Top Ten Gluten Free Recipes

It's almost time to take my 2009 Oriental Trading Company calendar off the wall of my office. I love that store. And their free calendar.

I think recipes change seasonally. What y'all are looking for, and what ingredients you have on hand. Karina, the gluten free goddess herself, had put up her own list of the top ten gluten free recipes on her site. The most requested, the most talked about.

I've gone through my own recipes and tried to figure out what's trendy around here in the last few days of 2009. Who knows what the new decade will bring. It could bring some delicious coconut cupcakes, or some cheesy cauliflower... we'll have to wait and see. As I look at the snow gently falling (and hear the tires screeching and sliding from my downtown office), I imagine what it will be like in summer again, when I'm trying to figure out how we can eat without using the oven so much. I still haven't solved that problem. Not until the boy dives in head first into the vegetables. I'm still waiting for that day.

Here's the top ten for 2009 - what you are all talking about and looking for!

10. Gummy Candy Car Racers
These are so fun and unique. Lauren, from Celiac Teen, even used the recipe to make her own worms for Worms and Dirt. Apparently these worms are even raising money for St. Jude's Hospital, thanks to Lauren and Simply Sugar and Gluten Free!

9. Gluten Free Herbed Focaccia Bread
I just made a batch of this last night. We keep it sliced, like bread, and frozen. Then, they are great retoasted in the oven to have with sloppy joes, hamburgers, or sliced smaller for breadsticks. The fan club seems to like these!

8. Cheese Brogies
These are a great Idaho favorite. The boy was just talking about them last night, suggesting we make them with Muenster cheese instead of part-skim mozzerella. I'm not sure I'm ready to venture outside the mozzerella department, but the meltiness of Muenster does make it tempting. Y'all are fans of brogies, too!

7. Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
These turned out delish! I wish they didn't have the ever-so-slight hint of quinoa aftertaste, since the flavor is so transparent. There's no chocolate, citrus, or anything else but lots of cinnamon, sugar, and butteriness to mask any weird flavors. These may continue to evolve.

6. Radish Chips
Oh, these are so good. They're unusual too. Next time you find some radishes, give these a try. They're healthy, and tangy.

5. Homemade "from a box" Fudgey Brownies
Now, this one doesn't surprise me a bit. These are the best brownies I've tasted, and they're double-chocolatey, which makes them worthy of a late-night weekend treat of couch cuddling in a Snuggie watching ridiculous episodes of Reno 911.

4. Raw Chocolate Pudding
This is a recipe the boy shares with his friends. No wonder you readers like this one. It's a great flavor, and I think the chocolate is the best. We tried to make it coconut flavor, but wow, the chocolate really brings it together. I may actually convince the boy that chocolate is worth eating! It's also healthy, with lots of great fats from avocado, and gentle sweetness from bananas. This is probably on our list for sweltering summer.

3. Gluten Free Oatmeal Ranger Cookie
A favorite of the boy. It reminds me so much of the day I called his mother for the recipe, several years ago. You guys are loving the oatmeal cookies.

2. Blueberry Compote on a Gluten Free Dutch Baby
This one is still in my book of experiments. I am still working on the dutch baby to get it just right. This was actually my last meal before turning gluten free for real. I was out with friends at the Original Pancake House - the place where the Dutch Baby is famous. Mind you, their dutch baby is not gluten free. But someday, I will get it just right. I think I need a different pan. Thank you for loving my dutch baby experiment, though! It's a fun one!

1. Pumpkin Custard Pie
This is the recipe you love the most. We've had this probably four times in the last few months. Thanks to Ginger Lemon Girl, we love it! My family loved it. My boy loved it. My dear sweet grandmother loved it. And you love it!

I've also noticed that gluten free blogging continues to evolve. Now, here's the trick - please tell me what you would like to see in the new year? What can I help you put on your table?

Thoughts for Christmas Eve, and Some Delicious Chocolate Pretzels

I have an incredibly stressful job. So as not to make this so glum (even though I may feel that way inside), I'll tell you about what has been going on as Christmas so rapidly approached in order to help me forget the pressures of the job.

