mom, but we are a much smaller family with a much smaller freezer.

The farm is a working orchard and sold peaches, plums, apricots as well as green beans, corn, tomatoes, summer squash and canteloupes at the stand out front. We bought bags of everything and spent the ride home fantasizing about the many dishes we would prepare to showcase our produce. We both love the combination of peaches and blueberries, so we chose a crisp recipe that is easily GF and seemingly failsafe.

Look at that combination...I mean, fugetaboutit!

Peach-Berry Crisp

I tossed about 5 cups of blueberries and 5 peaches (thinly sliced) into a large glass baking dish with about 1/4 cup of GF flour mix (brown rice, potato starch, and tapioca flours), 1/4 cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, one tsp. of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg. After letting that macerate for a few minutes, I topped it with a mixture of 1 cup GF flour mix, 1/3 cup softened butter, 2/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 cup ground flax seeds, and 3/4 cup chopped almonds. I just mushed the butter into the dry ingredients until it was well combined and could crumble in my hands, then sprinkled the mixture atop the fruit. Note: This could easily be modified to be vegan with some margarine or vegetable shortening.

I baked this at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the juices bubbled and the topping was nicely browned. It's best to let this sit for a while to thicken, but if you must eat it right way, be prepared for a very juicy dessert with a serious crunch from the almonds on top. It's also delicious cold for breakfast. For dessert, I had mine with frozen yogurt and Alex ate his with ice cream to sweeten the berries (I love tart foods so this recipe does not have much sugar. Definitely add more if you are a sweet pie kind of person).

The next morning, I piled leftovers on top of yogurt but Alex preferred his straight up with a glass of milk. Warm or cool, plain or sweetened, this crisp is one of the best things about summer.

We still have at least ten pounds of blueberries left. How have you been using up your summer berries?

Gobbled up banana bread

Inspired by Gluten-Free Girl's awesome post about a recent dinner party with her friends, I decided to try a loaf of her sweet and cakey banana bread to see what everyone was raving about. It was absolutely the best banana bread I've ever eaten, and was the perfect snack for our impromptu road trip to Baltimore to check out grad schools (more on that later). Banana bread is the perfect disguise for the often light and crumbly gluten free flours because of its dense, moist texture and lush banana flavor. This is definitely a make-again, a nice gift for the holidays or for a little dinner party. Thank you Gluten Free Girl!
The gooey extra large Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips are my favorite, and the candied ginger adds an unexpected and spicy kick to the confection. I was out of the teff flour, so I improvised with brown rice and ground flax seeds. I don't think it compromised the integrity of the dish, so to speak.

Famous Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (for texture and Omega-3s)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 large bananas)
1/4 cup yogurt (I used fat free vanilla and it was fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup crystallized ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan. Melt the butter on low heat. Set it aside to cool.
2. Sift together the flours and add xanthan gum, sugar, baking soda, and spices in a large bowl. Mix well.
3. Mix together the mashed bananas, eggs, yogurt, butter, and extract in a large bowl until just combined. Now sift the dry ingredients into the wet, avoid over-mixing. Stir in chocolate chips and candied ginger pieces (I chopped mine to 1/4" bits). Smooth out the top of the loaf.
4. Bake about 45 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean and the top is golden. Let set 10 minutes before removing from pan, then cool before slicing. As GF Girl notes, it's pretty hard to wait.

Parchment Paper and Martha

There's something so clean, crisp, and correct about parchment paper. Its smooth waxy surface and the satisfying crunch it makes when torn are so inviting. While aluminum foil feels crass, plastic wrap trashy, and wax paper excessive, parchment paper is just...right. I didn't understand its uses and merits until I began really baking and following cookbooks several years ago. A meltdown (painful pun intended) with a batch of chocolate chip cookies and some wax paper was my wake-up call. Overnight, I became parchment paper's biggest advocate.

This month's Martha Stewart Living has a delicious recipe for coconut macaroons--featuring, of course, parchment paper--which just seemed right for this blustery nigh-on-spring Saturday afternoon. The crisp exterior and chewy insides of these little morsels are both light and indulgent. I made a double batch to bring to a friend's birthday party, wrapped in a brown paper box with dotted tissue paper.
I am huge fan of Martha Stewart, although I know many love to hate on her, but I really admire her sensibility, creativity, and vast knowledge of all things domestic. She's also incredibly outspoken and doesn't take any b.s. And she knows her cookies. Trust me, these are incredible! The crunch from the almond pieces and the little spots of coarse sea salt add a refined texture to this simple dessert. I highly recommend them, just in time for Passover, and they are super simple to make.

Martha's Coconut Macaroons
(makes 16)
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract (my addition)
Pinch coarse sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl until well combined.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well.
4. Form into 2 Tbsp-sized mounds (you can really pack it together in your hands) and place 8 on each cookie sheet.
5. Bake about 15 minutes until golden on the bottoms and sides.
6. Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Spring is here!

