Dobos Torta: August 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge!

A Dobos torte, invented in 1885 by Hungarian baker József C. Dobos. My torte includes the torte sponge cake as a foundation, an apricot and nutmeg buttercream, the top layer covered with caramel, and dressed with dried apricots.

Dobos Torte with Apricot Buttercream and Caramel, Gluten Free

First, I halved this recipe. That also led to some proportion problems, because I should have cut my cakes smaller in order to have more layers. Oh well. Still tasted good!

To make the sponge cake:

• 3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 2/3 cups confectioner's sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heaping total of sifted brown rice flour, potato starch, and sweet rice flour
  
• pinch of salt

Beat together the yolks with 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is paler, and makes thin ribbons. I probably could have whisked this longer than I did. In a separate bowl (stand mixer), whisk egg whites first, then add 1/3 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, sift together the flours and salt. Add a spatula's worth of egg whites into the yolks, fold, and then fold in the rest. Once the whites and yolks are folded together, sift 1/2 the flour over it, and fold in. Fold in remaining sifted flour.

Pour into 8 inch round pan lined with parchment, and bake for 5 minutes at 4oo degrees. I baked 3 rounds.

To Make Apricot Buttercream (this recipe was halved also):

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup apricot puree, made with a combination of dried apricots, lemon juice, agave nectar, and 2 pinches of nutmeg, pureed in a food processor
  
• 1 sticks plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature.

In the stand mixer, whip the eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes. Pour them into the top of the double boiler, and whisk for about 4 minutes. Add in apricot puree, and continue whisking. This should all thicken slightly. Pour into a clean bowl and leave it to cool at room temperature. When cool, beat chunks of butter into the mixture until a fluffy buttercream is formed.

I loved the apricot buttercream! I was so bright, complex, and unexpected. My butter, however, got too soft, because my house is very warm. In the future, I may use butter straight out of the fridge. Or put the cooling egg mixture in the fridge.

To make the caramel layer (this recipe was not halved, and I had tooooo much):

• 1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
• 12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
• 8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice

In a saucepan, heat the sugar, water, and lemon juice until the sugar dissolves. Without stirring, heat to boiling until the caramel turns an amber color. Pour over the prettiest layer of the sponge cake, which has been scored into 6-8 pieces and set on a flat surface (with edges!) Pour the extra onto another flat surface to use for designs. This was by far the most challenging part. Hopefully the caramel will come out of my pans! In retrospect, I wish I had used my Silpat to pour onto.

Assemble the cake by icing each layer with buttercream, and placing the slices of caramel-covered cake on top, leaning on a dried apricot. Garnish further with sugar curls (made from left-over caramel.)

Daring indeed!

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

A few other gluten free bakers who made a torta:
Jen's Kitchen Blog
Celiac Teen: Daring Bakers: Dobos Torta
Gluten Free Goodness

Whip It Up Review

Well, friends, I finished the eight weeks of the fun and fabulous Whip It Up. You can read more about it here, and review the recipes that each person tried. I came to Whip It Up via my friend Sherry, whom I always seem to have a friendly competition going with. Right now I'm trying to read more than Sherry in 2009. I've got some catching up to do.

I really enjoyed Whip It Up, and being part of the group. I think I was the only one focusing on gluten free foods, but others sure tried some gluten free (naturally) delights! Sherry and I even made the same mole recipe in the same week!

Below is the list of things we tried during Whip It Up. They all turned out pretty well. I may have to venture that the Millet Oatmeal Bread was the most delicious, and the most relevant for us.

8. Quick BBQ Pork Ribs
7. Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins
6. Crockpot Mexican Mole Chicken
5. Pat's Gluten Free Turkey Stuffing
4. Crabby Patties!
3. Millet Oatmeal Bread
2. Orange Creme Cupcakes
1. Orange Bars

I will find out this weekend about prizes. Oooh, boy. Get out and try yourself a new recipe!

Quick BBQ pork ribs

I found a delicious recipe for Quick BBQ Pork Ribs, which we loved. The recipe was more of a starting point for me, since I followed the directions of a commenter. They advised to cook them for 15 minutes in a 500 degree oven, and then for another 15 minutes on the gas grill.

