You can make this vanilla cake with a chocolate icing, or you can include some lemon ingredients in the batter and make a lemon icing. The recipe is for 2 9-inch round cake pans, or the equivalent volume in square cake pans. To figure out the size, remember that the area of a circle is pi (3.14) times the radius squared, and you have to account for the depth also, since this is about volume...
Don't use bottled lemon juice - use fresh juice - it tastes better.
1 1/2 cups white rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2/3 cup gluten-free mayonnaise
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
1 cup milk (for the lemon cake use part buttermilk)
This is really easy to mix up - put the first six dry ingredients in a bowl, and stir well.
In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until light and lemony colored. Beat in the mayonnaise and vanilla. Next, mix in the dry ingredients alternating with the milk, until all is mixed up well.
Grease the 9-inch round pans with butter, line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper, and dust the insides of the greased pans with rice flour or mochiko flour. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until a skewer tests clean. Let the cake cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges with a knife and turn out the cakes on racks to cool.
To stack the cake for icing, put the first layer on the plate top side down, frost the flat bottom side, then put the next layer on with the flat side down. This will put the flat sides together and they will not slide around as much.
To make a lemon cake, add the following and make adjustments:
Add the grated rind of one lemon and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice from one fresh lemon, and substitute for the milk 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of buttermilk.
To make a lemon cream cheese frosting, melt 11 ounces of fine gluten free white chocolate (don't use chips - they don't melt well) in the top of a double boiler, allow to cool to room temperature. Mix in 12 ounces of cream cheese, and 12 Tablespoons of unsalted butter. Beat well until really smooth. Mix in 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Use one cup of the icing between the layers, and use the rest to coat the top and sides of the layer cake.
For a chocolate frosted birthday cake, use the vanilla cake as the base. Then use the following icing from the Food Network's Barefoot Contessa Show, adapted for gluten free cooking:
6 ounces gluten free semisweet chocolate
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon of gluten-free pasteurized egg product, such as Eggbeaters, but check on gluten free status
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon gluten free instant coffee powder dissolved in 2 teaspoons of hot water
Melt chocolate in top of double-boiler and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy, mix in the egg product and the vanilla. Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar and the coffee mixture by hand. Do not overbeat. This is a soft icing - spread it on the cake and then refrigerate the cake immediately.
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
Gf-Zing! Celebrating flavor in the gluten-free world...
July 6, 2008
July 5, 2008
Mango Pineapple Salsa
This one is for the Engineers who all converged on Boston for the Fourth!
This salsa requires grilled onions and pineapple, so it is suitable to make before you put your chicken on the grill for barbecue. Heat up your barbecue, and do the pineapple and onions first!
Obtain some gluten free soy sauce - this means reading the labels to make sure there are no wheat, barley or rye ingredients.
Make half inch thick slices from a large red onion and a peeled, cored pineapple. Put the onions and pineapple on a rack and grill them over hot coals for 3-5 minutes, or until they start to smell good and are lightly browned. Remove them from the grill and dice them.
Put the grilled, diced onion and pineapple in a bowl and add:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 to 2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons each of rice vinegar and gluten free soy sauce
Juice of one fresh orange
1 Tablespoon olive oil (to taste - you may need more)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
A few dashes of Tabasco sauce
A small amount of salt
Fresh ground pepper
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
This salsa requires grilled onions and pineapple, so it is suitable to make before you put your chicken on the grill for barbecue. Heat up your barbecue, and do the pineapple and onions first!
Obtain some gluten free soy sauce - this means reading the labels to make sure there are no wheat, barley or rye ingredients.
Make half inch thick slices from a large red onion and a peeled, cored pineapple. Put the onions and pineapple on a rack and grill them over hot coals for 3-5 minutes, or until they start to smell good and are lightly browned. Remove them from the grill and dice them.
Put the grilled, diced onion and pineapple in a bowl and add:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 to 2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons each of rice vinegar and gluten free soy sauce
Juice of one fresh orange
1 Tablespoon olive oil (to taste - you may need more)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
A few dashes of Tabasco sauce
A small amount of salt
Fresh ground pepper
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
Ghee
Ghee is a useful type of highly flavored clarified butter. You can use it in French and fusion recipes, substituting 1/4 the amount of ghee for the amount of butter in some sauces, achieving great flavor without all the fat.
