Holiday Party Appetizer Ideas - Gluten free!

So, since it's entertaining season, I thought I'd post a few of the gluten-free appetizer recipes that have been a big hit with my friends. This one is one I've mentioned before, prosciutto-wrapped dates stuffed with marcona almonds and goat cheese:

Prosciutto-Wrapped Stuffed Dates

Ingredients:

· 1/4 lb. thinly-sliced gluten-free prosciutto (Italian ham)--about 6-8 slices

· 15 large whole dates (Medjools work best)

· 1/3 cup marcona almonds (I use ones that are roasted in olive oil and salt)

· 4oz semi-soft cheese--fresh goat cheese works best, but fresh ricotta also works well

Instructions:

1. With a paring knife, slice the date lengthwise, open the date, and remove the pit.

2. In each date, depending on the size, spread or pipe 1/2 -1 tsp. of the cheese.

3. Press 1-2 almonds into the cheese where the pit used to be, and then re-close the date as mush as possible.

4. Wrap each stuffed date with about 1-in. width of the prosciutto so that the cheese and almonds are covered.

5. Place the wrapped, stuffed dates on a foil-lined sheet pan, about 1-2 inches apart.

6. Broil the dates under the top broiler in the oven for about 2-3 minutes a side, or until the am starts to crisp and the dates begin to smoke a bit, then flip and brown the other side.

7. Remove and cool a few minutes (the cheese can get hot), and then enjoy with maybe a drizzle of a balsamic reduction. Also great cold as a snack.

Okay, a real gluten-free delicata squash crustless pie recipe

This recipe is adapted from the two recipes mentioned in the previous post. I was really happy with the flavor, texture (like a real pumpkin custard pie!) and the performance of this recipe!!

Roasted Delicata Squash Crustless Custard Pie

Ingredients:

· 1 whole delicate squash halved with the seeds removed

· 1/2 cup brown sugar

· 1 1/4 cup milk

· 2 large eggs

· 1/2 vanilla bean (optional)

· maple syrup (optional)

· oil (canola, safflower, or the like)

· 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt (or equivalent) and toasted pecans or toffee for crumbling


Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and cover a baking sheet with foil.

2. Place squash halves, face up, on the baking sheet, rub with oil, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and drizzle with maple syrup.

3. Roast squash for 20-30 minutes or until soft and just starting to darken, then remove and allow to cool.

4. Scoop squash flesh out of the skins and into a food processor, add the brown sugar and blend until smooth.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until blended, then add the squash puree and mix until uniform.

6. In a medium sauce pan, bring milk to a low boil with the vanilla bean piece and simmer for 10-15 minutes until milk just starts to caramelize.

7. While continuously stirring, slowly pour the scalded milk to temper the squash and egg mixture, then pour into ramekins and bake at 350 until set, around 30-40 minutes. Custards are done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Remove from oven and cool for several hours in the refrigerator before serving. At the last minute, crush your toasted sweet pecans or toffee and sprinkle on top. Add whipped cream if you can have it (you lucky guys!)

Satisfying your pumpkin pie cravings...with no crust...and no pumpkin?

So, you say the one thing you really missed about Thanksgiving was the pumpkin pie? How about trying a crustless "pie" with a crumble topping? And how about trying an alternative to pumpkin...say, a delicata squash maple pie? I tried this recipe:
http://www.glynwood.org/glynwood-blog/2010/10/award-winning-maple-delicata-pie/
Sans the crust with fairly good results! I made mine in individual ramekins instead of a pie plate and cooked for a slightly shorter time...then crumpled toffee pieces over the top for crunch! (If you are not nut-allergic, crushed toasted hazelnuts or pecans work well too...and, of course, add more nutrition than toffee!)
There's an alternative delicata squash recipe up at Wegman's, again, of course, you can skip the crust or use a pre-made gluten free one (I prefer the former to the latter...)

What about you? Gluten-free pie crust or crustless? Pumpkin, sweet potato, delicata squash...or do you have alternative ideas?

Thanksgiving Menus Without Wheat...or Poultry?

I'm trying to plan a Thanksgiving meal around my allergies, which include wheat and all poultry (I know, bummer!) The biggest obstacle is a substitute for the turkey, and the other is the lack of stuffing...which used to be one of my favorite things, along with pie crust. I've seen stuffings made with polenta...have any of you had success with that or a recipe to share? The important thing to me is to get the idea of the flavors of Thanksgiving, so we don't feel too deprived.

Here's what I'm thinking about, but I am open to suggestions!
--delicata squash stuffed with roasted grapes and cranberries
--roasted baby potatoes
--roasted asparagus
--maybe an attempt at osso bucco? or roast beef?
--hot grape-juice-and-cranberry cider to drink

Dessert:
--maple creme brulee with sugared cranberries on top
--cranberry-chocolate-chip muffins
(I tried and failed to make a delicata-squash cheesecake, but let's just say the texture of delicata squash does not equal pumpkin.)

Delicious fall-friendly foods - the gluten-free edition!