I rubbed them with salt/pepper/chile powder/smoked paprika and thyme (as suggested) before putting them in the oven. This makes it possible for them to soak up some of these flavors, as well as drain out some of the excess liquid from the ribs.

During the grill cooking, we brushed it with some of our favorite gluten free BBQ sauce, and then ate 'em with our fingers.

Whip It Up:

The recipe was sort of invented from a few different things, so it is now a tried and proved recipe for ribs that we can use.

They were indeed finger-lickin' tasty.

We will be having these again, because they were fast, and delicious.

August Co-op Goods

Today I picked up my August co-op food. I got both conventional and local shares. Awww, yeah - local bell peppers, yummy Utah potatoes, fresh canteloupe, a head of iceberg lettuce, and a giant, fragrant bunch of green onions. There's also a small oregano plant. And they all smell delicious.

I also brought home corn, peaches, plums, cucumbers, Utah mushrooms, bananas, broccoli, spinach, and dried beans.

Salt Lake area restaurants, gluten free of course!

Salt Lake City restaurants with gluten free options (alphabetical):

Au Naturale: A Modern Eatery (9/10)
glutenfreeinslc review
880 East 2100 South
801.466.8888

Barbacoa (2/2)
various locations

Biaggi's (at the Gateway) (0)
194 S 400 W
801.596.7222

Bombay House (1/1)
2731 Parleys Way
801.581.0222

Buca di Beppo (0)
202 West 300 South, Salt Lake

Cakewalk Baking Company (0)
Bountiful
801.693.8520
only open Fri, Sat, Sun

Carrabba's Italian Grill (0)
683 E. University Parkway, Orem, Utah
801.765.1222

Chick-fil-a (3/3)
glutenfreeinslc review
several locations

Chili's (2/6)
several locations

Chipotle (0/2)
glutenfreeinslc review
several locations

East West Connection Restaurant (Vietnamese) (0)
1400 Foothill Dr # 270
801.581.1128

Famous Dave's (0)
several locations

Five Guys Burgers (91%)
glutenfreeinslc review
several locations

Fleming's Steakhouse (0)
20 South 400 West, Salt Lake
801.355.3704

Garden Restaurant (1/1)
Temple Square
801.539.3170

Happy Sumo (1/1)
153 S. Rio Grande, Salt Lake (at the Gateway)
801.456.7866

Lonestar Steakhouse (0)
several locations

Los Terascas (2/2)
Provo, Utah (they are moving right now)
2255 N University Parkway, Suite #39
801.373.0273

Madeline's Steakhouse (0)
1133 West South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan
801.446.6639

Mandarin (0)
348 East 900 North, Bountiful
801.298.2406

Mazza (7/8)
two locations:
9th & 9th
15th & 15th

Noodles and Company (1/2)
brief glutenfreeinslc review
several locations

Old Spaghetti Factory (1/1)
several locations

Olio Restaurant (0)
150 W 500 S, Sheraton Hotel
801.323.7575

Omar's Rawtopia (0)

2148 Highland Dr., Salt Lake

801.486.0332

Outback Steakhouse (0)
several locations

P.F. Changs (12/13)
glutenfreeinslc review
174 W 300 S
801.539.0500

Pei Wei Asian Diner (16/21)
glutenfreeinslc review
several locations

Pier 49 Pizza (6/6)
glutenfreeinslc review
several locations (all with gluten free crust)

Red Iguana (2/2)

736 West North Temple, Salt Lake

801.322.1489
glutenfreeinslc review

Red Iguana: 2 (0/2)