To make ghee, put one pound of unsalted butter in a pot, and simmer it on low-medium heat without stirring for about 20 minutes. There will be foam that rises to the top, and then the butter will bubble and boil as the water content evaporate - when the solids at the bottom of the pot start to brown, remove the pot from the heat. The flavor of the browned bits in the bottom of the pan will permeate the butter, giving ghee its distinctive browned-butter taste! Make sure that the solids do not burn, but also make sure that they get browned. You have to walk a fine line, when making ghee.
Strain the ghee through a fine strainer in to a one-pint Mason jar (canning jar that can withstand high heat), being careful not to burn yourself, and let it cool. When this clarified butter is cool, you can store it in the refrigerator. Some recipes say that you can store it without refrigeration, but we always keep it in the refrigerator anyway.
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
To make ghee, put one pound of unsalted butter in a pot, and simmer it on low-medium heat without stirring for about 20 minutes. There will be foam that rises to the top, and then the butter will bubble and boil as the water content evaporate - when the solids at the bottom of the pot start to brown, remove the pot from the heat. The flavor of the browned bits in the bottom of the pan will permeate the butter, giving ghee its distinctive browned-butter taste! Make sure that the solids do not burn, but also make sure that they get browned. You have to walk a fine line, when making ghee.
Strain the ghee through a fine strainer in to a one-pint Mason jar (canning jar that can withstand high heat), being careful not to burn yourself, and let it cool. When this clarified butter is cool, you can store it in the refrigerator. Some recipes say that you can store it without refrigeration, but we always keep it in the refrigerator anyway.
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
Beets with Maple Syrup and Ghee
This recipe uses ghee to boost the flavor of beets. Ghee is an Indian version of clarified butter. It is worth making your own ghee, because the stuff that comes in bottles in the store just doesn't taste that great, whereas homemade ghee allows you to add the dense flavor of butter to French and fusion cooking without using entire sticks of butter. A little ghee goes a long way!
2 lb medium beets, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 Tb ghee (see recipe)
2 teaspoons bottled gluten free pure horseradish (the kind that is refrigerated, pickled)
2 1/2 tablespoons dark maple syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Put the beet pieces and 1 cup of water in a non-stick skillet, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
Remove the top, add the rest of the ingredients and stir fry until the sauce becomes syrupy and coats the beets.
Serve hot, with barbecued chicken or any roasted meat.
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
2 lb medium beets, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 Tb ghee (see recipe)
2 teaspoons bottled gluten free pure horseradish (the kind that is refrigerated, pickled)
2 1/2 tablespoons dark maple syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Put the beet pieces and 1 cup of water in a non-stick skillet, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
Remove the top, add the rest of the ingredients and stir fry until the sauce becomes syrupy and coats the beets.
Serve hot, with barbecued chicken or any roasted meat.
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
June 24, 2008
Homemade Lemonade
This is a very refreshing recipe for lemonade, including only sugar, water, fresh lemons and soda water! It is posted in honor of Russell, who likes to cook.
For each guest, fill a 12 ounce glass with ice.
Add 1/3 cup of simple syrup (made from equal parts of sugar and water, boiled until the sugar has dissolved, then cooled.)
Squeeze the juice of one lemon in to the glass.
Fill the glass to the top with soda water (sparkling water, seltzer water)
That's it! This is a very refreshing gluten free and alcohol free drink to serve to guests.
You can add shredded lemon zest (just the yellow part of the rind) to the sugar and water for the simple syrup, to add more lemon flavor if you wish.
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
For each guest, fill a 12 ounce glass with ice.
Add 1/3 cup of simple syrup (made from equal parts of sugar and water, boiled until the sugar has dissolved, then cooled.)
Squeeze the juice of one lemon in to the glass.
Fill the glass to the top with soda water (sparkling water, seltzer water)
That's it! This is a very refreshing gluten free and alcohol free drink to serve to guests.
You can add shredded lemon zest (just the yellow part of the rind) to the sugar and water for the simple syrup, to add more lemon flavor if you wish.