We had a small gathering last weekend in honor of this miraculous season. Crisp asparagus, spicy spinach-garlic pesto, delicate baby greens straight from (someone’s) garden. Tulips and irises graced our table and set the perfect backdrop for dessert: carrot cake. Because what is more springy than carrot cake? Can you believe this decadent, delicious dessert is totally gluten-free? I brought the leftovers to work where it was devoured in less than an hour (at 10:00 in the morning). No one knew it was GF and all plates were cleaned. I think it’s the combination of brown rice flour and walnuts and carrots that gives this dense cake the substance often lacking in GF baked goods. And lemony cream cheese frosting doesn’t hurt either.

Read up and enjoy! It’s simpler than the long ingredients list makes it seem. However, starting with the best, freshest organic produce and dairy really "puts the pants on it," as my mom says. Look how healthy these free range organic eggs are, so richly colored. I remember when we had white, uniform Eggland's Best eggs with the red stamp on them. I hate to think the lives those chickens lived. These eggs look like they came from my grandmother's farm.
Carrot Cake – makes 2 layers from Gluten Free Baking Classics, by Annalise Roberts—my new favorite cookbook for all things previously forbidden
2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 ½ tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups canola oil
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups peeled, grated carrots (about 6 medium carrots)
Check out the vibrancy of my juicy organic carrots!
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two 9” round pans with parchment and lightly oil.
2. Combine dry ingredients, flour through nutmeg, in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and oil about 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix well.
4. Add dry to wet and beat on medium about 4 minutes. Fold in carrots, coconut, and walnuts.
5. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake about 40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool on rack for 10 minutes (in the pans). Use a knife to separate from pans and flip layers onto rack to finish cooling (peel off parchment).
7. DO NOT frost warm layers, as the icing will ooze and run all over the place. It’s delicious but not so pretty. Once it’s completely cooled, place bottom layer on a cake stand and frost its top. Then lay the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Sprinkle an additional 1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes (spread in a pan and baked 3 minutes at 350) over the top and sides. Cream Cheese frosting
The real reason we all eat carrot cake. I made mine with a Meyer lemon and it was heavenly, fit for a queen.
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup low fat cream cheese, also room temp
3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested and juiced

1. Beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in sugar at low speed until blended, then add vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. I immediately frosted my cake, but I think it would have been easier if I had chilled the icing so it stayed put between the layers. Be sure to add lots of icing to the middle, as that really makes the look of each slice. This is both very sweet and fairly tart, so balance the flavors to taste.
The cake has a beautiful moistness and a satisfying crunch from the walnuts and coconut. I would definitely make it again, but might do only one layer since two was far more cake than Alex and I could manage in the 3-4 days it keeps in the fridge. It would be a lovely brunch piece or dessert for a baby shower or daytime event. I would like to try it in mini cake pans for individual servings, since it avoids the messy slicing process. It’s not crumbly, like traditional GF desserts though. I think I just need a cake server :)

A Homemade Valentine's Day

Last year, Alex and I were in Paris for Valentine’s Day, strolling arm in arm through Montmartre as we lunched on crepes and pan au chocolat. This year, having already gone on our annual adventure (to the Caribbean!), we knew it would be low-key. However, despite my plans to do nothing, Alex insisted we make each other a gourmet meal, and that was hard to turn down. In a nice role reversal (that turned into some baking catastrophes for me), Alex took on dinner and I took on dessert.

Craving something spicy, romantic, and succulent, we selected a puttanesca sauce based on a Jamie Oliver recipe, ripe with crushed red chilies, fresh olives, and tart capers. We simply made both normal and gluten-free pasta so we could both enjoy the main dish (and doubled the recipe for plenty of leftovers--note the reused mason jar of deliciousness below).

Puttanesca Sauce (minus the anchovies)
EVOO to coat the pan
2 cloves of garlic
2 handfuls black and/or kalamata olives, pitted and halved
½ a jar of capers, drained
2 dried chili peppers, crushed
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Large handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Drizzle of EVOO to top off each portion

Heat the EVOO in a large saucepan, then saute the garlic through oregano for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and toss in the basil, stir and drizzle with olive oil. The salty, sexy olives just burst in your mouth, and the spicy tomato base makes this a delicious romantic meal. The handfuls of freshly torn basil leaves tossed in at the end bring a light finishing flavor to the rich sauce (which we quickly cleaned from our plates). A simple spinach and goat cheese salad balanced our meal and prepped us for the richness of dessert.

In keeping with the rustic Italian theme, I found a recipe from the Ottolenghi cookbook(in Gourmet Magazine) for an orange polenta cake that uses almonds and polenta as the main flours. With a minor substitution of ½ GF flour for all-purpose wheat flour, I easily adapted it to be gluten free and just as delicious. The rustic quality of the flours and polenta combined with the heady flavors of orange and almond make it a perfect mid-winter treat.

The cake is layered with first a rich caramel, then juicy slices of navel oranges, then the batter (it comes out like an upside-down cake). Once it is cooked and inverted, you drizzle a marmalade glaze over the top which seeps in, infusing every bite with a moist orange flavor. To top it off, Alex made fresh whipped cream with orange extract, and we served a bit of glaze on the plates. It was phenomenal, if a bit of a sugar overload. This morning, we had slices for breakfast, and it was a perfect scone-like delicacy. Definitely a make-again, especially for brunch or an elegant tea time (which I've never had, but which I'm sure some people put on).

