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Archives for September 2009

Flourless Chocolate Banana Honey Walnut Cake

UPDATE:  This post is linked to Friday Foodie Fix–Chocolate and Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! for November—Grain-Free Cakes. Go Ahead Honey is  hosted this month by well-known grain-free proponent and chef, Elana, of Elana’s Pantry. Visit the roundup for 20 mouth-watering recipes. Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free was originated by Naomi Devlin and is well into its second year. It’s a blog carnival that just seems to get better and better! Visit this post at Naomi’s blog, Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried, to see what the themes and who the hosts will be through June 2010. Trish at Kinda Real Gluten Free Food will be the hosting for December; the theme is holiday cookies! 

Recently, I shared my post on the 18 variations of my 3-minute chocolate cake. What’s that? Oh, you only remember 6 variations? Yeah, you’re right … I only shared 6 in that post, but you could easily make 18 variations! LOL I confess I always exaggerate with the number 8 in the mix … it’s one of my little idiosyncrasies. ANYwayyyy … let me get to the important part! Included in that post was a 3-minute, “miniature” version of the flourless chocolate banana honey walnut cake recipe that I’d adapted from Elana of Elana’s Pantry. All the 3-minute cake versions are quite good, but that particular one is one of my personal favorites (as is Elana’s full-sized original that inspired it) because it exemplifies my feelings about the best type of gluten-free dessert. The best gluten-free dessert in my opinion is one that’s gluten free easily (gfe) because all the ingredients are gluten free in their natural state. Flourless desserts are almost always gluten free and are often the ones you can rely on in fine restaurants to be safe. (Be sure to check each and every time though.) The delightful fact about these desserts is that they are the incredible ones that everyone wants to eat; they are not just ones that are safe for gluten-free folks and, well, potentially only minimally edible. I hate it when you get a gluten-free dessert and the assessment is “okay” or “not bad.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement. I’m talking about exquisite flourless chocolate tortes, crème brulee, pots de crème, mousse, flan, flourless cookies, and the like—no deprivation there! Of course, the fact that these desserts ARE flourless is a large part of what makes them so decadent. The flavors are shining through in a big way, unencumbered by flour.

I promote the flourless (or minimal amount) of gluten-free flour concept here at gfe quite often because for baked goods and many recipes that normally call for flour, adopting this approach makes gluten-free cooking/baking imminently more “doable” and, more importantly it makes the products enjoyable once again. If you’ve been following gfe for a while, you’ve seen recipes like the Flourless Chocolate Cake (one quite different from this one), Mediterranean Chocolate Cake, Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies, Flourless Pizza, and Crustless Quiches. Savory dishes are included because they benefit from no or limited flour for the same reason … you get to taste the essence of the dish more. It’s front and center, not relegated to second-class status by flour or a crust.

Elana’s Flourless Chocolate Banana Cake appealed to me immediately. First, it was flourless … enough said on that point. Second, it called for bananas and I always have some baking bananas in the freezer. Last, it called for honey, and I love to be able to use our bees’ honey. I made a few changes. I did not separate eggs as Elana did (I rarely separate eggs). I substituted olive oil for the grapeseed oil in the original recipe. I also decided some ground walnuts would add nice texture and added nutrition. The resulting cake, Flourless Chocolate Banana Honey Walnut Cake, was everything I hoped for … the always-desired “chocolateness” made richer by the honey and ground walnuts and enhanced by a somewhat subtle banana flavor. One piece is very satisfying. I took this to a committee meeting and shared it with co-workers one morning and everyone loved it. Elana did not add flour to this recipe, but I actually think making it with her trademark addition of almond flour (from Honeyville) would make for an equally easy and delicious version of this cake. Until you get some of that, you can make my adaptation below. You probably have the ingredients on hand … gfe, you know?

Flourless Chocolate Banana Honey Walnut Cake
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

3 large eggs (I used extra large, but either will work)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup honey
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas, but make sure you have a full cup no matter how many bananas it takes)
1 cup ground walnuts (ground finely enough to hold together well, but not into a meal)
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon

In a blender, whip eggs, honey, and salt on medium for 1-2 minutes

Add olive oil and mashed banana and blend for another minute or two.

Add cocoa powder, cinnamon, and walnuts. Blend just enough so all is mixed well.

Grease a 9-inch spring form pan and pour batter into pan.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. (I usually make a circle of parchment paper and use as well as greasing to prevent sticking.) Let cake sit in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool. Cake will be thin and moist.

