I have a best friend. On here I call her Muffin.
Muffin has a history with illness; a much more storied, dangerous, and exacting one than mine. Our friendship began when our bodies were strong and our spirits unstoppable. We’re so thankful now that we were reckless, and lived dangerously and fully back then. Now we’re so careful, so precise, and so used to premeditating physical complications and energy black holes. This recipe is from her, and for her.
For my Valentines... love Jacqueline
Shy confessions, Bloggereaders,
Valentines Day is not a huge marker in my book. For the majority of those 10+ years Ruark and I went in and out with celebrating depending, honestly, if we felt like it or not. We had started dating when we were so young, and found plenty of moments to show each other how we felt. And in general I’m not a big fan of commercially-fueled tokens. Two years ago the man I was with was away for work and had his friend stop by with a huge bouquet at the theatre I was working at. Last year new boyfriend and I had no plans until mid-morning, when he called where I was out of town working and sweetly said, “I’m thinking it’s Valentines Day and you’re my Valentine, so we should be together tonight”. I trained it back to NYC.
So this year, being single, I’ve been more contemplative about the love in my life in general. Not at all mournful, just reflective. I have so much love, so many people I’m surrounded by who have full, generous hearts, that I feel more in love than ever.
Oh, the 3rd point up there? A few months ago I had to develop a gluten-free recipe for Valentine Cake Pops for Easy Eats. Two weeks ago I made 75 chocolate chip and lemon zest cake pops in the shape of Winnie the Pooh honey pots for a baby shower. They were cute, but not as adorable as I’d wanted them to be for the mom-to-be. And they took me eight hours! Lastly, for the first Milk Bar Mondays swap last week I made Carrot Cake Truffles, which are essentially cake balls (and one of my favorite super-sweet recipes).
In the beginning of this road with cake pops, I was often cursing, whining, or whinging. But the result of all the frustration?
Moments of joy this morning as I deftly baked, blended, dipped, flipped and formed these truffles. I had some cake I’d been experimenting with (a new flour blend), some leftover liquid cheesecake, some bags of chocolate and lots of fun things to toss truffles in. I found myself smiling in the silence of my kitchen, thinking about those I’d be wrapping and gifting these for. They look so cute all ribboned up. And, they were actually pretty easy. I enjoyed making them.
While made of cake, these truffles taste a bit more ganache-y because of how dark, rich and buttery they are. I tossed them in ground walnuts, dark cocoa powder, raw cacao nibs, and some candy hearts I had leftover from the Easy Eats recipe. It was a very romantic morning in my kitchen. I was in love with the natural light pouring through my windows and my ancient camera that was snapping away.
I hope you have a lovely Valentines Day, Bloggerreaders. But more than that, I wish you much peace, love and sweet, sweet life… always.
– Jacqueline
Freshly rolled truffles
Makes about 30 truffles
For the cake:
For the Truffles:
I heart you Bloggerreaders
Hot Chocolate Foam
It’s Burwell General Store Recipe Swap time again! Click on that site for a background on our awesome group of 20-ish swappers from the world over!
I’m usually rather prepared for this monthly recipe swap, with ideas bandied about and recipes tested. But the holidays. The HOLIDAYS! I sorta went into hibernation mode after New Years, bunkering down with work and not baking for DAYS. I’m also working on a gluten free pasta feature for Easy Eats Magazine, so my kitchen has been ALL about pasta lately (not a bad way to start a new year).
Thankfully CM picked a relatively easy and festive recipe for our first of 2012:
Burwell General Store Recipe Swap recipe, January 2012
A frothy, potent cocktail dessert. Which, were I entertaining, I’d totally jump on. Which, were I totally still drinking my fill, I would make for myself if I weren’t.
But, like I said, I’m hunkering down, hibernating, rolling and boiling pasta and entertaining only the resolute January tradition of simplifying and stripping down the gluttonous and extravagance that I totally indulged in these past few months.
Along with making lots of pasta, I’ve been experimenting with custards (check out my new favorite, Coconut Milk Creme Brulee!). So I have lots of egg whites proofing in the fridge, ready for the macaron making that gets soclose to happening and then quickly abandoned when Downton Abbey is once again rerun on the tube (yay for season two starting tonight!).
