Photo courtesy of GFEglutenfreeeasily-Flickr

This past weekend, a friend and I, were testing gluten free baking recipes for an upcoming cooking class. According to Wikipedia, a gluten free diet is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as “dextrin”. A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease,the related condition dermatitis herpetiformis,and wheat allergy.

Because there are so many people who can not tolerate eating gluten, but still want to indulge in sweet desserts that taste great, I decided to explore making a batch of chocolate brownie cookies with the addition of espresso powder, from “Clean Eating Magazine.”

This easy recipe has limited ingredients and is low calorie to boot!

Basically when making these cookies it is meringue based, which is egg whites that are whipped to soft peaks and then sugar is gradually added to give structure. This recipe also calls for evaporated organic cane juice, which is really organic sugar that has not been processed as much as regular white sugar. You can find organic sugar at Trader Joes or Wholes Foods stores.

As a person who is not allergic to gluten, I was not optimistic about the flavor and texture, but being a chef you have to be open to trying new foods. And even If I were allergic, it has to taste good in order for me to want to eat it. So, believe me when I say I was pleasantly surprised with the end result of these cookies.

As promised as stated in the magazine, the cookies did taste “brownie like.” Also, to my surprise, the cookie did not taste just like meringue cookies which just melt in your mouth. These  actually almost imitated regular cookies, just on the lighter side. I’m making a guess that it has some structure due to the cocoa powder in the recipe. In addition, I found that these look better presentation wise,  if you pipe the cookie batter instead of dropping by the tablespoon. If you don’t have pastry bags, just fill a plastic bag with the batter  and snip off the end to pipe. ( A dusting of powdered sugar also looks good on these cookies.)

So, if you’re curious on making these at home, here is the recipe. Let me know your thoughts about it if you do try!

Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cookies
(Recipe from Clean Eating Magazine)

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

6 Egg Whites
pinch of sea salt
3/4 cup of organic evaporated cane juice (Organic sugar)
3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp of instant espresso powder (I used instant coffee)
1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
1 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater, chopped)
1/2 cup chopped unsalted walnuts

Instructions:

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with salt using an electric beater until soft peaks form. Gradually add cane juice and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add cocoa powder, espresso, vanilla, chocolate and walnuts and mix until combined.(no need to fold, mixture will lose some volume.)

3. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets, dividing evenly. Bake 1 cookie sheet at a time on oven’s middle rack for 10-12 minutes per sheet, until cookies are no longer shiny.

Calories 56 per cookie, total fat 2.5 gram, Sat fat, 1 gram, Carbs 8 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein, 2 gram, Sodium 23 mg, cholesteral 0 mg.

Photo used under Creative Commons from SweetonVeg

Do you have a vegetarian in your family who has a birthday or celebration coming up that traditionally calls for cake? If you’re not familiar with vegan dietary needs, you might not know what vegans typically do not eat. What can make this even more difficult is you might have no clue on how to replace ingredients on what they do not eat.

As a culinary professional teaching in this field, I’v noticed there are many people who prefer this way of eating or who have difficulty digesting lactose.  In a few short paragraphs, I’ll explain exactly what you need to make a simple cake for your vegan friend or relative. What’s great about these methods is that no one will be able to detect the difference as a vegan cake can be just as delicious as a traditional cake.

Let’s start with what strict vegans do not eat.They do not eat eggs and definitely do not drink cow’s milk. Depending on the individual they don’t eat certain types of sugar. Because butter is dairy also, they don’t consume this either.Keep in mind when it comes to vegan baking, think in terms of ingredients being plant-based.

Eggs are typically used in making traditional cakes which act as a leavener, but in a lot of vegan cake recipes,this is replaced with using baking soda. In addition, a lot of vegan cake recipes also use vinegar, which keeps the cake moist. The best vinegars to use are simple white distilled vinegar and apple cider vinegar, which won’t alter the taste of the final product. Don’t worry about the cake tasting like vinegar. The sour taste dissolves as the cake is baked.

Cow’s milk can be replaced by organic rice milk, which doesn’t contain any animal byproducts. You can buy rice milk at Trader Joes’s or Whole Foods Supermarket and even at your local grocery store.

Depending on the individual, many do not consume traditional sugar, because it is often whitened by animal bone char. You can avoid sugar that is whitened by bone char by purchasing “unbleached” sugar, sugar in the raw, or beet sugar. There are some cane sugars, too, which are not whitened using bone char, but they hard to distinguish from others, unless you know the exact name brand.

To replace the butter in a traditional cake and make it vegan, simple replace with a plant based oil, such as vegetable or canola oil.

In addition to butter, sugar, milk, and eggs, strict vegans also will not eat dairy frosting. Try making a frosting made with margarine or soy margarine.