Orange Polenta Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” cake pan and line it with parchment paper.

For the caramel layer, simmer together in a small saucepan:
½ cup superfine sugar (process granulated sugar for a minute or so)
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut to bits
2 oranges, zest reserved for cake batter, sliced horizontally (peel and pith cut off)

Simmer the sugar and water together over med-hi heat, swirling and washing down any sugar crystals that form on the sides with a pastry brush dipped in water. It will take a few minutes before the sugar dissolves and the mixture colors amber, but watch it carefully (my first batch burned and I had to start all over, what a waste!) When the mixture turns to caramel, remove from the heat and add the butter and swirl to combine.

Quickly and carefully pour into the prepared pan and tilt to coat the bottom. Spread orange slices in concentric circles across the caramel layer. This will be the top of the cake, so arrange them carefully for a nice design.

For the cake:
1 ¾ sticks butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar
3 eggs
zest of both oranges
1 tsp. orange extract (or 2 tsp. orange flower water)
½ cup all purpose (GF) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt.
2 cups of ground almonds (I put raw almonds in the food processor so they were still a bit coarse, which worked well with the texture of the polenta)
2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Add the orange zest and the orange extract. Whisk together in a dry bowl the flour, baking powder, and salt. At a low speed, add the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture. Blend in the ground almonds and the polenta to just combine.

Spread batter evenly over the orange slices in the cake pan and bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean and the top is golden, 1- 1¼ hours. Let cool 5 minutes and then invert onto a cake plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For the glaze, melt in a small saucepan:
¼ cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. water.
Drizzle a bit over the top and sides of the cake. It’s pretty sweet, so go easy if you don’t want a very sugary dessert. You could also cut back on the sugar in the cake, if needed. A tart marmalade would work really well too.

For the orange whipped cream, mix on hi:
Whipping cream, powdered sugar, and orange extract, to taste.

It was a perfect, if gluttonous Valentine's Day, enhanced by the joy of selecting and preparing our meal together, and savoring each bite without the hectic or hurried atmosphere of a NYC restaurant. Although I believe it's silly for Americans to focus on only one day each year to be romantic, I did enjoy our celebration and look forward to many other weekend nights where we can take time out to share our joys (and food).

(Beneath the Arc du Triomphe 2/14/08)

Rhubarb of my eye

Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my all-time favorites, for I love all things tart and pink (like grapefruits, raspberries, and watermelon Jolly Ranchers), but when pie crust is a bit of an ordeal, especially GF, this is a nice little version. The filling is all I really care about anyway, I always offer my crusts to Alex or my siblings.


I poured the ensuing pie-filling mush over some Haagen Dazs vanilla bean ice cream and just about floated off to Cloud Nine. With two spoons and one bowlful, we quickly devoured the slushy mixture and refilled several times before we were satisfied.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Mush
Makes a lot: enough for 4-6 generous ice cream toppers
2 cups rhubarb, rinsed and chopped to 1/2" slices
2 cups strawberries, rinsed and chopped to 1/2" slices
1 1/2 tsp. sugar (we're pretty brave, some folks might prefer more)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 dash cinnamon, if you like

Pint of vanilla ice cream, or just a couple spoons. It's a little too runny to treat as jam, but I'd love to hear other folks' ideas for how to use it.

1. Melt down the rhubarb and strawberries with some water, 1/8-1/4 cup should suffice.

2. Once simmering, add sugar and cinnamon, stir frequently until combined. No need to boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

3. Pour over ice cream and slurp it back.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter has to be one of the greatest joys in life. When I was running 5+ miles a day, I would go through a whole jar in one week (that's eating it straight, with a spoon). Then I discovered a delicious twist: throw dark chocolate chips in the jar and scoop them out, letting each sticky sweet bite melt in your mouth.

Last night, I created a cookie version of that snack, basing my recipe on a variation of these PB cookies, and I have to say I prefer them to the floured variety I grew up with. These are so chewy and moist, but flaky too. The only problem with them is trying not to eat the entire batch at once.

Black-eyed Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 3 dozen 2" cookies

1 cup good peanut butter (I used crunchy organic)
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash cloves
(dash of salt if your PB is unsalted)

Extra white sugar to coat (if you please, it's extra sweet)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cream together the peanut butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in the baking powder and egg until well mixed. Add the vanilla and spices, combine.

3. Shape the dough into approx. 1" balls, gently toss in extra sugar (if desired, they will be really sweet), then place on prepared cookie sheet. Flatten each ball with a fork. Press 1 large chocolate chip in the top of each cookie, if desired.

4. Bake about 10 minutes, until golden on the edges. Cookies will be very puffy and soft to the touch. Let cool 5 minutes on the pan before transferring the parchment to a counter to cool another 10 minutes. (This cooling process is crucial for letting the cookies firm up, and the wait is worth it.)

Enjoy!