A few months ago I was working on a hot chocolate recipe that my photographer partner and I were pitching to Saveur (it’s coming out soon!). For it I was playing with a spicy Mexican hot chocolate recipe from Beaner Bar and one from my buddy Johnny Iuzzini that required a coconut milk foam. Could I take this basic swap recipe, use some of those lonely egg whites and leftover bricks of chocolate and my newly-found hot chocolate skills and make my own deliciously foamy, dairy-free hot chocolate?
Yes, I could. And did.
Now, I’m not hugely into a lot of sugar in my sweet drinks: I’d rather punch something up with liquor. And even though I have an incessant sweet tooth, I’ve need to chill the f out with all the sugar (sorry for the vulgarity).
So here we have an incredibly creamy, frothy, custardy, chocolatey foam that you can adapt for the occasion.
Suggestions:
Whatever you use it for, this is a quick, easy, satisfying little trick of a recipe and a technique that might inspire some creative new desserts for 2012.
Happy New Year Bloggereaders. I am so thankful for you! And for some of my favorite bloggers out there who I monthly get to play with! Please check out my fellow swappers by clicking on the little frog right here:
Foam.
This mixture makes about 1 1/2 cups of foam, good for 2 people for a small dessert or one large hot chocolate, depending on what you add into it.
How time does fly!
This recipe is from 2011, and it’s still one of the most popular ones on this site. It produces a quick, thick creme brulee that’s great for beginners. Want something a touch above? Try my updated version with Chef Joe Murphy as part of my Pro Pastry, Gluten (and dairy!) Free series.
And for the adorable original text, scroll below the recipe.
Happy torching!
– Jacqueline
Crunchy crust and lightly lemon scented biscuits
This recipe made FoodBuzz’s Top 9 on December 29th! Thanks for all the buzzing love!
Preheat oven to 300° F. Set a pot or kettle full of water on to boil.
In a medium bowl whisk eggs, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla until creamy and smooth. Add coconut milk and blend until smooth.
Pour into ramekins.
Place in ceramic baking dish and pour hot water until it comes halfway up the ramekins.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until just slightly jiggly in the middle.
Cool until ready to serve or chill until cold. When ready, sprinkle with about 2 tsp white sugar and torch until crispy and brown.
Notes: It’s a bit dense. I based the recipe on one that used lemon to cut the thickness. But unlike some other dairy-free creme brulee recipes you won’t have to worry about it not setting. While I was totally pleased with this turnout, you could probably omit one yolk and still find success.
Also, HERE’S THE TORCH I HAVE. You’ll use it more than you think you will. Charring marshmallows and browning meringue are just two fun things…
Life is delicious. After a packed weekend of family and amazing food and lit fires and lots of hugging, I sat back at a desk Monday morning, worked the day away, then packed Mitra and my Christmas loot into my little blue Subaru and booked it back to NYC. Because I had a guest coming over. A man. Who was cooking me dinner.
I’m not the easiest person to cook for, having this whole gluten and dairy free diet thing. My last two boyfriends were great eaters and practically non-existent cooks (Ruark, three bf’s ago, makes a meat sauce to die for). Being domestically bent, I easily fall into the role of kitchen wizard (so a friend once called me) in relationships. I now have a “no cooking for you before the 4th date rule” (a loose rule, but there nonetheless). So a guy offering to come to my place to cook on our second date… was a first.
(Side note: I’m getting distracted writing up this post because there’s a horrible holiday movie my roommate recorded playing and while it’s truly wretched Mark-Paul Gosselaar is a-DOR-able. Definitely aging well.)
While I made some fancy cocktails (ginger ale, fresh sweet lime and zested ginger with bourbon for me and vodka for him), date man made us an incredible dinner. Flavorful, tasty, relaxed, and much appreciated. I made dessert. A dairy-free creme brulee with loads of vanilla and a perfectly torched crust.
