Shortbread Cookies

These are sweet, sandy shortbreads that dissolve in the mouth. They also crumble in the making and require the patience of Job. But it's a religious season, so make like Job and be patient. For brown-sugar shortbread with a crunch, like my Scottish grandmother used to make, see Rebecca Reilly's Gluten-Free Baking, and roll the dough thin.

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup gluten-free icing sugar
1 cup white rice flour
3/4 cup butter

Sift cornstarch, sugar, and flour together. Add butter and mix with hands until a soft dough forms. Refrigerate at least one hour. Shape it into 1” balls. This might require patience, since the dough is super-crumbly and might need to warm in your hands before it will hold together. Place cookies 1 1/2” apart on a parchment-paper or silicone-sheet lined unrimmed cookie pans. Flatten very gently with a fork dusted with rice flour, if the cookies are not already too crumbly. Bake at 300F for 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.

These are really special if you dip their tops in melted chocolate after they have cooled.

Chocolate-Glazed Fruit Bars

These have a sweet and sticky fruitiness with a pleasing crunch, too. They also look pretty. Press them very, very firmly into the pan to ensure they hold together well enough to cut easily -- oh, and cut them small, since the dates make them quite sweet.

1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup finely chopped apricots
1/4 cup sliced almonds
4 cups gluten-free corn flakes, crushed to 1 1/2 cups
3/4 cup chocolate chips

In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter with sugar.

Add chopped dates, cook, and stir for 5 minutes, until thoroughly combined and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in raisins, apricots, almonds, and cereal. Press into a greased 9” square pan. Chill until set.

Melt chocolate chips and spread over squares. Chill again until ready to cut into squares.

Herbed Bread

This is slightly adapted from a very good gluten-free recipe from Canadian Living. They got the proportions of ingredients perfected, as they always do. I changed the flours to add more whole-grain and fibre and changed the herbs to suit my taste and the current contents of my cupboard. I then used the leftover egg yolks to make tapioca pudding!

2 tbsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp instant yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup skim milk powder
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 tbsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp herbes de Provence
1 tsp salt

Grease a loaf pan. Set aside.

Dissolve sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle with yeast. Set aside until frothy, about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together flours and starches, milk powder, xanthan, herbs, and salt.

Whisk oil, vinegar, eggs, and egg whites into the yeast mixture. Stir in flour mixture and beat well, until smooth and evenly sticky and unmanageable. Spread into pan evenly and set aside in a warm spot to rise to the top of the pan, about 1 hour.

Bake at 350F about 45 minutes. (This timing worked perfectly for my oven. Hooray!) Remove from pan and allow to cool before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf.

Two-Bite Brownies

These are rich and chocolatey and slightly chewy. Yummm. You could add up to 1 cup of chopped walnuts or more chocolate chips to stretch the batter to make more brownies. Whatever you do, be sure not to overcook the brownies. If you have great willpower, you can eat these brownies in four bites, but no one will fault you for eating them in just one bite.

1 cup sugar
3 tbsp amaranth flour
1 tbsp potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Lightly grease and rice-flour 18 tartlet tins (more if you have added extras to the batter).
Preheat the oven to 325F.

Whisk flour, starch, xanthan, and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place butter and cocoa in a small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Allow to cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in dry ingredients, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Spoon into prepared tartlet tins, to about 2/3ish full.

Bake for 20 minutes, until set but moist in the centre. Allow to cool five minutes in the pan, then turn out on a rack to cool completely, or until their scent overcomes your willpower.

Makes 18 two-bite brownies.

Bruti ma buoni (Almond-Hazelnut Cookies)

These are light and delicious Italian gluten-free nut cookies.

1 cup egg whites
1 3/4 cups white sugar
5 1/3 cups chopped blanched almonds
2 cups hazelnuts, skinned and chopped

Preheat oven to 325F. Let egg whites stand until room temperature. Beat the whites until lightly foamy. Add the sugar gradually as you beat. Beat until soft peaks form. Fold in the nuts. Transfer to a large saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and turns a little brown, about 10 minutes. Spoon the cookies onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets by the teaspoonful, about 1 to 1 1/2” apart. Bake about 22 minutes, or until dry. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate-Chili Sparklers

Another cookie recipe, adapted from a seasonal brand promotion for products I am allergic to or don't buy. Still, these cookies are scrumptious -- absolutely gooily decadent fresh out of the oven after a Mexican meal, and still soft and yummy the next day. This is chocolate the old-fashioned way. I mean REALLY old-fashioned, like the Mayans and Aztecs liked it, with cinnamon and hot peppers.

1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup lard or shortening
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 extra large egg

2/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
3 tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs.

In a small bowl, whisk cocoa, flours and starches, xanthan gum, soda, cinnamon, and peppers.

Blend dry ingredients into butter and sugar mixture; mix in chocolate chips.

Roll into small (3/4"); roll balls in cinnamon sugar (3 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon). Place on parchment paper or a silicone baking pad on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, until somewhat cracked and flattened but still soft in the middle.

Makes 3 dozen.

Ginger Sparklers

Yes, more cookies. Is there such a thing as "too many cookies"? I used to make hundreds of these at a time. Now adapted for gluten-free. The many-flour blend in this recipe seems to preserve the texture better in these soft-doughed cookies than fewer-flour blends. Lining the baking sheet is an absolute must in this case.

3/4 cup shortening or lard
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
3/4 cups amaranth flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup soy flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
extra sugar (for rolling)

Cream shortening and sugar until light. Mix in eggs and molasses. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mix well and combine bit by bit with the creamed mixture. When well mixed, roll into small balls. Roll balls in white sugar. Flatten lightly with a fork and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes (until they are no longer pale).

Cream Cheese Pastry for Savouries

This makes perfect little gluten-free turnovers to serve as Christmas finger food. I have only tried this cream-cheese pastry with savoury fillings so far, to bring out the cheesiness of the cream cheese. I bet brie and cranberry chutney would be marvellous, or almost any savoury thing you would ordinarily wrap in phyllo pastry bundles.

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in sugar and salt. Stir in flours, starches, and xanthan gum just to blend. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least one hour.

Roll out on a rice-floured surface to 1/8” thickness. Cut 3” rounds. Fill with 1 tsp of your favourite savoury pre-cooked filling. Brush edges with beaten egg and fold over rounds to seal. Prick with a fork. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until golden.

Tempura Batter

For at least 3 cups of fish, seafood, or vegetable pieces.

1 egg, beaten
1 cup club soda
juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup rice flour (sweet rice flour best)
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt (if desired)
salt, to taste
1/2 tsp baking powder

Beat the egg. Add the club soda. Mix together cornstarch, rice flour, xanthan gum, seasoning, salt, and baking powder. Beat half the mixture into the egg, then stir in the rest. Leave a few lumps. Dip fish or veggies into batter with chop sticks. Shake off excess. Deep-fry until coating is golden and contents are cooked through.

Fruit and Nut Christmas Crostini

Christmas baking season looms. So many cookie recipes to try, and so little time . . . This was a recipe from Canadian Living a few Christmases back. It adapted beautifully to gluten-free flour.

4 egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup pistachios
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar 2 tbsp at a time, until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

In a small separate bowl, whisk together flours and xanthan gum. Sprinkle half of flour over the egg white mixture and fold in. Repeat with remaining flour. Sprinkle with almonds, pistachios, raisins, currants, and cranberries; fold in. Scrape into prepared loaf pan; smooth top.

Bake in centre of 350F oven until firm and pale golden, about 35 minutes. Let cool on rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and peel off paper. Let cool completely.

Using serrated knife, level top. Cut crosswise into about 1/8” thick slices. Arrange, 1/2 inch apart, on cookie pans lined with parchment paper. Bake one pan at a time at 300F, turning cookies once halfway through, until crisp and golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool on pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen.

Quinoa Tabouli

To make tabouli gluten-free, I use quinoa instead of bulgur. It’s more delicious that way, if more expensive! I love the texture of little bitty quinoas, with their little bitty tails.