If your recipe calls for frosting, you can look for a similar flavor of “non-dairy” frosting or you can make your own, replacing butter with margarine.

So there you have it: a basic outline for replacing ingredients for your vegan cake. Simply follow the key, replace vegan-unfriendly items on your recipe, and your cake will be simple delicious and perfect even for the strictest vegetarian!

Peach Crisp with Frozen Vanilla Yogurt

While summer is coming into full swing, many of us tend to eat on the lighter side, and this may hold true also when it comes to desserts.

With local farmers markets you can find a bountiful supply of fresh fruit. Perfect for making a light dessert such as a fruit crisp.

Fruit crisp can be made easily and is very economical. You only need a limited amount of ingredients, it tastes delicious and it is on the lighter side.

In the following recipe, I use convenient can peaches which you can make in a pinch. But if you plan on taking advantage of fresh peaches this summer, just follow this procedure for making this crisp.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Using a small paring knife, mark and “X” on the bottom of about  five peaches. Let the peaches cook in the boiling water for about 1 minute. To stop the cooking process, place the peaches in a bowl of ice water and proceed to peel away the skin. Halve the peaches, take out the pit and cut into 1/2 inch pieces and place into a 9 inch pie pan. Toss the peaches with 1/4 cup of sugar and continue with the crumb topping and bake as instructed.

Peach Crisp

Peach Crisp

1/2 cup of oatmeal

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 cup  of granulated sugar

1/4 cup of brown sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

32 ounces of canned peaches in light syrup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the flour, granulated and brown sugar and kosher salt. Slowly pour in the melted unsalted butter and use a fork to toss the mixture together which will result in bits the size of small peas.

Strain the canned peaches and save 3 tablespoons of the liquid. Pour the peaches along with the 3 tablespoons of liquid into a 9 inch pie pan. Take the topping and sprinkle evenly over the peaches .

Place the crisp in the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the crisp is bubbling. (This should take between 30 to 40 minutes.) Let cool a bit before serving. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature and serve with frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Creative Commons from Kimberly Marie Lawson

Go into any bakery or pastry shop and you’ll notice that you will find an array of these small cakes ranging from classic vanilla, chocolate and even a southern favorite such as red velvet cupcake swirled with sweet cream cheese frosting.

Although these are wonderful sweet treats that pastry shops offer, wouldnt it be nice to try making cupcakes that were out of the ordinary?

While browsing the internet, I discovered 40 appealing cupcake recipes that I will be adding to my growing collection and I’m sure you will want to add some of these to your list to make also. This collection has some interesting combinations such as Sweet Potato Pecan, Mississippi Mud cupcakes,  Lavender Honey Cupcakes and Cocoa Puff Chocolate Mousse cupcakes (Yes, cocoa puff cereal is used in this recipe.)

Even if you have certain dietary concerns regarding eating gluten free or are a vegan eater, there is something in this collection for you also. For the vegan eater there is a coconut cupcake recipe and for the vegan eater a Peanut Butter cupcake recipe made with chunky peanut butter and  molasses.

So if you’re in the mood to try something different give some of these recipes a try by clicking on the link to the website at Ivillage.com.

Happy Baking!

Photo used under Creative Commons stu_spivack

Basil is one of the most commom herbs used in cooking today and is quite versatile. It is most commonly known in Italian cookery but is also common in other ethnic cuisines such as Thai and Vietnamese amongst many others.

Fresh basil has a warm, aromatic but gentle flavor, with a subtle hint of spicy aniseed. With these elements of flavor, any kind of dessert can be enhanced with it’s use.

Like most herbs, basil is largely available in both fresh and dried textures. In my opinion, there is no comparison to having the fresh variety on hand and the flavor is generally more superior than dried. If you come across an economical bountiful supply of this fresh herb, you can dry it slowly in a very low oven before crumbling it and storing in airtight containers or jars. But be aware that by using this method of preserving, it will cost you much in terms of the flavor. A better option is to puree the basil leaves and freeze them into ice cubes, which can then be dropped from frozen straight into the recipe you’re cooking.

Purchasing basil from your local supermarket can be quite expensive to buy in the fresh form. So your other option is to try growing it yourself, which would be much cheaper. This way you will also ensure that the leaves you’re using will be as fresh and you’ll be able to snip off only what you need. I use an indoor aeorgarden (a gadget using a water system with no dirt involved) where I use the seed pods of international basil which gives me a variety of basil such as lemon, Thai, Napolitano , Marseilles (French) Genovese (Italian) and Red Rubin, any time of the year.

Basil grows best in warm climates. With this being said it needs to be planted in a sunny and sheltered spot. If you are fortunate enough to have a kitchen with a window that offers plenty of sunlight, take advantage of this and plant pots and variations of this herb. This also fills your kitchen with a delightful smell as well as giving you a homey touch.