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
June 1, 2008
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs - gluten free
We read an interesting recipe for "chilli marinated pork spare ribs with salted lemon" in Donna Hay magazine issue 35. Let's just say that squeezing lemon on barbecued pork ribs is a totally excellent idea! But, we had planned to make baby back ribs on the grill so we altered the recipe a little. Here is what we made to serve 4 people.
Soak a dried ancho chili in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain the water off, remove the stem and seeds from the chili and set the chili aside.
In a blender or processor, grind
4 cloves garlic
the soaked ancho chili
a dried cayenne pepper (optional - use it if you like hot spicy food)
4 Tablespoons gluten free Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon kosher or coarsely ground salt
Spread the mixture on the meaty side of two racks of baby back pork ribs.
Using indirect heat on a barbecue grill, grill the ribs bone side down for 30 minutes, turn them over so the meaty side is down, grill for another 30 minutes, until tender and the meat is very easy to remove from the bone. If they need further cooking, keep then cooking until they are done! Turn them meat side up again and slather a mixture of 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup honey on the meat. Let cook briefly (close the cover). Remove the ribs and serve with quartered fresh lemons and sea salt. Squeezing the fresh lemon juice on these ribs is a great, great culinary idea!
Indirect heat cooking - this is when you put the fire under one side of the grill, and put the meat on the other side, so there is no fire directly under the meat. You close the cover of the grill while the meat is cooking.
In the original recipe, the chili, garlic, Worcestershire, sugar, honey and salt were mixed together, then half of the mixture was brushed on the ribs. The ribs were put on a wire rack over a baking pan lined with non-stick baking paper, and marinated in the refrigerator for an hour. Then they were baked in the oven at 355 degrees for 30 minutes, the temperature was raised to 390 and the remaining half of the marinade was brushed on, then they baked for another half hour until sauce was sticky and the ribs were tender. They were served with the lemon wedges and salt. Again, the lemon is the key!
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
Soak a dried ancho chili in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain the water off, remove the stem and seeds from the chili and set the chili aside.
In a blender or processor, grind
4 cloves garlic
the soaked ancho chili
a dried cayenne pepper (optional - use it if you like hot spicy food)
4 Tablespoons gluten free Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon kosher or coarsely ground salt
Spread the mixture on the meaty side of two racks of baby back pork ribs.
Using indirect heat on a barbecue grill, grill the ribs bone side down for 30 minutes, turn them over so the meaty side is down, grill for another 30 minutes, until tender and the meat is very easy to remove from the bone. If they need further cooking, keep then cooking until they are done! Turn them meat side up again and slather a mixture of 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup honey on the meat. Let cook briefly (close the cover). Remove the ribs and serve with quartered fresh lemons and sea salt. Squeezing the fresh lemon juice on these ribs is a great, great culinary idea!
Indirect heat cooking - this is when you put the fire under one side of the grill, and put the meat on the other side, so there is no fire directly under the meat. You close the cover of the grill while the meat is cooking.
In the original recipe, the chili, garlic, Worcestershire, sugar, honey and salt were mixed together, then half of the mixture was brushed on the ribs. The ribs were put on a wire rack over a baking pan lined with non-stick baking paper, and marinated in the refrigerator for an hour. Then they were baked in the oven at 355 degrees for 30 minutes, the temperature was raised to 390 and the remaining half of the marinade was brushed on, then they baked for another half hour until sauce was sticky and the ribs were tender. They were served with the lemon wedges and salt. Again, the lemon is the key!
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
February 17, 2008
Carrot Quick Bread
This is an excellent loaf cake, mostly made of fruits and nuts, with a little gluten free flour to bind it together. It is delicious and has a great texture. We used the white rice flour that you get in asian grocery stores, and the tapioca starch made by Yoki, a brazilian brand (Harina De Mandioca).
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon orange juice
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (gluten free)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (break up the walnuts by hand or chop them)
1 cup golden raisins (golden raisins are really better than brown for this bread)
2 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cup flour mix - (mix 2 cups white rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca starch and 1 teaspoon xantham gum, stir together and use 1 1/4 cups of it, store the rest)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
In a pyrex measuring cup, melt the butter in the microwave. Remove and let cool slightly, then stir in the eggs and orange juice.
