Daring Cooks! Vietnamese Pho

Oops! Better late than never. This month we made pho, which I love. Pho is a Vietnamese dish of broth with rice noodles and meat, and you get to customize it to your taste. Served alongside is usually a plate of sprouts, lime, chilis, basil, and maybe a few other things. I added scallions, cilantro, and onion as well.

The October 2009 Daring Cooks' challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

Vietnamese Pho

Green means my addition

For the broth:

2 T whole coriander

4 whole cloves

2 whole star anise

2 cardamom pods

1 T fennel seeds

8 c chicken broth

1/2 onion

1 3-inch hunk of ginger, peeled and chopped

1-2 T sugar

1-2 T fish sauce

Heat a pan over high heat. Add the spices and toast, shaking the pan so the spices don't burn. When you can start to smell them, they're done. Remove them from the pan, then combine all the ingredients (including the spices) in a pot and cook for 20-30 minutes. Strain the broth, then keep it on a low simmer while you get everything else ready.

For the soup/assembly:

1 lb rice stick noodles

1/2 lb thinly sliced beef

2 c bean sprouts

a handful fresh cilantro

a handful Thai basil

1/2 shaved red onion

1/2 lime, cut into wedges

sliced fresh chilis

3 sliced scallions

Cook the noodles according to your package directions.

Arrange the bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, onion, lime, chilis and scallions on a plate. Divide the noodles between bowls, top with sliced meat, then pour the hot broth over. The broth will help cook the beef. Add whatever additions you'd like, and enjoy!

We were supposed to make a dessert wonton, but I didn't have time and also, us gluten-free people can't use wonton wrappers. I wasn't up to that challenge today.

Daring Bakers July! Mallomars (Part 2)

This second part of this month's Daring Bakers challenge was the best. The Milanos were decent, but these are pretty great! Just like Mallomars. Except better, because they're homemade and gluten-free. These are a big, messy, production, but fairly straightforward. I won't make these again until it's cooler outside. This is not a good project to do on the hottest day of the year so far.

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She choseChocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Mallows(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies

• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour (I used rice flour mix plus 1/2 t xanthan)
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough. I ended up rlling my dough into small balls and then flattening each one, it's waaaaay too hot to roll out cookie dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade marshmallows:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used half dark and half semisweet)
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil (I used shortening)

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water. I melted mine in the microwave. If your glaze seems too thick, add a little more shortening.

Daring Bakers July! Milanos (Part 1 of 2)

This month's DB challenge was to do two things. The first was to make a homemade version of Mallowmars, the second was to make a homemade version of Milanos. I was excited about this challenge, I love both those cookies. I somehow ended up having a really busy past two weeks, so I wasn't able to do the challenge until today! The Milano cookies were easy and quick to make, but the Mallowmar cookies take a while, so those will be posted about tomorrow. These are pretty good, not perfect Milanos like I remember, but good. I don't know if it's because its so hot/humid, but they were a little soggy. I wanted to make mint Milanos, but couldn't find my mint extract. I halved the recipe, because it's just too many cookies to be eating at once.

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Milan Cookies

From Gale Gand, of the Food Network

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 1 hour

Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour (I used rice flour mix, with 1/2 t xanthan gum)
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used dark chocolate)
• 1 orange, zested (I used 1 T triple sec)

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Bakewell Tart

This month's Daring Bakers' challenge was a Bakewell tart. This is a tart consisting of a shortbread crust, a layer of jam, and a almondy-custardy layer of frangipane. I love almondy things. Margo does too, and this was a good thing to make. Unfortunately it was not a good day to make anything, because it is like a jillion degrees. Making a nice butter-based shortbread crust when it's 90 degrees out with a zillion percent humidity is not the easiest. This turned out delicious and I'm trying not to eat the entire thing at once. Good thing I have plenty of people around to share with me!

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Almond shortbread crust

From this post, changed up a bit.

1/3 c cornstarch

1/3 c sugar

1/2 c rice flour

1/4 c almond meal

1 stick cold butter, cubed

1/4 t salt

1/2 t almond extract

1 egg yolk

Whick together cornstarch, sugar, rice flour, almond meal and salt. Cut butter into the flour mixture, until butter is the size of peas. Beat in the egg yolk and almond extract. Pat into the bottom of a greased tart pan, and stick crust in the freezer while you prepare the frangipane.