1 cup dry whole quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
black pepper, to taste

4 green onions, finely minced (whites and greens)
1 packed cup minced parsley
10 to 15 fresh mint leaves, minced (or 1 to 2 tbsp dried mint)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
Optional: 1/2 cup cooked chick peas

Cook quinoa in boiling water in a rice cooker or saucepan until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Add salt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and black pepper, and mix thoroughly. Cover tightly and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving.

About 30 minutes before serving, stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve cold.

Marjorie's Pumpkin Loaf

My mother-in-law made a special request for an adaptation of this recipe for pumpkin loaf. I made it with dried cranberries instead of the raisins called for in the original recipe, and I think it was very successful. It is a moist dessert bread, perfect to serve with some aged Cheddar.

2/3 cup rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup dried cranberries

Grease a loaf pan (or line it with parchment paper). Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients: flours and starches, cinnamon, xanthan gum, soda, salt.
In a smaller bowl, whisk vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, and pumpkin. Stir wet ingredients lightly into dry ingredients; fold in cranberries. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 325F for about one hour, cheking after 50 minutes.

Pumpkin Pies

Why go to the bother of making one pumpkin pie when, for the same amount of effort, you can make two? Two delicious custardy smooth pies in gluten-free crusts. And why make a 9" pie when you can make a 10" pie? This recipe makes two ten-inch pies. Here's the crust recipe.

The filling's smoothness and lightness rely on a tip from Mark Bittman -- slowly warming the custard on the stovetop until it is hot to the touch, then pouring the warm filling into a freshly baked, still warm crust. This makes the custard the smoothest you can imagine -- and prevents burning the crust's delicate edges when you bake the pie. Warm the filling while baking the pie crust.

5 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (or more)
1/4 grated nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
pinch ground cloves
pinch salt
3 cups pumpkin or squash puree (canned okay)
3 cups half-and-half, light cream, or whole milk

In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, beat the eggs with the sugar, spices, and salt. Whisk in the pumpkin and then the milk or cream. While the crust is baking, warm the filling mixture over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is hot to the touch; do not boil.

Place two pie plates with two warm crusts on a baking sheet. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crusts and bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350F, until set but still moist. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream.

Flaky Pie Crust

This gluten-free pie crust is derived from a Bette Hagman recipe with a few flavourful adaptations and some notes from personal experience. I must admit, I was no wizard with wheat-based pastry, but this GF version makes me feel like a pastry goddess. The recipe makes two 10" pies or one double-crusted pie.

Notes: Gluten-free pie crust can’t be overworked like wheat-flour crust, but it can get too warm or have too much water. Start with the recommended 3 tbsp of water (or even less) and then decide if you need more, if the dough is too dry. The dough also needs to be good and cold when you roll it out. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling it, then roll it out on rice-floured plastic wrap or wax paper. It is too delicate to drape over the rolling pin and lift into the plate after rolling, so bring the pan to it instead. Invert the pie plate onto the rolled-out dough on the plastic wrap, then slide your hand under the plastic wrap and flip the whole shebang right-side up. Press the dough into the plate, remove the plastic wrap, flute the edges, and voilà. If it all falls apart, it’s pretty easy to patch together, too.

1 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup potato starch flour
1 rounded tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
dash sugar
1/2 cup lard or shortening (what's your issue? transfats or animal products?)
1/2 cup butter (cold)
1 egg, beaten (cold)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp ice water
extra sweet rice flour (for rolling)

Whisk dry ingredients together. Cut in butter and shortening until soft crumbs form. Mix in egg, vinegar, and water, and gather dough into a ball. If the dough is too dry, add an additional tbsp of water, but read the note above before you do . . . Chill the dough one hour. Divide in two and roll out each half. Press into the pie plates. Prick all over with a fork.

For a pre-baked crust: To bake, line the pie crusts with foil to cover and weigh the foil down with dry beans or pie weights. Bake at 400F for 12 minutes; remove the weights and foil, and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes at 350F, until lightly browned. You must weight the crust down to cook it as a pre-baked crust, or it will lurch upward in the middle as it cooks.

Otherwise, follow the regular cooking instructions in your favourite regular pie recipe and cook until lightly golden and flaky. Be sure to create wide steam vents in double-crust pies -- GF pie crust likes to seal itself back up as it cooks.

Pumpkin Roll

A jelly-roll type of deal, with pumpkin in the sponge cake and lots of cream-cheese frosting instead of "jelly." You could put lots less sugar in the frosting, I think, but I recreate the original recipe because I haven't tested a lower-sugar version.

1/4 cup each amaranth, rice, and soy flours
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 rounded tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin
1 tsp lemon juice

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a smaller bowl; add sugar and lemon juice and stir. Mix lightly into dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold gently into batter.

Spoon out onto a parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet (11x17") and spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Roll in a towel while still hot. Cool.

Spread the cooled pumpkin cake with cream-cheese frosting, blended until free of lumps:
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup icing sugar (or less)
. . . and roll up like a jelly roll.

Makes 1 log of pumpkin-cream cheese goodness.

Blackbottom Cups

These rich cupcakes have a chocolate base, a chocolate-chip cheesecakey filling, and a sprinkle of nuts on top! They are ba-a-a-ad for you and have almost no redeeming health benefits, unless you are so deprived of calcium that cream cheese counts as your daily intake. And almonds are reputedly good for us these days . . . Hmm. I've almost convinced myself . . .

For cheesecake filling:
6 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
6 oz chocolate chips

Cream together until well combined.

For topping:
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Mix in a small bowl. Set aside.

For black-bottomed cups:
3/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup soy flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp soda
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well, without overmixing.

Half-fill 18 muffin cups with blackbottom mixture. Spoon some cream cheese mixture into each. Sprinkle with nut and sugar topping. Bake at 350F for 20 to 30 minutes.

Egg and Cheese Brunch Pie

If you use leftover gluten-free pasta in this easy quiche, warm it in the microwave before adding to the pie.

1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch flour
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 mushrooms, finely chopped
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup hot cooked brown rice or corn noodles (spaghetti or fettucine)
pepper, to taste
2 very large or 3 medium eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup hot milk

Preheat oven to 325F.

To prepare crust, mix together flours, xanthan, cheese, mustard, salt, and butter. Use more butter if needed to hold it together. Press firmly into a 9” pie plate.

Lightly sauté onions and mushrooms in butter until browned. Pour over crust. Top with a layer of warm noodles and sprinkle with cheese, dusting with pepper. Pour beaten eggs over the pasta. Slowly pour in the hot milk. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until well set.

Apple Streusel Muffins

A somewhat decadent muffin with a streusel topping to add glamour and a sense of occasion.

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter

2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 medium apple, grated

2 tbsp grated lemon rind
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp sugar

Put flours and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in butter until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture for topping.

Beat egg and add with milk all at once to remaining flour mixture. Beat lightly just until mixed — the batter should still be lumpy. Stir in apple and 1 tbsp of the lemon rind. Spoon into 12-tin greased muffin tins, filling each muffin cup just 2/3 full.

Topping:
Add reserved crumb mixture to remaining lemon rind, walnuts, and sugar. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the muffins. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Cinnamon Rolls

These are very sloppy to make. I can’t deny it. But if you endure the mess, you’ll be glad you did. [However, I've now adapted a recipe for cinnamon rolls without the despair.]

3/4 cup rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or currants (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Whisk dry ingredients. In separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, and milk. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Spray a 20” piece of waxed paper with nonstick spray. Spread dough to 10x14” rectangle.

Cream butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Drop 1 tsp into each each of 8 greased muffin tins. Sprinkle remainder over dough. Sprinkle raisins or currants on top, if desired.

Roll carefully, using the waxed paper. The dough will be too wet to roll. Cut into 8 equal slices, using dental floss. Use a spatula to flop the dough into prepared muffin tins. It will be a sloppy mess. Try not to despair. The cinnamon rolls will cook nicely for 15 to 18 minutes and then will be very tasty.