866 West South Temple

801.214.6050

Red Mango Yogurt (4/4)
6950 S. Park Center Dr.
801.733.0531

Rodizio Grill (0)
600 South 700 East, Salt Lake (in Trolley Square)
801.220.0500

Rumbi (1/1)
several locations

Sage's Cafe (1/1)
473 E Broadway
801.322.3790

Spaghetti Mama's (0)
85 E 9400 S (Jordan Commons)
801.676.0662

Souper!Salad! (0)
1140 E. Brickyard, Salt Lake
801.487.9323

Sunfresh Market and Cafe (0)
1315 E 10600 S
801.619.4848

Sweet Cake Bake Shop (0)
237 W 200 N, Kaysville
801.444.3288

Taggart's Grill (0)
review by Heal - Balance - Live
1105 Taggart Lane, Morgan
801.829.3837

Thaifoon (0)
7 N 400 W
801.456.8424

Trio (1/1)
680 S 900 E, Salt Lake
801.733.8746

Vertical Diner (1/1)
2280 S West Temple
801.484.8378

Wendy's (96%!)

many locations

Vesuvio's Organic Gourmet Cafe (0/2)

155 South Main St., Salt Lake

801-592-4490

Wingers (0)
several locations

Z'Tejas (1/2)
191 South Rio Grande (at the Gateway)
801.456.0450


This list was compiled by my own research and our experience. Please contact the restaurant and take all necessary precautions to ensure that you get a gluten free meal.
Please share your gluten free restaurant favorites in SLC (and Utah) with us!

Numbers and percentages given reflect our successful experiences at each restaurant.

Review: Good Karma Whole Grain Rice Milk

The Smiths in Sugarhouse started carrying Good Karma Whole Grain Rice Milk. Now, the purpose of having such a thing in the fridge is that it has less carbohydrates than regular rice milk. Carbohydrates are important to those with Type I diabetes, and add that on top of celiac disease, and you've got quite the balancing act. I picked up a couple boxes of vanilla-flavored yumminess for the boy. We had never tried this before.

Taste: It tastes a lot more "earthy" than non-whole grain rice milk. This can be good, but it can also be distracting in cereal and cooking. You decide.

Health: More nutritious than regular "white" rice milk.

Texture: The thickness of this is quite similar to "white" rice milk - as in, very thin.

[It's been a long week. I should be discussing some delicious and fast barbecue pork ribs soon, though.]

Gluten Free Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins Recipe

While we were at camp, the zucchini muffins disappeared quickly. I had made them for a breakfast meal and taken them with us, so that the gluten free counselors could enjoy them. A few days later, I saw a friend saunter out the back door of the kitchen, a muffin in his hand. As the kitchen door thwacked behind him, he said:

"Trish, if your house had a drive-thru, and you sold these muffins, I'd be by every morning."

I couldn't wipe that grin off my face for the rest of the day. I'd sure like it if everyone thought these muffins were that delicious. I came home tonight and attempted these. It was that kind of Monday.

Hopefully, I see y'all in the drive-thru in front of my house. We may have some remodeling to do before that happens :).

Speaking of remodeling, you'll notice that I've remodeled the blog a bit. I hope you enjoy it!

Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

In a mixing bowl, combine the following dry ingredients:

1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir or whisk until they're all combined. Whisk some more. :)
Then, add in:

1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1/3-1/2 cup rice milk
1 cup frozen blueberries

Spoon the thick batter into 12 lined cups in a metal muffin tin. I buy my muffin liners in bulk. So that we can enjoy muffins all the time.

On a small plate, stir together:

2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Using a spoon, sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins. It bakes up to be a slightly crunchy, sweet top on these delicious muffins.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Helpful tip for re-warming gluten free muffins

Whip It Up:

This is my own recipe, with some inspiration from a few places around the web. I always love to look at Karina's pictures, and her Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins tipped me off.

Very tasty. Complex-ish flavor (thank you, molasses and almond).

I'll be making these again, yes.

Read the Week 6 wrap-up here. Sherry and I both made mole last week!

Crockpot Mexican Mole Chicken Recipe

Salt Lake City has great Mexican food. And as I've mentioned before, some of it is gluten free. Yep, I'm talking about the Red Iguana, which was even featured on my man Guy's Diners Driveins and Dives on the Food Network. (Sorry, I really like that show. Some day I'll tell you about the Horseshoe Sandwiches we made.)

