Snack

You are currently browsing the archive for the Snack category.

GF Crepes!

March 7, 2012 in Baking, Baking Recipe, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free Ratio Rally, Recipe, Snack | 19 comments

Last month I was on Twitter. I tweet as @cleverhands, because I try to tweet for the stationery business I run with my sister. I must say I’m a total twitter failure. I don’t feel as though I can pop onto and off of Twitter – if I go on it’s an hours long event because once I’m on, I can’t manage to log off – what if I miss something interesting or a chance to connect with someone I follow?! Perhaps I’m too anxious and too high strung to tweet, but I keep trying. Anyhow, when I was on Twitter last I saw a tweet about amazing GF popovers with the hashtag of #gfreerally. I followed the link to see these amazing popovers and was wowed by the gorgeous results of a fellow GF baker’s hard work. I also discovered the Gluten Free Ratio Rally. The rally was started a year ago by Shauna James Ahern. It’s a group of GF cooks/baker-bloggers who have decided to create GF recipes based on the basic cooking and baking ratios in Michael Ruhlman’s book, “Ratio”. A chance to do some recipe development alongside some awesome GF bloggers with a hint of competition? I wanted in, immediately. After all, I’m convinced high strung people invented baking. And anyway, there’s no way one person has all of the time and resources necessary to uncover the secrets of truly fantastic GF food. The rally is genius and I’m excited to be part of it, even if I am a year late.

This month’s rally is hosted by T.R. of No One Likes Crumbley Cookies and the food is Crepes. Here’s a link to T.R.’s post: Brownie Crepes with Strawberry Wine sauce. You can find links to other rally contributors at the bottom of this post. Ruhlman’s ratio for crepes is 1:2:2 flour:liquid:egg. I followed this exactly. Sorry for those of you who don’t use a kitchen scale, my measurements are all in grams! Rather than writing off this recipe though, you should get a kitchen scale – true precision is quite satisfying. So here we go: my rally recipe for crepes…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buckwheat Crepes

93 g. eggs*

46 g. Buckwheat Flour Mix (see below)

93 g. Milk

*Sooo when I made these I started with my eggs, because I figured I’d start with the weight of one or two whole eggs and then base the rest of the ingredients on that weight, per the ratio. This method just seemed simpler to me rather than beating an egg and trying to get twice of whatever arbitrary amount of flour I might have chosen to start with.

Just whisk the flour, egg and milk together and let the batter sit. Mine sat for about 30 – 45 minutes. The Ruhlman book suggests that as the batter sits, the flour absorbs the liquid. Before cooking with the batter I whisked it again as the flour had settled a bit in the bottom of my bowl. Now, I don’t have any fancy crepe tools and was glad the internet had lots of information on how to make crepes without anything fancy. I used a small (8-inch) stainless steel fry pan. Sprayed some oil in the pan and cooked over medium heat. I used a 1/3 cup measure to pour some batter in my pan once the pan was heated. Crepes cook fast, so you need to be ready to flip them. I made such a scene in our kitchen when I flipped my first crepe perfectly! It was much easier than I thought. I found out as I went along that if I didn’t have enough oil on the pan I had trouble and if I tried to flip the crepe before it was ready they gave me trouble and seemed sort of suctioned to the pan. Once you get the hang of it though it is tons of fun! Once both sides are cooked you can fill them with most anything.

We made a peanut butter + honey crepe, a cream cheese + sundried tomato + pesto crepe, a chocolate chip + powdered sugar crepe, a chocolate chip + peanut butter + mashed banana crepe, a smashed blueberry + powered sugar crepe and our favorite was the smashed blueberry + homemade lemon curd crepe. (If you read my blog, then you know that I {heart} Ina Garten – see her lemon curd recipe here.) Not only did my husband and kids get a kick out of my celebration over properly flipping a crepe, but they also enjoyed helping me think of what to put in them – and they were fabulous taste testers as well.

Buckwheat Flour Mix

(Based on all purpose flour from glutenfreegirl.com)