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Muffins

In pumpkin season, pumpkin recipes are indispensable! We have any number of pumpkinny squash proliferating in our garden (read: taking over our entire yard and property). This is a tasty and not-too-sweet cheesecakey muffin.

3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup amaranth flour (or another 3/4 cup brown rice flour)
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 4-oz pkg cream cheese, cut in 12 cubes

In a large bowl, mix flours and starches, sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin, butter, and sour cream. Add to the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Fill greased muffin cups 1/3 full. Place a cube of cream cheese in the centre of each. Add more batter to fill cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400F for approx. 15 to 20 minutes.

Peach Cobbler

Not surprisingly, this recipe is cobbled together. The base, with its citrus and almond notes, is inspired by The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, and the top is adapted from various gluten-free scone recipes, with almond flour to complement the base and with the addition of an egg for richness, tenderness, and firmness.

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 to 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt

extra sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange sliced peaches in the bottom of an 8" square glass baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, while you prepare the biscuit topping.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and starches with xanthan, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in butter until only small lumps remain. Stir in egg and yogurt (beginning with 1/3 of a cup of yogurt) to make a soft, moist ball. Add additional yogurt, 1 tbsp at a time, if the mixture is at all dry or crumbly.

Remove hot peaches from oven and quickly drop biscuit dough in about 12 even spoonfuls over the surface. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar for decoration and glossy brownness. Return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed biscuit top is cooked through and is firm and golden brown. Be sure the biscuit is fully cooked in the centre of the pan, if possible. (It might stay a wee bit gooey there -- and if so, cut the cobbler in long, narrow slices to ensure each slice includes some of the more perfect biscuit nearer the outer edges of the pan.)

Serve hot, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This is the time of year one's garden would ordinarily be overrun with zucchini aspiring to the size of small coffeetables, if one's zucchini plants weren't half-drowned by the torrential rains this year, and if one's life-partner had not planted so many "Mammoth Russian" sunflowers that they cast shade in all directions until nightfall. This recipe works very well with grated frozen zucchini, if one has a surplus instead of a crop failure.

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour (or more rice flour)
1/2 cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 mounded tsp soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cocoa

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini, centre seeds scooped out if excessive
1 cup chopped walnuts, or pecans, if you insist
1 cup chocolate chips

Grease tube or bundt pan. Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients until well-blended.

In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla.

Beat wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring just until blended. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out on a rack to cool completely.

When completely cooled, spread with cream-cheese frosting, if desired: Blend 1 pkg (4 oz) cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, and 2 cups gluten-free icing sugar until no lumps remain.

Banana Muffins

While we're on the topic of overripe bananas . . . (I recently overestimated my baby's interest in eating bananas and underestimated their appeal for fruitflies.) These muffins are delicious with chocolate chips (what isn't?) but just as tasty with fresh or frozen berries, dried fruit, or chopped apple chunks instead of the chocolate chips. If using fruit, you might like to add some grated lemon peel or cinnamon to the batter. I have to keep my muffins simple and chocolate-free until the baby is old enough to taste citrus or chocolate.

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour (or another 1/2 cup brown rice flour)
1/2 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup flaxseed meal (optional)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp unflavoured gelatin (omit for vegetarians)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk (soy milk works fine)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 cup chocolate chips, blueberries or other berries, or chopped fruit

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or use liners. Whisk together dry ingredients until well-blended. In another bowl, whisk milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until very smooth. Pour into flour mixture and stir just until ingredients are moistened. Fold in mashed bananas and additions (chocolate or fruit). Spoon batter into tins, filling 2/3 to 3/4 full, depending on how big you like your muffins and how many you wish to make. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops of muffins are lightly browned and centres test clean with a skewer. (Note: If using frozen bananas or frozen berries, you may need to allow a little longer for muffins to cook.) Remove from oven, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Makes 12 to 15 muffins.

Banana Bread

This gluten-free recipe originally came from Canadian Living, but the version below is adapted to include more whole-grain gluten-free flours. A good way to use up over-ripe bananas!

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (preferably walnuts or pecans)
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 large eggs

Lightly grease one 9x5" loaf pan. In large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder and soda, xanthan, and salt. Stir in nuts and flaxseed meal. In separate bowl, mash bananas and whisk in brown sugar, melted butter, vinegar, and eggs. Pour over flour mixture and stir just to blend. Pour into prepared pan. Tap on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350F about 50-55 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out on a rack to cool completely.

Makes one loaf.

Ice Cream Waffle Cones

I found a version of this recipe in a newsletter from the local celiac association, and it was credited to the "Edmonton Chapter." So, thanks to the Edmonton chapter. I've adapted the recipe to my liking -- and also to my patience. My little "tweaks" have made the batter easier to pour and to spread and then to shape into cones, but at the cost of a little bit of crispness, unless the cones are cooked to perfection, and life admits a lot more errors than perfections. A real treat, though, to have a real ice-cream cone . . . worth the bother for the sake of much-loved children.

2 egg whites
pinch salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp water (or tiny bits more, as needed for pourability)

Beat egg whites with salt until frothy. Stir in sugar, vanilla, almond extract, xanthan gum, cornstarch, potato starch, and water; stir until no lumps remain. (The mixture will be similar in texture and colour to melted marshmallows.)

Lightly spray a hot pan with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray. (Keep the temperature constant at low-medium -- just less than 4 on a scale of 10 on my stove.)

Spoon approximately 1 1/2 tbsp batter into greased pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter into a circle or oval as thin as the batter allows, ideally about 4". Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes, then flip to cook the other side until it, too is golden, about 90 seconds. Very carefully and very quickly, without burning your fingers, remove from pan onto a silicone baking sheet or heavy, clean towel. Form into a cone with your fingers, working quickly but without burning your fingers. The cone will set into place quickly as it cools. Place cone seam-side down to cool completely. Freeze if not using within a few days.

Makes 12 cones, give or take. Takes about an hour. If sugar from the cones begins to burn on your pan, remove from heat, wash and dry, re-heat the pan, and recommence.

Marjorie's Blueberry Cake

My mother-in-law asked me to attempt to recreate her favourite blueberry cake in a gluten-free form for blueberry season. The first attempt was good, but the centre was slow to cook, leaving the edges a little browned for my liking. The second attempt was better, with delicate and tender sides and an evenly risen and browned top, but it was definitely a little more finicky. I made sure my butter and eggs were room temperature and I warmed the milk in the microwave. And I used fresh, not frozen, blueberries to reduce the cooking time. And I cooked the whole darn thing in a bain marie. It was nearly perfect cake, but if you really can't be bothered with the fussing, it will still be delicious -- a real, old-fashioned cake to serve with tea.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup warm milk

2 to 3 cups blueberries

Grease and line with parchment paper a 9" square pan.

In a large bowl, whip butter until white. Cream sugar with butter until light and fluffy, several minutes longer than you think is reasonable. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flours and starches, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum.

To the butter mixture, beat in flour mixture alternately with the warm milk. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake pan in a larger pan; fill the larger pan with boiling water to halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake at 350F for about one hour (definitely a little more for frozen berries). A skewer poked into a crack in the cake's surface should test clean.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe can be doubled or tripled for special occasions. No one will know there chewy crisp cookies are gluten-free unless you tell them.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup amaranth flour
1/3 cup potato starch
3 tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup fine unsweetened coconut

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours and other dry ingredients. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and coconut. Drop by 1 tbsp about two inches apart on prepared pans.

Bake for about 12 minutes, until light golden. Cool cookies on racks, if they last until cool.

Makes almost 3 dozen cookies.

Corn Fritters

These quick corn pancakes make a very quick breakfast side-dish or, surprisingly enough, a good vegetarian sandwich filling, with cheese, sprouts, tomatoes, and a spicy fruit chutney. If you like a stiffer and heavier dough for fritters, adding more flour is an option.

1 can (14 oz/400 ml) can creamed corn
1 large egg
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp baking soda

Whisk egg into creamed corn until beaten. Stir in flours and flaxseed and baking soda until just mixed.

