January 3, 2012

Recently it occurred to me that some of my favorite sandwiches are seasonal sandwiches. I eagerly await the first BLT of the summer and come winter I can't wait for a croque-monsieur. Of course, unlike the BLT, there's nothing really seasonal about this sandwich. Bread, ham, cheese and white sauce are available all year round. Yet tucking into this hearty sandwich during a warm season just doesn't appeal to me. (Probably because I am too busy eating BLTs.) Come the cold nights of January, however? I'm ready for a dressed-up ham and cheese sandwich.

While this French sandwich has been around for at least a hundred years, it's fairly new to my culinary repertoire. For years I avoided it because the thought of a sandwich topped with béchamel sauce sauce didn't sound appealing to me. I imagined the bread would turn unappetizingly soggy. However, I was wrong. Terribly wrong. After one bite, I knew why this sandwich was a classic. It's a comfort food sandwich! How did I miss this before? Warm cheese, salty ham, and tangy mustard. As for the bread, as long as it's well toasted (which is key with gluten-free bread.) the bread doesn't get mushy under the thick sauce.

Since the sandwich takes a little time to prepare, I usually don't make it for lunch. Instead I serve it for dinner along with a peppery green salad and a gluten-free beer.

. . . keep reading

November 21, 2001

A few years ago, when one of my readers asked me to create a gluten-free version of Campbell's green bean casserole, I was excited. Until then, I had never eaten the classic Thanksgiving side. After perfecting the recipe, a funny thing happened: several of my friends revealed themselves to be secret green bean casserole lovers. Now I make this for Thanksgiving every year. Another huge part of the tradition is munching on the freshly fried onion strips.

September 15, 2011

Remember the "You Donate. I Bake." post? Well, it ended up raising over $700! Over the last few weeks, I sent hundreds of gluten-free shortbread cookies into the world. Thank you to everyone who donated! Your generosity amazed me.

Several folks asked for the recipe for those simple shortbread cookies. I'm more than happy to share it And I'm more than please (tickled really!) that several of the folks who received cookies are NOT gluten-free and still wanted the recipe!

Since starting the project, I've learned lots about these simple cookies! Here's what you need to know before whipping up a batch:

1. Don't overmix. Shortbread cookies are dense affairs. Over-mixing the butter causes their texture to become too light and crumbly. When preparing the dough, don't cream the butter and sugar so much that it becomes light and fluffy.

2. Take your time. Since these cookies contain no eggs, there's no moisture to coax the ingredients quickly into a dough. Once the dry ingredients are added to the butter and sugar paste, it takes a little while for a dough to form. At first the dough seems incredibly sandy--you might even worry that it's not coming together--don't fret like I did the first time I made a batch! The dough does come together after two or three minutes of mixing. Don't rush it and don't give up. The wait's worth it.

3. Re-rolling is welcome. With no gluten to make things tough, you can roll and re-roll this dough until every last piece is used. Since these cookies are so rich, I make about two dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies from one batch, gathering and re-rolling the dough as needed to get this many cookies.

. . . keep reading

September 13, 2011

Growing up, I was what one might charitably call a bit of an odd kid. My favorite television show wasn't Sesame Street. Oh no! It was a toss up between Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting and PBS' Great Chefs. And my favorite food? My grandmother's pasta e fagioli. At the time, this bean and pasta bean dish wasn't really considered kid food. But I loved it--and that settled that.

Since going gluten-free about three years ago, I haven't eaten pasta e fagioli. Why? I'm finicky about the pasta part of pasta e fagioli. Of course it can be made with any kind of pasta. Of course it can. But when a dish is inextricably linked to childhood, you want it the way you remember. Period. And my grandmother made pasta e fagioli with ditalini--which are these little pasta tubes that are just perfect for pasta e fagioli and other soups. Without ditalini, pasta e fagioli just didn't taste right to me. For a long time, there wasn't a gluten-free version of ditalini. So I didn't make it. Silly, right?

Then the other day magic happened. I saw a box of DeBoles "Kid's Only*" Tubettini. This pasta is as close to gluten-free ditalini as I've seen. Close enough that I quickly grabbed a box off the shelf for one reason: it was time to make pasta e fagioli!

Of course, I wanted to make my grandmother's pasta e fagioli and discovered something of a family secret: my grandmother was a bit of a semi-homemade cook. YES! Long before Sandra Lee, my grandmother used shortcuts to get dinner on the table. And who can blame her? With six kids to feed, making a quick version of pasta e fagioli just made sense. So instead of soaking beans and making a special sauce, she used canned beans and leftover thinned tomato sauce.

While recreating her recipe, I found that . . . keep reading

August 22, 2011

Steamed potatoes. Don't they sound, I don't know, kind of boring? Truth is, steamed potatoes are not something I'd made--or thought about--until recently.

