GF Chocolate Cupcakes *Coconut Flour*

OMG!  My dear friend, Lindsay, heard my pitiful plea and came to the rescue!  Seriously, tears were shed when I received a package of coconut flour on my front door step a few weeks ago.  It's the little "sweet nothings" received from friends that keep us trekking along in this world.  As you know, I have been whining about wanting to try coconut flour for quite some time, but I couldn't bear to buy it because it's expensive, and I am so poor right now.  THANK YOU, LINDSAY!!!

As some sort of payback to Lindsay for her generous gift, I have spent the past few weeks dedicating my baking time to creating the perfect chocolate cupcake made from coconut flour.  I finally came up with what I believe to be a moist, non-gritty, dependable GF cupcake.  I won't go into the details of my trials while on this journey, but I do want to shed some light on some super cool aspects of this recipe....

One, no need for xanthan gum!!!  Finally, a lickable batter for GF'ies!  Next, due to coconut flour being the most "thirsty" flour in the world, you only have to use a very small amount; therefore, the "expensive" bag of coconut flour really turns out to be not that expensive at all.  Seriously, I still have the same bag of flour, and I have made at least 10 batches of cupcakes...and I still have at least 3 more batches left in the bag.  And finally, I love how this recipe only makes 8-9 cupcakes.  That's the perfect amount for a family needing a sweet treat for a couple days.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup-  Coconut Flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbs-  Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp-  Salt
• 1/4 tsp-  Baking Soda
• 3-  Large Eggs
• 1/2 cup-  Sugar
• 3 Tbs-  Canola Oil
• 1/2 tsp-  Vanilla Extract

Directions:


Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Sift together coconut flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a small'ish bowl or on a sheet of wax/parchment paper (makes for easy dumping later).  Add salt.  Set dry ingredients aside.

In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs until they just come together.  With the speed on medium, gradually pour in the sugar.  Once the sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer on high, and whisk until the mixture becomes very pale yellow, and doubles in volume.  This step is very important, and takes appx. 3.5 minutes in a stand mixer.  Add oil and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until just combined.  Mixture should still contain a lot of air.  Dish into 8 or 9 paper lined cupcakes, and bake for appx. 15-16 minutes.  They will contract some upon cooling.  This is typical for a chiffon-type cake, which this recipe mocks...sorta.  Leave in pan to cool a good deal before transporting them to a wire rack; otherwise, the will collapse.

(the stupid cupcake liners I bought did not want to cooperate)

The Secret

You know how men are always wanting to know the secret to a woman's heart, or how to turn her on, or understand her?  Well, here's the answer, guys...

Buy a move ticket to a romantic comedy/drama, bring a notebook, and take notes!

Women are obviously writing these screenplays/movies/novels/scripts, and they are telling you what we want! 

And, it would help if you looked like Ryan Gosling ;-)
-Claire-

Arriba! Arriba!~Salsa

Ahhh, to be in the salsa business making $4 a jar for this super easy cheap thing to make...wait, what?!?!  Yep, peeps, we have all been conned into buying these jars of less than par salsa for many years simply due to our ignorance of how to make the stuff.

As you know, my family is from Texas, and we all still live there except my sister.  She and her family live in Colorado.  Whenever they come down to TX, they buy this massive amount of restaurant salsa, freeze, and fly home with it.  All for salsa?!?!  Yes, this absurdity is true.  I've discovered there are too many people out there like my sister fretting over hard-to-find-authentic-fresh-way-too-expensive salsa, and decided to offer a very simple base salsa recipe to you all.

Note the word "base".  This is my favorite kind of salsa~ fresh, spicy, and crisp; BUT, one can certainly modify this recipe.  Some folks like chili powder and cumin in their salsa (shame on you, by the way), so add that if you want it.  You could also roast a head of garlic, or add adobe style smoked jalapenos (which would be good).  If you're brave enough, why not add some habanero peppers (now, that's just for the crazies)!  Once you know how to make a base salsa recipe, you can let your creative juices fly.

My only word of advice here...DON'T USE FRESH TOMATOES!  They're too watery, mealy, and dull.