Drop 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of dough onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Cook over medium heat, turning once, until golden brown and well set. Serve with chutney, as a savoury, or with maple syrup or molasses, as a sweet breakfast.

Makes about 12 smallish (2 1/2" to 3") pancakes (about 3 servings).

Amaranth-Blueberry Pancakes

July got away from me with no recipe postings, due to regular summer busy-ness, a new baby in my sister's family, and a bout of hot summer weather that kept me out of the kitchen.

These amaranth pancakes were a hit with my baby, who liked sinking her new teeth into the dense and chewy little cakes. Halved fresh raspberries would be a nice substitute for blueberries. Leftovers are best reheated in the microwave. They do not do well in the toaster, unless you like a lot more crunch to your pancakes than I do.

1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
sprinkle of salt

2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp oil

1/2 cup blueberries

In a medium bowl, whisk flours and starches, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and oil until well blended.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, just to combine. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon by the generous, dolloppy tablespoonful onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Turn once, after set on one side.

Makes about 12 smallish (2 1/2-3") pancakes.

Savoury Ricotta Muffins

Another savoury muffin recipe. I must admit these required too much work for me to commit to making them very often. Hours after cooling, though, they were still moist (a wee bit sticky) and still nicely crunchy on the edges. Cottage cheese would probably work just fine rather than ricotta -- it would leave some nice wee lumps of curd in the mix.

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dry mustard powder (check that it's gluten-free)

3/4 cup milk
3 tbsp melted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 small onion, minced finely
1/4 cup parsley, minced finely

1/2 cup grated very old Cheddar
1/2 tsp paprika

Prepare 12 muffin tins by greasing them well. Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and starches, xanthan gum, flaxseed meal, salt, mustard, and baking powder. In a larger bowl, wuickly beat together milk, butter, and egg; fold in ricotta, onion, and parsley. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined.

Spoon into prepared muffin tins, dividing evenly. Sprinkle evenly with Cheddar cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce

This famous recipe from a local swanky eatery at Dalvay-by-the-Sea has been published in Gourmet magazine and is a favourite at PEI supper parties. It is fruity and sticky enough to adapt well to gluten-free flour. Make sure to serve it warm.

1 3/4 cups packed pitted dates (about 10 oz)
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup potato starch flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 rounded tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375F and butter and rice-flour an 8” square baking pan, knocking out excess rice flour.

Coarsely chop dates and simmer with water in a saucepan, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl sift together flours and starches, xanthan gum, baking powder, ginger, and salt.

In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating very well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Fold in date mixture and until just combined well. (This bit will be a bit sticky with gluten-free flours. Be patient and steadfast.)

Pour batter into prepared pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding on a rack. Serve warm with toffee sauce.

Toffee Sauce:
7/8 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a heavy saucepan over moderate heat melt butter. Add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally; then stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.

Herbed Rice Muffins

Savoury quickbreads to serve on their own or with cheese or soup or other deliciousness. Much simpler to put together than yeast bread, and a great way to use leftover rice. If you wished to add to these muffins, some chopped sun-dried tomato in oil would be lovely, or, alternatively, some minced red and/or green sweet pepper.

1 cup cooked, cooled brown basmati rice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp xanthan gum
4 tso baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each dried basil, marjoram, and oregano
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (generous!) freshly, finely grated Parmesan cheese

Grease or line 12 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine rice, oil, and milk. Whisk until well combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk flours and starches, flaxseed meal, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, herbs, and cheese. Stir into wet ingredients, just to mix.

Fill prepared muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake muffins at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes. (The colder the leftover rice is, the longer the cooking time.)

Parmesan "Shortbread"

A whole new take on icebox cookies, these "shortbreads" are a decadent appetizer to serve with a savoury jam or jelly. Adapted from Canadian Living, December 2002.

1/4 cup amaranth flor
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp cracked peppercorns

Whisk flours and starches with xanthan gum and Parmesan. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press crumbs into a neat ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Divide dough in half. On a lightly rice-floured surface, form each into an 8" log, pressing crumbs together as tightly as possible to form a coherent log. Roll each log in cracked pepper, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm.

Cut into 1/4" slices using a serrated knife and place about 1" apart on a pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Bake in the centre of 250F oven until lightly browned and fragrant, about 1 hour.

Gluten-Free Herbed Chicken Burgers

These burgers are moist but still ultra-lean. And, as a bonus, they hold together on the grill. Perfect for those just-ready to eat fresh herbs.

If I buy gluten-free "buns" at all, I buy English muffins, which toast up to the nicest texture and are the right size and shape for burgers.

1 lb lean or extra lean ground chicken or turkey

4 medium mushrooms, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fine, dry gluten-free bread crumbs
2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 tsp fresh marjoram, minced
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp each balsamic vinegar and GF soy sauce
freshly ground pepper to taste

Stir together mushrooms, garlic, breadcrumbs, herbs, vinegar, soy sauce, and pepper until evenly mixed. Fold in ground chicken.

Form into six patties, and cook on a greased grill until well done.

Cool Curried Quinoa Salad

On to the healthy recipes, the ones you can make a meal of rather than a dessert! This is a yummy summery salad. Quinoa costs an arm and a leg, but it’s really, really good for you. And filling and whatnot.

1 3/4 cup quinoa
3 1/2 cups hot vegetable (or chicken) stock
4 tsp curry paste
1 tbsp minced ginger

1/2 cup each fresh, chopped coriander and parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of salt

3 green onions, chopped
1 6” chunk (or more) cucumber, diced (and seeded, if necessary)
1/2 a red or yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup raw snow peas, chopped in bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1 small to medium carrot, peeled and grated

In saucepan or rice cooker, combine stock, curry paste, and ginger. Add quinoa and cook until liquid is absorbed and the disturbing little curlicues in the quinoa have emerged. Let cool; fluff with a fork.

In a large bowl, whisk coriander, parsley, lemon juice, oil, garlic, and salt. Stir in cooled quinoa, green onions, cucumber, red pepper, snow peas, and 1/4 cup of the almonds. Toss to coat.

Serve cold, topped with grated carrot and remaining 1/4 cup almonds.

Ginger Crunch Cookies

Another adapted New Zealand-type cookies -- slightly short, not too sweet, and crunchy without being crumbly or too tooth-achingly crisp. These cookies will not spread much or rise much (they contain no baking powder or baking soda). They have a mildly gingery taste at first, but the ginger gives a pleasantly hot kick on the aftertaste. Custard powder adds colour and a small amount of flavour. Make sure your custard powder is made of corn starch and contains no gluten.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/3 cup potato starch flour
3 tbsp tapioca starch flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

5 tbsp custard powder
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup cornflakes, slightly crushed

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and egg until well blended. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, starches, and xanthan gum. In a small bowl, toss chopped crystallized ginger in custard powder until well coated.

Blend flour mixture into butter mixture, then blend in ginger mixture. Roll by the tablespoonful into 24 balls, and roll the balls in cornflakes to coat crunchily. Place balls on a parchment-paper or silicone sheet-lined baking pan. Flatten with your fingers or with a fork.

Bake for 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 375F, until firm and lightly browned. Allow to cool on the pans until cool enough to transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 24 cookies.

Soft Apple-Nut Spice Cookies

Adapted from an unpublished recipe by local cook and cookbook writer extraordinaire, Joanie Sutton.

I made these cookies partly to use up an over-stocked fruit bowl and partly in hopes the cookies might be slightly more healthful than my usual cookies. I don't know about the health factor, but the cookies were delicious, and the fruit bowl was happily diminished of its oversupply of apples.

I have to admit, these are a bit more healthful than I usual like my cookies to be -- they're more like muffin tops!

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup almond flour (ground almonds)
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups grated apple (about 3 medium apples)
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line three cookie pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and starches, xanthan gum, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt until well blended.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.