We didn’t end up eating it. Cocktails with neighbors led to a late evening and full bellies. So tonight my under-slept self enjoyed the crap outta it while watching Mad Men (and said horrible/adorable Christmas movie) and cuddling the dog. Neighbors upstairs got the rest. It’s dense and just sweet enough, with the perfect little crunch. Using vanilla bean gives it an incredible punch. I’ve so missed creme brulee, and now I’m satiated.
Let me know if you make it, who you share it with, how you adapt it, and what you think.
Cheers to second dates, Christmases full of goodness, Mad Men, and little dogs.
Gluten-Free, Milk-Free Gingerbread
Years ago I inherited a gingerbread recipe that sent my taste-buds flying. It was a dear friend’s mom’s, and I remember the first time I made it for a group of friends. Back then, I was relatively unfamiliar with basic cake techniques, and the idea of “starting and ending with dry” seemed practically scientific.
The cake got raves. But after that first time, I couldn’t eat it. My milk allergies had gotten worse.
Fast forward ten years later and I made the recipe my own. I think actual ginger-bread is too often overlooked in favor of its cookie-d cousins. Which, trust me, I enjoy thoroughly. But there’s something so homey and warm and New England holiday about it that I particularly love.
Substitution ingredients are below, but this blend of ingredients produced a moist, perfectly sweet, highly-spiced cake that I ate way too much of as soon as it was cool enough to slice.
Notes: I used butter, but not milk, substituting with unsweetened almond milk. To make completely dairy-free, substitute the melted butter with melted butter-flavored Earth Balance. You can use regular all-purpose flour (2 cups) if you don’t have gluten problems, or substitute with a gluten-free mix of your own. I use less xanthan gum in this recipe than you might expect – if you want to omit completely, just add 1 Tbsp of flax meal.
Another time I made this recipe I used 1 cup white rice, 1/2 cup tapioca, 1/2 cup sorghum and 1/4 cup millet and it worked well too!
Top with unsweetened coconut milk whipped cream for a special holiday treat!
Decorate with sifted powdered sugar and whipped cream (either cow cream or coconut milk are delish!)
Mmmmm... rice pudding...
Growing up, I’d come home from school to find a tray of little glasses filled with a creamy, sweet mixture, dusted with cinnamon and garnished with raisins, chilling in the fridge. I knew, then, that my Avo, my Portuguese grandmother, was somewhere near by. And I knew how much my father loved her rice pudding. Avo learned everything by tradition: she gardened, plucked chickens, baked bread in a brick oven in her garage, and fed her 15 grandchildren and countless relatives at an endless table on holidays. If I ever have half the skill of my Avo, I’ll be one happy, dusty baker.
That rice pudding looked so delicious. This rice pudding tastes so delicious. And I can eat it. Because it’s dairy-free!
A friend left New York City the other night to move back London, and shared her last meal in the states at my apartment: cheap and delicious Mexican food from up the block. And before that meal, we had this for dessert. She proclaimed it her favorite of any of my creations. I always know I’m onto something when someone makes that statement. I miss you horribly already, Mel. And I don’t care who knows it!!!
This recipe is incredibly easy: gluten and dairy free, it contains only 2 tablespoons of maple syrup as sweetener. It’s delicious warm from the stove, at room temperature or chilled. A vanilla bean really adds incredible flavor to the small list of ingredients, so I highly recommend it instead of using vanilla extract.
Make it for people you love, please!
In a small bowl, soak raisins in alcohol and allow to sit while you prepare the pudding.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, toast rice until it becomes fragrant, about 4 minutes.
Add water and salt, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until absorbed, about 12 minutes.
Add 3/4 can of coconut milk, maple syrup and scraped vanilla bean and cook until almost fully absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Beat remaining coconut milk with the egg. Pour over pudding. Stir in raisins and alcohol.
Spoon into four glasses. Serve warm, bring to room temperature or chill completely.
Vegan Blackcurrant "Cream Cheese" Frosting
I love this frosting. I want to roll around in it. I want to put it on steak, eggs, green vegetables and toast. I want to give it a national holiday.
OK, those are all going way to far. But it’s good. It’s really good.