100 g. Buckwheat Flour

75 g. Sorghum Flour

25 g. Potato Flour

125 g. Sweet Rice Flour

75 g. Potato Starch

50 g. Tapioca Starch

50 g. Cornstarch

Other Rally Contributors

Adina ~ Gluten Free Travelette ~ Breakfast Crepes Three Ways
Caleigh ~ Gluten Free[k] ~ Banana Cinnamon Crepes
Claire ~ My Gluten Free Home ~ Victory Crepe Cake
Ginger  ~ Fresh Ginger ~ Sweet ‘n Savory
gretchen ~ kumquat ~ nutella crepe cake
Heather ~ Discovering the Extraordinary ~ “Southwestern” Crepes
Karen ~ Cooking Gluten-Free! ~ Gluten Free Crepes Savory or Sweet
Mary Fran ~ FrannyCakes ~ Gluten-free Peanut Butter Crepe Cake
Morri  ~  Meals with Morri ~ Russian Blini for Two
Pete and Kelli ~ No Gluten, No Problem ~ Key Lime Crepes
Shauna ~ gluten-free girl ~ Gluten Free Buckwheat Crepes
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Brownie Crepes with Strawberry Wine sauce
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Basil Tomato and Feta Crepes
T.R. ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ Fresh Fruit Crepe
Tara ~ A Baking Life ~ Breakfast Crepes with Eggs and Kale
Jonathan ~ The Canary Files ~ Vegan Crepes for Filipino Spring Rolls
Rachel ~ The Crispy Cook ~ Raspberries and Cream Crepes
~Mrs. R ~ Honey From Flinty Rocks ~ Crepes – Spinach & Dessert

 

Tags: , , ,

Wyoming Whoppers

January 25, 2012 in Baking, Baking Recipe, Breakfast, Dessert, Recipe, Snack, Vegetarian | No comments

Wyoming Whoppers may be the only cookie recipe from my pre-GF days that I can still eat with only one very minor change (GF oats instead of regular oats). The recipe naturally doesn’t have any flour in it and in our household we figure there is enough protein in these cookies to make them a breakfast food in addition to a delicious dessert. The recipe came to me from my mother-in-law and I’m not sure how she came by it – and I don’t know what’s behind the name except that you end up with very large cookies. There are two methods to get to the finished product – the one that came with the recipe and the one that I use, because I just can’t seem to get behind making a cookie batter in a saucepan!

Wyoming Whoppers

Yield: ~27 Large Cookies

2/3 cup unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups of milk chocolate chips (one regular size package)

3 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups of chunky peanut butter (about one regular size container)

6 cups of GF oats (not the quick cooking kind! If you’re making this in a gluten loving household just use the old fashioned oats)

1 1/2 cups of dried cherries, chopped (you can substitute raisins, but the cherries are oh, so good!)

Original recipe directions…

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take a large saucepan and melt the butter over low heat.

Take the saucepan off the heat and add the sugars, eggs, baking soda, & peanut butter – mix until smooth with wooden spoon.

Wait for the mixture to cool enough so that the chocolate chips will not melt when added. Then add and mix the remaining ingredients.

Using a large spoon or #2 ice cream scoop, form large domes of dough and place on cookie sheet. Dough will be loose and seem like it’s going to fall apart, but pack it in and mold it together and your cookies will turn out as planned.

Using the back of a spoon, press down on the top of each dome so that your dough looks more like a hockey puck than a dome.

Bake on 350 degrees for ~12-14 minutes (may be gooey, should be browned). Most of the time, they take extra time – often they even need another 4-5 minutes.* Let them cool mostly on the pan before moving them to a cooling rack. If you try to move them too soon they might break in the middle, if they’re cool enough this won’t happen.

* I find that with baking especially cooking times seem to be phooey. My mother explained that the acceptable temperature variation in an oven is 25 degrees. That’s right – your oven could register 325 when the dial is turned to 350 and the oven man will say it’s performing fine. While mine could register 375 with the dial turned to 350. Clearly my cookies will cook faster than yours. So take times with a grain of salt and look for signs of “doneness” when ever possible, as above. Not relevant with cookies, but never take a cake, cupcakes or quick bread from the oven without it first passing the knife or toothpick test!

{In case you’re interested, my method is the typical bakers method for making cookie dough. Take the butter, room temperature, cream it, add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, baking soda and peanut butter and mix well. Stir in the oats, mix well. Stir in the chips and cherries. The rest is the same – while this requires that you start with room temperature ingredients, this really is always a rule of thumb for baking and my method doesn’t require a cool down before adding the chips.}

Tags: , , , , , ,

Pumpkin Season – Pumpkin Bread

November 10, 2011 in Baking, Baking Recipe, Breakfast, Recipe, Snack | No comments

Yet another reason to love fall – pumpkins! I have such fond associations with pumpkins, memories of going to the local pumpkin farm, going to the farmers market on a 1st grade field trip to get a pumpkin and roast the seeds and of course, pumpkin foods! I find that pumpkin has such a great aroma, it’s a shame there isn’t a pumpkin perfume (at least one that isn’t mixed with something abrasive like ginger). As a gluten free baker, pumpkin is my pal because it’s so flavorful and moist – I’m convinced a gluten free pumpkin baked good will never be dry. We put it in our pancake mix (I told you I eat a lot of pancakes), pumpkin bread/muffins, pie and more. Below you’ll find my pumpkin bread recipe. I almost always make it into muffins because the loaves take so long to bake and it’s sort of a pain to have to cut a slice off when unwrapping a muffin is so easy. Plus, it’s easier to pack muffins to go with the kids. This is my mom’s recipe and I’m not sure where the title came from, but I’d have to agree it is “The Best Pumpkin Bread Ever”.