With the electric mixer running, beat in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Gradually add the grated apple, mixing well to combine. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Drop by the tablespoon onto the prepared cookie pans and bake 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned and centre springs back from a light touch. Allow to cool on the pans for 5 minutes, or until set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 40 cookies.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Self-saucing pudding cake that’s easy, rich, and incredibly decadent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup potato or tapioca starch
1/4 cup soy flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 rounded tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/3 boiling water
1/3 cup cocoa

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours and starches, first measure of cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, milk, vanilla. Add the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Stir in walnuts. Spread in an ungreased 8” square pan.

In yet another bowl, whisk brown sugar, second measure of cocoa, and boiling water. Pour over batter in the baking pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs adhering to it. (The bottom layer of the cake will be wet and puddingy.)

Serve hot!

Makes 9 medium servings.

Apple or Rhubarb Crisp II

Here is my favourite gluten-free apple/rhubarb crisp topping with oatmeal, based on my Scottish grandmother's recipe. If you don't have access to pure, uncontaminated oatmeal, use the oatmeal-based version of the recipe in the last post, Apple or Rhubarb Crisp I.

4 cups fruit, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup arrowroot flour or tapioca starch
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (1/2 for apple, 1 for rhubarb)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Gluten-Free Topping:
1/4 cup fine dry gluten-free bread crumbs
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine sliced fruit, white sugar, 1/4 cup arrowroot flour, cinnamon, and water. Pour into a 9” square pan. Combine bread crumbs, brown rice, tapioca starch, brown sugar, oatmeal, and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix well and crumble over the fruit in the pan. Pat down lightly. Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Apple or Rhubarb Crisp I

My grandmother's spring rhubarb crisp and autumn apple crisp were notable for their crispy topping with almost as much butter as oatmeal! Her crisp also contained more flour than oats, and so is slightly harder to replicate as a gluten-free concoction. The following recipe captures some of the buttery, sugary crunch, but if you have access to pure, uncontaminated oatmeal, use the oatmeal-based version of the recipe in the next post, Apple or Rhubarb Crisp II.

4 cups fruit, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup arrowroot flour or tapioca starch
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (1/2 for apple, 1 for rhubarb)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Gluten-Free Topping:
1 cup fine dry gluten-free bread crumbs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
a few drops almond extract
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine sliced fruit, white sugar, 1/4 cup arrowroot flour, cinnamon, and water. Pour into a 9” square pan. Combine bread crumbs, brown sugar, coconut, pecans, almonds, almond extract, and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix well and crumble over the fruit in the pan. Pat down lightly. Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Variations:
* Add 1/2 cup blueberries or cranberries to either rhubarb or apple mixture.
* Sprinkle apples with 1/2 tsp lemon zest and 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice for a tangy apple crisp.

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

This is a really special angel-food cake, perfect for the coming berry and fruit season. Tetra-pak egg whites make this easy and don’t leave you with a dozen lonely egg yolks yearning to be made into pudding.

2/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum

12 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup sugar

Combine flours, 3/4 sugar, salt, and xanthan gum.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and vanilla and almond until quite stiff. While beating, gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture by hand. Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan. Gently cut through the batter with a knife to break air bubbles.

Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes. Invert immediately on the top of a bottle. Allow to cool completely before turning out.

Everyday Apple Spice Cake

This is a sweet, spongy, puddingy cake good served with ice cream, whipped cream, or butterscotch sauce.

Instead of dried cranberries and/or nuts, it is also delicious with a handful or two of diced rhubarb, fresh or frozen cranberries, or wild blueberries folded into the batter.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 large apples, peeled and grated
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture. Fold in apples and nuts and cranberries (if desired).

Pour batter into a greased 8” square pan. Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done in the centre.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Like most cakes with fruit or vegetable content, carrot cake adapts very well to gluten-free flour. The carrot adds lots of moisture and evens out the texture. You can also add 2 tbsp flaxseed meal to the recipe. For a slightly lighter cake, there's always the option of separating the eggs, beating the whites until stiff, and folding them in after folding in the carrots.

Gluten-free carrot cake rises best (though still not hugely) in a sheet pan (9x13”) rather than a tube pan.

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 cups white sugar
2 rounded tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots

Whisk together dry ingredients. Add oil and eggs and fold until just mixed. Fold in carrots. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the cake tests done. Allow to cool before icing.

Cream-Cheese Icing:

6 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 to 2 tsp grated orange rind (optional)
1 1/2 cup icing sugar

Soften and blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and orange rind. Stir in icing sugar until smooth.

New Zealand Nana's Pavlova

With summer (allegedly) on the way, with its bounty of fresh fruits and berries, what better than a meringue?

This antipodean recipe comes from my friend Mark's nana and makes enough for an army. Mark's nana used malt vinegar, but for a gluten-free version, balsamic vinegar adds a hint of lovely caramel colour and mild flavour. Mark was pleasantly surprised by how well Canadian wild blueberries matched the New Zealand pavlova.

6 egg whites
3 cups sugar
3 tbsp cold water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cornstarch

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add water and beat again until stiff. Add sugar slowly, one spoon at a time; beat again. Sprinkle vinegar, salt, vanilla, and cornstarch and beat again. Spread on parchment paper on a pan and bake at 300F for five minutes. Turn oven down to 200F for 2 hours. Turn off the oven, and if possible leave the pavlova in the oven overnight to dry out.

Serve topped with lots of whipped cream and fresh or frozen fruit (strawberries, kiwis, blueberries, or whatever suits your fancy). Allow to sit topped with cream and fruit for one hour before serving.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

These "muffins" are cupcakes, really. They adapted surprisingly well to gluten-free flours -- the rice flour makes them a little crisper on the edges, but it’s a nice texture. The recipe makes 9 full-size muffins. I'm not sure how well they keep -- they got eaten up too fast at the potluck we brought them to!

75 g cream cheese
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup brown rice or amaranth flour (or a combination)
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup soy flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp (heaping) baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk

Beat cream cheese and 2 tbsp sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside.

Combine flours, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt and whisk well. In a smaller bowl, combine egg, oil, and milk and whisk. Combine wet and dry ingredients with a light hand.

Spoon 2 tbsp chocolate batter into each of nine prepared muffin cups, drop 1 tsp cream cheese mixture on top, then cover with remaining chocolate batter.

Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

A vegetarian delight, featuring oh-so-good for you (oh-so-expensive) quinoa. The almonds are a must for texture. Select peppers that are shorter than they are long. They will sit more easily in the pan as they bake.

*I used canned tomatoes for convenience, and I drained the tomato juice, seeds and all, and used it, topped up with veggie stock, to cook the quinoa. This was delicious.

3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, or a combination of vegetable stock and tomato juice

5-6 small- to medium-sized peppers -- all red, or a mix of red, green and/or other colours

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mushrooms, diced
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tbsp herbes de Provence
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced*
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1 cup old Cheddar cheese, grated

Cook quinoa in vegetable stock until the water is absorbed and the disturbing little curlicues have emerged from the grains of quinoa. (A rice cooker works equally well for quinoa.) When cooked, pour the quinoa into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the tops off the red and green peppers. Discard seeds and core, and dice remaining tops.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add diced mushrooms, jalapeno pepper, and reserved diced pepper tops. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Cook until vegetables are just tender.

Stir vegetable mixture, diced tomatoes, lemon juice, and toasted sliced almonds into the quinoa. Stir in 3/4 cup of cheese, reserving 1/4 cup to sprinkle on tops of peppers. Taste mixture and adjust seasonings.

Spoon mixture evenly into prepared peppers, mounding the mixture if necessary. Sprinkle each pepper with a little bit of reserved cheese. Place in 8" glass baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until peppers are almost tender. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes, until peppers are tender and topping is nicely browned.

Makes 5-6 servings.

Gluten-Free Multigrain and Seed Loaf

This is the opposite end of the spectrum from fluffy, light white bread with a chewy crust. The loaf is dense and moist, full of smooth seeds, slightly chewy on the inside with a "biscuity" crust. I want to call it "European," but I'm not sure why! This is the kind of bread you want to eat warm with cheese or honey or jam. If you use this bread for a sandwich, use it when it is fresh and top it with bright, crisp flavours -- cheese and whole-seed mustard and lots of sprouts and grated carrot and slices of tomato and cucumber.