For my friend's birthday party, her husband made an incredible clam steam. Along with the clams, sausages, and corn, there was, you guessed it, steamed potatoes. At first I thought I'd give the steamed potatoes a pass. I mean, they were just potatoes! Better to save tummy room for those clams, right?

Well, after I'd eaten my share of clams, I still had a wee bit of room--perfect for half a potato. Since these were large white potatoes, I asked my husband to share with me. (Spoiler: This does not end well for Greg.) I cut the potato in half, poured some melted butter on it and gave it a generous sprinkle of salt. Oh my! This potato was so good! It's flesh was creamy while the skin remained almost "snappy" without being tough. When Greg decided to nab his share of the potato, I, um, decided I didn't feel like sharing!

I wondered if I loved the potatoes so much because they steamed above clams and sausages or if perhaps steamed potatoes were just that good. After making several batches this summer, I can affirm: they are just that good.

Here's how to make them. . . . keep reading

August 12, 2011

Today, for the first time ever, I made a peanut butter pie. What took me so long?

Mike Perillo, husband of blogger Jennifer Perillo, nudged me into the kitchen. I'll have to send a little word of thanks into the universe for Mike to hear. See, Mike died early this week.

On Monday morning, my first day back from vacation, I caught up on my Twitter feed. I saw several tweets mentioning Jennifer. I quickly realized that her husband had passed away. I paused. I shook my head. I re-read. Perhaps I'd misread? I didn't. My heart sank.

Jennifer isn't someone I know personally. But in my on-line circle, she's someone I know. And you know how that feels right? Think about the people you've met on-line. I'm sure there are some "big names," like blogger Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. But I bet there are other smaller, but no less important, people too. On Facebook alone I've connected, and re-connected, with lots of folks. These folks are no less "real" to me than the person I chat with at my local grocery store. Community is community. That I know for sure. And in 2011, a part of our community might be "virtual" but it's still community.

When I learned that Jennifer lost her husband suddenly, my heart broke open for her and her family. And I wanted to do something. But, for the moment, there wasn't anything practical I could do. Then Jennifer posted a simple request: make a peanut butter pie to remember Mike. Jennifer shared that this was his favorite pie and she kept meaning to make it "tomorrow" for him.

Ah, "tomorrow". It gets us doesn't it?

. . . keep reading

August 11, 2011

I love tomato tarts! The other day I shared a recipe for a caramelized onion and tomato tart with a Parmesan crust in my "Gluten-Free Tuesday" column on SeriousEats.com. (Do you read my column there? I hope so!) As I said in that piece, I love (love, love, love) tomato tarts. So today I want to share another one of my favorite tomato tart recipes with you.

This time, however, it isn't a exactly a tart. Let me explain.

Galettes, sometimes called "rustic tarts" or "open faced pies" are made by piling a filing (sweet or savory) into the center of a piece of pastry. The type of pasty used is up to you. For sweet galettes (like apple or blueberry), I often use a pie crust-tart hybrid. For savory galettes, I use a sturdy short-dough. Unlike traditional short doughs which contain lots of butter, this dough contains only four tablespoons. Since a galette is baked on a flat baking sheet, and not in a tart or pie pan, the dough needs enough integrity to hold it's shape while baking. And this dough does just that. In fact, thanks to the zucchini and fresh mozzarella (which gives off lots of liquid during baking), my galette "leaked" a little during baking. The crust, however, was fine. It didn't get soggy at all--even with a little cheesy goodness running out of the top.

Here's how to put together a galette . . . keep reading

August 10, 2011

After spending two weeks reviewing the edits on my upcoming cookbook (and what a week that was!), my husband and I headed to Maine for a week.

Do you know what culinary treat is all over Maine? (Beside lobsters and blueberries, of course.) Whoopie Pies! I LOVE whoopee pies and having to pass them up everyday ignited a desire in me that I've rarely experienced since going gluten-free.

While we'd rented a hotel with a kitchen and I cooked every day, I wasn't about to bake while on vacation. I mean, the beach called. Not the oven. But when I got home? Different story! It was time to bake.

Before making a batch of whoopie pies, I glanced at my "to bake" list. On the list? Chocolate zucchini bread! Hmm…Chocolate zucchini bread. Whoopie Pies. Inspiration hit: Chocolate Zucchini Whoopie Pies. I couldn't get into the kitchen fast enough.

To create the recipe, I kept the cinnamon-scented notes from chocolate zucchini bread and the dense, moist texture from whoopie pies. The resulting whoopie pies are some of the best I've ever eaten. And I've eaten a lot of whoopie pies.

. . . keep reading

August 9, 2011

You know those foods that you just prefer a certain way? I'm like that with chowder. I like my chowder thick but not ultra rich. Sounds like an oxymoron, right? Let me explain.

