Irish Coffee (Naturally Gluten Free)

Image: Irish Coffee

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day and our partly Irish heritage, I hope you enjoy this gluten free Irish coffee recipe. Though Irish coffee is traditionally served with Irish whiskey, per the 2014 interim labeling rules, alcohol made from gluten grains should not be labeled gluten free. You can use sorghum whiskey, but vodka will do in a pinch. In addition, traditional Irish coffee is topped with either cream on or softened whipped cream. I chose stiff whipped cream, instead, as I believe it makes for a nicer presentation. Happy St. Patty’s Day to you all! (clink!) Continue reading “Irish Coffee (Naturally Gluten Free)”

Gluten Free Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Image: Gluten Free Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

If you are not familiar with whoopie pies, their texture is between a cookie and a cake. Filled with a cream cheese frosting, these gluten free red velvet whoopie pies are a treat that you can adjust the sweetness level to your liking. You can as much as double the powdered sugar, if desired, to make a filling closer to a oreos filling. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Some find anything made from a rich red velvet batter to be delicious. How about you? Continue reading “Gluten Free Red Velvet Whoopie Pies”

Spun Sugar

Image: Flan Topped with Spun Sugar

Have you ever wondered how they make those caramelized designs on fancy desserts? Some people try to make it using a mixture of water and sugar. When you add water to sugar during the caramelizing process, you are risking the chance of crystals forming. It is best to use sugar alone. I even found a recipe online calling for vinegar and water to be added to the sugar. Vinegar is only needed if you are going to use quite a bit of artificial food coloring. As in red velvet cake, vinegar offsets the bitter taste of the food coloring. You can create different shades of spun sugar by altering the time you brown the sugar. The longer you cook it, the darker it becomes. However, overcooking it can harden the sugar. Temperature is key. However, it is so easy to make…only one ingredient. How simple is that? It’s a great way to garnish creme brulee′ or flan. Continue reading “Spun Sugar”

Gluten Free Pie Crust – Perfect for Double Crust

Image: Double Gluten Free Pie Crust

This gluten free pie crust is awesome to work with! I developed it for KitchenAid’s new 13-Cup Food Processor with ExactSlice System. It’s the perfect gluten free crust! If you’d desire, you can even weave a top lattice crust using this dough. It is a lighter crust than typical pie crusts, similar to a pâte brisée, which is a half fat (butter and/or shortening) and half flour ratio. However, in this recipe, I used quite a bit more flour. I just wanted to lighten up a regular crust a bit. It turned out an amazing gluten free pie crust, as it was not dry at all, but moist, flavorful and flaky. Continue reading “Gluten Free Pie Crust – Perfect for Double Crust”

Duchess Potatoes (Naturally Gluten Free)

Image: Gluten Free Duchess Potatoes

Duchess potatoes, also known as duchesse potatoes, are a French dish, pommes de terre duchesse, consisting of seasoned mashed potatoes, made stiffer than traditional mashed potatoes, with the addition of egg, in this case, egg yolks. They are piped using a piping bag or device, and browned just enough to accent the design. Most recipes call for heavy whipping cream, however, my recipe below is a lower-fat version, and may be made dairy-free. Now you’re the duchess. Enjoy Continue reading “Duchess Potatoes (Naturally Gluten Free)”

Gluten Free Apple Strudel

Gluten Free Streudel Recipe

Again, I am honored to be able to create a gluten free recipe for KitchenAid. Today I present an amazing gluten free apple strudel, made with the new KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor with ExactSlice System. The strudel is absolutely amazing, as is the food processor! It’s right up there with my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It has the ability to slice in 6 different thicknesses; works at 2 speeds; has 3 different sized openings to feed food items; comes with an adjustable slicing blade, as well as a shredder and dough blade (for yeast dough); is accompanied by several attachments, all in its own little carrying case/box. The best part…it has a separate chef bowl, with its own sized blade, which enables you to mix or prepare one food, while keeping the main bowl clean for your next food item. Heaven! When KitchenAid made this product, they read my mind! – and yours too, I bet.

UPDATE: I now use my Gluten Free Puff Pastry Recipe for the dough in this recipe. It is divine! See the below updated recipe as well as the updated photo.
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Gluten Free Red Velvet Pancakes

Gluten Free Red Velvet Pancakes

I’ve been contemplating what new gluten free Valentines’ Day recipes to post in the coming days. I wanted to make some gluten free red velvet pancakes using buttermilk, but since I didn’t have any, I needed a substitute. You know how you can make homemade buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (or white) to 1 cup of regular milk? Well, I decided to use some heavy whipping cream instead. The results? Absolutely amazing pancakes!

In essence, I made creme fraiche (soured cream), similar to buttermilk, but using cream.

Vinegar is always added to red velvet pancakes and baked goods because it masks the bitter flavor of artificial food coloring. No bitter taste, here! You could taste a slight hint of chocolate, and the rest just rich, moist, and a little sweet.

These pancakes were like eating a dessert, and not a gluten free one, either. You have to try these at least once. I towered the one in the photo below for a young boy, “Red Volcano Pancakes”. Enjoy! Continue reading “Gluten Free Red Velvet Pancakes”

Gluten Free Date Bars

Image: Gluten Free Date Bars

These lovely bars are made with either wine, for adults, or with orange juice for the kids. Either way, these gluten free date bars are a wonderful treat. They are similar to their gluten cousins, Fig Newtons. A matter of fact, you can use figs in the recipe, as well as dried apricots. There a few variations that I have created and listed below including adding nuts, using wine (really cannot taste the wine – more like grapes) or orange juice as a reduction/filling, or spicing it up a bit with some ginger.
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Gluten Free Beef Tenderloin

Image: Fillet Mignon - Beef Tenderloin Roast

This Christmas we only had a small amount of guest, therefore, serving a fine cut of meat was  inexpensive. If you have a special dinner coming up soon, consider a beef tenderloin, which is the same cut as filet mignon. It is easy to cut, carve, and serve. Because it is so tender and juicy, no gravy is required, however, if you’re serving it with mashed potatoes you can make gravy, if desired. I rarely measure ingredients for gravy, but have provided you with the ingredients and instructions below. There is nothing specific you need, besides oil and seasonings. When making beef tenderloin, remember…keep it simple! You can’t go wrong! Continue reading “Gluten Free Beef Tenderloin”

Gluten Free Cocktails Flambe

Image: Flambe Coffee Cocktail

Below I list several different versions of flambe gluten free cocktails. The meaning of flambe is to add alcohol and ignite. Though alcohol is distilled which means that any gluten content should be removed, some people who are more intolerable to gluten than others may have a reaction to some alcohol. Use alcohol that you feel safe consuming. Meanwhile, enjoy this dessert-like cocktail whether you serve it as a coffee or as a liqueur. It makes a nice presentation for special occasions. I’m thinking New Year’s Eve, whether it be just the two of you, or for a party. Continue reading “Gluten Free Cocktails Flambe”