I don't have an adequate test for the "doneness" of gluten-free yeast bread. I've tried a thump on the bottom, but I can't get an accurate reading from it. I've tried a poke in the centre with a cake tester, but I don't trust the results -- it's not enough confirmation of doneness when the tester comes back clean. Sadly, I've often ended up cutting the loaf in half when I'm pretty sure it's done, looking at the middle, and putting it back in the oven if it's too gooey. This ruins the middle two pieces, but it's better than ruining the whole loaf, and I find if I eat the middle bits right away, as soon as the bread has cooled a bit, I am not disappointed. Be sure to note the correct cooking time for the loaf for your oven, and this should save you some work if you try the recipe a second time.

1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp dry yeast

2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 cup whole flaxseeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt

1 cup lukewarm milk
3 tbsp melted butter
1 large egg, at room temperature and lightly beaten
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Additional seeds for topping, if desired.


Lightly grease a 9x5" loaf pan.

Dissolve sugar in lukewarm water. Sprinkle yeast on top. Set aside until frothy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine brown rice flour, amaranth flour, buckwheat flour, cornmeal, sunflower seeds, flaxseed meal, whole flaxseeds, sesame seeds, xanthan gum, and salt. Whisk well to combine.

Using an electric mixer, beat warm milk and butter into the flour mixture. Add egg and vinegar and beat again. Add yeast and water mixture and continue beating until well-combined. The dough will be heavy and moist.

Press into the prepared loaf pan, evening out the top. Sprinkle the top with additional sunflower, flax, or sesame seeds, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the bread. Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until the dough creeps to the top of the pan, about one hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Turn out on a rack to cool, and slice when cool enough to handle, but still warm. Serve fresh, if possible. Keep leftovers well-sealed in the refrigerator or the freezer.

Makes 1 loaf.

Date Squares

Another recipe for an oat-based treat I used to enjoy before celiac disease. The recipe has been restored to me since I ordered uncontaminated oatmeal from Cream Hill Estates. Be sure to confirm that your celiac friends can tolerate pure oats before serving; some can't.

Filling:
500 g pitted dates
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup hot water

Base/Topping:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups uncontaminated oats

Mix dates, brown sugar, and hot water in a saucepan and cook on top of the stove over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the dates are soft. Set aside to cool.

Sift flours, starches, xanthan gum, soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter to make fine crumbs. Blend in brown sugar and rolled oats. Mix well to resemble coarse crumbs.

Press half the oat mixture into well-greased 9x13” pan. Cover with date filling and top with crumbles of the remainder of the oat mixture. Pressing gently and evenly to make sure topping is well distributed (it will puff and spread a bit, but not much, as it bakes). Bake at 325F for 30 to 35 minutes, until topping is puffed and golden.

Cut in squares in the pan while hot; cool in the pan before serving.

Mocha Refrigerator Cookies

These are adapted from a recipe by pastry chef Anna Olson from Canadian Living’s December 2005 issue. These cookies are not too sweet -- a bonus in my books. After being puverized in a food processor, they also make great chocolate/mocha cookie crumbs to use as a base for cheesecake.

1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup GF icing sugar
1 tbsp instant coffee
1/4 cup hot water
4 tsp GF vanilla
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Line cookie pans with parchment paper.

Dissolve coffee in hot water.

In a large bowl, lightly beat butter with icing sugar; beat in dissolved coffee and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk flours and xanthan gum with cocoa and salt. Stir into butter mixture and stir until combined. Divide into three parts. Shape each into a log one inch around. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, until firm.

Slice logs into generous 1/4” thick rounds. Place 1” apart, on parchment paper-lined pans. Bake one pan at a time at 325F until tops of cookies are firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.

Pour sugar into shallow dish. Coat warm cookies, a few at a time, in sugar. Let cool on rack.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Lemon-Coconut Cookies

These icebox cookies are like light, lemony-coconutty shortbread. They aren't sugary -- the natural sweetness comes from the coconut.

Fine coconut makes an interesting and flavourful addition to flour mixes for cookies.

1/2 cup unsweetened flaked or medium coconut
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup fine coconut (like coconut "flour")

First, toast the flaked or medium coconut on a cookie sheet in a preheated, 300F oven (3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned -- keep a close eye). Allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, lightly cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk rice flour, amaranth flour, potato starch, and fine coconut. Blend flour and starch mixture into butter mixture. Blend in toasted coconut.

Form dough into a 7" log, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour. Log will have gotten flat on one side. Either roll the log on the table to make round cookies or flatten all four sides against a hard surface to make the log rectangular. Return to refrigerator until dough is full chilled, approximately 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut logs into 1/4" slices and place cookie slices on a cookie pan lined with parchment or with a silpat sheet. Place cookies in preheated oven, reduce heat to 325F, and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool five minutes on pans before transferring to racks to cool completely.

Makes about 28 cookies.

Morning Muffin Bites

Adapted from a recipe for six full-sized muffins in Canadian Living, these are perfect little muffin bites when cooked in mini-muffin tins.

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/3 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
3 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
dash salt
1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins or currants
1/4 cup medium unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sliced almonds
1 large egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt (soy yogurt works fine)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup grated carrots (2 small to medium)
1/2 cup grated peeled apple (1 small to medium)

Grease 24 mini muffin cups. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours and starches, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir in dried fruit, coconut, and pumpkin seeds, allowing each fleck to be coated by a bit of flour or starch.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg, brown sugar, yogurt, and oil until well combined. Stir in carrot and apple.

Stir wet ingredients into dry, mixing just until moistened. Spoon batter evenly into prepared mini-muffin tins and bake, testing doneness after 12 to 15 minutes. Time might depend on your oven and the moisture of the carrot and apple you used.

Makes 24 bite-sized muffins.

Gluten-Free "Pumpernickel" Bread

My favourite gluten-free yeast bread to bother with, this recipe is adapted from Bette Hagman's pumpernickel recipe, which makes either three mini-loaves or one sandwich loaf and a few spare muffin-shaped loaves and therefore makes me crazy.

I've adapted amounts to make two reasonable-sized and reasonable-shaped loaves in two 5x9" loaf pans. I've also used a different mix of flours with a bit more whole grain.

Eat one loaf and freeze the other for sandwiches. Cream cheese topped with cold-smoked salmon or gravlax is wonderful on this bread.

2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup amaranth flour
1 cup potato starch flour
3/4 cup skim milk powder (powdered soy milk works fine)
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tsp xanthan gum
4 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water
2 tbsp dry yeast
2 tsp sugar

1 1/4 cups additional warm water
4 tbsp molasses
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp canola oil
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Grease two 5x9" loaf pans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flours and starches, powdered milk, fleaxseed meal, first measure of sugar, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, caraway seeds, and salt. Whisk well to combine.

In a separate, small bowl, dissolve second measure of sugar in the first measure of warm water. Sprinkle with yeast. Set aside and keep skin-temperature warm until the mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the second measure of warm water, molasses, vinegar, oil, and eggs until well blended.

Using an electric mixer, beat water and egg mixture into dry ingredients until well blended. Beat in yeast water mixture and keep mixing for two to three minutes.

Scrape batter, evenly divided, into prepared loaf pans. Smooth the top. Place a greased piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of each loaf. Cover loaves with a towel and set aside somewhere warm and draft-free until the loaves reach the top of the pans.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Bang the loaf pans lightly on the counter to release any large air bubbles. Bake loaves for approximately 1 hour. (If the tops of the loaves begin to darken excessively, cover lightly with foil.)

Raspberry Cream Torte

I made this cake for Easter, with homemade raspberry/blackberry jam, which I made many jars of in celebration of plumbers who unplugged our deep freeze and didn't plug it back in, causing the defrosting of our frozen berries. I found my sponge cake a bit dry, but that might have been because my Easter brunch got postponed a day due to snowstorm. It might also have been because I got distracted and beat the hell out of the egg whites.