Smooth, creamy, pungent with currant, it’s my new favorite thing.
It’s not fluffy and not pipeable. It makes a mess. But I love it so much I don’t care.
Slather it on all things sweet, especially if they contain chocolate or heavy spice.
Maybe don’t put it on steak, eggs, green vegetables or toast. Other than that, go batty.
Variations:
Millet Pudding
Mmm, sweet things for breakfast. Definitely not the norm in my little kitchen: I’m usually a coddled eggs over avocado and greens kinda breakfast girl. When I’m visiting my family I’ll whip up some gluten-free waffles (I have a thing for waffle makers – thanks Rae!). With guests in town weekend brunch means French omelets, really good bacon and some sort of roasted veggies, maybe with a side of GF blueberry cornbread.
But when I got this month’s recipe from All-Day Singin’ and Dinner on the Ground for the Burwell General Store Recipe Swap, my mind immediately went to breakfast for some reason. And from savory to sweet.
From All-Day Singin' and Dinner on the Ground
Not that I don’t love a good slaw. In fact, it’s one of my favorite restaurant sides as (a) it contains in its original recipe nothing that I’m allergic to, (b) I love cabbage and (c) I’m usually missing something that comes with the main dish it’s paired with, so slaw makes my meal feel more authentic.
But I honestly just don’t have room for a big thing of coleslaw in my fridge and no one to eat it with this week. It’s a busy one in Dusty Bakerland (which is a little northwest of Candyland and because you don’t get a sugar crash you never slide down, only climb up).
So, what to swap? I’ve been cooking for friends and baking like crazy lately, and didn’t want to go back to the grocer’s for a fifth time this week for something new. A little pantry combing and… millet.
I’m a big fan of this little grain. It’s gluten-free, easy to digest and contains high levels of magnesium (amongst other things), so it’s good for people who suffer from asthma or anxiety or are watching their tickers. It has a little more bite than quinoa if you toast it first and then cook it to an al dente sort of doneness, but will also mash well and make a smooth porridge if you’re nursing someone back to health.
I figured by making a millet breakfast pudding – similar to the coconut milk rice pudding recipe I love and haven’t posted yet – I could try out the quick stovetop custard technique in this recipe (I’d usually do it a bit differently).
Because I wanted to make this an only slightly sweet breakfast recipe, I stirred in only a tiny bit of maple syrup and threw in some cracked tricolored pepper and grains of paradise – I’m actually a huge fan of pepper in sweet dishes. And once again it brought me closer to the swapped recipe.
And for some protein – stirred in some crushed walnuts.
Result?
This is the perfect breakfast pudding and an incredible alternative to oatmeal (in general I find millet easier to digest than oats). You can easily vary sweetness to suit your taste and throw in whatever you have lying around – protein powder, some chopped dates or prunes, raisins, almond butter… your pantry’s the limit.
If you make it sweeter and stick it in the fridge, you’ve got a delish alternative to dairy-free rice pudding.
But right now I’m gonna grab this glass and go eat my breakfast in bed.
Please check out Burwell General Store for info on the swap and see what other awesome bloggers have created at their links below.
Happy Sunday.
Recipe. Swapped.
Sweet, creamy, filling, warm... breakfast.
Please click on this cute little blue frog to see what the other swappers have created and get their recipes!
My Morning Cookies - Oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chips, molasses, maple syrup, vanilla and coffee!
I needed a jolt this morning. Strong coffee, chocolate, molasses, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla… what else could I throw into a cookie? Yes, this is the way I wake up, especially on mornings such as today.
I had an ambitious plan to wake up early (I went to bed at 10:30pm last night! It’s an ingenious idea I highly recommend), take the dog to the river, write an article and bake a batch of cookies before heading over to interview some filmmakers. But then it looked like this:
Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky... stormy weather...
And the dog decided that nestling next to me was much more fun than going outside. And I decided that hitting snooze five times was more exciting than going outside. And together we decided that being adorable was much more vital than going outside. And then, in a Herculean move, I made some decaf espresso (it’s all about mind motivation), put the dog in her sweater (I have become one of those people), and we hit the chilly, misty streets.
Oh, this also helped me get out of bed this morning. Nothing like a little Gladys in the headphones when you’re out walking. I want to be like her… oh so cool.
I’m interviewing filmmakers today for a new project (shh) I’m working on. I lost the guy I was going to do this project with a few months ago and really want a new creative partner, so the next two days I’m interviewing 14 awesome-seeming individuals and am hoping to fall in business-love with one of them, or that one of the filmmakers at the company I’m squatting at falls in business-love with me. And so I must bring cookies and milk.
I was so psyched by my healthy-ish Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies the other day I figured I’d take it a step further and throw in some mega-energizing peanut butter, coffee and molasses. Keep it gluten-free, keep it dairy-free.
The result?
OK, so I ate one five for breakfast (in all honesty, it was two. But I’m hypoglycemic so two feels like five. I must immediately never stop eating cookies for breakfast).
And they are delicious. Still a tad too sweet for moi, but most people will find them just-sweet-enough. I baked one round without pressing, so they were light and fluffy, and used a spatula on the second to flatten and crisp them a little more. Both are delightful. You get the depth of the peanut butter, the punch of the chocolate, the whole-grain goodness from the flours and oatmeal, and the dark aftertaste of the molasses. The coffee just strengthens all the other flavors – if you want a real coffee taste I’d suggest throwing in another tablespoon.
Now the rain is coming down and I’m drinking my second cup of decaf java, ready to write some articles and go meet some new people, and then meet a lovely man for some live bluegrass tonight.
I just got the Happy Days theme song in my head. Not a bad Tuesday.
Flatter Version of the cookies
Notes: I used teff flour for fiber, millet for protein and the soft texture I love in cookies and arrowroot as a binding starch. If you so choose, you can substitute this mixture for 1 3/4 cup of all-purpose pre-blended flour, such as one from Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur. Make sure your oats are gluten-free and your shortening is fresh and preferably non-hydrogenated (I use Spectrum). Also, please use real maple syrup and never a “pancake syrup”. If you do, don’t tell me or I will cry, literally. I used Sunspire’s dairy and gluten-free chocolate chips this time.
Rounder version
Easy Cobbler Bread Pudding
Life is delicious. As a gluten-freer, I sometimes miss bread-heavy meals and spongy caked desserts. I equally miss Belgian waffle breakfasts and stuffed French toast.
So last night when I got home from listening to some stellar bluegrass (high-fives to the Six Deadly Venoms) I decided to make myself the best of both for breakfast: bread pudding. Gluten-free. Dairy-free. Easy to throw together. With no white sugar (I rarely consume it). And celebrating end-of-the-summer fruits. A toss between cobbler, baked pancakes (I’m obsessed) and bread pudding.
Success, people, success.
This recipe is an insane journey of color, texture and flavor. I used ripe blueberries and summer peaches along with dried apricots to give the fruit some va-va-voom. The gluten-free bread base was soaked overnight in eggs, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon extract, hazelnut extract and just enough honey and maple syrup to sweeten the load slightly. And topped with slivered almonds, the texture was smooth with a tiny crunch.
The next day I quickly boiled some fruit, threw it together and baked it for 45 minutes.
You can alter the recipe by doing what I did – playing with what you have in your pantry and adjusting to your allergy needs. Omit the nuts completely if you want! Add some fresh lemon zest (though I highly recommend having lemon oil on hand for recipes like this – it’s the Italian and Portuguese baker in me). Play with extracts and spices to your heart’s content. As long as you have the same basic proportions, you’ve got this delectable fruity, bready piece of heaven in the bag.
If you’ve got problems with sugar, though, I will confess that I’m a bit shaky as I’m typing this, having eaten my serving. But I also just drank an entire pot of green tea. So it’s anyone’s guess.
As a hearty breakfast this recipe will serve four. But top it with your choice of ice cream after a long meal and it’ll satiate six.
If you’re going to put it into wine glasses like I did, make sure it’s cool, people. Live and learn, right?
Chock full o fruity, bready, nutty goodness.
Warm and bubbly and gorgeous.
The Dusty Baker 