In one bowl, mix the spices, gluten free flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, shredded coconut and chopped walnuts. Add the raisins and carrots. Stir to make sure everything is evenly mixed up.
Stir the wet ingredients from the pyrex measuring cup in to the dry mixture that contains the fruits. Stir everything until well mixed.
The finished batter will have the consistency of a muffin batter.
Spoon the batter immediately into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top, and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Cool in pan for ten minutes, then turn out to cool. Slice with a bread knife.
Make sure all your ingredients are gluten free!
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon orange juice
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (gluten free)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (break up the walnuts by hand or chop them)
1 cup golden raisins (golden raisins are really better than brown for this bread)
2 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cup flour mix - (mix 2 cups white rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca starch and 1 teaspoon xantham gum, stir together and use 1 1/4 cups of it, store the rest)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
In a pyrex measuring cup, melt the butter in the microwave. Remove and let cool slightly, then stir in the eggs and orange juice.
In one bowl, mix the spices, gluten free flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, shredded coconut and chopped walnuts. Add the raisins and carrots. Stir to make sure everything is evenly mixed up.
Stir the wet ingredients from the pyrex measuring cup in to the dry mixture that contains the fruits. Stir everything until well mixed.
The finished batter will have the consistency of a muffin batter.
Spoon the batter immediately into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top, and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Cool in pan for ten minutes, then turn out to cool. Slice with a bread knife.
Make sure all your ingredients are gluten free!
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
January 28, 2008
Butternut Squash Lasagna
This is going to seem surprising, but it is possible to make an excellent gluten-free lasagna by replacing the noodles with sliced butternut squash, following a method described in Donna Hay magazine. This lasagna has no tomato ingredients. The sweet squash combines perfectly with the cheeses and fresh basil to make a gourmet main course.
Butternut squash is an elongated winter storage squash. For this recipe, you need one large butternut squash, and you peel it and slice the neck into 1/4 inch thick slices - these will be circular slices.
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, and sliced in to 1/4 inch thick slices
1/2 pound large curd cottage cheese
1 pound full-fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese (buy the hunk of cheese and grate it yourself, to be sure there is no gluten)
5 eggs
1/2 pound spinach (if fresh, steam it briefly in the microwave, if frozen, thaw and drain)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (or a few tablespoons of frozen pesto sauce)
12 thin slices of pancetta (an Italian ham) chopped coarsely
salt, pepper
full-fat mozzarella - 1/2 pound, grated (grate it yourself)
Oven at 325. Grease a porcelain or ceramic 9 x 13" pan. Mix the cottage cheese, ricotta, parmesan, eggs, prepared spinach, basil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir well.
Cover the bottom of the prepared pan with half of the slices of squash, sprinkle the squash with half of the chopped pancetta , then distribute half the ricotta mixture. Repeat this layering once. On the very top, sprinkle the mozzarella.
Bake for 50 minutes, until the top is golden and the dish is cooked through.
Make sure all of the ingredients are gluten free!
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
Butternut squash is an elongated winter storage squash. For this recipe, you need one large butternut squash, and you peel it and slice the neck into 1/4 inch thick slices - these will be circular slices.
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, and sliced in to 1/4 inch thick slices
1/2 pound large curd cottage cheese
1 pound full-fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese (buy the hunk of cheese and grate it yourself, to be sure there is no gluten)
5 eggs
1/2 pound spinach (if fresh, steam it briefly in the microwave, if frozen, thaw and drain)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (or a few tablespoons of frozen pesto sauce)
12 thin slices of pancetta (an Italian ham) chopped coarsely
salt, pepper
full-fat mozzarella - 1/2 pound, grated (grate it yourself)
Oven at 325. Grease a porcelain or ceramic 9 x 13" pan. Mix the cottage cheese, ricotta, parmesan, eggs, prepared spinach, basil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir well.
Cover the bottom of the prepared pan with half of the slices of squash, sprinkle the squash with half of the chopped pancetta , then distribute half the ricotta mixture. Repeat this layering once. On the very top, sprinkle the mozzarella.
Bake for 50 minutes, until the top is golden and the dish is cooked through.
Make sure all of the ingredients are gluten free!
© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca
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