Next time I might bake the crust for 15 minutes, after freezing but before spreading with the jam. The jam kind of softened the crust, making it kind of weird, but still delicious.

Frangipane, and continuation of the Bakewell recipe

1 stick butter, softened

1 c sonfectioners sugar

3 eggs, plus the white from the crust recipe

1/2 t almond extract

1 c almond meal

1 heaping T rice flour

1/2 c jam (I used strawberry vanilla jam made by my mother in law)

Preheat oven to 400. Cream butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and white one at a time. Scrape bowl, then add almond extract. Add the almond meal and rice flour, and mix until combined. Spread jam evenly over the top of the cold crust, then pour the frangipane over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned. If you'd like, scatter some almond slices over the top 5 minutes before the tart is done, then put back in the oven.

First Daring Cooks challenge- Zuni gnocchi two ways

Last year I joined the Daring Bakers, and am so thrilled to be part of the beginning of a new era. The Daring Cooks! For the first challenge, we made the ricotta gnocchi recipe from the Zuni Cookbook. The gnocchi were unlike anything I've ever had before, like little clouds. I love traditional potato gnocchi, but these little pillows were in a different class entirely. I served them on top of yesterday's spicy sausage ragu, and the creamy gnocchi cut the heat of the ragu perfectly. 

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi

Source: From The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Yield: Makes 40 to 48 gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)

Prep time: Step 1 will take 24 hours. Steps 2 through 4 will take approximately 1 hour.

Tips:

- If you can find it, use fresh ricotta. As Judy Rodgers advises in her recipe, there is no substitute for fresh ricotta. It may be a bit more expensive, but it's worth it.

- Do not skip the draining step. Even if the fresh ricotta doesn't look very wet, it is. Draining the ricotta will help your gnocchi tremendously.

- When shaping your gnocchi, resist the urge to over handle them. It's okay if they look a bit wrinkled or if they're not perfectly smooth.

- If you're not freezing the gnocchi for later, cook them as soon as you can. If you let them sit around too long they may become a bit sticky. Stick them in the fridge to rest before you cook them if you're not cooking them right away, they'll be fine. 

Equipment required:

- Sieve

- Cheesecloth or paper towels

- Large mixing bowl

- Rubber spatula

- Tablespoon

- Baking dish or baking sheet

- Wax or parchment paper

- Small pot

- Large skillet

- Large pan or pot (very wide in diameter and at least 2 inches deep)

For the gnocchi sauce:

8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced

2 teaspoons water

For the gnocchi:

1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups) I just used supermarket ricotta and it was fine

2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter

2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)

½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)

about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)

all-purpose (rice) flour for forming the gnocchi

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.

If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.

To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.

Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.

Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.

Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.

Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.

Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.

In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.

With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of (rice) flour.

At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.

Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.

If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success. I added in a few tablespoons of rice flour instead of more egg. 

Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them.

Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour.

You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.

Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.

In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.

Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.

Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).

When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.

Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now. Or, instead of making the butter sauce, just scoop the gnocchi right on top of waiting bowls of spicy sausage ragu. 

Pan fried gnocchi with berry puree

Take the recipe above, and beat an extra egg into it. Then add some sugar, about 1/4 c. Heat up a skillet with a little bit of butter, and plop small (small is important! The batter won't hold up enough to make big ones!) teaspoon sized scoops onto the hot pan. Cook a minute or two on each side, and then carefully flip. Repeat with the remaining batter. 

For the berry puree:

3 c berries (I used craberry and blueberry)

1/4 c water

3 T rum

3 T honey

Heat everything together in a small pan, and then simmer until the liquid is almost gone. Carefully scoop everything into the blender, and pulse until smooth. 

Gluten-free Girl book giveaway!

I was going to have a recipe for Mandelbrot for you today, but the recipe I was working on isn't working out. I will keep trying, because I'm craving those little, crunchy, little cookies. For the weekend, though, I'll give one of you a book. And there's a good chance I'll throw in some cookies too. 

