Gluten Free Tips

Archive for January, 2009

You can search for a long time on the Internet but you could struggle to find a recipe for Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pie, believe me I have tried before and the search came up with a blank. There are many recipes for Dutch Apple Pie and many sites that specialise in Gluten Free recipes but none of them had Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pie details.

The reason is simple when you consider it, the basic ingredients of Dutch Apple Pie are already gluten free with the exception of the pie crust and it is there where we need to turn our attention.

The main ingredients for the apple pie are

• Your standard gluten free pie crust mix
• 5 or 6 cups of peeled and cored sliced cooking apples, not eating apples
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 0.25 cup of fine granulated sugar
• 0.25 cup of packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons of gluten free flour
• 0.25 teaspoon of nutmeg

The key ingredient to making this a Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pie and one that your family will want to eat is to use a gluten free pie mix. Often gluten free flours can be crumbly and dry. It is important that you use a flour mix that has been prepared for pie making. Your local supermarket or health store should have a selection of these. Remember this is a pie pastry not a cake mix.

Before you start you should preheat your oven to 375°F.

Whilst the oven is warming put the gluten free piecrust into a shaped pie plate. Then mix the fruit ingredients. Mix the sliced cooking apples with the lemon juice and add in the sugars, gluten free flour and spices (cinnamon and nutmeg).

Now pour the fruit mixture into the pie bowl and start to prepare the pie topping.

To finish off the pie and produce a serving that would make your grandmother proud you should use the following ingredients for the topping

• 0.75 cup of gluten free flour
• 0.25 cup of fine granulated sugar
• 0.25 cup of packed brown sugar
• 0.25 cup of butter or margarine depending on your preferences warmed to room temperature to help the mixing

In a separate bowl mix the topping ingredients until the mix has coarsely crumbled and then sprinkle this evenly over the apples in the other bowl..

Put the prepared pie into the oven and cook at 375°F for 50 minutes checking that it is turning a golden brown.

Then find some friendly family members and serve this Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pie to them, stand back and wait for the complements. Oh and by the way save some of the pie for yourself.

Gluten free desserts are plentiful. Some desserts, such as fruit, are naturally gluten free. Some are easy and simple to make – like Angel Delight. Other gluten free desserts are more complicated, like pies, cakes, trifles etc. But, just because you’re on a gluten-free diet, doesn’t mean you need to give up desserts, or spend hours in the kitchen making them!

Gluten is a protein present in many cereals, specifically in wheat, barley, oats and rye. I’ve outlined some practical tips and ideas for gluten free desserts – for yourself, for packed lunches, picnics and entertaining:

• Pancakes made with coconut milk and rice flour – accompanied by ice-cream, Nutella, or anything else you fancy!
• Rice-cakes with peanut butter
• Amaretti biscuits
• Angel Delight – a fast easy dessert which you can have in the cupboard. An instant dessert that can impress.
• Make waffles with a batter made with buckwheat flour and rice flour – select your favorite topping!
• Then there’s always fresh fruit – make it more appetizing by carving it into shapes, or cut into pieces and make a fruit salad – this could be accompanied by vanilla ice-cream or crème fraiche!
• Coconut macaroons are gluten-free. or make your own.
• Adapt your favorite trifle recipe by using some gluten free Madeira cake, or gluten-free biscuits and use all the other ingredients as they are to make a wonderful trifle. Once the cake/biscuit has been soaked in the brandy no one will know it’s a gluten free dessert!
• Bananas and custard. Custard is the easiest gluten-free dessert – either make your own, or by the instant version.
• Fill a meringue basket with fresh raspberries or strawberries and top with a spoonful of greek-style yogurt.
• Pan-fry canned or fresh pineapples slices with some butter and brown sugar and serve with ice cream…
• Fill the center of cored baking apples with mixed dried fruit, some butter and brown sugar. Microwave or bake till tender and serve with custard or ice cream.
• Make fruit kebabs and dip into chocolate sauce!
• Thick fruit milk shakes or smoothies
• Chocolate rice crispy or cornflakes cakes
• Home-made chocolate mousse.
• Roulades – chocolate or strawberry.

I hope the above provides you with inspiration for gluten free desserts, to be enjoyed by coeliacs and non-coeliacs alike!

The first surprise here is will the Gluten Free Chocolate cookies last until tomorrow, perhaps not. These yummy cookies will come straight from the kitchen with a soft runny centre if you eat them warm or, even better, a thick chocolate middle if you can wait long enough for them to cool and the children will leave them alone!

For an alternative if the chocolate is too much for all the family, try substituting milk or white chocolate in place of the plain chocolate or replace 25g (1oz) of the Gluten-Free Mix with 25g (1oz) cocoa to make double chocolate cookies!

The quoted measures below makes enough for 12 – 14 people, or one hungry child. It is not a hard recipe and from start to finish it should take you 15 minutes to prepare and then a cooking period of up to 15 minutes. Ample time to start again should anything go wrong.

The full ingredients for theis Gluten Free Chocolate Surprise are

• 250g (10oz) Gluten Free Cake Mix
• 12-14 squares plain chocolate
• 125g (5oz) caster sugar
• 1 medium egg yolk
• 125g (5oz) butter

To whip up this Gluten Free Chocolate culinary delight you should pre heat your oven to a temperature of 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5 and then follow the outline below

1. Cream together the butter and the sugar and beat in the egg yolk ensuring that everything is well mixed.
2. Once done carefully fold in the Gluten-Free Mix . Typically the mixture will be crumbly at this stage but that is no problem.
3. Mix together to form a dough and knead thish for two to three of minutes until it is smooth on a surface lightly dusted with Mix.
4. Gently Roll out the dough and cut out 12 circles with a cookie cutter and place these on a baking tray ready to go into the oven.
5. Carefully insert a square of chocolate into the middle of each circular shape.
6. Cut out another 12 rounds with the cookie cutter and use these to cover the chocolate, pressing the edges down lightly to seal it in.
7. Bake all these in your pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes until the dough is golden.
8. Allow the cookies to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rac, remember they are full of liquid chocolate.
9. Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve

Then stand back before you get bowled over in the rush and covered in Gluten Free Chocolate.