*UPDATE*  I have been making this salsa lately replacing the serrano pepper with two chipotle jalapenos (canned in the adoboe sauce) and replacing the fresh garlic with one HEAD of oven roasted garlic.  I know that seems like a lot, but trust me, roasted garlic does not have near the intensity raw garlic has.  It's actually very sweet and mild.  Sometimes, I add an additional 1/2 clove raw garlic just to give it that raw bite, but you don't have to.  I also reduce the lime a little when making it this style.  Have fun with creating your favorite salsa!

Basic Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 can Hunts "fire roasted" tomatoes (my fave, but any canned tomato will work)
• 1/2 small onion (appx. 85grams or a heaping 1/2 cup chopped)
• 1 very large clove fresh garlic, or 2 small cloves
• 1 serrano pepper seeds and pod removed (or jalapeno; serranos are hotter)
• juice of 1 large lime
• 1/4 - 1/2 bunch of cilantro
• 3/4-1 tsp tsp kosher salt (1/2 tsp if using regular table salt)
• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional...but it's just a tad to bring out the slight sweetness of the tomatoes)

Directions:

In a food processor, PULSE onion, garlic, and serrano/jalapeno.  Mixture should look like a small/fine chop.  Pour in canned tomatoes and remainig ingredients.  Again, PULSE until salsa comes together to a consistency you like.  Store in the refridgerator, and enjoy!  Give those ingredients time to marry together; you'll notice it will taste best after a few hours in the fridge.  Remember, the amounts of each ingredient can fluctuate to meet your own taste preference.  Here are some photos of the process for you slow ones out there ;-)

Glad I got the sorghum...err...spelt?

When I first started this venture in the Gluten-Free world, I immediately went to the store to grab a variety of flours.  Stupid me forgot to take the list with me.  I remembered there was a flour I needed starting with an "S".  Looking...searching..."wtf is this?!"...hmmm...maybe "spelt" was it?  Sounds good to me.  OK, let's check out and head home.  Once I got home and read my list, I discovered I had picked up the wrong flour....DAMN!  And, spelt isn't even gluten free!  I was pissed, and I threw it in the freezer for a rainy day recipe experiment.  Well, yesterday was that rainy day minus the rain part.

I love, love, love bread, and I love, love, love baking bread.  Bread making is the most wholesome, gratifying, traditional things to make in the kitchen.  My love for bread and it's future role in this gluten free world was my biggest fear when experimenting with a GF diet.  Luckily, I can tolerate small amounts of gluten without being total screwed for the next couple days.  I decided to read up on this spelt flour I bought a couple months back and discovered it is a really cool, highly nutritious, grain!  It is NOT gluten free (so if you have full blown celiac, stop reading now), but it is a low gluten ancient grain many people can digest when being gluten or wheat sensitive.  I decided to give making a loaf of spelt bread a try, and I was so pleased with the results!  Great texture, whole grain, and a smooth sweet taste were what I found in this beautiful little bread.  As for my guts...well, I'll let you know how they feel about it in a couple days.  This was a great recipe; thank you to the contributor!  If you can tolerate spelt in your diet, I highly suggest this beautiful little grain.

Whole Grain Spelt Yeast Bread

*NOTE- I did not use the flax seed meal only because I was out; but, I do love flax, and I think it would be a great addiction for texture and flavor.  As a result, I increased the butter amount by a another half tablespoon due to the lack of oil from my omission of the flax.  I also free formed my bread, as opposed to putting in a pan; so, my baking time was less due to my bread not being so dense in a pan.

Ingredients (makes one loaf):

1 1/2 cups warm water (just barely hot to the touch)

1 package active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)

2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon whole flaxseed ground in a coffee mill

2 1/2 cups whole spelt flour 

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 3/4 cups whole spelt flour

1 tablespoon butter, melted (vegan butter could be used here)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of flaxseed (optional). Mix in 2 1/2 cups of spelt flour. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and salt. Stir in 1 3/4 cups of spelt flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with spelt flour until it pulls away from the counter but is still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 1 to 2 cups of spelt flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 30 minutes).

Punch down and place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Allow to rise until dough has topped the pan by one inch. Depending on your yeast this will take between 1 - 2 hours.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not over bake. 

GF Mocha Cupcakes (aka: "The Steven")

Oh.  My.  Gawd.  Have I ever mentioned how oat flour is the best thing to ever happen to the GF world?  No grit, no falling apart, no "off" taste, and SO moist.  This is one of the best devils food cup cakes I've ever made, GF or not!