Often chowder's richness comes from cream. When too much cream is used in the recipes, I find the flavor of the chowder a little blunted. To get around this--and still enjoy a thick consistency--up the amount of flour in the roux to thicken the soup. Instead of a 1:1 ratio of fat to flour, I use a 1:2 ratio and omit the cream altogether. This lends a nicely thick soup without being too rich. If you prefer a thin chowder, add an additional cup of chicken or vegetable broth.

By the way, this chowder has a little spicy kick under the sweetness of the corn. If you'd prefer chowder without the kick, just leave out the hot sauce.

. . . keep reading

July 9, 2011

I love coleslaw. But I don't love all coleslaws. First, I'm allergic to carrots. So many versions of coleslaw are off-limits to me. And I don't love soggy 'slaw.

This recipe, which uses red peppers and onions, is carrot-free, of course. Plus it uses mayo but not too much. It's also really easy to make. From start to finish, it took me about ten minutes. . . . keep reading

July 8, 2011

Sure pies are fun but for a picnic, I prefer these easy jam tarts. They are easy to tote, easy to serve, and easy to eat! . . . keep reading

June 22, 2011

It's easy to make fresh gluten-free bread crumbs. All you need is, you guessed it, bread. . . . keep reading

Remember "Funfetti"? The sprinkle-studded cake mix that Pillsbury sells? My memories of Funfetti include disappointment. The mix was introduced when I was a kid--and completely susceptible to advertising. I don't remember the exact ad but, like most ads of the late 1980s and early 1990s, I'm sure it promised something bordering on magic.

The ads hooked me and soon I wanted to make a Funfetti cake. I decided that Funfetti was THE BEST CAKE EVER! And surely the most fun to make! I mean, "fun" was included right in the name! . . . keep reading

February 1, 2011

Way back in 2006, I created a recipe for Pigs in a Blanket. It used a savory muffin-like batter to coat the wieners. I thought they were delicious. My friend, Jessica, did not. "Pigs in a blanket need to have a blanket! Not be encased in batter and baked." For someone who eats "Pigs in a Blanket" once or twice a year, she clearly had strong feelings about them.

And so did you! My original recipe appeared in the little gluten-free baking newsletter I used to write. (A print newsletter! Can you imagine?) Most people said it was good but not what they really wanted.

Back to the kitchen for me! I set out to create a recipe that used a wrapped around the wieners. After a bit of putzing, I created this recipe. It's an easy recipe to make. It's just . . . keep reading

January 18, 2011

Since there were no cookies in the house I needed to bake a batch, which was fine with me. Baking during a storm gives me something to do and allows me to avoid laundry.

I mentioned on Facebook that lately I've had a thing for chocolate-covered raisins. Isn't it great how tastes change? For years, I didn't like raisins. Now, I'm a fan. Staying with my newfound love for chocolate-covered raisins, I decided to make a batch of chocolate-chip-raisin oatmeal cookies. Only I didn't stop there.

When I went to pull the raisins and chocolate chips off my shelf of "stuff", I noticed coconut. The bag came off the shelf. Then I spotted the bag of almonds. It, too, came off the shelf. Finally, I noticed the bag of flaxmeal. And, you guessed it, it joined the other ingredients on my table. Now cookies with just chocolate chips and raisins seemed boring!

I didn't want to build a cookie recipe from scratch, I decided to modify my tested oatmeal cookie recipe. In addition to replacing the white rice flour with brown rice flour, I also dropped the cornstarch. The cookies, thanks to all the ingredients I decided to add, just didn't need the structure of the starch to hold them together.

And the result? Let's just say they were so good, I didn't even mind the weather. 

A few years ago, while at a Christmas Open House hosted by a fantastic local art shop, I noticed a little sign next to a coffee urn that said, Chocolate Eggnog. "Well, that is either terribly amazing or amazingly terrible," I thought. I mean, the components are all there. You've got eggnog (good) and chocolate (great) Yet with food just because components work separately does not mean they are all that great combined---like spaghetti tacos, for instance.

After checking out the ingredients, I tied a sample. And it was…amazing. The spiciness of the eggnog worked really well with the chocolate.

For some silly reason, I didn't ask Beth, the owner, for the recipe. At home I tried to recreate this drink. I failed. My attempted version of the recipe (eggnog and cocoa powder) was just off. When I headed to Artifacts this year, I was determined to get that recipe!

The recipe Beth provided looked deceptively simple: eggnog, hot fudge sauce, nutmeg, and vanilla. But over the years I've learned that chocolate-anything (bars, cocoa powder) varies from brand to brand. A Hershey bar is very, very different from a 70% Cocoa Dark chocolate bar, even though they are both chocolate. Therefore, I wanted the fudge sauce Beth used in her recipe.