Adapted from Elana’s Pantry

NOTE: The giveaway below has been closed, but I will be hosting another giveaway of Elana’s cookbook, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, in the near future. Stay tuned.

Speaking of the lovely Elana and her fondness for and great success in using almond flour in recipes, have you heard about her new cookbook? It’s called The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. I ordered one for myself shortly after my birthday. Before it had even arrived, I visited a dear friend and she gave me my belated birthday gift … guess what it was? Yep, a copy of Elana’s cookbook. Not a problem at all … because I have decided to give my purchased copy to a lucky gfe reader via a giveaway here! I have that copy with me here in San Francisco at the BlogHer Food 09 conference. Elana is one of the featured speakers. She has also graciously agreed to sign this book for the giveaway when I see her later today. I am so excited on both counts.

Because I’m at BlogHer Food, I don’t have a lot of time to share my review, so I’ll give you my brief summary and defer you to a more in-depth review elsewhere, if you don’t mind. This book is as lovely as Elana herself. It includes 99 recipes that run the gamut from appetizers to desserts. Filled with recipes that are delightfully simple when it comes to ingredients and instructions, but wonderfully complex when it comes to flavors and satisfaction. The amazing photos and the little bits about Elana, that are shared in the book, are just frosting on the cake—make that chocolate, creamy coconut, marshmallow or peanut butter frosting, following Elana’s recipes, of course!
For a more in-depth review, please head over to The W.H.O.L.E. Gang to read about Diane’s and her son’s, Brad’s, time when they very happily tried out several of Elana’s recipes from her cookbook. For the giveaway, please leave a comment on why you’d like to win Elana’s cookbook. Get your entry in now—this giveaway will be open until Sunday, October 4, midnight EST.

Oh, by the way, yes, I’m having a fantastic time here in San Francisco! The conference is today! There was a small, intimate kickoff gathering held last night, but today 300 food bloggers will be gathering for a variety of great sessions. Before and after, we’ve been doing our best to take advantage of all there is to see and do. Yesterday afternoon, Diane, Ali of The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, and I went to Muir Woods (a humbling, calming experience of incredible beauty), traveling across the Golden Gate Bridge and also getting to spend some time in Sausolito.  We ran into the wonderful Shauna and Dan of the Gluten-Free Girl and Pork, Knife, and Spoon, and their sweet daughter, Lucy.  Then later we ran into Elana herself, her husband, and a sibling they’d happened to run into—serendipity.  Elana is every bit as lovely and charming in person as she is on her blog. Today I’ve met Stephanie of A Year of Slow Cooking and Totally Together Journal and Alison of Sure Foods Living—both every bit as terrific in person as they are on their sites!—and so many more … “old” favorite bloggers who I’ve been following for some time and new favorite bloggers. We’ve had several amazing naturally gluten-free meals: lunch at Crepe O Chocolat and The Slanted Door , and dinner at Farallon. I’ll share more details on all when I return, but please take a moment now and make a comment to enter the giveaway for Elana’s The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. If you want to let us know why you’d like Elana’s cookbook, that would be great, too! (Personally, I always love hearing a little bit of everyone’s personal stories.) Best of luck … see you when I get back from BlogHer Food!

I’m also submitting this recipe to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Mondays. Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free hosts this weekly roundup of recipes that are just a little bit healthier. You don’t have to be a blogger or even gluten free to participate. Check out the rules and all the other recipes including Amy’s Sweet Morning Potatoes—they sound so delicious and comforting. Her dish sounds wonderful to me right now because I’m currently on a plane headed home from BlogHer Food ’09 … you know how difficult it can be to eat well and healthily in airports and on planes. But, breakfast (apple, nuts, protein bar, and more nuts) aside, frankly, I’m just really tickled to have great wi-fi access at the moment … it was sorely lacking in my hotel room and even getting this post up initially took days. It was kind of funny really. (You have to keep your sense of humor at such times.) Thank you, Virgin America!

Shirley
Not just gfe, but gfe!

POMerdoodle Ice Cream

This post is linked to The W.H.O.L.E. Gang’s Friday Foodie Fix–Pomegranates.