You may also know that this is the 5th week of Whip It Up, and that I was not in the roundup last week. I was at camp, making gluten free yums for a group of hard-working folks. To make up for it, I also highlighted the recipe for Pat's Gluten Free Turkey Stuffing. Which I did make last week. Awww yeah.

So, my friend who's living in Syracuse, New York right now and I were discussing the redeeming qualities of Arizona. One of them: enchiladas. That led me to mole-on-the-brain. (Not from these parts? It's pronounced "moe-lay." Say it now. Moe-lay. Good.)

So, I decided to try this recipe for Mexican Mole Chicken, and as one reviewer said, put it in the crockpot. I took a huge test today. 8 hours of answering hard questions, and writing essays. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I did well, but it will take a few weeks to find out. In the mean time, I threw some of this mole, and a few pounds of chicken thighs into the crockpot. I was almost to the location of my test at 8:45 this morning when I realized I had forgotten the diced green chilis. So much for spicy. So tonight I shook in some hot sauce and red pepper flakes and we're going to make do.

Next time I'll make mango mole. Meanwhile, it still rocks.

Whip It Up:

The recipe was super easy to follow.

Tasty, thanks for asking.

Did I mention mango mole? This will be the foundation of it.

Previous Whip It Up recipes:

Gluten Free Orange Bars
Orange Creme Cupcakes
GF Mommy's Millet Oatmeal Bread
Crabby Patties: Gluten Free Crab Cakes
Pat's Gluten Free Turkey Stuffing

Pat's Gluten Free Turkey Stuffing

Pat. After 15 years as a volunteer at the much-beloved diabetes camp where the boy and I volunteer each summer, Pat retired this week. She was what we called "the kitchen liason." She made sure that steaming plates of food, served family-style, were dished up and delivered to tables just after the clang of the dinner bell. She knew so much about preparing gluten free food safely, and seeing that the gluten free counselors, in particular, were well taken care of. The boy always had enough to eat: enough Larabars to carry in his pack, extra cookies in the cooler for afternoon snack, and plenty of hot rolls for Friday's turkey dinner.

She was also my counselor as I grew up. Her son is also my age, and we are friends with him too. He and his wife live in Arizona right now, while he is finishing school. I took hikes with Pat - she whispered encouragement in my ear, discussed books, and told me about her family. I look to her for words of wisdom on being a successful adult.

Our hike to Sawtooth Lake, via Alpine Lake (pictured) in the Sawtooths. Pat and I are next to each other on the back right. This was a week after I had my appendix removed in 2007.

Some of these kitchen responsibilities are now on my shoulders, as the celiac kitchen liason. She sure had broad shoulders. It was much more than one person's job.

Stuffing is actually a misnomer. This delicious and savory bread product is not stuffed into anything. In fact, when one of the counselors asked a child to pass the dressing, the kid picked up the bowl of gravy and sent it over. Um, nope. It may even be regional as to whether it is stuffing or dressing.

Pat's Gluten Free Turkey Stuffing

Chop 1/2 cup celery and 1/2 cup onion. Saute these in 1/4 cup butter.

In a 9x13 pan, lined with foil (since the kitchen at camp is not gluten free, this is the safest way to prepare foods in these pans), bread old bread into crumbs. We used a combination of Favorite Sandwich Bread heels, and some leftover bread that another celiac staff member makes in her bread machine at home (I don't know the recipe, but it seems to be mostly brown rice). Use about 2-3 cups of old bread. We even had a few slices of French Toast in the mix, left over from earlier in the week.

Spice with: sage, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic salt, and anything else that looks good.

Dip out some of the "turkey juice," or the drippings, about 1 cup worth. Pour over the stuffing and fluff. It should be wet, but not soupy.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

All of the kids and staff who ate gluten free, about 8 of them, enjoyed this recipe.

And here's to Pat, who has made years of camp possible for so many.


Whip It Up:

The recipe was easy to follow. Pat told me exactly how I should prepare it, since prior to gluten free, I consulted my friend StoveTop for all stuffing.

Very tasty, I hear.

Yes, I will be making it again. At least twice a summer (at camp). And probably for holidays too.