One of the things I've struggled with the most since I developed my allergies is desserts. Used to be that I would settle down after a long day with a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream, a cookie or a big serving of my apple crisp. I've invested in an ice cream maker and food processor, both of which are extremely handy, and I have to say making my own ice cream is the best! I found this recipe in one of my Thai cookbooks, and its naturally wheat and dairy free, and amazing with chocolate sauce on top! You can sometimes find this at Thai restaurants, and it tastes awesome after a fiery curry.
Coconut Ice Cream (aka: ai-teem ga-ti)
7 Cups unsweetened coconut milk (~4 14oz cans, don't use the light kind...trust me on this)
2 Cups sugar
1 tsp salt
*Read your ice-cream maker's instructions before proceeding, some require you to cook the mixture to dissolve the sugar, others don't*
You can skip the following if your ice cream maker doesn't require you to cook the mixture:
Combine the coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cool to room temperature and cover and chill until very cold.
If your ice cream maker doesn't require you to cook it start here:
Combine all the ingredients in the ice cream maker pail and refrigerate until very cold. Set up the ice cream maker according to your maker's instructions and make the ice cream! This keeps well in the freezer for several weeks.
Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
My Great-Grandma Iva's Caramels and Constellations
I had hives constellations today on my arms. Gotta lay off the dairy...
Why constellations, you may ask? The conversation went something like this:
Jordan: Why are you drawing on your arms?
Me (trying to avoid HSE homework): I'm making my hives into constellations, this one looks kinda like the big dipper!
Jordan: You goof!
The following is one of my favorite dessert recipes, I haven't figured out how to modify it to be dairy free yet, but it's on the list of things to do.
So here it is, the long awaited caramel recipe! The recipe is from my Great-Grandma Iva Selinger. These are the ones I normally make and then bring a huge (and I mean huge, like gallon or walmart bag) bag of them to class or to the sorority house. It makes 14 dozen of them, so unless you have a classroom / sorority house / office full of hungry people, try making a half batch.
Caramels:
3 C Granulated Sugar
4 C Whipping cream, divided
2 1/4 C Light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Butter (to grease the cookie sheet)
Optional:
1 C Nuts
1/2 Bar paraffin ***
2 Squares unsweetened chocolate
You'll need a candy thermometer (try Target?), a big pot (not nonstick, it gets pretty warm and could make them taste funny), a cookie sheet (not nonstick, you'll scrape the coating off), and a wooden spoon. Put the cookie sheet on a stable surface and grease it with the butter, make sure that you'll have enough room to maneuver your pot over the cookie sheet to pour out the caramel (trust me, nothing burns quite like hot sugar!).
Boil sugar, syrup and 2 cups of cream to soft ball stage (235F), stirring often. Once you've reached the soft ball stage, slowly add the other 2 cups of cream and continue to boil. Boil to firm ball stage (245F) stirring often. Add the vanilla, nuts (if using), paraffin (if using) and chocolate (again, if using). Pour into the prepared cookie sheet. Allow them to cool for at least 45 minutes. While you're waiting for the caramels to cool, cut up waxed paper into 2"x3" strips to wrap the finished caramels in. Once they're cooled off, use a butter knife (or a pizza cutter if you're lazy) and cut the caramels into your desired shapes.
When you're wrapping the caramels, grease your *clean* hands and make sure all your jewelry is removed, it'll keep you from getting so sticky. ***Paraffin wax is sold under the brand name Gulf Wax in most stores in the canning supplies area, it makes the caramels less sticky and more flexible. You can omit it, just be prepared for stickier caramels.
Why constellations, you may ask? The conversation went something like this:
Jordan: Why are you drawing on your arms?
Me (trying to avoid HSE homework): I'm making my hives into constellations, this one looks kinda like the big dipper!
Jordan: You goof!
The following is one of my favorite dessert recipes, I haven't figured out how to modify it to be dairy free yet, but it's on the list of things to do.
So here it is, the long awaited caramel recipe! The recipe is from my Great-Grandma Iva Selinger. These are the ones I normally make and then bring a huge (and I mean huge, like gallon or walmart bag) bag of them to class or to the sorority house. It makes 14 dozen of them, so unless you have a classroom / sorority house / office full of hungry people, try making a half batch.
Caramels:
3 C Granulated Sugar
4 C Whipping cream, divided
2 1/4 C Light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Butter (to grease the cookie sheet)
Optional:
1 C Nuts
1/2 Bar paraffin ***
2 Squares unsweetened chocolate
You'll need a candy thermometer (try Target?), a big pot (not nonstick, it gets pretty warm and could make them taste funny), a cookie sheet (not nonstick, you'll scrape the coating off), and a wooden spoon. Put the cookie sheet on a stable surface and grease it with the butter, make sure that you'll have enough room to maneuver your pot over the cookie sheet to pour out the caramel (trust me, nothing burns quite like hot sugar!).
Boil sugar, syrup and 2 cups of cream to soft ball stage (235F), stirring often. Once you've reached the soft ball stage, slowly add the other 2 cups of cream and continue to boil. Boil to firm ball stage (245F) stirring often. Add the vanilla, nuts (if using), paraffin (if using) and chocolate (again, if using). Pour into the prepared cookie sheet. Allow them to cool for at least 45 minutes. While you're waiting for the caramels to cool, cut up waxed paper into 2"x3" strips to wrap the finished caramels in. Once they're cooled off, use a butter knife (or a pizza cutter if you're lazy) and cut the caramels into your desired shapes.
When you're wrapping the caramels, grease your *clean* hands and make sure all your jewelry is removed, it'll keep you from getting so sticky. ***Paraffin wax is sold under the brand name Gulf Wax in most stores in the canning supplies area, it makes the caramels less sticky and more flexible. You can omit it, just be prepared for stickier caramels.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
"Kitchen Magic" and my Apple Crisp Recipe
So, my friends seem to think I have "kitchen magic" or something.... I disagree, I just have lots of practice cooking and a lot of recipes :) Sorry for the ramble, I don't think I'm fully awake yet... freaking time change.
Anyways, without further ado, here if my oft requested Apple Crisp recipe
Apple Crisp:
4 C Sliced, peeled granny smith apples***
3/4 C Brown sugar
1/2 C Flour (see previous post for my flour recipe)
1/2 C Oats (check labels, some are produced on the same equipment as wheat)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/3 C Butter, melted
Grease an 8" square pan (if you run some of the butter around the pan it tastes even better), place apple slices in pan. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly, sprinkle evenly over apples. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown and crunchy.
***This goes waaaay faster if you use either a mandolin or the straight blade on the side of most cheese graters
Note: I have a tendency to sample the crisp topping (its really good :) ) so, sometimes I make a double batch so it won't be short on topping if I sample too much....
Anyways, without further ado, here if my oft requested Apple Crisp recipe
Apple Crisp:
4 C Sliced, peeled granny smith apples***
3/4 C Brown sugar
1/2 C Flour (see previous post for my flour recipe)
1/2 C Oats (check labels, some are produced on the same equipment as wheat)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/3 C Butter, melted
Grease an 8" square pan (if you run some of the butter around the pan it tastes even better), place apple slices in pan. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly, sprinkle evenly over apples. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown and crunchy.
***This goes waaaay faster if you use either a mandolin or the straight blade on the side of most cheese graters
Note: I have a tendency to sample the crisp topping (its really good :) ) so, sometimes I make a double batch so it won't be short on topping if I sample too much....
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Chocolate Chip Cookies And a Flour Recipe
Cookies are kinda the bomb.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine flour, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture, if the dough seems really runny or greasy add more flour 1/4 cup at a time. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, these bake a lot faster than normal chocolate chip cookies and they dry out more... try to avoid making hockey puck cookies! Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
I love baking, and before all this happened it was not unusual for me to show up to the ChemE computer lab with a big box of cookies for anyone who happened to be there. Since I've become allergic I haven't been baking much until now and I swear that the smell of baking cookies has become even harder to resist. That, and cake. I love king cake (the stuff you eat on mardi gras? if you don't know what I'm talking about you're missing out), and at my best friend's last party I made a seriously bad life choice and tried to eat some.... you know, cause nothing says party like getting hives!
Anyways, without further ado here is a wheat free flour recipe and a recipe for chocolate chip cookies!
For the "flour": huge thank you to Gluten Free Mom for the flour recipe!
2 C. brown rice flour (the super finely ground stuff! check out bob's red mill brand, whole foods or try the asian market)
2/3 C. potato starch
1/3 C. tapioca flour (aka: tapioca starch)
Mix everything together in a canister, simple as that! You can alter the amounts, just keep the proportions the same. Don't try to use this flour recipe for bread, it just doesn't work!
Also, this tastes and acts a lot like wheat flour, but it doesn't absorb greasy ingredients quite as well for some reason - so if your recipe has "high altitude" instructions, use them!
Now for the secret ingredient: Xanthan Gum
This basically acts like the gluten in wheat flour, making your cookies chewy and cakes springy. Don't skip it because you think it might be hard to find... I actually found mine at Reasors, which was a total surprise.
You'll want to add it in the following amounts depending on what you're making:
For cakes add 1/2 tsp per cup of flour mix
For cookies add 1/4 tsp per cup of flour mix
Chocolate Chip Cookies, shamelessly modified from the recipe on the chocolate chip bag :)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more if the dough seems too gooey)1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (or the equivalent non dairy stuff)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (make sure you check the label, some brands are not gluten free)
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) chocolate chips (you can find milk-free chocolate chips at whole foods)
Preheat oven to 375° F.1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (or the equivalent non dairy stuff)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (make sure you check the label, some brands are not gluten free)
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) chocolate chips (you can find milk-free chocolate chips at whole foods)
Combine flour, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture, if the dough seems really runny or greasy add more flour 1/4 cup at a time. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, these bake a lot faster than normal chocolate chip cookies and they dry out more... try to avoid making hockey puck cookies! Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
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