I'm a huge NPR nerd. I mean, it's always on in the car. When I get in each morning to go to work, when I come home each night. I'm hearing the sounds of Marketplace (a favorite), or wishing Jonathan Goldstein and I were best friends and we could go out to eat together. Or maybe I could call him on the phone like his other friends do. His friend Gregor Ehrlich is probably my favorite. All that aside, I scraped off my car Wednesday night, after a day's dusting of snow, in the dark and chilly parking lot at work. We are in downtown, and there's always a stray soul wandering through the parking lot. It could be that we're sandwiched between an abandoned building and a shady smoke shop. High class, I know. With the car running, and me scraping, I could hear the clear, husky voice of Carol Off, from As It Happens, speaking measuredly inside the car.

I stamped the snow off my shoes and got in the car. It was late. These were the words I heard, though.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

I knew these words: O'Henry's classic work for Christmas called "The Gift of the Magi." Once home, I stayed in the car with the radio on, having a "driveway moment."

I have to admit I hadn't taken enough time to consider this year what Christmas means to me. I've been so wrapped up in the anxiousness and doubt that have squeezed themselves through my work day and into my evenings that I have felt desperately behind, and wished that for Christmas, it would all just go away.

The magi's gift is so beautiful, though. Whatever you are doing this Christmas night, if it's something you celebrate, I hope that you have the love of others in your heart. The laugh of children, the smile of a sweet grandmother, or the friendly nod of a neighbor pulling out of their driveway.

I convinced myself that the boy and I would make a Christmas treat to deliver to some friends, before the season had passed. I managed to put together these easy dipped pretzels, and tonight we packaged them up and left them on shadowed, icy doorsteps with handwritten notes.

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

1 bag Glutino pretzels (I had the 24 ounce family size bag, and probably used 16 ounces of it)
1 package vanilla bark, bark coating, or white dipping chocolate (those are all names for the same thing)
a little bit of mild-tasting oil (canola works well for this)
1/2 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a double boiler, melt squares of white chocolate until they are smooth. Once it's all been melted, drizzle in just a little oil to thin out the chocolate. Be careful not to overdo the oil.

Drop in a handful of pretzels, and stir them around to coat with white chocolate. With a fork, lift each pretzel out, shake off a little excess chocolate, and set aside to cool on a sheet of parchment paper. Continue until you've used all the melted white chocolate - this part of the process took me about 45 minutes.

With the white chocolate finished, melt chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, then stir. Keep this up until it's melted. Add in a bit of oil to thin it out. Using your fork, dip the fork in the chocolate, and then drizzle the chocolate over the white pretzels. Watch out for your kitchen and your pants - you may end up with stripes of chocolate all over the place!

Leave them to cool and harden for about 3 hours, or until solid. Then package up, and take them with you as you spread some cheer.

And to all of you out there, favorite readers, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas (season) full of love and laughter. I'll close with a self portrait.

That's the boy there in the foreground - with a face-encompassing moustache.
I'm in the background with a ridiculous grin and some shorts. In December.

The only gluten free brownie you'll ever need

Every girl needs a brownie some days. In the past, I would keep a few mixes on the top shelf, for when the time came that the brownies prevented a whirlwind of madness. Instead, I could be soothed by some fudgey chocolate, with that crispy crust on top.

No more brownie mixes. I have found, through some trial and error, a really great way to make brownies. It's fudgey, it tastes double-chocolate-y (and it is, because it uses both chocolate chips and cocoa), and well, they're great! I can't claim that they're healthy, because they're not, but they can sure hit the spot.

Move over, Betty.

Gluten Free Homemade "from a box" Fudgey Brownies
Inspired by and adapted from Fudgy Homemade Brownies at My Muffin Thursdays
[Printer Friendly]

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup milk (cow, almond, rice, soy or other)
8 ounces (or about 1 1/3 cups) chocolate chips

1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch (for lighter brownies) or quinoa flour (for heavier brownies)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, milk and butter together. Set the chocolate aside to cool slightly. Whisk the sugar and eggs together in a large bowl. Whisk in vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl, whisking together. Stir the chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar. Then, fold in the dry ingredients. Be careful not to mix too much.

Pour into a greased 7x10 pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. You could also do the toothpick test to find out if they are done. They will be a little flaky on top, and you should let them cool for a little bit. It takes me some serious will power to leave them sitting.

You can even top them with powdered sugar to make them party-pretty.

Noodles and Company Tomato Cucumber Salad

Dear Noodles,

Thank you for making an actual gluten free food for me for lunch today. And I ate two. It's always fun to order something and have them bring you two sets of silverware because they assume you are ordering the other one for another person.

Nope. Just me and two plates of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and that tart saucy stuff on top.

I also got to tell my friends about cooking gluten free. It's been a good day so far.

Sincerely,

Trish

P.S. Their list of allergens is very helpful.

Happy birthday to the boy!

I could list of the reasons that I like him, but might end up pretty sappy. After all, he is pretty great. Really, kind, thoughtful, creative, funny and brilliant kind of cover most of the bases. Instead, in honor of my favorite boy's birthday, I wanted to share with you some of his favorite recipes:

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins: homemade
Every time I try a different muffin recipe, it's always compared to these. Of course, he used to be Costco's biggest consumer of their almond poppy seed muffins.

Peanut Butter Bars
These are another regular, and I'm glad because the (pricey!) oats are so good for him. We like to keep these around for snacking.

Pizza Soup
Regularly in our dinner rotation, this was totally his idea.
"What if there was a soup that tasted like pizza?"
Well, now there is.



Cheese Brogies
A throwback from his childhood, this helps when the greasy burger joint craving hits.

Pepper Fried Rice
A staple for pairing with our Asian food escapades.
I've also sort of decided that if it's Chinese chicken we need, we might as well eat out.

Kung Pao Chicken
My best attempt at a Chinese chicken dish. See above.

Moonlight Beef Fajitas
He likes how fresh these taste. And he loves that I'll bring a plate of hot, bubbly tortillas over to stuff with this meat.



Ranch Pork Chops
Another dinner regular, this is one that he likes to have when friends come over so we can "show off" how good gluten free food can be. And he could eat a swimming pool of ranch dressing, if given the chance. :)

*Ant's Gluten Free Pizza
We used to frequent the local "New York style" pizza joints around here.
We love a good crust piled with toppings.

Herbed Focaccia Bread
Perfect as breadsticks, buns, or any old way.
My Pizza Hut market research was put to good use here.



Streusel Coffee Cake
He likes the height of this cake, and the towering layer of topping.

Simple Apple Crisp
Since Granny Smiths are his favorite fruit, this answers the call for dessert.
He's not a chocolate guy, so this fits him perfectly.

Oatmeal Ranger Cookies
His mother used to make ranger cookies for him.
I love how chewy these ones are, and so does he.



Toasted Coconut Ice Cream (Dairy Free)
Nuf said.

Happy birthday, dude!

Gluten Free Snickerdoodles

The hustle and bustle is in full swing. My friend works at our local outdoor mall, The Gateway, and we were there last night. It was bursting at the seams. And with the snow we've had, there were people in their huge trucks parked up on top of snowbanks, made by plows, because it was the only place left to park. Wow. Christmas this year really snuck up on me. The woman in our favorite fabric store, as she was cutting some discounted fleece the boy was eyeing, that the world turns more quickly these days. I think she's probably right.

All the late nights at my job, even though it is dark outside at 5pm or at 9pm, and the bitter cold we've had, add to the speed at which the world is turning. We spend our days huddling in for warmth, trying to meet deadlines (that I seem to never meet), and scrambling after the latest gadget that will make our lives easier. Hrmmph.

I decided to make some cookies for the boy, now that I have a box of parchment paper. Parchment paper is perfect for baking gluten free cookies, because it helps keep them from sticking to the pan. A baking mat actually insulates them a little too much, making it difficult to brown them a little bit. The boy's favorite cookie is snickerdoodles. Little buttery balls covered with cinnamon and sugar. I had written them off as impossible with gluten free, but I'm feeling so much more confident in my own skin this Christmas. So, we have Christmas snickerdoodles. The boy will also have a real birthday cake this year (it's on Tuesday). Last year I was overwhelmed that he had one of the tree-shaped shortbread cookies with a tea light on top. This year - real cake :).

Snickerdoodles
Inspired by the booklet Gold Medal Holiday Cookies, and adapted by me.

1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup brown rice flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, shortening and butter. It's important to use fats that are solid at room temperature, to help the structure of the cookies. Once they've been fully incorporated, add eggs and vanilla and mix. In a separate bowl, mix together the flours and dry ingredients. Whisk them together so that they will be consistent. With the mixer on, add small amounts of the flour mixture until all the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Yay! Then, you're all mixed up and ready to shape.