The sponge cake recipe is adapted from Rebecca Reilly's indispensable Gluten-Free Baking.

Dad said his mother called this kind of cake "Washington Pie."

3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour

5 eggs, brought to room temperature and separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 tbsp lemon juice, plus 1/2 tsp
1/4 tsp salt

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup GF icing sugar
2/3 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup chopped unsalted pistachios

Preheat oven to 325F. Line two 9" round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk flour and starch. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow and ribbons form. Stir in vanilla, lemon peel, and 2 tbsp lemon juice (reserving the 1/2 tsp for later).

In a medium glass or copper bowl, beat egg whites with lemon juice and salt until soft peaks form.

Fold 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, to loosen. Pour remaining egg whites over top and sprinkle gently with flour mixture. Fold until well-blended. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until surface springs back from a light touch (though this test is tricky because rice flour is crustier than it is springy). Invert pans on a cake rack until fully cooled.

When the cake is fully cool, slice cake layers in half horizontally with a serrated knife, to make four layers in all. Whip cream with icing sugar.

Place the bottom cake layer on a cake plate; spread with 1/3 of the jam and top with 1/4 of the whipped cream. Repeat with next two layers. Top with remaining layer and spread remaining cream on top and sides. Decorate top with chopped pistachios.

Darling Clementine Chocolate Cake

I adapted this, tho' not significantly, from the recipe in Nigella Lawson's "Chocolate Cake Hall of Fame" in her book, Feast. Mostly, I replaced oranges with clementines and adapted the measurements from weights to cups, for those North Americans unequipped with a kitchen scale. (How they survive, I know not.)

With or without a dollop of whipped cream, this cake is even better from the refrigerator the second day.

4 small clementines (approximately 375 g total weight)
6 large eggs
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups ground almonds (almond flour)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Scrub the clementines and put them in a saucepan with some cold water. Bring them to the boil and then simmer for about an hour, or until soft. Drain and, when cool, cut the clementines in half and remove any seeds. Put whole clementines, peel and all, in a food processor and chop until fairly well pulverized but some flecks of peel remain discernible. Chill until fully cooled.

When ready to assemble the cake, grease a 20cm springform pan. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Transfer clementine pulp to a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients, give a good stir, and then mix well with an electric mixer on medium speed until homogeneous and glossy.

Pour into the prepared springform pan and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, checking after 45 minutes. The cake is done when only a few crumbs cling to a tester poked into the centre.

Molasses Ginger Cookies

One of the best things about Rebecca Reilly's wonderful book, Gluten-Free Baking, is that the recipes hail from Maine and share heritage with the recipes of Atlantic Canada that my family grew up with and that we continue to crave despite dietary limitations. Her soft molasses cookies taste like my grandmothers' kitchens used to smell and are every bit as good as the wheatier variety, especially fresh out of the oven. This recipe is adapted, but not by much, from her book. But buy the book. You need it.

3/4 cup amaranth flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup soy flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 rounded tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar; mix in sugar, molasses, and egg.

In a small bowl, whisk together flours and starches with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and xanthan gum.

Add dry ingredients to molasses mixture alternately with the buttermilk, in three additions.

Refrigerate dough for an hour, if you have the time and patience. (I didn't, and no loss to the cookies' quality.)

Spoon rounded tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon baking sheet. Bake for approximately 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When done, the cookies will spring back blithley from a light touch.

Allow cookies to cool on pans for five minutes, then transfer to racks to complete cooling.

Makes about 32 cookies.

Soft Lemon Drop Cookies

This recipe is adapted from Gluten-Free Girl's wonderful lemon olive oil cookies and makes soft, chewy, intensely lemony cookies. Like little pillows of lemony goodness. I haven't managed to share these cookies with anyone outside our house yet. They seem to disappear before we get outside the door.

1/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt (soy yogurt works A-OK, too)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large egg
1 tsp pure lemon extract
zest of one medium lemon, well-washed and scrubbed before grating
juice of one medium lemon
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Combine dry ingredients in a smaller bowl. Whisk well.

Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk well, as well.

Stir dry ingredients into wet with a rubber spatula, scraping the sides well.

Spacing them 2" apart, drop cookies by the gooey spoonful onto parchment paper- or silicon sheet-lined baking sheets to make 20 to 24 cookies. Bake 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are set and cracks in the surface no longer look wet and doughy.

Allow to cool on the pans for five minutes, then cool on a rack.

Makes almost 2 dozen cookies.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

This recipe is based on Bette Hagman's muffin recipe, with additions of whole grains and a flavourful sprinkling of cinnamon sugar from my mother's wheat-based blueberry muffin recipe. If possible, it’s best to let these cool an hour or so before eating them. When they’re hot, the texture is quite nice, but they taste too “eggy” for my liking. The muffins freeze well and heat nicely in the microwave.

Topping:
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
3/4 cup amaranth flour
3/4 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
5 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup blueberries or other chopped fruit

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 12 muffin cups. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk. Don’t overbeat. Stir in vanilla. Fold in blueberries. (The dough will seem sloppier than regular muffin dough.) Pour into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake about 20 minutes, until muffins test done.

Makes a dozen muffins.

Breakfast Rice Pudding

This rice pudding is more like a naturally sweet breakfast porridge than a dessert. It is gluten, egg, and dairy free and is still delicious. This batch makes enough for at least five days' worth of breakfasts -- just tuck the casserole dish into the fridge and warm a serving at a time in the microwave. If you don't have cashews, pecans make a good substitute, for a flavourful but slightly darker-hued pudding.

2 cups cooked brown and wild rice combo
1 cup crushed pineapple and juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 ripe banana
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
3 tbsp orange juice concentrate
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat the oven to 325F. In a casserole dish, combine brown rice, pineapple and juice, and dried fruit.

In a blender, combine banana, hot water, cashews, orange juice concentrate, vanilla, and almond extract. Blend until smooth.

Pour blended ingredients over rice mixture. Mix well. Bake for 45 minutes.

Makes 6 breakfast servings

Gluten-Free Tortillas (Wraps)

I love the texture and flavour of amaranth flour and so should not have been so surprised to discover that it makes chewy, flexible tortillas.

My mother is the queen of burritos and has been looking for a wrapper that the celiacs in the family could eat. I think this may just do the trick! This small batch is enough to make two large, burrito-stuffable tortillas or three smaller (10 cm) tortillas to wrap around a sandwich filling or to eat as fajitas. So far, I've only eaten these warm, so I'm not sure how they work with cool fillings.

2/3 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup water
sprinkle of salt

Combine amaranth flour, water, and salt, mixing well until the dough can be formed into a dense, slightly sticky ball. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Divide into two or three balls. Place each between two sheets of plastic wrap (sprinkling with a little rice flour, if necessary). Roll until tortilla-thin. Gently peel away plastic wrap from each side.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease with a mist of vegetable oil. Cook the tortillas one at a time, just until each side bubbles slightly and the bubbles brown (30 seconds to 1 minute per side).

Stack tortillas on a warm platter and stuff while warm and soft.

These reheat nicely in the microwave with a warm sandwich filling.

Makes 3 (10cm) or 2 slightly larger tortillas.

Chewy Chocolate-Butterscotch Chip Cookies

An adapted version of a recipe from an old Harrowsmith recipe. These were popular when I made them yesterday, though I can't comment on how well they might keep, since they didn't last long enough . . .

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups ground oatmeal (gluten-free oatmeal pulverized in a food processor)
1/3 cup amaranth flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 oz chocolate chips
2 oz butterscotch chips
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, then eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk oatmeals, flours and starches, xanthan, soda, and baking powder.

With the electric mixer running, blend flour mixture into butter mixture. Add chocolate and butterscotch chips, coconut, and almonds and mix with the electric mixer until well combined.

Roll into balls, one large tablespoonful at a time, to make 36 balls. Place 2" apart on a parchment paper-lined or silicone sheet-lined pan. Flatten balls slightly with your hand. Bake for 10 minutes, until beginning to brown lightly. Allow to cool a few minutes on the pan before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Gluten-Free Crepes

These turn out beautifully. No one will know they are gluten-free -- if secrecy about celiac happens to be your thing. They can be used for supper or for dessert and extras store well in the refrigerator.

1/3 cup rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups 2% milk

Whisk flours with salt in a medium bowl or cup with a pouring spout. Whisk eggs and milk until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into flours and refrigerate batter at least 1 hour.

Remove from the refrigerator and whisk batter again very thoroughly. (Flours will have settled lumpishly to the bottom.)

Grease a crêpe pan with butter over medium heat. When butter has fizzed and the bubbles have subsided, pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into the pan. Tilt pan to cover evenly. Cook until set, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip and cook lightly (30 seconds) on the other side. Stir the batter well from the bottom before cooking each crêpe, as flours will settle again swiftly.

Makes 10 to 12 thin crêpes.

Porridge-y Goodness

Brown rice porridge doesn't have enough flavour for me, and quinoa flakes don't have enough texture -- but put them together and they balance each other out deliciously and nutritiously.

The porridge recipe below is almost instant. Amounts are for one big bowlful. I measure five or six individual servings into little resealable snack bags so I can "just add water" in the morning.

3 tbsp quinoa flakes
2 tbsp cream of brown rice cereal
1 tbsp unrefined sugar (sucanat - evaporated cane juice)
1 tbsp whole flaxseeds
1 heaping tbsp raisins
dash of cinnamon
sprinkle of salt
3/4 cup water

Stir dry ingredients together, then stir in water. Cook three minutes in the microwave, stirring once partway through. Remove from microwave, stir well, and allow to sit for two minutes.

Serve with milk or soy milk - or cream, if you are feeling decadent.

Gluten-Free Herbed Popovers

These popovers are delicious soaker-uppers of gravy at supper, or you can make them without the herbs and serve them with butter and jam for breakfast. They freeze very well, but reheat them in the oven, not the microwave.

How big you make them and how long you cook them will affect whether they are light and dry throughout or a bit more dense and custardy on the inside. The instructions below tend to the custardy.

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup potato starch flour
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp each fresh rosemary, chives, and parsley, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper (optional, if using herbs)
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 450F. Butter muffin tins well for 10 popovers.

Boil water and butter in a small saucepan. In a small bowl, mix flours and salt well. Add to the boiling mixture in the saucepan, all at once, and stir rapidly until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl, and allow to cool slightly (5 minutes).

Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating very well after each. Put one goose-egg-sized lump of dough in each prepared muffin tin.

Bake at 450F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F. Check popovers for doneness after ten more minutes.

When done to your liking, remove from oven and prick each popover with a fork to release steam. Turn out of the pan and serve right away.

Mousse-Filled Chocolate Tartlets

I tried this chocolate pastry for Valentine's Day and, other than overcooking it so it was a bit smokier than hoped, it was delicious. Filled with mousse and chopped toasted nuts, it was even better.

I wished I had sprinkled a little cayenne pepper into the pastry, for a subtle hit of hotness. A teaspoon of pulverized instant coffee granules would also have been good. I imagine that using ground hazelnuts in the pastry and chopped hazelnuts in the cups would be just as delicious as almond flour and chopped almonds.

1/3 cup softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
3 tbsp potato starch flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
pinch of salt

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours and starches, cocoa, xanthan, and salt. Using an electric mixer on a low setting, mix flour mixture into butter mixture until well combined.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Remove pastry dough from the refrigerator and from the plastic wrap. Divide into 24 even balls, warming the dough as little as possible with your hands. Set out 2 12-cup mini-muffin or tartlet pans. Place one ball in each of 24 tartlet cups. Press gently and evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the little cups. Prick the bottoms with a fork.

Chill the pastry while the oven preheats to 375F. Bake for about 15 minutes, watching carefully in the last minutes to prevent burning. (The dough is so dark, it's hard to tell if the brown is edging to black.) Turn the pastries out of the pans to cool on a rack. Allow to cool completely before filling.

Chocolate Mousse: Finely chop 8 oz bittersweet chocolate. Place in a heatproof bowl. Heat 3/4 cup of cream in a small saucepan until just beginning to boil. Pour cream over chocolate. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted and glossy. Stir in 2 tbsp orange liqueur. Refrigerate for about 1 hour; remove from refrigerator and whip until light.

Assembly:

Coarsely chop 1/2 cup of toasted almonds. Reserving 1/4 cup of the chopped nuts for garnish, sprinkle the remaining nuts into the bottoms of the cooled pastry cups. Mound each cup with mousse, using a knife to make sure the mousse adheres to the outside edges of the pastry and seals in the nuts. Sprinkle the reserved nuts on top of the mousse.

Refrigerate the tartlets until ready to serve.

Makes 24 tartlets.

Golden Cornmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies have a lovely buttery taste, like chocolate chip cookies should, but they also have a hint of corn flavour that is very pleasant. Corn flour, which is like very fine cornmeal, is best; cornmeal is a little grittier, though equally nice in flavour. This is a great recipe for someone who is baking for a celiac friend and usually has cornmeal and other baking goods in supply -- the only "special" flour is the rice flour. The parchment paper is absolutely necessary, unless you have a silpat nonstick baking mat.

6 tbsp butter (1/3 cup)
1/4 cup soft brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup rice flour
3/4 cup fine cornmeal or corn flour (very fine cornmeal)
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F.

Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, cream sugars and butter until light. Beat in egg. Stir in dry ingredients. Mix well, then add chocolate chips.

Form into cookies by the tablespoonful. Place on the parchment paper-lined pan about 1 1/2” apart. Cook about 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on pan before transferring to a rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Opposite Cookies

White chocolate chips in a chocolate cookie -- the opposite of regular chocolate chippers.

The dough for these cookies will be a very stiff and a little sticky, and the cookies will not spread a lot change shape much from the shape you drop onto the pan, so you might wish to roll tablespoonsful of batter and then slightly flatten them.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg (extra large)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth or sorghum flour (or more rice flour)
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and then vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk up flours, cocoa, soda, and salt.

Beat flours into butter mixture with an electric mixer. (The dough will be too stiff to stir.) Mix in white chocolate chips, also using the electric mixer on its lowest setting.

Divide dough and roll into 30 balls, each a scant tablespoon or heaped teaspoon. Place 2" apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350F. The cookies will sink towards the pan at their edges and will crack attractively on top. Cool on a rack -- or eat warm. These are chewy and moist when warm, crunchy and dense when cooled.

Tea Wafers

Yes, more cookies. It's not that I don't bake other items -- breads and quick breads and whatnot -- it's just that few of the savoury items are receipes of my own devisement or adaptation.

These cookies, adapted from A New Way to Cook, are really only “wafer-thin.” They practically have to be painted on to parchment paper for baking. They are perfect with a cheese tray or a glass of warm milk. I keep meaning to try them with good-quality green tea, but I am seduced by the scent of bergamot.

The recipe makes dozens, but I forgot to note the yield last time I made them.

1 bag Earl Grey tea, steeped in 3/4 cup boiling water and set aside to cool

3 1/2 tsp loose Earl Grey tea leaves
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 large egg
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour (or more white rice flour)
1/4 cup tapioca starch

In a blender or food processor, blend tea leaves with sugar until powdery. Beat butter and tea sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, 3 tbsp of the cooled steeped tea (use the rest for another purpose), vanilla, salt, and flours. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes, to let the tea flavour develop.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line cookie pans with parchment paper. Drop batter by the scant teaspoonful onto the paper. Spread into 2” circles with the back of the spoon. This will be finicky. Trust that it will be worthwhile.

Bake for 9 or 10 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Keep a close eye on the cookies, since they will burn quickly. Allow cookies to cool on the pan until handleable, then finish off the cooling on racks.