As your herbs matures, it will tend to grow into a tall, thin, ungenerous-looking plant with little in the way of edible leaves. You can encourage a more rewardingly bushy growth by ‘pinching out’ the plant as it grows, removing the top young leaves to encourage more sideways growth. Harvesting the herb regularly will also encourage more vigorous growth.

Basil has many varieties available, but the most popular are the Genovese type which gives the typical authentic italian flavour and aroma, and the purple-leaved ‘holy’ basil which is used more often in Asian cooking.

Get creative and try using this herb in some of your favorite dessert recipes. Basil is used in some gelato creations as well as infused simple syrups.

Basil Gelato-Photo used under Creative Commons stu_spivack

For a simple cookie try using this common herb in this recipe titled “Lemon Basil Cookies”

Whichever variety you choose, and whether you decide to buy it or grow it, basil is really a treat to your senses and palette and is a great addition to your culinary toolbox.

Tarte Tatin (Made with Puff Pastry)

Tarte Tatin is a classic French dessert and is really very simple to make. Basically it is an upside down tart made with apples, but it can easily be made with other fruits such as peaches, plums or apricots.

How did Tarte Tatin come about?  Some historians say that it was created by two sisters by the name of Stephanie & Caroline Tatin. During the late 1800′s at  Hotel Tatin,   one of the sisters apparently forgot to line the pie pan with pastry and placed the pastry on top instead, thus creating a trend which became a popular dessert in France.

Tarte Tatin in my opinion is really less hassle than making a traditional apple pie.  All you need is one sheet of pastry of your choice and slice apples into a omelette sized pan. (My preference is a heavy stainless steel pan.)   It’s rustic in it’s preparation, but looks really elegant when inverted onto a plate.

Below is a Tarte Tatin recipe to try at home.  For the pie crust, try making the easy Pate Sucree recipe listed on this blog, or if you want to do this super easy, purchase puff pastry from the grocery store. In no time you’ll be making Tarte Tatin often.

Tarte Tatin

Ingredients:

4 Granny smith or Golden Delicious apples, cut in quarters

(could use a combination)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup of butter, softened

2/3 cup of sugar

(Use Puff Pastry or Pate Sucree recipe from this blog.)

Light whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Cut the apples in quarters and remove the cores. Toss the quarters in the lemon juice to prevent the apples from turning brown.

2. Spread the softened butter over the base of a heavy ovenproof omlette sized pan. Sprinkle the sugar over the base of the pan and add the apple wedges, skin side down.

3. Cook over a medium heat for about 5-10 minutes or until the sugar and butter have melted and the apples are golden.

4. Roll out the pastry and cut into a 10 inch round. Gently place it over the apples, then tuck in the edges with a knife.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

5. Remove from the oven and loosen the edge of the tatin with a knife. Invert the serving plate on the omelette pan, then protecting your hands with oven mitts, hold pan and plate together and quickly turn over. (Don’t be scared!!) Lift off the pan. Cool slightly before serving with cream or vanilla ice cream

Sticky Buns with Walnuts

Wow, it’s been a while since my last post…….Been quite busy doing things.

Anyway, I’m back and I wanted to share with you a great discovery on making sticky buns on your own without too much effort.

I recently taught how to make sticky buns in a baking class that I’m teaching.  As a Chef Instructor, my focus is to show home bakers how to do this easily for them to re-create at home.

With this being said, I found a great article on the internet about making artisan bread from scratch. Now you might be thinking, “This is a dessert blog, why are you talking about artisan bread?” Well, if you think about it, bread can be used for both savory or sweet and with this particular master recipe you can turn out some wonderful sweet treats.

The article that features this great master recipe can be found at this link on motherearthnews.com. Basically all you do with this master recipe is combine your basic bread ingredients of flour, water, yeast and salt and stir in a bowl. Once this is mixed, you leave it alone to rise for two hours. After this time frame is up, all you have to do is then shape your dough and bake. With traditional bread baking, you have to go through the process of kneading, but with the technique of this recipe it’s skipped! For most people this is a blessing as it definitely cuts time in the kitchen. Another plus of this master recipe is that it can last up to two weeks in your fridge, allowing you to have fresh bread most times of the week without much effort. This fact alone should make you want to give this recipe a try.

So, back to the subject of making sticky buns.

When you use the master recipe, you roll your dough out, fill in with brown sugar, butter and pecans and sprinkle over the dough. Final step is to just roll the dough in a jelly roll fashion. To get the recipe and the complete instructions on how to do this, visit the link at motherearthnews.com.