Wanted to post a couple of recipes that might seem extra-satisfying now that it's getting a little colder.
One is the delicious butterscotch budino from Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza. It is, in fact, the most delicious pudding I have ever tasted. I didn't think I liked puddings or butterscotch, but this recipe changed my mind:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/091mrex.html

The other is a variation on a creation I've seen on a lot of gluten-free menus, the broiled stuffed date. Sometimes wrapped in bacon, sometimes with blue cheese inside...my favorite variation is the following:
--Procure the following: some fresh soft goat cheese, some big dates that are pre-seeded for easier stuffing, marcona almonds, and some thin slices of prosciutto. (A little good balsamic reduction at the end is optional...)
--Slice the date horizontally, nestle the marcona almond inside, pipe a little goat cheese next to the almond, and close it back up.
--wrap the date in a slice of prosciutto.
--Broil on each side for about three minutes.
Yum! Then drizzle with your reduced balsamic vinegar...perfect, hot, satisfying snacks for your gluten-free guests!

Suggestions for peaches, and Betty Crocker gluten-free mix reviews

What to do with peaches...

If you're anything like me, you're enjoying the natural (and naturally gluten-free) abundance of summertime produce. One fruit at its best this time of year is the peach. Right now, you can find white-fleshed nectarines (my favorite!) and donut peaches as well as more mundane varieties, and they all smell like perfume and taste divine, nothing like frozen or canned. So how to take advantage of them? Here are a couple of ideas:
--Peach salsa: chop peaches just as you would tomatoes, and mix in a little jalepeno, cilantro, red onion (I like to saute or blanch them to keep them from getting too sulfur-y) and maybe whatever else you have lying around - chop a red pepper, cucumber. Serve fresh and immediately with corn chips or (even more deliciously) on top of pork or chicken.
--Grilled peach dessert: Pretty simple. Clean your grill (lest you leave steak-flavoring on it) and then briefly, over the cooler part of the grill, put down your peaches long enough to get grill marks, maybe two minutes on each side. (Leave the skin on and split in half for best grilling.) Serve with honey, maybe some creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of balsamic.
--Peach caprese salad: Slices of fresh nectarine or peach go fantastically well with slices of fresh mozzarella, leaves of fresh basil, used exactly as you would tomatoes in a caprese salad. Stack. Drizzle with good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (I've also seen variants of this with fresh small mozzarella balls and chunks of peach, served on skewers. Kind of a fun picnic idea!)

Betty Crocker Cookie Mix and Cake Mix Reviews
(Disclaimer: Betty Crocker or related companies have not paid me or given me any free product.)
I've been trying out the Betty Crocker mixes, searching for the tastes of the desserts of my 1970's childhood without gluten. Some of the mixes (including, sadly, the chocolate cake gluten-free mix) include flours I'm allergic to, like tapioca. Here are two I have tried and liked:
--Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix (Gluten-Free.) Terrific. Almost like the real thing, except these cookies stick in your throat a bit more because of the drier rice flour. Doesn't contain tapioca, but does include xanthan gum (for those who are sensitive.) We added crushed up Heath bars (about a half a cup) and substituted gluten-free Guittard chocolate chips (dark) because we are chocolate snobs and the crushed toffee makes the cookies a little more texturally satisfying. (I crave crunch!)
--Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mix (yellow) - a bit mealy, more like a muffin texture than a true cupcake feel, but terrific if you throw in some blueberries and call them blueberry muffins and very tolerable with my (cream-cheese-butter-confectioner's-sugar-with-a-dash-of-cranberry-juice-for-color) signature icing. Come to think of it, these are at least as good as most cupcakes I've had at gluten-free bakeries. Does have xantham gum, no tapioca flour.

red, white and blue: gluten-free on the 4th of July

Hey everyone! I thought this 4th of July holiday we would celebrate by trying out some new recipes in red, white, and blue. And, they both use ricotta cheese - make sure you pick up a gluten-free brand - I like Calabro.

The first amazing recipe is a homeade gelato that's super simple and easy to make with any kind of cheap ice-cream-making home device that contains basically gelatin, your fruit of choice (blueberries for us!) and ricotta cheese and cream.

Recipe: Blueberry Ricotta Gelato

Ingredients:

·1 packet (1/4 oz) powdered gelatin

· 1 cup ripe blueberries

· 3/4 cup sugar

· 16 oz ricotta cheese (drained)

· 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Bloom the gelatin in 3 Tablespoons of cold water for 5 minutes.

2. Stir 1/2 of this gelatin mixture into 1/4 cup hot water (or heat gently over a double boiler or carefully in the microwave) until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Discard the remaining gelatin.

3. In the food processor, blend the ricotta cheese until smooth, and then add the blueberries, sugar, and gelatin, blending after each addition until creamy.

4. Beat the cream until thick (not stiff), and then fold in the blueberry mixture.

5. Churn in an ice cream maker to the desired consistency (check the manufacturer’s directions).

Note: I had to 1/2 this recipe because I have a small ice cream maker--the kind with the container that you pre-freeze.)

6. Serve when set, or place in a chilled container and freeze (this gelato freezes pretty hard, so you will need to thaw slightly before serving.) But I recommend eating it right away - soooo good on a hot day, and not too sweet!

The second is a simple salad that I thought I had been so original when I made up - yet this week three different cooking and health magazines featured variations of it!

Recipe: Grilled Watermelon and Ricotta Salata Salad (Red and White!)

It involves quickly grilling slices of watermelon (yes, that's right, I grill my watermelon - gives it a whole new flavor!) throwing some slices of riccota salata cheese (you can try feta or mozzarella as well) on top of them with whatever greens you have handy (a little arugula works well.) Then, a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar - so delicious! If you're like me and grow herbs in the summertime, mint or basil both work well on top. Eat while the watermelon is still hot!