If you’ve been reading gfe much of late, you know I’ve become smitten with my ice cream maker. I’ve already shared my versions of Snickerdoodle Ice Cream, Peach Sorbet, and Honeydew Sherbet … and raved about them all. The first time I made the Snickerdoodle ice cream, I used coconut milk versus dairy to ensure everyone in our support group could safely eat it. It did not disappoint. I decided to make the original version for my mother’s birthday recently. That recipe, from both Recipe Girl and Noble Pig, called for heavy cream and half and half. She and Dad were quite surprised when I showed up with the towel-wrapped frozen container of newly made ice cream. It’s always a treat to get homemade ice cream delivered to your door, right? They enjoyed it very much. Every recipe I create becomes my new favorite. My latest frozen treat is no exception.

Remember when I wondered if I should call the Snickerdoodle ice cream, Cocodoodle or Snickernut? Well, the “doodle” part has been stuck in my brain … making me think of designer dog names. Seriously. I know. I find them all so ridiculous, but amusing. I’m not sure I could actually own a dog with such a silly hybrid name, but, again, the names do entertain me. (And, please no offense if you own one of these breeds. I am sure it is the cutest dog EVER!) Even when I was making the first batch of Snickerdoodle ice cream, I was thinking of yet another ice cream version and already knew what its name would be—POMerdoodle—because I wanted to use the POM Wonderful juice that I had on hand. The POM Wonderful folks gave me a small sampling of their juice several months back for testing/review purposes. Because I’ve been treating the stuff like gold, I still had some. For the most part, I’ve just been adding a little POM Wonderful juice to my green smoothies now and then. (The green smoothie recipe I use is courtesy of Ali and Tom over at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, who incidentally have a new, awesome White Nectarine Ice Cream recipe posted on their blog.) But, again, adding POM Wonderful juice to ice cream to provide a nice pink color and a zippy flavor had definitely been on my mind. With leftover whipping cream and half and half from the batch made for Mom and Dad, I decided it was time.

Of course, the way my brain works, there had to be another tie in as well. Remember … I’m the girl that likes to squeeze in as much fun as possible (does cruising 10 states in 11 days across 2,100 miles ring a bell?). Sweet and enthusiastic Katrina at Gluten Free Gidget is currently hosting Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free!, the always joyful gluten-free carnival originated by the always delightful Naomi Devlin (Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried). Katrina’s theme is Dinner with Disney. Her guidance was to choose your favorite Disney movie and make a gluten-free recipe that would relate to the movie. I don’t know that I actually have a favorite Disney movie. In fact, there might be some that are definitely non-favorites. Oh, no, it has nothing to do with Walt and crew. It’s just that I watched so many of those movies over and over when Son was little. As a result, I can recite entire movie scripts and know the words to songs no grown-up should. In fact, sometimes those tunes pop into my head and just won’t leave! Therefore, I’m re-interpreting Katrina’s rules a bit and submitting my POMerdoodle ice cream recipe as homage to all the Walt Disney dog-themed movies. But, if Disney is interested in making a designer dog movie about a cute little POMerdoodle (a pink Pomeranian crossed with a cockerdoodle, perhaps?), then I want credit and, of course, I’ll be happy to be involved in the making of this new classic as well! We can sell the POMerdoodle ice cream along with the cute t-shirts and requisite itty bitty toys, and pink POMerdoodle purses. Of course, we’ll make both kinds of POMerdoodle ice cream—dairy and non-dairy, which will all be naturally gluten free or gfe!

This POMerdoodle ice cream came out extremely well. It is the palest of pinks—a sort of blush color. With the flecks of cinnamon and nutmeg, it also reminds me of the pink “sand” of Bermuda’s beaches. That alone is reason enough to love this ice cream in my book, because Mr. GFE and I love visiting Bermuda, but there are more. It retains its scoopable softness even after being in the freezer for several days. And, with its muted color and superior creaminess, it looks much like the chocolate frozen custard from nearby Carl’s Frozen Custard that locals (including myself) revere around here. Hey, I might even add some cocoa next time and make a Chocolate POMerdoodle variety. But, I don’t know … the flavor and everything else about this POMerdoodle ice cream is pretty darned good right now! It’s not overly sweet either with the delightful POM factor. I expected it to be tart, but it’s not tart at all; the POM just provides a little burst of flavor that keeps you coming back for more. It’s lovely really. But, I’m still having a hard time imagining a designer POMerdoodle dog … Share your favorite Walt Disney dog movie (or your least favorite) if you have one, and enjoy this ice cream! Check out the roundup at Katrina’s Gluten Free Gidget blog for all the delectable recipes. Or, if you want a little preview and don’t want to wait (and I don’t blame you!), here are two blogs you can visit right now to see their entries. Amy over at Simply Sugar Free and Gluten Free invented the most fabulous Baked Alaska (which movie do you think was her inspiration?) and Chaya over at Chaya’s Comfy Cook simply made mac and cheese for Mickey—yummmm … that Mickey is one lucky mouse!

POMerdoodle Ice Cream
(Click here for a printable version.)

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/2 cup half and half cream, chilled
1/2 cup POM Wonderful juice, chilled

In a blender or large bowl, combine honey, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add heavy whipping cream, half and half, and POM Wonderful; blend until smooth. (Either a blender or hand mixer will work fine for all mixing.)

Pour the cold mixture immediately into ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Churn about 20 minutes.

Scoop ice cream into a freezer safe-container. Freeze until ready to eat.

Adapted from Recipe Girl and Noble Pig

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

A Canoe with a View

We squeezed in a stop at our mountain property over Labor Day weekend. Monday morning we slept late, had a very light breakfast, and then headed out in the canoe. The Shenandoah River flows north. It’s one of the few rivers in the world that does. We headed south—paddling against the flow—weaving our way between the rocks (this section of the river is called the maze) and leaving as little of our canoe’s “hide” behind as we possibly could while doing so. We paddled as far south as we could (we don’t portage for such outings) and then crossed the river and turned north, to float back to our property. Around each bend of the river was another postcard view … the river itself, mountains, wildlife, and many other sights–scenes that are always comfortingly familiar, yet always surprising us, too.

Sycamore in sepia …

One of a pair of great blue herons … always just far enough away to avoid a great photo …

There are caves at the top of this rock face … we love visiting them, especially with new folks.

Below, Mr. Green Heron on the hunt …

This smallmouth bass only “visited” for a minute or two (we “catch and release”) and then he was off after bigger fish—hopefully, ones with no hooks …

The turtles reappeared for the first time since spring …

 Shooting “our” rapid … 

And, then we enjoyed lunch … hash made from leftover ham and sweet corn from dinner the night before, and diced potatoes (skins on), to which I added a little olive oil, cayenne pepper, and onions. The burned bits are the onions. Clearly, I added them too early in the cooking process. I forgot how long the diced, but raw potatoes would take to cook. Usually, I use leftover potatoes that have already been baked in the campfire. Since we had a long trip from North Carolina and Mr. GFE’s college reunion the previous day, we had prepared a very simple meal the night before–grilled ham steaks and grilled corn on the cob; there had been no time to get an adequate bed of coals for baking potatoes. The burned onion bits weren’t bad (I often rather like that flavor–just a little beyond caramelized, if you will), but they weren’t exactly the most photoworthy. Hash like this is a great meal though … so easy to make. I don’t even use a pan. I just make mine on foil on the grill. How do you use your leftovers like these? Do you make ham hash, steak hash, or just great hash browns by themselves? Or maybe something else?

We’re headed to our property again this weekend. It should be a lovely camping weekend given the weather forecast—70s during the day and high 40s at night. Some friends of ours, a couple, will be joining us. Each has a kayak, so we’ll all be out in the water doing a mini float. This trip might be our last camping for the season at our property because next weekend I’ll be heading to the BlogHer Food conference in San Francisco (which I’m really looking forward to, because I’ll be meeting so many of my online buddies in person!) and October is pretty unpredictable for mountain weather. But, we have had Indian Summers that allowed us to camp through October before. One year we even enjoyed a balmy Halloween weekend there—complete with a spooky jack-o-lantern!

Fall officially begins on Tuesday. I’m definitely ready. It’s my favorite time of year … that edge of coolness and freshness in the air, long-sleeved comfort, chasing away the overnight chill in the house by baking, building the first fire in the woodstove … that all just sounds so good. That last one, building the first fire in the woodstove is far from here yet, but it’s part of fall to me. I know we’ll certainly have a big campfire blazing tomorrow night in the mountains. Mr. GFE is already talking about his special “hot fire” wood that he has stashed at our property. I trust him, but I’m still taking a hat and gloves and the makings for hot cocoa … oh, and gotta have my alternative S’mores. That, of course, leads me back to baking. I’m making flourless chocolate cookies to use as a base this time, so maybe I’ll just skip adding more chocolate in between. Two rich chocolate cookies with a perfectly-roasted marshmallow in the middle … that sounds like a lovely S’more to me.

Hope you all have a great weekend planned!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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