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.

Gelato al Finocchio

Gluten-Free Italian Festa will begin soon at PCC!  In this class I'll show you how to make a few of my favorite autumnal sweets, gluten-free of course!!  We'll pair this fennel-kissed gelato with my fig & almond biscotti.  Depending on my mood I either crumble biscotti over my gelato or I'll let the gelato melt a bit and dip my biscotti; eitherway the two are meant to be eaten together.  Although individually both satiate my sweet-tooth, the two are the perfect pair.  The anise-like quality of the fennel seeds highlight the sweet creaminess of the figs and the delicately toasted almonds add a crunchy buttery texture.

Finocchio, pronounced like Pinocchio with an F instead of a P, this cute word is Italian for Fennel.  The biennial bulbous vegetable is native to the Mediterranean and is quite prolific, watch out as it will quickly take over your garden.  I tend to use it in place of celery in savory applications and the seeds...well scroll down and you'll see the best way to cook with the seeds.

Gelato al Finocchio (Fennel Gelato)
Yields: scant 4 cups

3 cups whole milk
3/4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed
1 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
pinch of sea salt

In a medium saucepan bring the milk, cream and crushed fennel seeds to a light simmer over medium heat.  Cover, shut off the heat and let steep for 20-30 minutes.  Strain out the fennel seeds and bring the milk, cream and sugar to a light simmer over medium heat while stirring.  Once the sugar is melted turn off the heat.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks.  Using a ladle, temper the egg yolks with the warm fennel milk mixture (by adding a little of the hot mixture at a time).  Once tempered add the egg yolk mixture to the fennel milk mixture and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened (mixture coats the back of  a spoon) and a thermometer registers 175-180 degrees F.

Strain the mixture through a sieve and stir in the sea salt.  Place plastic wrap over the top of the mixture and chill in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Alternatively chill over an ice bath.

Once chilled, pour the gelato base into the bowl of an ice-cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Freeze for 20-30 minutes prior to serving.

Can be made several days ahead of serving.  If making ahead, pull out of the freezer 10-15 minutes prior to serving to soften.

Serve with Fig & Almond Biscotti (which I'll post very soon!)

Buon Appetito!

My Gluten-Free Belly's Birthday

T's. family is currently doing a kitchen remodel, so they are without a kitchen for 6 weeks!  If you find yourself without a kitchen for some time or you simply want to make something homemade without all of the baking....this cake is a simple semi-homemade gluten-free & dairy-free treat.  All you need is a loaf pan, a large spoon, 2 pints of your favorite Coconut Bliss ice-cream and a handful of gluten-free & dairy-free cookies.  

Simply set the ice-cream out on the counter for a few minutes so that it softens a bit, this makes it easier to spread in your loaf or cake pan.  For this cake, I layered Coconut Bliss' Vanilla Island & Dark Chocolate flavors with chocolate chip cookie crumbs.

Buon Compleanno sweetie!

Babycakes' Chips Ahoy!

These little cuties are scrumptious in fact I made a batch of Erin McKenna's gluten-free & dairy-free Chips Ahoy! and a batch of Martha Stewart's gluten laden chocolate chip cookies and the two gluten-tolerant (yes those of us blessed with a  gluten-tolerant belly) chose these cookies over Martha's...how about that?!  

Erin McKenna's Chips Ahoy! cookie is both gluten-free and vegan.  Absolutely perfect for my gluten-free belly! What I love about this cookie is that there is so much more depth and dimension than your classic chocolate chip cookie; typical of gluten-free baking as there are a myriad of grains rather than just one superstar (wheat) stealing the show.  

I chopped up a bit of Theo Chocolate 70% (my go-to chocolate bar for baking) which is vegan and gluten-free!  If you are yearning for classic baked goods, recipes that you have loved since you were a child and have now discovered that you are gluten and dairy-intolerant, I urge you to pickup a copy of McKenna's adorable cookbook, Babycakes Covers the Classics.  This cookie is a favorite in our house.  I think this cookie is much more flavorful the next day and I know gooey-warm-from-the-oven cookies are always preferable but I find these are much tastier once cooled to room temperature.  Mine are much smaller than McKenna's?  She states to drop by the "teaspoonful" which is what I did however mine come out as little drop cookies each time.  They aren't as thin and crispy as the old classic Chips Ahoy! cookies (granted they aren't pumped full of preservatives!)  However, the photo in her cookbook shows a much thinner and larger cookie. I've made this recipe twice and mine never look like hers?  Maybe next time I just need to drop by the tablespoonful...either way they are delicious!

Chips Ahoy!

adapted from Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna

Makes 36 cookies

1 1/2 cups oat flour (make sure you pickup a gluten-free oat flour)

1 cup Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour

1 cup vegan sugar

1/4 cup ground flax meal

1/4 cup arrowroot

1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil or canola oil

6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, flax meal, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla nd stir with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.  Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.  

Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 7 minutes more, or until the cookies are golden brown and firm.  Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before eating.

Gluten-Free Gnocchi Workshop

We are finally getting a few days of sunshine here in Seattle.  We usually have beautiful summers here in the PNW, occasional rain but this year has been unseasonably gray and wet!? Anyhow, here we are in the middle of summer and I'm looking ahead to planning my autumn and winter classes.  This fall you'll find me teaching my Gluten-Free Gnocchi Workshop at PCC.  The class schedule should be posted very soon (Wednesday, August 3rd) at PCC Cooks. 

So if you have a dairy allergy the Parmesean can be left off and you can drizzle with extra olive oil and or cut a little Earth Balance  or other butter substitute into the tomato sauce. 

Come and check out my class, I'll also show you a fun way to use fennel and we'll make gluten-free fig & almond biscotti!

Buon Appetito!

Olives & Fish

I love olives and T. loves fish (well I love fish too). I've exposed T. to so many different varieties of olives over the years, he actually is starting to like them now. Persistence pays off!! 

Castelvetrano are a buttery vibrant green olive grown in Sicily. Not briny at all...which will make anyone an olive lover. Pairing the Castelvetrano olives with the flavor packed Nicoise olive for this dish is a brilliant match, use any of your favorite olives, my only request is this is not the time for the infamous Lindsay Olive that you'll find on most conventional grocery shelves. Branch out and go for the bulk olives. Taste and see what you like!

Summertime meals at our home often include fish, particularly Halibut. We are lucky as Halibut season runs from May-September here in the Pacific Northwest. This dish is equally as good with grilled Halibut or Seared Scallops.

Serves 4

Pounded Olive & Orange Sauce
1 small red onion, frenched
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup, Castelvetrano Olives
½ cup, mixture of your favorite olives (both with and without pits)
3 oranges, divided, 1 for juicing (ie. Valencia) and 2 for segmenting (ie. Cara Cara/Navel)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
small handful of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
small handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
freshly ground black pepper & sea salt to taste

Cut the pitted olives in half or in quarters if particularly big.
With the blunt side of your knife press the olives with pits until they split, or using a heavy bottomed pan pound the olives until split.

In a saute pan warm ¼ cup olive oil over medium-heat.  Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, approximately 8 minutes.

Add freshly squeezed orange juice and olives and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add the orange segments and shut off the heat. Toss in fresh basil and parsley.  Drizzle in ⅓ cup fruity olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pan Seared Halibut
4 halibut fillets (6-8 ounces each)
⅛ cup safflower oil, or your favorite high-heat oil
a few healthy pinches of sea salt



Blot fillets dry and season the halibut fillets with  pinch of sea salt per side.

Warm a skillet over medium-high heat, add the safflower oil and let warm. Add the halibut fillets and sear until just cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of fillets).



Serve with Pounded Olive & Orange Sauce

Buon Appetito!

Recipe Developing: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Take 1

I'm experimenting with creating both gluten-free & dairy-free cookies.  This was my first take on the classic chocolate chip cookie.  I have yet to find the perfect blend of flour for cookies; as the texture of non-wheat flours tends to be a bit gritty so far in my testing. What I love about the classic chocolate chip cookie traditionally made with wheat flour and butter is that it melts in your mouth.  There is never any residual grain sticking around.  My first take of this classic was okay, let's just say I have lots of room for improvement!

Next time around I'll need to add more coconut butter and more sugar.  These cookies were a bit too thick for my liking and didn't brown without over-baking.  What did come from this first recipe is a good base for Chocolate Chunk Biscotti.

I only want the best for you and your bellies, therefore once I perfect this recipe I will plan on sharing it with all of you lovely food blog readers!