In a bowl, combine:

1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Now, take a TEASPOON of dough (not more, or the cookies will be too big) and roll it into a ball with your fingers. Then, roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place them on your cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Although parchment is expensive, it's worth it. (Locally, Winco has by far the cheapest parchment paper.) When you have 8-12 cookies on your sheet, flatten them slightly with your hand. Bake them in a preheated 400 degree oven for anywhere from 4 minutes to 7 minutes. The key is to take them out of the oven when the middle is still a little soft and before they spread.

Let them cool on a wire rack, and take some time to share them with your family or your friends. They'll all like them - I promise!

Other cookies gluten free and fit for Christmas:
Blueberry Cups (Tuiles)
Cranberry Toffee Bars
Orange Bars!
Shortbread Cookies

I'll share my amazing brownie recipe with you soon.

Tuna Biscuit Casserole

We're having some serious cold weather outside right now. I don't exactly live in a well-constructed house (it's made of cinderblock, with no insulation), but it does have all that 1950s charm I was looking for. Still, the cold air pouring through the door cracks, windows, and every which crack calls for snuggling, mugs of hot chocolate, and some piping hot comfort food for dinner.

When I was in college, I lived in a particular house with 5 other girls. Our kitchen was packed to the gills with 6 sets of coordinated tupperware, and I loved to check out what everyone else had in the cookbook department. One of my roommates had a paperback copy of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. The essential cookbook, in my college mind (although some things still haven't changed). I noticed in her copy that there were a few recipes that I didn't have in my copy. One of them was this tuna biscuit casserole.

We loved this recipe in the college days because it was hot, filling, and a little fancy. We still make this, although now it's with gluten free biscuits, and gluten free flour in the roux. I like to slip in a little extra spinach. The boy has actually taken a liking to spinach in the last while, thanks to pizza soup.

Tuna Biscuit Casserole

1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup sorghum flour
1/8 cup sweet rice flour
1 medium onion, finely chopped

Begin melting the butter in your largest saucepan on medium low. Stir in the flours and onions, and simmer until the onions are translucent and the flour has cooked. You don't want the flour to taste raw - it will be more nutty after it has toasted in the butter and onions. Keep an eye on this, because the butter can easily burn. When the onions are ready, add the following:

2 cups milk (cow, almond, rice, soy, hemp)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 chicken bouillion cube

Stir these around, making sure everything is mixed well. Let the mixture begin to boil again. You have some time as this simmers on the stove to prep your vegetables, and open and drain your tuna cans. I also generally prepare my batch of biscuit dough while this is simmering. If it's going to take you more than 10 minutes to prepare your biscuit dough, you can either turn down the stove so it won't boil as fast, or prepare the biscuit dough before you start the roux.

Add:

about 2 cups fresh, frozen or canned mixed veggies (I like a frozen mixed veggie, and then some chopped fresh spinach)
2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna, drained

1 recipe baking powder biscuits, with ingredients combined but unbaked

At this point, your saucepan will be pretty full. Make sure everything is combined well. Pour the hot mixture of tuna and veggies into a large casserole dish, at least 9x13. With the biscuit dough, drop small clumps of it onto the hot filling. Try to drop the biscuit dough evenly over the whole casserole. We like to top ours with some more Italian seasoning, some parmesan cheese, and a touch of garlic salt.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. You're really only baking the biscuits, since the filling is already hot. Make sure the biscuits get a little brown on top. If you use a different biscuit recipe, just bake according to the biscuits' baking directions. Yummy and warm! :)

Here's some warming food for thought:

10 Kitchen Tools for Every Gluten Free Kitchen

If you have a particularly small kitchen, or you are new to cooking, I've created a list of kitchen tools that you may not already have that will make your cooking time easier, cleaner, and more fun, particularly since you're already dealing with new challenges by preparing food gluten free!

small strainer
Cost: $2-5
The strainer, which you can easily get at the grocery store within your typical grocery budget, will make it possible for you to grind your own grains. In my first few months, I didn't know that after you ground grains at home, those larger pieces would give your finished foods a gritty texture. Sifting ground grains through the strainer will make it possible to remove the large pieces. A strainer is also useful for straining fresh juices, clear soups and purees.

whisk
Cost: $1-5
As children, we thought whisks were only useful for banging on pots and pans. My mom maybe used the whisk for Thanksgiving gravy. But, whisks are so useful for preparing the dry ingredients in nearly any gluten free baking recipe! The dry ingredients should be whisked together to remove any clumps. After all, no one wants a muffins that has a surprise glob of gooey xanthan gum inside, right?

rolling pin
Cost: $5-10
Make sure that the rolling pin you have in your kitchen is gluten free. A rolling pin that is not gluten free can be an unwanted source of contamination. I actually waited a while before getting a new rolling pin - I just didn't have the time to pick one up - but the rolling pin makes it possible to make great cookies, galette crusts, and to beat cuts of meat to be more flat.

silpat baking mat
Cost: $8-20
A silicon baking mat is a great addition to your kitchen. Pick up one that fits inside the edges of a baking sheet you already own. The baking mat will make several tasks easier, because the consistency of a gluten free dough can be challenging. If not challenging, the consistency can at least be different than what you are used to. Use your baking mat to help keep cookies from spreading, to roll out pastry doughs, to keep biscuits and individual bread goods from burning on the bottom, and an easy way to transport something fragile, like a pie crust. If you plan on baking both sweet and savory things on a baking mat, you should probably get two, so that your cookies don't taste like garlic!

oil bottle
Cost: $3-7 each
I adore my oil bottles - I have two of them. I keep them on the edge of my stove, which is where they will get used most often. One holds a vegetable oil that I buy in bulk, and the other holds a high quality olive oil that is great for finishing dishes. Oil bottles make it possible to only have to deal with the mess of pouring oil every few weeks or so, rather than each time you are preparing a recipe. You can buy curvy designer bottles, or whatever you like. The easy-pour spouts keep your countertop clean, and help with "drizzling" oil and quick measuring.

Microplane zester
Cost: $15-25

Have you ever tried to get the zest off an orange with a steak knife? Three bandaids and lots of frustration later, you end up with more pith (the bitter white stuff) than zest (the flavorful, colored stuff). A zester is so worth it if you will be making various dishes at home. Which you will, because you eat gluten free. A zester is a long grater with fine teeth, all pointed in one direction. You brush it along your citrus, and on the opposite side, your beautiful zest collects. It has a comfortable handle, is easy to wash, and is worth its weight in zesty, bright gold.

spice grinder/coffee grinder
Cost: $20-200
These are very helpful if you want to grind your own grains, like actual brown rice into brown rice flour. I use mine for almonds, quinoa, brown rice, millet, and occasionally a whole spice (like fresh cinnamon sticks!) Mine is a low end coffee grinder model that is sleek, and looks nice on the counter. If you do grind your own coffee, it would be best to get a separate one so all your baked goods don't taste like coffee.

zipper bags
Cost: varies - these are worth buying in bulk!
Zipper bags have been so incredibly useful for us! One helpful reason for having zipper bags is to be able to separate cuts of meat right after you buy them. I will buy a tray of, for instance, 5 pounds of chicken breasts, and divide them into meal-sized packages. This may be more of a cheapskate trick, than a gluten free necessity, but it totally works for us. We also divide up ground beef and pork chops. You can also store individual servings of baked items in the freezer in zipper bags, for later eating. Also perfect since you are going to be packing lots of lunches, right? You can keep small servings of fruit and vegetables in them to throw in your lunches, or in the car for a snack.

freezer space
I don't know if you can put a price on having freezer space! It's been so valuable for us. My apartment only has a fridge/freezer combo - just your typical outdated appliance - so the space is at a premium. I have my freezer organized with cuts of meat, marinating meats, bread products, frozen fruits and vegetables, and in the door - leftover sauces, small portions of beans (out of the bottom of the can), and other "bits" of food that will be great to reuse in another meal. This is one way a gluten free chef can have "convenience" food and a more efficient kitchen.

food processor or blender
Cost: $25-250
While there's a range of costs for food processors and blenders, you will get what you pay for. Right now I have a small Cuisinart Food Chopper that holds about a cup and a half of food. It was low-priced. You will use a food processor to get your gluten free recipes chopped and blended appropriately (many recipes will advise you when it's best to use one), and even to make smoothies or prepare ice cream.

