Tag Archives: Gluten-free

Desserts

Apple Fritters

Leave a comment

Every Memorial Day, for as long as I can remember, our family has gotten together first thing in the morning to visit the graves of our deceased grandparents, great-grandparents, and cousins (and I think there’s a random great-uncle in there as well).  We visit about four different cemeteries.

IMG_3897
We reminisce
IMG_3928
We race around the ‘track’ (road)
IMG_3947
We recover from the running
IMG_3965
We have a picnic of donuts

Yes, a picnic of donuts.  I don’t know how the tradition started, but it’s one we’ve been doing for as long as I can remember.

When I first started on my gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free diet, Memorial Day could be rather depressing. Note: not depressing because of thinking of those that have passed, because I know that I will see them again.  Read about my beliefs here. It would be depressing because of being excluded as a result of my dietary restrictions.  One year I did muffin donuts, but those didn’t quite do the trick.  Last year, I came up with this recipe for Apple Fritters.  

Oh. my. goodness.  

These turned out to be so delicious I had to fight off my family members for them.  Crispy on the outside, fluffy and tender on the inside with big apple flavor.

Apple Fritters
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Fritters
  1. 4 medium granny smith apples, peeled, and diced into 1/4" pieces
  2. 2 cups sorhum flour
  3. 3/4 cup brown rice flour
  4. 1 cup potato starch
  5. 1/2 cup tapioca starch
  6. 1 tablespoon xanthum gum
  7. 2 tablespoons baking powder
  8. 2 teaspoons salt
  9. 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  10. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  11. 1-1/2 cups apple cider
  12. 1 cup applesauce with 2 teaspoons baking powder
  13. 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  14. 3 cups vegetable oil
Glaze
  1. 4 cups powdered sugar
  2. 1/2 cup apple cider
  3. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  4. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Spread apples onto baking sheet lined with paper towels. Cover with paper towels and gently press on them. The idea is to get some of the extra moisture out so the fritters don't get soggy. Combine flours, starches, xanthum gum, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir apples into flour mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk together cider, applesauce mixture, and coconut oil. Stir into flour/apple mixture until incorporated
  2. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat until 350˚. Use a 1/3 cup measure to put 5 portions of batter into oil. Press each portion slightly with the back of a spoon, this helps the fritters cook through. Fry about 2-3 minutes per side, adjust heat to keep oil between 325˚ and 350˚. Repeat with remaining batter, being sure to heat oil to 350˚ between each batch. Let fritters cool at least 5 minutes before putting on the glaze.
  3. For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl until smooth. Top each fritter with 1 tablespoon of the glaze. Let glee set 10 minutes.
Adapted from Cook's Country
Adapted from Cook's Country
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
Desserts

Churros GF/DF/EF

Leave a comment

I don’t drink, so Cinco de Mayo isn’t considered a major holiday (I don’t even know if I consider it a minor holiday).  Sometimes, I do think about it in advance where I can plan to have some Latin-inspired dishes, and this year was one of those cases.  One of my favorite Mexican desserts is churros.  I love the crispy fried dough, and the cinnamon sugar topping.  Is it possible to have these treats on a gluten-free diet?  Yes!

 

Churros
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Dough
  1. 2 cups water
  2. 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  3. 2 tablespoons sugar
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  6. 6 tablespoons brown rice flour
  7. 1 cup sorghum flour
  8. 1/2 cup potato starch
  9. 1/4 cup tapioca starch
  10. 1-1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum
  11. 1/2 cup applesauce mixed with 1 teaspoon baking powder
  12. 2 quarts vegetable oil
Chocolate Sauce
  1. 3/4 cup coconut milk
  2. 4 ounces dairy-free chocolate chips
  3. 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  4. Pinch salt
Coating
  1. 1/2 cup sugar
  2. 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dough
  1. Line 1 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, mix flours, starches, and xanthum gum together, set aside. In a large saucepan, combine water, coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add dry ingredients and stir well until combined.
  2. Transfer dough to a stand mixer and with paddle attachment, beat on low speed until cooled slightly. Add applesauce mixture and beat at medium speed until incorporated.
  3. Transfer warm dough to a piping bad fitted with 5/8" star tip. Pipe dough in 6" lengths, using scissors to snip dough at the tip. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 15 minutes to an hour.
  4. While the churros are in the refrigerator, add oil to a Dutch oven pot and heat over medium-high heat to 375˚. Oil should be 1-1/2" deep. Heat oven to 200˚ (this helps keep the churros warm and crisp between batches). Set wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Line a large plate with paper towels.
  5. Gently drip 6 churros into the hot oil and fry until dark golden brown on all sides, about 4-6 minutes, turning frequently to ensure even cooking. Adjust burner as necessary to keep heat between 350˚ and 375˚. Transfer shurros to paper towel-lined plate for 30 seconds to drain excess oil. Then transfer to wire rack in oven. Continue with remaining dough.
Chocolate sauce
  1. Microwave cream, chocolate chips, and salt in a bowl at 50% power, stirring occasionally, until melted. Stir in vanilla.
Coating
  1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish (you want to be able to lay the churros down flat in the sugar). Roll churros in the sugar mixture, tapping off excess. Serve warm with chocolate sauce.
Adapted from Cook's Country
Adapted from Cook's Country
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
 These are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and are so delicious that no one would guess they are gluten-free!

