Feeling a little southern

After spending the last week in Atlanta, visiting friends and working. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. In the process of trying to determine what is still salvageable in my fridge, I run across a bag of mini bell pepper in my fridge. Now, I have a strong dislike of bell peppers, but would still feel a bit guilty throwing them out. I've got plums I'm already thinking of turning into jam, I think I just found my afternoon project...

Bourbon Pepper Jelly

1.5 lbs bell peppers

2 cups cider vinegar

6.5 cups sugar

4 Tbs crushed red chili flakes

1/2 tsp habanero (or cayenne) chili powder

1/2 tsp butter

6 Tbs powdered pectin

1/3 cup bourbon

Chop bell peppers

Add to pot with next 5 ingredients

Bring to a boil and allow peppers to soften

Process mixture with an immersion blender until finely chopped. 

Add pectin and bring back to a boil, following the pectin directions

Stir in bourbon

Put into 1/2 pint jars and process 10 minutes

Makes 8 half pints

Sweet, smoky, with a kick. A lot like the south!!

Oh, Atlanta!

Sectional teaser

(see full image)

Fran Walsh

Kimberly-Clark Professional

Sent from my iPad

Raspberry bars

You have these times in your life, big or small, when you are searching for the right thing.  In my case, it is often the right recipe....

Last night I headed to Trader Joes after work and was looking for something interesting for dinner.  I'm perusing the frozen cases and come across organic raspberries for $2.99.  Who could resist?  Now, I was planning on throwing those into yogurt for breakfast, but baking with them kept popping into my head.

troublemaker

I wanted a bar that was a nice dense cake with pieces of raspberries dotting the cake.  Maybe a little sour cream (or yogurt) in the cake a moist crumb and something that was easily portable, since I was taking these to a BBQ.  So I hit the google to see if I could find such a recipe.  And there were recipes, bars with crumbles, strudel, with short bread crusts, pie crusts, etc...but no such recipe.  So I made another recipe Blondie-Brownies and they started cooling on the counter, but I still wanted the raspberry bar.  Then my brother called me to catch up.  I told him of my small obsession and he said, "why don't you just use mom's pound cake recipe".  And I wondered why I didn't think of that.  Budder, thanks.

So here goes:

Raspberry Bars
Mix together in a bowl and set aside 
(use 150g ~ 1cup of all purpose flour for non GF + the baking powder and salt):

Heading into the oven

• 20g almond meal
• 20g coconut flour
• 20g rice flour
• 30g potato starch
• 30g corn starch
• 30g tapioca starch
• 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cream together:

• 1/2 butter
• 1 cup sugar

Add and beat well:

• 1 egg

 Fold in:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• flour mixture

Put into a prepared brownie pan (11x7) and sprinkle a heaping 1/2cup of frozen raspberries over the top and press in lightly.  Bake at 325 for 45 minutes (or so).

Out of the oven

They are currently cooling in the pan.  I'll let you know how they turned out.

Ready for the BBQ

 Post update: these were a definite hit at the BBQ!  They were gone in a flash and I could have definitely doubled the recipe.  Nice, dense, moist crumb. I will definitely be making them again.  Maybe next time with blueberries or peaches...

When life gives you runny sugar cookies...make lemon tarts!

So I have been on a bit of a lemon kick lately...

The "It's so good I dream about it" Lemon Pound Cake

With Glaze

Lemon meringue cake for Easter dinner (up in the upper right hand corner)

And lastly, lemon sugar cookie tarts, made in princess cupcake liners

With all that lemon going on some deliciousness has definitely been had, as well as some requests for recipes.

So, first off, for the "It's so good I dream about it" lemon pound cake.  I got the recipe from Art of Gluten Free Baking and then of course made it my own...

I have found that baking by weight has made my baking more consistent, so I used 130g brown rice flour, 130g rice flour, 80g tapioca flour, and 135g sweet rice flour, instead of the measurements listed.  What is nice about this is that all you gluten lovers out there should be able to make this cake with 475g of all purpose flour.  I followed the rest of the recipe as described (so I won't retype it here) and then added a lemon glaze.

Lemon glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon soft butter
Juice of one lemon
Milk
Distructions (as M likes to say): mix the butter into the powdered sugar and a crumbly paste will form, then add the lemon juice, followed by capfuls of milk until a nice pourable consistency is achieved.  Pour over cooled cake.  I keep my cake on the cooling rack when I pour on the glaze and set a cookie sheet below the rack to catch the excess glaze.

sidebar: the cake is a large recipe and while it all "fits" into my bundt pan (read, it hasn't made my oven a complete disaster because I put my bundt pan on a cookie sheet), next time I would make a mini loaf or two with some of the batter to prevent the spill over.  It also unmolds quite nicely when you follow the directions and butter and flour your pan.

For the Lemon Meringue Cake, I got that right out of Nigella Lawson's book Feast.  And, as most of her desserts are, it is a work of pure genius.  So get the book, your friends will thank you.

Now, for the Lemon tarts...
I followed the directions for Cooks Illustrated's "The Best Sugar Cookie" which they have printed in their The New Best Recipe cookbook as well as their Holiday Baking 2007 special edition.  It is a great sugar cookie recipe, but when I threw them in the oven this time they turned into one big sheet of cookies.  I have some suspicions why, but sometimes a little disaster turns into the necessity for delicious invention...

I took the remaining dough and made mini tarts...

Just in case you forgot what they looked like

I followed the directions for the cookies, even rolled the 1 1/2" ball in sugar and then pressed each ball into the bottom of a muffin tin, lined with princess liners (very important).  I baked these in the oven at 375F for 11 minutes and then topped them with lemon curd and popped them back in for 5 more minutes.  This really could be done with any jam you desire, but lemon curd is pretty fantastic and easy to make:

Lemon Curd (From Bon Appetit 2004)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon peel (in reality I just zest the lemons before I juice them and then use all the zest from the juiced lemons in the curd)
3 large eggs
Now for the easy part: put the sugar, lemon juice, zest and butter into the microwave.  Cook on high until the butter melts, whisking every minute or so.  Beat the eggs in a bowl, whisk in half of the lemon mixture into the eggs and then whisk the eggs and lemon mixture back into the rest of the lemon mixture.  (you do this so you don't cook the eggs too fast).  Put back in the microwave and cook on high, whisking every minute until the curd is slightly thickened, but not boiling.  It will continue to thicken as it cools.  Transfer it to a container, top with plastic wrap to avoid forming a skin on top and stick it into the fridge. 

It is quite nice on the Lemon Meringue Cake, mixed into yogurt and on top of sugar cookies!

Going Gluten-free

Hi!  Wow, it is almost March and I have not even posted yet in 2011.  I guess it is time to change that!  Life is good, work is crazy, but fun, and M is almost done with his architecture exams (big yay!!)

So, I recently have had two friends inquire on gluten-free cookbooks, tips, and tricks.  Below, is what I responded with, but I would love to know your opinions too.  Here is a couple questions to get you started:

1. What is the one thing that make your life easier to be GF?
2. What is your favorite source for information?  i.e. what is your go-to?
3. What is the one thing that sets you back the most?  (for me it is sauces and cream based soups)

Bette Hagman is the cookbook author when it comes to GF cooking.  I got "The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy" When I first went GF and it was/is awesome, lots of mixes and things so you could mix up a big batch of say, pancake mix, and then use it for the next couple months.  It is really helpful to have a number of go-to things ready.  I also have "The Gluten-free gourmet cooks comfort foods" it is a good one too.

A different option would be "Gluten-free Girl and Chef" by Shauna and Danny Ahern.  I have not gotten this one, but is is receiving some rave reviews from the NY Times and such.  I think as much as this is a cookbook, it also chronicles some of the struggles Shauna had with going gluten-free.  She also has a great blog.

Last, if you would like to get her a magazine subscription, Living Without is a great magazine.  It covers GF and food allergies really well, with new recipes in each issue.

A couple of tips to give your friend:
- figure out a flour mix she likes I mainly use the nearly normal GF mix. You can buy it premixed online, but I actually prefer to use the proportions and mix up my own.  that way I can add in more whole grains, etc.  But depending on how much of a baker she is, having something pre-mixed is nice.  There are tons of other mixes that she can buy, in fact bisquik now has a GF version.  I would avoid the Bob's Red mill GF flour, unless she really likes chickpeas.  They use a bean flour blend that can really turn you off to the possibilities. Bob's individual flours are great.

- Bisquik, Betty Crocker and some other big names now have GF offerings.

- learn to bake by weight 5oz = 1 cup of flour.  By doing that, you can usually substitute G-F flour for any of your standard flour containing recipes

- The best bread out there is Udi's and Kinnikinnick has good baked goods too.  Whole Foods has a good freezer section as well.

- Amy's has a good GF rice mac and cheese

- The web has been my true go-to for recipes etc.  If you want to give her a link to my infrequently updated blog (I need to work on that).  I have a whole list of good blogs to follow. (Look to your right)

So, what would you add?

Chocolate gingerbread

mmmmm...

Could there really be something quite as wonderful?  Yes, and take it to Nigella Lawson to create it. It is fabulous!  It made a wonderful birthday cake, rich moist, spicy and chocolate!  The transition to gluten-free was easy, I just switched out the flour.  Next time I think I'll add a little candied ginger...

 

Oh, and BTW, Nigella has a GF filter on the recipe search on her site.  Lucky day!!

Breakfast

Oatmeal with candied ginger and dried cranberries

Please Help the SCC preserve climbing areas in the Southeast

Hey all,
I know I haven't been posting a lot.
But this is important.

The SCC has a chance to win $250,000 to purchase 2 properties and maintain existing trails and climbing areas through the Pepsi Refresh Project. You can vote everyday for the month of November. So please, take a moment for the next 28 days to vote for expanding our climbing areas and preserving some Southeastern wilderness.

Check out the video, made by friends of mine.

Oh, and sign up for a daily email reminder. They promise to only spam you for the month of November :)
(if they do afterward, let me know, although I'll be getting spammed too, so I'll probably already know)

Last if you want to find out more about the SCC check out their website. And get out there and explore some of the fantastic work they have already done!

Here is Amos enjoying Boatrock
(He's wondering why A &M haven't figured out how to get up here yet)

Recent Exploits in the Kitchen

Giant toasted marshmallow brownies
(coconut pictured, also made walnut, milk and dark chocolate brownie)

German Chocolate Birthday Cake, for...you guessed it Julia.

Brown sugar banana muffins

mango "sticky rice" ice cream

I just realized that I never posted last year's Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin' submission. (Also vegan for the Veg)

Mango "Sticky Rice" Ice Cream**
**Sorry no pics, it was eaten way too fast

mix together and heat over medium low heat until small bubbles begin to form and batter begins to thicken:
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups rice milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 tbs arrowroot starch

add and let steep for 5 minutes:
1 tsp jasmine pearl tea

Strain tea out and cool batter in fridge overnight, or in freezer for 4 hours or so.

toast 1/2 cup coconut (about 5 minutes at 350F)

Chop one ripe mango into 1/4" dice and put in freezer.

Make the ice cream according to your ice cream makers directions. During the last few minutes of freezing add the mango and toasted coconut, to taste.

Wow your friends with the fact that this ice cream is vegan.

Salted Coconut Caramel ice cream

Since the Veg's last day of work was Friday, I made her the long-awaited coconut milk caramels as part of her going away present. For those, I dipped in dark chocolate* and sprinkled toasted coconut on the top. I had some of the caramel left, and Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin' was coming up, so Salted Coconut Caramel Ice Cream, seemed like just the ticket.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream (vegan)**
**pictures to follow when it comes out of the freezer

2 cans coconut milk (approx. 4 cups)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Coconut caramels (recipe below)

heat 1 can of coconut milk over low heat with the sugars and salt until the sugar and salt melts. take off heat and add in the other can of coconut milk and the vanilla. Stir to combine and chill.

Once chilled (I stick my batter in the freezer for a few hours), churn according to your ice cream makers directions.

When frozen, alternate layers of the ice cream with the caramel sauce.

Coconut caramels (or coconut caramel sauce)
2 cans coconut milk (approx. 4 cups)
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a sauce pan combine the combine 1 1/3 cup coconut milk with the sugar and corn syrup. Over medium / medium high heat bring to up to a boil, without stirring, and then cook to 245 -250 deg F, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. The mixture will darken significantly during this time.

Add 1 1/3 cup coconut milk and again cook to 240 deg F, or so.

Add the last 1 1/3 cup coconut milk and cook to 220 deg F for caramel sauce or 235 deg F for soft caramels.

Off heat add the vanilla.

I found that this is different than using true cream, as there is a higher fat to water ratio with heavy cream. This mixture takes a while to get up to temp and stirring will lower the temperature of the mixture.

* Dipping the caramel's in chocolate is key for the summer weather in GA. Since coconut oil melts at a low temperature, the caramels will get very "soft" (read spread everywhere) and the outer chocolate shell keeps them in a manageable piece. To dip the caramels, cut into pieces and freeze, take a few of the pieces out at a time and dip into the chocolate.

Chocoholic heaven aka Vanilla Cream Brownies

I'm sure you're asking yourself, why would something I declare is chocoholic heaven begin with the word "vanilla". The reason is quite simple, a layer of vanilla cream tucked in between a dense dark brownie and a layer of semisweet ganache, give this brownie an edge over pure dark chocolate madness (which I have been known to create). It adds a bit of sweetness and allows the ganache and brownie to play off of one another rather than compete. But, be forewarned, the cream does not make this brownie kids play, it is still on the dark and rich side. Even I can only eat one, although a second is awful tempting...

So try it for yourself.

Vanilla Cream Brownies

Brownie base (modified from "the Fannie Farmer Baking Book" by Marion Cunningham)
preheat oven to 350
grease and flour or spray a 8x8 pan

Melt over low heat:
4oz unsweet chocolate - do yourself a favor and use the good stuff
1/2 cup unsalted butter

Take off heat and add and stir until combined:
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add in (after making sure the mixture is not hot)
2 eggs

mix well and add in 1/2 cup GF flour with xanthan gum (or for you wheaties out there 1/2 flour) mix well one last time

Pour into prepped pan and bake for 35-45 mins, until the brownies are slightly underbaked as all good brownies should be.

While the brownies are baking prepare the ganache:

Bring to a boil:
1/2 cup of cream

take off heat and slowly mix in:
8oz of semisweet/dark chocolate (or a combo thereof )

once well mixed add in:
1 tablespoon of butter
mix well to combine

Pour into a bowl and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the ganache and allow to cool completely

Last make the vanilla cream:

To 1cup powdered sugar add:
1/4 cup very soft (or melted butter)
1tablespoon vanilla extract
mix well

add milk as needed to get to a thick, but spreadable consistency

Once the brownies are cool put it all together:
Top the brownies with the vanilla cream and 1 cup of the ganache
Put in the fridge to set the top for 15 to 20 mins and then cut into squares

Banana pancakes and summer peaches

Wow! It has been a while since I posted.

M and I have had a great couple of months, a nice Easter with our neighbors, and heading to the west coast for my cousin's wedding and to catch up in British Columbia with one of my best friends and her family. Work has started to pick up some more and summer in GA is in full swing. Warm evenings, hot days, and great produce...peaches!!

I have been heading over to ELF (East Lake Farmer's market) on Saturday mornings and lately, the peaches have been fabulous. fresh, juicy everything a peach should be. This morning I went a little crazy with my purchase and now have peaches cut up for freezing and simmering into sauce on the stove and I still have plenty to eat fresh.

Banana pancakes, peaches, and Tuscan blue basil flowers

But I'm getting ahead of myself, I started this morning by making Banana Pancakes. A mixed up concoction that worked out fantastically. I was out of milk and substituted coconut milk and just ran from there:

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes

Warm the following to melt the butter and allow to cool slightly:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons butter

Mix in:

• 1 banana - I keep ripe bananas in the freezer (peel and all) defrost in the microwave for a minute or so and the flesh slips right out of the peel
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  

Separate 2 eggs, mix the yolks into the liquids and whip the whites to soft moist peaks

Blend together with a fork:

• 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour with xanthan gum
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or to taste)
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Mix the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, fold in the whipped whites add additional coconut milk to thin if necessary.

These were great to eat on their own, or with fruit as I like, or with syrup for my sugar-loving M.

Now, back to those peaches!

Wordless Easter

Four years ago today!

Yup, four years ago, today, M and I said our vows.

Here is a picture of us on Jeju Island, South Korea, where we spent our honeymoon. It was a great two weeks exploring a wonderful country. I hope we have many more opportunities to go exploring together!


A little Atlanta pride in Korea
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Atlanta skyline

View from the botanical garden last Saturday.


Atlanta skyline
Originally uploaded by frannylue

A cowl

This is your Brain...

Just for you Bennwitz.

This is your brain

This is your brain on gluten-free bread

Any Questions??

Oh, and it's good, really good. Probably the best bread I've had since going gluten-free.

Artisan GF Bread

Artisan GF Bread
Originally uploaded by frannylue

Here is my first attempt at Artisan GF Bread. Looks pretty good, supposedly I have to wait until it is cooled entirely to crack it open...we'll see if that happens.

Recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

* I did change the recipe slightly as I ran short of brown rice flour and ended up adding about 3/4 c of white rice flour to make up the difference.

Hopefully it is taste, because I have 3 more loaves ready to bake sitting in the fridge.

A walk with the Amos

I think all of Atlanta has spring fever these days. As with the rest of the US, it has been cold and snowy and not how spring should be here in the Southeast. Today was one of those days that lets us know that this cold, snowy, rainy crap isn't going to last forever. Bright blue skies, a shining sun, birds singing and squirrels, lots of squirrels. So after running errands in the morning. Amos and I set out for a little trek around the neighborhood this afternoon.

His goal: to rid the neighborhood of all of those damn squirrels.

My goal: to see if we could get some of the spring fever out of his system.

On a mission...Squirrels

A sign of spring, Amos wasn't impressed

I smell squirrels!!

Squirrels, squirrels everywhere, if only they weren't so fast!!

A glimpse of the Atlanta skyline

Almost home, Amos can smell it

And home again.

At the end of our walk it was, Amos: 0 Squirrels: 100
Maybe he'll have better luck next time!