Even though this is a classic mocha style cup cake, I'm calling it "The Steven" for a couple reasons.  One, I made these yesterday for Steven because he was starting to buy Chips A'Hoy cookies since there have not been homemade chocolate goodies around for him to eat.  I can't have that.  Also, he loves this coffee/chocolate combo.  And, finally, I sent Steven to the grocery to get cup cake liners, and he came home with robot themed ones.  Yay.  

Before you rush off to make these, I want to get on a little soap box regarding creaming sugars and fats.  People, listen.  "Creaming" is a HUGE step when making baked goods from scratch.  Creaming does not mean simply combing the fat and sugar until they come together.  It goes beyond that.  You keep the mixer on until it changes color and texture.  It will become very light in color, very fluffy, and almost double in volume.  This step can take up to 5 minutes, or longer, of running your mixer.  This step is IMPERATIVE for a light and fluffy cake!  I can not stress that enough.  Here's a pretty good little video on proper creaming technique.

Now, on to the recipe.  I just slightly modified this recipe from "Gluten Free Mommy."  As you can see, she uses butter, and I use butter crisco.  Also, she uses rice flour, and I use oat flour in it's place.  I also increased the salt since I thought 1/4 tsp resulted in the cake being just a little flat in taste.  I also want to note that creaming 1.5 cups of sugar into just 1/2 cup of butter/crisco is quite a feat for that little bit of fat to handle.  Be patient, and continue to run your mixer.  It will come together.

Gluten Free Mocha Cupcakes

Devils Food Cake/Cupcake:

Dry Ingredients

• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 3/4 tsp. xanthum gum
• 1.5 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter crisco (room temp) + 1 Tbs. water
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs (room temp.)
• 1.5 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/3 buttermilk--or--soured milk

Directions:

Pre-heat over to 350F.  Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.  Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

In another large bowl, or stand mixer, cream the crisco.  Slowly add the water and vanilla until it's one homogenous mixture.  Then, and sugar slowly to butter while mixer is running, and continue to beat at medium high speed until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  Turn the mixer on low, and alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk both starting and finishing with the dry mixture.  Basically, you'll add your dry ingredients in three parts and the buttermilk in two parts.

Spoon mixture into muffin tins filling about 1/2 - 2/3rds full.  Bake in oven for about 15 minutes.  Completely cool on wire wracks, and then frost with cappuccino frosting or you frosting of choice.

Key Lime Pie Sorbet

Well, 103F degrees made me do it...again.  It's too damn hot in Texas.  Plain and simple, this is why Texans are fatter than people living in other states.  We can't go outside anytime after 9am and before 9pm unless we're going to work, the grocery store, or to a body of water.  One will fry, literally.  So, we trap ourselves inside our dark houses, watch t.v., pray our A/C's don't die, and eat ice cream.  I'm not kidding, either.


So, while I was watching my movie for the day I started browsing through my Epicurious app on my phone, and luckily, I came across this little jewel of a recipe.  If you like key lime pie, you will love this!  It's very tart and very sweet.  I made a couple minor adjustments; but, if you want an even tarter version, go with the original recipe linked here.  I guarantee you my version is plenty tart; the original is eye squint worthy.  Or, if you find this is too sweet and tart for you, I'm sure you could just increase the water in the recipe.    


*Claire's Notes - Use ONLY key limes, not regular limes!  You will use almost a full 1 lb bag of key limes.  Unless you want to have permanent hand cramp from squeezing that many key limes, invest in a cheap hand held citrus press.  It goes by really fast with one of those.  Just cut them all in half, and start pressing!

Key Lime Pie Sorbet
(You get ugly ice cream cones when you don't have an ice cream scoop)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup key lime juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
Bring 3/4 cup water and sugar to a slight simmer in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Turn off heat, and whisk in sweetened condensed milk, then lime juice. Transfer mixture to medium bowl; place over large bowl filled with ice and water and cool, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Add vanilla to cooled mixture. Refrigerate overnight!!!

Process lime mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbet to medium container, cover, and freeze until firm.
SO GOOD!
CC

I'm Kinda Nutty (pun intended)...Almond Butter!

