Squash, Squash & More Squash

'Tis the season for warming spices and both summer and winter squash.  Miss M. gave me this huge ghostly white patty pan squash so I transformed this beauty into squash potato cakes and for all of those gluten-free bellies a lovely squash spice cake.  Fear not those of you that are dairy-free, you won't find any milk, butter or cream here.

Happy Autumn!

Squash Potato Cake

For the Squash Potato Cakes, grate several red potatoes and at least 1/2 of a giant patty pan squash or 1 large zucchini (squeeze out any squash juice and discard), sprinkle in about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup brown rice flour and fold in a few large pinches of sea salt, add a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper and moisten the mixture with an egg or two.  Warm olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and using a medium-size ice-cream scoop, scoop the batter and place in the saute pan, let cook until golden and then flip over and cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

Squash Spice Cupcakes w/ Maple Meringue

Squash Spice Cupcakes:
Makes 1 dozen
1 1/2 cups your favorite gluten-free flour mix (make sure to leave out the xanthan gum if your blend includes xanthan gum)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup almond oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated summer squash

Maple Meringue Frosting:
Makes enough to frost 2 dozen cupcakes
1 cup maple syrup
2 large egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners, alternatively oil a loaf pan.

In a large bowl whisk together all of the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, spices and sea salt.  In a small bowl whisk together the oils, eggs and vanilla.  Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until well mixed, fold in the grated summer squash.  Scoop into prepared muffin pan or loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until baked through and spring back when touched.
Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting.  Using a stand mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peak.  Meanwhile, bring the maple syrup to a boil over a medium-high flame.  Once the maple syrup reaches 236 degrees F on a candy thermometer or reaches soft-ball stage, turn off heat and pour in a steady stream into the whipping egg whites on medium-high speed. Try to pour the syrup into the center of the mixture, otherwise you'll end up with little maple syrup flecks around the perimeter of the bowl.  Use the frosting right away before it cools as it becomes sticky to work with once cool.

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

Late summer peaches and blueberries are gorgeous and juicy in the pacific northwest.  I picked fresh plump blueberries for this cobbler.  A quick recipe for any night of the week.  Bonus, it's not just gluten-free it's dairy-free too.

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
Makes 4 large servings

drizzle of almond oil or butter substitute
4 peaches (your favorite variety), peeled & sliced to 1/3" thick
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Fava flour
1/4 cup almond meal/flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/8 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening or your go-to butter substitute (watch the sodium with some of the substitutes, leave out or adjust the salt level if your substitute has sodium)
1 large pinch of turbinado

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Using almond oil or your favorite butter substitute lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8X8 earthenware baking dish.

Place sliced peaches in a medium size bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the spices and vanilla.  Sprinkle over the sliced peaches and toss gently until well coated.  Place the sugar coated peaches in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with blueberries.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the flours, starches, sugar, xanthan gum and salt.  Cut in the shortening with a pastry dough blender or 2 butter-knives, mix until the shortening is a coarse crumb.

Top the peaches and blueberries with the flour mixture and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown and fruit is bubbling.

Serve with a dollop of your favorite ice-cream (dairy-free of course for all of those delicate bellies).

My Gluten-Free Belly's Gnocchi

My gluten-free gnocchi workshop began last night!  I shared one of my gluten-free belly's favorite dumplings sauced with both Bolognese and Sage Beurre Noisette. There was no ricer to be found in the classroom or gnocchi board (which isn't as important).  But none-the-less it was a little silly for a moment.  One of my students had the brilliant idea of grating the potatoes, so if you find yourself without a ricer or food mill then try using a grater, even a food processor with the grater attachment works which is what this lovely student suggested, however watch out because you'll find mashed potatoes forming at the top of the attachment and this is something we don't want in our gnocchi due to the starch development, no mashing allowed!  So when you've looked through every cabinet in the kitchen and can't find the correct tool reach for the grater.  The texture is a little more dense but we all enjoyed our handmade gnocchi!

Buon Appetito!

My Gluten-Free Belly's Gnocchi
Yields: 4-6 servings

1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, approximately 2 heaping cups riced
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2-3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Baking Flour, more for dusting & dough if necessary
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, optional

Bake potatoes on a bed of kosher salt at 400 degrees F for approximately 30-45 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.  Let cool enough to handle.  Peel, cut in half, scoop out the flesh and pass through a ricer.  Place in a mound on a counter top or in a large bowl and create a well in the center.

In a small bowl whisk together the nutmeg, sea salt and black pepper.  In another small bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of Bob's Red Mill AP GF Baking Flour and xanthan gum, set aside.

Add the egg yolks, grated Parmesan and nutmeg mixture to the potato well and mix into the potatoes with your hands.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the GF flour and xanthan gum mixture and press into the potato mixture.  Fold the mixture onto itself and press down again.  Sprinkle on more flour, little by little, folding and pressing the dough until it just holds together.  Work any remaining bits of dough clinging to your fingers back into the dough.  If the dough is too dry, add a little water or even another egg yolk if it is too wet add more flour.  The consistency of the dough should be firm yet yielding.  To test, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured surface into a rope about 1/2 inch in diameter.  If the dough holds together, it is perfetto!  If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times and if necessary test again.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces.  Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2" in diameter.  Cut into 1/2" pieces, roll on a gnocchi board for impressions or on the tines of a fork.  As you shape gnocci, dust lightly with flour and scatter them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Cook the gnocchi in boiling water for about 1 & 1/2 minutes from the time they rise to the surface.  Toss directly with your sauce of choice sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan.

September Dahlias & Biscotti

 September Blooms

Fig, Almond & Anise Chocolate Chunk Biscotti

September showers always send me into the kitchen.  Figs are a likely candidate for baking and preserving this time of year.  Today I dressed up my Fig & Almond Biscotti with a touch of anise and chocolate.  I'm sharing my classic recipe with students in my upcoming Gluten-Free Italian Festa. And for those of you that will miss out on the class I will post it for you very soon!  Autumn is the season for biscotti...the crisp chill in the air beckons a warm cup of coffee or tea, the perfect pairing with biscotti.  These twice baked cookies are meant to be dunked and eaten, in Tuscany we dipped our biscotti into glasses of Vin Santo, but any wine will do.  I  prefer a warming cup of chai or french-pressed coffee with cream especially during autumn and winter.