Do you not have this book? Shame on you! Shauna's book takes the fear out of being gluten-free. She gently reminds you that while you're missing out on gluten, you aren't really missing out on anything. I wish this book had been out when I first went gluten-free, it might have eased that first few months of panic "oh my god I can't eat anything I'm so depressed what do I do". Her blog, Gluten Free Girl, is wonderful. I've been an avid reader since I discovered it a few years ago. Shauna is inspiring. Her writing is beautiful, and the book is filled with recipes (great ones). It sounds a little like a self-help book to those of you who haven't read it, and it might be. But not in a bad way. Her book is calming. I love it. I can't wait til her new one comes out. 

Leave me a comment, I'll pick a winner on Wed, the 11th.

Daring Bakers October Challenge: Pizza!!

I finally joined the Daring Bakers! And what a perfect first challenge. I love pizza (did you know I have a pizza slice with wings tattooed on my hip?) as you may or may not know. Pizza is one of my favorite foods. I already have a stand-by gluten-free pizza recipe, but gave this months recipe a shot. I'm glad I did. It's vegan, first of all, and second, it doesn't need any ingredients that I don't normally have around the house. 

Flour mix, water, salt, sugar, yeast, olive oil. I made the recipe three times. Once in Milwaukee, where I made the recipe just as it said, and ended up with six small (personal sized) pizzas. They were good, and fed three gluten-eaters, but the consensus was that we should bake the crusts before topping them, just enough to firm them up a bit. Otherwise the dough just tasted a bit raw. When I made pizza at home, with/for Alex, I decided to do something different than plain pizzas with pepperoni and mushrooms or whatever. On the train on the way back from Milwaukee, I read most of Jane and Michael Stern's Two for the Road, which I liked a lot. There was a recipe for fresh clam pizza, from Frank Pepe's in New Haven. 

My parents both grew up in Connecticut, and both sets of my grandparents live(d) there. My dad took us a few times to the New Haven legendary pizza places, Sal and Pepe's. The two restaurants are a block apart, on the same street. I haven't been back in years and years, but was so interested in recreating the thin-crust, garlicky clam pizza for Alex. I'm so glad I did, it was awesome. We had it two nights in a row it was so good. 

 BASIC PIZZA DOUGH 

Here is the GF version of the recipe, which I don't think made much difference whether it was made in 1 or 2 days. 
Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.
Makes 6 small or 3-4 large pizzas
Ingredients: 
4 1/2 c rice flour mix

2 t xanthan gum

1 3/4 t Salt
2 t instant yeast
1/4 c olive oil
1 3/4 c ice water
1 T sugar 

cornmeal for dusting
DAY ONE
Method: 1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).
2.  Add the oil, sugar or agave syrup and cold water, then mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. I added in extra rice flour to make it a more managable dough. 3. Flour a work surface or counter with rice flour.  Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).
NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.
5. Sprinkle some rice flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them.  Gently round each piece into a ball.NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the rice flour again.
6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap. (I just wrapped each dough ball in plastic wrap.)
7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.
NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few Tbs only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.
DAY TWO
NOTE: If you want to make the dough in one day, just let the dough rest about an hour. Not in the fridge. 

8.  On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the number of desired dough balls from the refrigerator.  Place on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with a gluten free flour. Delicately press the dough into disks about ½ inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with rice flour, mist it again with spray oil. Lightly cover the dough round with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to rest for 2 hours.
9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.
10.  Press the dough into the shape you want (about 9-12 inches  in diameter - for a 6 ounces  of dough).
NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.

I suggest baking the pizza before topping! Bake at this point between 5-10 minutes, until if you press down on the crust it no longer feels like it can be reshaped. 

11. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.
12. Place the garnished pizza on the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes. (I had to bake mine longer, about 10-15)
NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.
13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.
NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving. 
New Haven Clam Pizza

1 pizzasworth of dough

1/2 head of garlic

3 T olive oil

2 T Parmesan cheese

a dozen just shucked littleneck clams, and some of their juice

1 t oregano

Mince the garlic and let steep in the olive oil for 10-15 minutes. Spread over the pizza crusts, then sprinkle with the clams and juice. Sprinkle the cheese and oregano over, bake for 10-15 minutes, and eat. You will probably repeat. 

I also made pizzas with tomato sauce, mozzerella, spinach (under the cheese), mushrooms, onions, bacon, and pepperoni. That was also delicious. I love pizza!!