Desserts

Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake GF/DF/EF

1 Comment

Every Sunday evening, while my grandparents were alive, my family would visit them.  My Grandma L would often have a candy dish to raid, or a homemade dessert to eat if we were lucky.  One thing that she would make quite often was a lemon cake.  It’s been a while since I’ve had it, but I remember it was soooo good.  Come to find that all that the cake was, was a yellow cake box mix with lemon jello poured over top after it was baked.  No idea.  

That kind of reminds me of how my sister found out that my Grandma B would use Stovetop brand stuffing for her thanksgiving stuffing (with a few extra ingredients so she could call it her own).  I guess there is a lot of truth to the concept of tasting the love in something because it obviously overpowered the processed taste I believe I would recognize.

I have gone through my grandmothers’ recipes and have tried to come up with ways to make the dishes allergen-friendly.  Some recipes are impossible (can’t exactly make an egg-free angel food cake), some are just not worth the bother, and some I’ve actually had success with.  The lemon cake kind of fell into the first category and a little bit of the second.  

A couple of months ago, okay, probably a year ago, I saw this recipe for a citrus upside down cake.  It looked so beautiful, I had to try it.  Fast forward a year later, and while at the store yesterday I noticed that the blood oranges were on sale.  I remembered that recipe, and impulsively bought a half dozen blood oranges.  Thankfully I ended up having all of the other ingredients needed to modify the original recipe into one that was more allergen-friendly.  

Gluten-Free Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake

The result of this recipe was amazing, and, as you can see by the pic, beautiful.  That first taste definitely took me back to having my Grandma L’s lemon cake, but thankfully, no artificial lemons were harmed in the making of this cake.   

Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Topping
  1. 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  2. 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  3. 6 medium blood oranges
  4. 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  5. 2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
Cake
  1. 3 tablespoon brown rice flour
  2. 1/2 cup sorghum flour
  3. 1/4 cup potato starch
  4. 2 tablespoon tapioca starch
  5. 3/4 teaspoon xanthum gum
  6. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  7. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  8. 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  9. 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  10. 1/2 cup applesauce, mixed with 1 teaspoon baking powder
  11. 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  12. Zest of one blood orange
  13. 1/2 cup So Delicious cultured coconut, plain (coconut yogurt)
  14. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
  1. Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch round, 2-inch-deep nonstick cake pan; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a small saucepan, add coconut oil, brown sugar, and juice, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in cardamom and transfer mixture to prepared pan. Zest one of the oranges if you haven't already, slice the ends of the oranges and place flat end on cutting board. Slice away the rind and pith from the top to the bottom, following the curve of the fruit. Slice into 1/4" wheels, be sure to remove any seeds (blood oranges have just a few, but nobody wants to chomp down on one of those). Lightly set the orange slices in a single, tight layer over the mixture, doing your best to cover the bottom. Set aside while preparing cake.
Cake
  1. Whisk brown rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, cardamom, xanthum gum, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, and and applesauce mixture together in large bowl until smooth, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in coconut oil until combined. Add cultured coconut, zest, and vanilla; whisk until combined. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and gently spread evenly over the oranges. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
  2. Cool pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of cake to loosen. Place wire rack over cake pan. Holding both pan and rack tightly, invert cake pan and wire rack together; lift off cake pan. Place wire rack over baking sheet or large plate to catch any drips. If any fruit sticks to pan bottom, remove and position it back on top of cake (no one will ever know). Let cake cool 20 minutes (or longer to cool it completely), then transfer to serving platter, cut into pieces, and serve.
Notes
  1. No need to waste an orange to get the 2 tablespoons of juice needed for the topping, I find that I can easily get the amount of juice I need from squeezing the sections of peel I cut off of the oranges. What can I say, I don't like being wasteful.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
Something funny, I made this in the evening and wanted to wait until the next day to take pictures so I could have natural light.  Once you make this, however, you will understand that it was IMPOSSIBLE to wait.

Gluten-Free Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake