Simple Pleasures: Gluten-Free Apple Crumble

I've dealt with a lot of butter lately. Between creaming it into cookie dough, folding it into puff pastry, and just plain absorbing it, air-born, through osmosis, I think I've just about saturated myself as much as I'm willing to. For the time being.

Going from "hobby" to professional scale baking has given me a new appreciation for the lighter, the less diabetes-inducing, that the culinary world has to offer. I'm still dessert obsessed, don't get me wrong! But sometimes what you need isn't butter and sugar cushioning at the end of a long day but rather something nourishing and flavorful.

This crumble is definitely that. Without sacrificing any of the stomach-filling, heart-warming goodness of the apple-cinnamon-butter trinity, it cuts back some of the damage.

This recipe doesn't have any wheat flour or sugar and it's absolutely delicious. The natural sweetness of the apples made the filling perfect without any additional sweetener. A light drizzle of honey was all it took for the topping to taste fabulous too.

Guilt-free, scrumptious dessert that tastes like a cross between apple pie and oatmeal. Yum.

Gluten-Free Apple Crumble

Filling:

apples (peeled and thinly sliced)

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

Topping:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup oat flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed (113 g/ 1 stick)
honey

Mix the cinnamon and apples together and layer the apple slices in a 9"x 9" baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt and then stir in the oats. 

380° F (193° C)

Bake for 25-35 mins, until the top is lightly browned.

Making Time: Banana-Bran Muffins

Well, I've started culinary school. It's actually happening.

Evening classes can be pretty rough, and it's been a little hard adjusting to the four-to-ten schedule. It still feels as though I have no time to get anything done and then, suddenly, the day is over.

I'm working on it, though. I've even managed to do some baking at home in between all the homework and bus commutes. Whoot!

But, in all honesty, it's been pretty awesome so far. I foresee it getting really intense and stressful but, hey, how else are you supposed to learn anything?

Banana-Bran Muffins
(adapted from eatingwell.com)



1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose/plain flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400° F (204° C). Grease a 12-muffin pan (or stand-alone silicone cups) and set aside.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, soda, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until creamy and then beat in the sugar, mixing until smooth and fully combined.

Stir in the bananas and mix well, then add the vanilla, oil, wheat bran, and buttermilk, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

Now add the flour mixture, about a third at a time, mixing only until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup to the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.

Makes about a dozen muffins.

Poppy Seed Cake

I'm pretty proud of this cake. It's kind of like my baby. Recently I've been ready Shirley Corriher's Cookwise, a textbook on all the geekery science behind cooking. It's pretty awesome and helped and inspired me to come up with my own cake recipes. This is the very first one.

I wanted a cake that wasn't too sweet or too dry, that was tender but had a satisfying density to it.

I think it turned out pretty darn well.

Poppy Seed Cake

1/3 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup milk

1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

In the microwave or on the stove, heat the milk to almost boiling and stir in the poppyseeds. Remove from the heat and set aside to soak for at least an hour.

Grease and flour a 9" cake pan and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350º F (177º C)

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, beating constantly until it's light and fluffy. This step is very important since it gives the cake it's fluffiness. If you don't spend the time beating air into the butter, the cake won't rise properly.

One at a time, beat the eggs into the butter-sugar, followed by the vanilla, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

Alternate adding the milk and the flour mixture, folding them in until just combined but being careful not to over-blend.

Finally, drain the poppy-seeds and stir them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes (it should be very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean) Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.

Mm, Butter: Crumbly Shortbread with Orange Zest

Can we just take a moment to be grateful to whoever is responsible for butter? I mean seriously good job, whoever you were. Really stellar work.

Butter is fantastic. Full-body massage kind of fantastic.

Yes, okay, the stuff has a sort of love-hate relationship with my waist-line. But we're adults here, we can take responsibility for our life choices. And if my life choices occasionally involve half a cup of butter, some fresh orange zest, and a little hero worship, who's to judge?

And trust me, if you have just a bite of this shortbread, you'll be sending some silent thanks toward the butter progenitor yourself. Because butter is awesome.

Recipe:
Crumbly Shortbread with Orange Zest
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick or 113 grams, cold but not frozen)
zest of one orange

Mix together the flours, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter and rub it into the flour mixture using your fingertips until the mixture has the texture of course sand. Add the orange zest and combine it well. Begin pressing the mixture flat with your palms, kneading it gently 5 or 6 times. The dough will still be fairly crumbly (mine didn't even come together in a lump). Chill it in the fridge for about thirty minutes (this will give the moisture a chance to disperse somewhat).

Preheat the oven to 250º F (121º C)

Once the dough has chilled, turn it out into an ungreased 9 inch cake pan and press it into the pan in an even layer. Using a fork, score the dough into wedges. Bake for about an hour in the preheated oven (the shortbread shouldn't brown at all so don't worry that it's not done). Allow the shortbread to cool in the pan and then cut it into wedges.

Consume in moderation.

Birthday Indulgence: Double Chocolate Layer Cake

So, it was my birthday on Tuesday. I'm officially 22 now. This should be a good year, full of new beginnings. I'm a college graduate now. I have a part time job. I'm beginning the lengthy process of apartment searching. In about a week I'll be starting culinary school (yikes!) It's sort of all kicking off.

But for now I'm still having some chill days, cooking, and enjoying time with my parents (and my cats). We're actually currently working on eating more healthily but sometimes you just need a cake.

A chocolate cake. In two layers. Slathered with ganache frosting.

Well, if you're gonna have a cake, you may as well go all the way. Just don't do it too often.

This is a pretty decadent cake. Rich and fudgy and tastes like chocolate rather than sugar. Which is really what a chocolate cake should be.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
(adapted from a recipe on epicurious.com)

3 oz. semi-sweet baker's chocolate
1 cup hot brewed coffee

2 cups + 2 tablespoons cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar

3 eggs + 1 extra yolk
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (shaken well)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare two, 9" cake pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms with a greased round of wax paper.

Preheat the oven to 300º F (149º C)

Chop up the chocolate and, in a medium-sized bowl, pour the hot coffee over it. Leave it to sit, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is all melted and smooth.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the cocoa powder in a measuring cup to sift it and then whisk it into the flour mixture.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until creamy yellow and fluffy (I used an electric mixture for a couple of minutes). Beat in the buttermilk, followed by the vegetable oil and then the vanilla extract. Add the coffee/chocolate mixture, making sure to scrape any chocolate smear from the sides of the bowl (waste not!) Mix thoroughly.

Beat in the sugar and start folding in the flour/cocoa mixture, a little at a time. Mix until just combined.

Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for about an hour (until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean)

Cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes and then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

Ice with ganache frosting and enjoy in moderation!

Kitchen Nirvana: Honey Whole Wheat Bread

You know what's beautiful? Bread. It's one of those glorious miracles of human civilization. With just a few ingredients and a bit of patience, we can harness the mighty powers of science.

I mean, how freaking awesome is yeast? Tiny bacteria that just need some sugar and a little private time and they'll do all the flavor-building, bubble-producing work? Yes please!

I love watching yeast dissolve into fluffy froth in warm water, boiling furiously just beneath the surface. I love the smell of honey and flour and the sticky satisfaction of a glossy, well-kneaded lump of dough.

Wafting on waves of oven warmth, the smell of freshly-baked bread fills the whole house, the homiest, most smile-inducing scent on earth.

And biting into the perfect, soft, ever-so-slightly sweet slice of bread is one of the simplest ecstasies I have ever experienced.

Recipe:
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
(recipe from allrecipes.com)

3 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey
4 1/2 teaspoons dried active yeast
5 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup honey
2-4 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons of melted butter

In a large bowl, combine the water, honey, and yeast and leave it to sit until frothy (usually 5-10 minutes). Now stir in the 5 cups of plain flour. Cover and set aside in a warm place for about an hour (or until it has become bubbly and has roughly doubled in size).

Add the butter, salt, and additional honey and stir to combine. Scatter two cups of whole wheat flour on a clean surface and tip the dough out onto it. Sprinkle roughly half a cup more of whole wheat flour over the dough and begin kneading. As the flour is combined with the dough, it will start to get sticky again. Add more flour, a little at a time, if the dough become unworkable but try to maintain a fairly sticky surface.

Place the dough in a large bowl and very lightly grease it by pouring a little oil in the bowl and turning the dough a few times until it is coated. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about two hours).

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into three pieces using a knife. Shape each third and place them in lightly greased loaf pans. Set the pans, covered, in a warm place for the final rise.

While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 350º F (170º C).

Bake in the lower third of the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Brush the tops with melted butter when they come out of the oven to prevent them from hardening.

Juuust Right: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sometimes size matters. A lot.

Sometimes, a cupcake just won't cut it. Too much frosting heaped on a disappointing little nubbin of cake. No.

Then again, a full-sized cake can be a challenge. A cake that sits around, challenging everyone in the house to break the one-slice-a-day limit of the post-holiday season. A cake that gets a little bit more dry every day, pressuring you to eat more than you really want. And cake is a terrible thing to waste.

Never fear! The geniuses of bake ware design have actually thought of this problem. Hello, 7 inch cake pan. My ideal, not-too-big-not-too-small cake pan, perfect for the Goldilocks within.

So this carrot cake recipe is for a 7 inch pan (it's pretty much my--slightly adapted-- carrot cake muffin recipe, baked in a cake pan and slathered with cream cheese deliciousness. I might possibly have mentioned that carrot cake is my absolute favorite cake. Ever. And this one turned out pretty darn well. It's delicately spiced and filled with scrumptious raisins and slivers of carrots. The aromatic orange oil is delicious, cutting creaminess of the frosting but orange zest and a little juice will do just as well.

Recipe:
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
for a 7 inch cake pan

1 1/4 cups all purpose/plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange essence/oil
2 1/2 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly, until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar and combine well. Add the oil, vanilla, and orange.

Now gradually fold in the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Finally, add the grated carrots and raisins.

Pour batter into a greased pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 grams) unsalted butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup superfine sugar
a couple drops of orange essence
a couple drops of vanilla extract

Cream the butter until it's light and fluffy. Add the sugar and thoroughly combine them before adding the cream cheese. Beat the mixture until it's all combined and has become smooth and then add the orange and vanilla.

When the cake has completely cooled, it can be iced. Store the iced cake in the fridge because the cream cheese in the frosting won't keep when at room temperature!

Happy Valentine's Day: Truffles and Kitchen Magic

As does much of life, cooking sometimes happens incidentally, through a series of--occasionally unfortunate-- events. Sometimes your fridge breaks and you find yourself stuck with several pints of rapidly warming cream that you just can't let go to waste. Sometimes you end up throwing things in a pot, hoping it all works out in the end. And sometimes it does.

Cooking without a recipe can actually be one of the most relaxing and zen-like experiences. You're not bound by expectations-- fantastically unrealistic expectations based on cookbook photography. It's all about flavor and texture. Discovering what you like and how to make it happen.

Of course, it doesn't always turn out well. Plenty of kitchen experiments result in unsalvageable disaster. But that's what makes the successes so sweet.

So, there's no recipe. Too much distracted kitchen experimentation and not enough writing things down.

It started with chocolate. And cream.

And tasty kitchen magic happened.

They're not the prettiest but they pack a flavor punch. And that's the important thing.

Happy Valentine's Day!