Steamed Chocolate Pudding Cakes

I like when things are individual serving sized. I am someone who tends to eat a large quantity of something without really noticing until it’s gone, so things in small portions are good for me. I woke up this morning wanting some sort of small cake, with chocolate. I looked around and came up with this recipe, which I tweaked a bit and made gluten-free. I didn’t let my chocolate cool before I dumped it in with the other ingredients, so my cakes weren’t smooth chocolate but had little slivers running through them, which I liked. Also, I'm entering this in this month's Go Ahead, Honey, It's Gluten Free! event.

Steamed Chocolate Pudding Cakes
Makes 8 cakes

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 T butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped roughly
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 cups GF flour mix
1/2 t xanthan gum
pinch salt
1 1/2 t baking powder

Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave, stirring often. Preheat oven to 350, grease 8 ramekins, and set a kettle of water on to boil. Whip the eggs until light and fluffy, then add the sugar and mix well. When chocolate/butter is slightly cool, add to egg mix with vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder. Fold in the chocolate mix, then fill ramekins about 2/3 of the way full. Cover each with foil, set in a larger pan, and pour boiling water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake 40 minutes, until set.

Heart of the Matter: Holiday Food: Cranberry Orange Relish

Sarah and I went to BJs today. We had a free trial card, and some extra time on our Philly carshare car we'd rented, so we went. It was pretty lame. We were both very unimpressed. However, I did score a 3 pound bag of cranberries for $5. I love cranberries, if you hadn't noticed. Seriously, I love them. When we got home, I decided to get a head start on Thanksgiving (which I'm so excited about) and make cranberry relish. You know, the kind that's just made with an orange, cranberries, and sugar that we all used to make in kindergarten? At least in New England we did. This recipe is my entry for the Heart of the Matter Holiday Food event. Cranberries are one of the "superfruits", and are really good for you. Check out the Cranberry Institute. Everyone knows you drink cranberry juice when you have a urinary tract infection, but did you know cranberries are also good for your heart and have tons of antioxidants? Yum. Oranges have tons of vitamin C, and are good for your heart. While this recipe does have some sugar, it can be cut down a lot, or replaces with honey or agave nectar or some other healthy sugar substitute.
Cranberry Orange Relish

1 orange
3 cups of cranberries
1/2-1 c of sugar (white or brown)

Remove zest from orange in wide strips, leaving most of the bitter white pith behind. Cut zest up into little pieces. Peel the orange, scrape the pulp from the membranes. Combine both in the food processor, discard pith and membranes. Add cranberries to orange parts in food processor, pulse until pretty well chopped. Add sugar, pulse quickly, then pour into a jar. Let sit in the fridge a few days to let the flavors meld. Enjoy on meat, toast, as a spread on sandwiches, or anything you can think of. I even eat it right out of the jar.

Hay Hay It's Donna Day: Chicken Liver Pate Terrine

When I saw this blog event I said "Pass". Around Christmas last year Alex and I tried to make some sort of duck terrine, and it turned out no good (in my opinion). But then I started looking around at recipes and remembered I've been dying to make (and eat) pate since I haven't had any good pate in a while, nor have I ever made it before. I used to have some terrine pans, but I lost or threw them out at some point. I do have plenty of loaf pans. I made this pate in a small mini loaf pan, which I wish I had lined with paper to be able to remove it better. It was delicious, and really impressed my boyfriend. I based this off a recipe I found from Gourmet magazine.

Chicken Liver Pate
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 finely chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 t each of minced thyme, sage, and rosemary
3/4 t salt
a generous pinch of black pepper
1 lb chicken livers, trimmer
2 T bourbon (or a little less rum, if you're not sure about bourbon being GF)
1 T chicken stock

Melt 1 stick of butter over low heat, then add onion and garlic. Cook over low heat until softened. Add herbs, salt and pepper, and livers and cook until livers are cooked outside but still pink inside. Stir in bourbon and remove from heat. Puree in food processor, transfer to terrine dish or mini loaf pan, smooth top. Press a sprig of fresh herb into the top. Melt remaining half stick of butter, remove from heat, and let stand 3 minutes. Skim froth from butter, and pour to cover, leaving solids from butter in the pan. Chill until hard, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours more.

Cranberry Ketchup

On second thought, I want to post a second cranberry recipe. This one goes well with everything so far, right now I'm baking it on top of my cranberry meatloaf from a few weeks ago that I froze half of (uncooked). It also goes great with the corndogs I posted yesterday. I am not a fan of traditional ketchup, this is more of a tangy sweet sauce, more like a nice bbq sauce.



Cranberry Ketchup, from Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving
11 c cranberries
2 c chopped onion
5 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 c watre
3 c lightly packed brown sugar
1 c vinegar
2 t mustard powder
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t cayanne (or more)

Boil cranberries with onion, garlic and water, until berries pop. Puree, add other ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, then lower heat and continue to boil gently, stirring often, about 30 minutes or until thickened. Pack in hot jars and process 15 minutes, or cut the recipe in half and just keep it all in the refridgerator. Makes about 8 8oz jars.

Cranberry Beef Stew

It has been terrible and rainy lately. Yesterday morning Alex and I walked to work in the pouring rain, and I spent the day at work thinking about what to make for dinner. I decided on a beef stew, with cranberries, for this blog event:

So I bought all my supplies I needed at work, and headed out into the rain. Surprise to me, it had stopped raining, and was sunny and warm. (The picture was taken the day before). Not to be deterred, I set about to make my beef stew. It was delicious, but a little sweet, so I cut down the sugar in this recipe. I liked the mushrooms in it, but Alex didn't. So, up to you!
My tomato plant, by the way, is still flourishing. It's November in 3 days. I used these and some more that I found in the stew.

Cranberry Beef Stew
1 1/4 lb stew beef, cubed
1/4 c rice flour
salt and pepper
2 T butter
2 T sugar
1/2 c water/juice
1 c cranberries
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 c crimini mushrooms (optional)
1 t rosemary, chopped
1 c water
1 T tomato paste
Preheat the oven to 275. Combine flour with salt and pepper, dredge beef. Melt butter on medium high heat, then add beef, cooking on all sides until golden. Meanwhile, combine sugar and juice, and heat to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, cook until they start to pop. Put beef and cranberry sauce in a casserole pan. Deglaze beef pan with other cup of water and rosemary, stirring to get the chunks off the bottom. Mix in the tomato paste, pour over beef in pan. Add onions,tomato and mushrooms, cover, and cook 2-3 hours until beef is tender.

National Meatloaf Day - Oct 18th

I love meatloaf!! When I saw this event at Serious Eats, I knew I was in. Plus, I've been feeling bummed, with the weather being super hot and not knowing what I'm doing with my life. AND I have a cold. So I made meatloaf, and then it rained, and the weather cooled off a little, soon maybe I'll be able to wear jeans and hoodies like I want to.

Being from New England, I love cranberries, maple syrup, and everything else that apparently no one else appreciates. I bought cranberries at Wholefoods the day they came out, and have been thinking about what to do with them. When deciding what to put in my meatloaf, I spotted them. Cranberries are beautiful and magical. When you cook them whole, they pop, like popcorn, letting you know they're done. You don't want to eat them raw. The insides are weird looking. They are grown in bogs, which are then flooded and the cranberries skimmed off the top of the water. Only about 5% are sold to consumers, the rest going into juices and other things like sauces. I love cranberry time. I keep bags in my freezer because I know I can't get them after Christmas.
This meatloaf was just what I wanted. Mixing the meat with my hands, then eating it with some cheesy scalloped potatoes made by my boyfriend, perfect comfort food. Plus, it made a killer leftover sandwich. I wish I had some cranberry sauce to spread on the bread, but there's always next time. Happy Meatloaf Day!


Gluten-Free Cranberry Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs beef
1 onion, diced
2/3 c chopped cranberries (you could probably use dried, use 1/3 c of them)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
3/4 c GF breadcrumbs*
1 T room temp butter
Handful fresh parsley
2 T tomato paste

1 c stock
1/2 onion, diced

Mix everything except 1/2 onion and stock together with your hands. I used to hate this when I was a kid, I love it now. Press meat mix into a loaf shape, place in a pan, put remaining onions around loaf, pour in stock, and stick in a preheated oven at 350. Cook about an hour, depending on size/shape of your loaf, basting often with the stock. Serve with onions from the pan on th sliced pieces of the loaf, they're deliciously caramelized.

*To make GF breadcrumbs, buy some of that crappy GF bread they sell at the grocery store, toast it, then pulse in the food processor until its crumby enough for you. Or crush some crackers, or cornflakes in the same way.