I’m so impressed with this technique, that I am considering buying the baking book from the authors, Jeff Hertzberg and Joe Francois of “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking” I’ve took a sneak peak on Amazon.com and it may be added to my growing  cookbook collection as well as yours once you try these sample recipes!

Banana Cake-Photo used under Creative Commons from fifkins

I love using fruit in a dessert, and banana’s is something I love to use a lot. In this simple banana cake recipe, I use sour cream, which makes this cake extra delicious. The bonus also of this cake is that the ripe banana’s keep the cake incredibly moist. As always when it comes to baking, make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature

Banana Cake

½ pound butter (two sticks) unsalted
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
½ cup mashed ripe bananas
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, cream your butter and sugar together. After this is creamed add the vanilla and procede to add the mashed bananas and mix well until smooth.

Add the eggs one at a time and then add the sour cream, along with the reserved flour mixture and mix on low speed for about 1 minute and then on medium speed for 2 minutes or until it looks smooth in appearance.

Pour your cake batter into a well greased and floured 10 inch x 3 inch tube pan or bundt pan and let bake at 350F for about 25 to 30 minutes our until the center comes out clean when tested with the insertion of a toothpick in the center that comes out clean.

Simple Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of cream cheese
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

In a mixing bowl add  the butter along with the cream cheese and cream together. Once the cream cheese and butter are well beaten and are thoroughly combined, add the powdered sugar and vanilla.

Frost the cooled cake with this simple cream cheese frosting and top with additional sliced bananas if desired.

Cherries-Photo used under Creative Commons from Juan Antonio Capo

Cherries are one of the country’s favorite fruits. Cherries are great on their own, mixed in a yogurt parfait and of course baked in a pie.

Cherries are also great mixed into ice cream and even smoothies.

Tart cherries, the one that are used to make most cherry pies are rarely used, because they are highly perishable.

For convenience, dried, frozen and canned cherries are available any time of the year at most specialty stores and supermarkets. Here are some simple, quick and tasty ways to use cherries.

For a healthy packed treat to give you energy, try combining cherries, semisweet chocolate chips, and chopped dates along with honey roasted peanuts or any nut of your choice.

To make a refreshing beverage, combine 100 percent cherry juice, pink grapefruit juice, with a flavored lemon & lime carbonated sparkling water. Serve over ice and garnish with additional cherries for visual interest.

Make fruit salad with cherries for flavor and color. Add peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe or whatever favorite fruit you like. Use a lemonade concentrate to dress the fruit salad.

If you like ice cream, cherries make a great dessert as in this following easy Cherry Spumoni recipe.

Cherry Spumoni

2 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup (7 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean extract

1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling

1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped

1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in a large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate the cream mixture for about 30 minutes.

When the 30 minutes are up, remove from the fridge and beat the cream mixture with an wire whisk or electric mixture until soft peaks form, but do not over beat. Fold in cherry pie filling, almonds and the chocolate chips. Spoon into an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze the ice cream for 4 hours, or until firm. When ready to serve, scoop the ice cream into individual serving dishes. Makes about 1 quart.

Photo used under Creative Commons from slgckgo

It isn’t hard to tell when spring has arrived officially, but one thing you know for sure is that strawberries are available in an abundance in the spring. Not only is this delicious fruit available to your heart’s content, they are also very affordable during the spring season.

Since spring will be coming soon, why not plan on eating lots of this natural sweet fruit? When their in season you will notice that grocery stores will offer a lot of buy-one-get-one free offers for your taking.

Strawberries can be used in lots of desserts, but let’s focus on simplicity with something such as making chocolate covered strawberries.

If you’re a fan of chocolate strawberries, you know that it’s makes the perfect light dessert. However, if you have ever been to a fancy chocolate store that offers chocolate dipped strawberries, you will be shocked at how expensive it can be to purchase. In order to save money and still get your sweet taste of chocolate dipped strawberries, try making them at home.

Now you may be thinking, oh my goodness, I will need to purchase costly cocoa blocks for melting and dipping my strawberries. No, this is not the case. You can just use the traditional semi-sweet chocolate chips found in your local grocery store that are not expensive at all.

What’s great about using chocolate chips is that you can use your microwave to melt your chocolate for the purpose of making your chocolate covered strawberries.

For starters, use a microwave safe bowl, to melt your chips and use the defrost setting so that it melts the chocolate slowly. By doing so, you will ensure that your strawberries are not scorched when dipped in the melted chocolate. The time range can be anything between two and three minutes.

To make your chocolate strawberries,  just dip into your melted chocolate, shake the excess away from the fruit as you withdraw and then give the strawberries a few turns in a clockwise direction and set in on wax paper on a sheet pan. Let completely harden. Eat immediately or set in the fridge until ready to serve.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, think about serving yourself or a loved one with a light classic dessert of chocolate dipped strawberries.