Not included on this list is the stand mixer I have. It's excellent for making pizza dough or bread dough. Stand mixers are expensive. If you're in it for the long haul, healing your achy Celiac bones, this is worth it.

What's your favorite or unexpected kitchen tool that makes your gluten free life easier?

Gluten Free Cherry Galette

As we were preparing for Thanksgiving, I had a divine Thursday morning. The boy and his friend were quibbling over a chess game, and I had a morning to myself, puttering in the kitchen, but within earshot of some entertaining folks. This is the type of day that makes me happy.

Since we were having the pumpkin custard pie that I knew the boy liked, I wanted to try something else too. You can't have only one pie on a Thanksgiving spread. This is what happened, and I am so excited to show it off to you! I showed it off to everyone else too :).

A preliminary note: This recipe includes one egg, and you use the two halves of it for different purposes. Not the easiest thing to do, but it worked well. Just FYI.

Gluten Free Cherry Galette

Galette Crust:
Inspired by Gluten Free Bay's Summer Squash and Tomato Galette

1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tablespoon, heaping corn starch
dash sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp cold butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup cold water

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and then whisk them together. With forks or your fingers, work the cold butter into small pieces, in typical pastry-making fashion. Then, add vinegar, HALF the egg, and water, and form into a ball with as little contact as possible (this helps the crust to remain tender). You'll need the other half of the egg later.

On a flat surface, spread out some plastic wrap. Dump the ball of dough onto the plastic wrap, and then cover with another layer. Roll out with a rolling pin (I own one now), until it is very thin, and into a round/oval shape. We did a fancy trick to get it onto the silicon baking mat on the cookie sheet. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, and flip the baking mat/sheet tray over onto the dough. Then flip the whole thing again and remove the plastic. Woo-hoo! This crust should hold together fairly well for you.

Then, combine the filling ingredients.

Filling:
1 can Oregon cherries, drained (although this would work with fresh pitted cherries or frozen cherries. I just found that the can was the right size for my tart!)
1/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Super easy. Super tasty.

Put the cherry filling in the center of the galette, mounding it up some. Lift each corner of your silicon baking mat, which will take the edges of the galette with it. You will end up using this method to fold the sides of the galette in on the filling. Make sure to leave the beautiful center open, so you can look at the cherries!

In the bowl with the remaining HALF EGG, add in 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream. Whisk together with a fork, and then brush this on top of the galette. It will help the galette to brown beautifully, and makes the outside taste even richer!

Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, watching carefully. It will brown, and some filling juices may seep out the bottom. It's done when the fruit is hot, and you can tap on the crust very gently and get a firm sound.

Cool and eat!

Pumpkin Custard Pie

I'm joining up for Adopt a Gluten Free blogger (November), and I want to tell you about amazing Carrie from Ginger Lemon Girl. Her blog is so insightful. Each post is well thought out, and she does amazing scientific studies (with control groups) to find out how to make the best possible gluten free food. Seriously, you gotta read about the Chocolate Chip Cookie study, because it's amazing. After more than a year, I learned why gluten free cookies can spread, but they don't have to!!

My eyes were so opened that I think I read most of her recipes in one (long) sitting. One of the things that moved me from my curled-up-on-the-couch-reading-a-great-blog stupor was the Cardamom Pumpkin Custard Pie. Carrie talks about "impossible" pies, that actually form their own crust as they bake. Seriously? And gluten free. The feats of science are amazing.

We've eaten this twice since I read about it the first time. The first time, I took it to my parents' house for dessert when most of the family was there. My grandmother, who is 95 and has a very active mind but a failing body, loved it. She has to be spoon fed, and I think most of the food she gets from my sweet, caring mother is bland and tasteless. The wonderful spices of the pie actually tasted like something, and my mom said she ate two pieces that night.

My little 18 month old niece also loved it. She's so cute - she eats with a fork by herself, and gave it her seal of satisfaction.

A few changes in the recipe though: I have yet to purchase some cardamom, even though I know it would make this recipe supreme. So it got left out. Also, we made it dairy free. The first time I used one can of regular coconut milk. The second time, for Thanksgiving, I used half a can of coconut milk, and then half sweetened vanilla rice milk. For others who do it dairy free, go with all coconut milk - it keeps it from "sweating" and is so much creamier.

Carrie, thank you for this delicious pie!

Check out other wonderful bloggers at this month's Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger!