roasted cauliflower

My Beloved likes cauliflower.  I do not particularly do but I can cook it.  I roasted it for my Beloved and it smelled good.  It disappeared in minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower

six cloves garlic, sliced

olive oil

salt 

pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the head of cauliflower into flowerets.  Put the olive oil on baking sheet (I use a cast iron pizza pan).  Add the cauliflower, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Toss.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until there are golden bits.  Stir at least once during the roasting process.

My Beloved will tell you this is yumminess.  I will tell you it smelled wonderful.

sourdough biscuits

It was a good weekend.  There was some strangeness Friday evening but, overall, it was pretty fabulous.  I relaxed a lot and my Beloved learned a lot.  One of those things I have been relaxing with is perfecting biscuits.  I saw a recipe in Country Living Magazine that I had to try.  I decided to try it first with wheat flour and then try it with a gluten free flour mixture.  The wheat flour biscuit was compared quite favorably to my Beloved's Grandmothers homemade biscuits and I have the gluten free one almost there.  A bit of tweaking with times still needs to go one. 

For both, I am using sourdough starters instead baking yeats.  I have also not used buttermilk in either.

Sourdough Biscuits

Note:  Adapted for October 2011 Country Living Magazine

Sourdough starter

1 cup flour

3/4 cup water

5 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup butter

2 cups soured heavy whipping cream or hempmiilk

The morning before you wish biscuits, mix your soudough starter with 1 cup flour and 3/4 cup water in a large non-metallic bowl.  Let sit, covered, until evening.  Remove two to four tablespoons of starter for your next sourdough use.

Into the remaining sourdough, add the buttermilk, sugar, and salt.  Mix in the butter.  You can leave big chunks.  Mix in the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda.  The dough will be very wet but you do not wish to add anymore flour then you have to.

On a floured surface, pat out the dough into a large rectangle.  Fold the dough into thirds.  Cut into the size of biscuits you wish.  Put on a baking sheet that is covered in parchment paper or a silpat.  Cover with plastic wrap and but in the refrigertor overnight.

Pull the biscuits out of the refrigerator at least ten minutes before baking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Once the biscuits have sat and the oven is preheated, bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I was very pleased.

Toasted with a bit of homemade strawberry jam, heaven.  You just need a pot of tea.

gluten free vanilla cake

I have been baking more gluten free lately.  My Beloved has asked for this due to skin issues.  He is no longer on the floor in pain if he eats gluten.  Skin is not as crucial but still annoying.  I think the funny thing is that my family, gluten and non-gluten eaters, are all asking for the same version of baked goods.  Cakes and cookies have a tendency to be better when gluten free when you get the porportions down, like this cake.  Or Bendy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

My Beloved wanted cake.  Vanilla gluten free cake.  This is what he got.  I think it stayed fresher then the gluten cake I make with this same recipe and the flavor and texture were good.  This is not a light cake.  I am told it is very European.

Gluten Free Vanilla Cake

Note:  To make this cake with wheat flour, use 2 1/2 cup.

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

135 grams almond flour

135 grams millet flour

135 grams sorghum flour

135 grams arrowroot flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, milk, buttermilk, or hempmilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 9 inch springform pan.

In a bowl, cream the butter and the sugar together.  Mix in the eggs and vanilla.  Mix in the almond flour.  Then 1/4 cup of cream.  Mix in the millet flour.  Mix in 1/4 cup of cream.  Mix in the arrowroot flour.  Mix in 1/4 cup of cream.  Mix in the sorghum flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

If you can, let it cool before slicing.  That really does not work in our house so just enjoy.

My Beloved usually starts toasting this cake when it is a day or two old when made with wheat.  He was still eating it as is five days later and it was not covered well.  Good cake.

whole grain gluten free pancakes

This weekend, I decided we needed a warm comforting breakfast.  I gave my Beloved the choice of waffles or pancakes.  He chose pancakes.  Which means that I needed to write down my gluten free pancake recipe.  That way he or the Tall Short Person can make them if I am not around.  I actually modified the waffle recipe we like so much to make these.  I make pancakes on the thin side so if you like thicker you might wish to decrease the liquid measure.

Gluten Free Waffles

1/4 cup teff flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup arrowroot starch

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup soured hempmilk (1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 3 tablespoons hempmilk)

1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Start heating the griddle or skillet you will be using.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the egg and mix.  Add the milk and vanilla and mix.  Mix in the oil.  Pour on a oiled heated griddle and back until bubbles on the top pop and the top dries.

Turn.  Cook until the other side is brown.  Serve plain, with butter, maple syrup, roasted apples, ....

Watch them disappear.  They really do not taste whole grain.

gluten free port chocolate cake

I read food blogs.  This should come to no surprise.  Two of the food bloggers I read came out with their own versions of red wine chocolate cake, 17 and Baking and Smitten Kitchen.  I am so picky about cake, these intriqued me.  We really do no have red wine in the house but we usually have a bottle of port.  And my Beloved is gluten free.  So I played with the recipe.  Yumminess!

As our tastes change or how the cake ages, I could see me decreasing the sugar in this.  Also, the batter is very thin using gluten free flours.

Port Chocolate Cake

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk

3/4 cup port

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

40 grams sorghum flour

40 grams teff flour

40 grams almond flour

40 grams arrowroot flour

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder

3/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper.  Grease the parchment paper and the sides.

In a medium bowl, put the butter and sugars.  Cream together (our house was a bit warm).  Add the vanilla, port, and eggs.  Mix well.

Add all the dry ingredients.  Mix until well blended.

Pour into the prepared pan

Bake for 50 minutes until the cake pulls away from the pan and a knife inserted comes out mostly clean.  It will look shiny and bubbly on top.

This really needs to cool all the way to slice nicely.  It is lovely with homemade vanilla ice cream.