The Best Pumpkin Bread Ever

Makes 2 One-Pound Loaves or 12-16 muffins

2 C. Sugar

1 – 15oz. Can of Pumpkin (pure pumpkin – don’t be fooled by those cans of pumpkin pie mix)

2 Large Eggs (if you’re using extra large or jumbo eggs, I’d just put one in)

1/2 C. Oil (vegetable/safflower/canola/etc.)

2 C. Flour – for the GF bakers out there, use your favorite all purpose blend and add 280 g of it – that’s 140 g for each cup, and yes, the weight measure really is different than the scoop and sweep cup measure method.

1/2 T. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Cinnamon

3/4 tsp. Ground Cloves

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 C. Walnuts* (optional, raisins are also good)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium to large bowl or the bowl of your mixer, combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1/2 cup at a time mixing until just mixed between each addition. Stir in walnuts or raisins.

*Note: Black Walnuts have a very powerful and distinct flavor. English walnuts are the variety that you’ll consume most. If you’re at the store, unless you know you like the flavor of black walnuts, you should probably go with the traditional English variety.

Scoop into your greased loaf pan or greased muffin cups. Fill your pan or cup about 2/3 full. You can grease your pan with butter or a spray. GF folks be sure to watch the ingredients of the sprays – some are combined fat and flour!

Bake loaves for 45 minutes – 1 hour (depending on your oven temperature swing), or muffins for approximately 25 minutes. When your bread is done (in loaf or muffin form) the top should be springy – if you touch it with your finger it shouldn’t depress and stay depressed. Also, you can use the toothpick/knife method. If it comes out clean, you’re good to go. Let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes.

These were delicious for 5-6 days left out at room temperature, but also froze nicely.

Tags: , , , , ,

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta on Grilled Bread

September 20, 2011 in Appetizer, Favorites, Recipe, Snack, Vegetarian | No comments

This is the simplest and most delicious appetizer you could possibly make. Well… maybe not, but I still kinda think so. I love this dish so much I have to stop myself from making a meal out of it. At first I couldn’t figure out how to make it gluten free because I didn’t have a go-to French bread, but now I know about Against the Grain. I’m sure there are other acceptable GF French breads and I know I’ve come across tons of recipes for making your own, but life right now doesn’t really lend itself to baking bread. I’m hoping for some expanded Against the Grain distribution here soon so I don’t have to drive quite so far to get it. Anyhow, on to the goods. I haven’t really included quantities, because it really just depends on the size of the crowd and loaves of bread can vary in size etc. Use your judgement. You could go for a big long baguette of bread and cut it into 8-12 pieces and one regular jar of roasted red peppers and one regular size feta will be enough.

French Bread – GF if you need it, regular otherwise

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 Toes of Fresh Garlic

Feta

Roasted Red Peppers – you can make your own or use jarred

Slice the bread on the diagonal along the loaf, then take each section and cut it in half sandwich style (top from bottom). Heat up your grill, grill pan, nonstick fry pan, or panini maker. Put some (like a tablespoon) of olive oil in your pan or on to a plate and dip your bread pieces (if you’re grilling or using the panini maker). Grill//fry the oiled side of the bread. Peel your toe of garlic and cut off a bit at the end. Then rub the cut portion of the garlic gently over the grilled part of the bread. Put your bread on a beautiful plate and put your roasted red peppers and feta in equally lovely dishes and serve.

Grilled Against the Grain GF Bread

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Ina’s Pan-Fried Onion Dip

September 3, 2011 in Appetizer, Favorites, Recipe, Snack, Vegetarian | No comments

Ina Garten of The Barefoot Contessa pretty much drives my kitchen with her recipes. If I didn’t get the recipe from my mom or mother-in-law, I most likely got the recipe from Ina. Today is the season opener for college football (at least in our house where allegiances lie with Mizzou and Notre Dame). For the occasion, I’ve made Ina’s Pan-Fried Onion Dip. Not only is this dip incredibly tasty, but it’s gluten free which isn’t the case for the popular onion dip available in the grocery store. I’ve made this dip for potlucks and parties and have always received rave reviews. Ina says to serve it at room temperature which I always do for the first serving, but it does keep in the refrigerator nicely. I highly recommend all of the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks for any level of cooking expertise – even none at all. They make great bridal shower gifts. For this recipe you can head on over to the Food Network site. Check out my pictures which illustrate the process. Also, be sure to pair this dip with some wonderful chips. In Saint Louis, potato chips from the Billy Goat Chip Company reign supreme and complement this dip nicely.

Tags: , , , , , , ,