I'm pretty nutty in the kitchen.  I'm seriously happiest when I'm in the kitchen locked-in to making something that would be much easier to buy...but, not tastier!  Who gives a damn about making their own nut butters?  Me, that's who.  I think it's so fun to make a food we normally buy already processed.  Plus, when you make it on your own the flavor options are limitless!

I was getting all aggravated the other day with natural peanut butter because it's just not salty enough for me (surprise, surprise).  I wanted to make a jazzed up nut butter to my liking...not someone else's.  So, being the completely impulsive cook I am, I jumped in my car headed to Costco this morning to buy a big @ss bag of almonds.  Steven was not thrilled about driving all the way over there (15 min) just for almonds, but they have the best deal!  3 lbs for $9!  And they have many other nuts besides almonds: pecans, macadamias, walnuts, etc.  And, the other cool thing about making your own nut butters is that you can make butters using exotic nuts and unusual combinations.  Almond was on my mind.

I have photographed every step of this process.  Try making your own one day...it's the best!  Here's what you'll need for this recipe:

Almond Butter!

• 1.5 cups raw unroasted almonds
• 1 tsp. neutral oil (like veggie or canola)
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. kosher salt  (optional...I guess)
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar or honey (optional)

Step 1:  Buy your raw un-roasted nuts and measure out 1.5 cups

Step 2: Blanch the nuts in boiling water for 1 minute, not a hair longer.  Immediately drain nuts into a colander.   

This process will help to remove the skins.  You can make almond butter with the skins on, but it will have a more bitter taste.

Step 3:  As soon as your drain the nuts, spread onto some paper towels.  Now we peel!

Peeling almonds is actually very simple as long as you blanched them correctly.  You will notice the skins have already shriveled from the nut.  The nut will push through the pointy side of the almond if you squeeze the nut.  Give it a little push with your thumb from the other hand.  Watch out, them are slippery little suckers!  This shouldn't take long at all, and will make a wonderfully smooth butter as a result.

Step 4:  Roasting time!  Roast at 350F on a lightly "Pam" sprayed cookie sheet until lightly golden brown.  Give them a toss every few minutes for even roasting.  Do not burn the nuts!  If you're unsure if their ready, take them out as opposed to chancing burning them.  

The first photo is pre-roasting, and the second photo is post-roasting.  Let them cool completely after roasting!  They will crisp up once cooled.  You can make a nut butter with the unroasted nuts if you wish, but if you want a more traditional peanut butter roasted taste, then roast them.  

Step 4:  Place the cooled nuts in your food processor, and PULSE until a rough meal is formed.

Step 6:  Once you get the nuts as fine as you can simply pulsing them, turn your food processor on, and let it run!  Eventually, the oils from the nuts will release and cause the nut mixture to start to form balls in a cookie dough type texture.  Keep running the food processor.  If you're afraid your food processor will over-heat, you can give it a little break.  At this point, you can add a neutral oil 1 tsp. at a time to help this process along.  You will NOT need more than 1 Tbs. of oil.  Once you reach a creamy consistency, you can add your salt, sugar, honey, cinnamon, etc.

And here's the yield!  Yummy!  I'm so pleased with MY idea of a perfect almond butter!  Store in the fridge.

Crappy wine??? Make Sangria!

Steven and I are poor, poooooor, POOR right now.  As a result, we're box-wine drinking fools!  We mainly stick to the Bota Box and Black Box brands, but Steven came home with a Turning Leaf box of pinot grigio that was on big time clearance.  Well, it's not so hot, in my opinion...surprise, surprise.  So, now we've got the equivalent of 4 bottles of sh!tty white wine on hand.  I refuse to believe sh!tty food products can't be reinvented into something better.....thinking....thinking....thinking.....duh!  SANGRIA!

Sangria, white or red, has so much going on it can dress up any nasty wine!  Plus, it's summer, and drinking sangria is just what you do in summer.  I've never actually written down a recipe when I make sangria, but I tried to do so tonight.  Once you get the booze to wine ratio down, you just add personal flair and fruit from there.  I used vodka in this batch, but you could add rum, brandy, schnapps, flavored liquors, etc.  Here's a rough cut of what I made tonight.  And remember, you can add whatever fruits you want!  Oranges, lemons, berries, peaches, nectarines, etc....

• 1/4 - 1/2 pink lady apple thinly sliced
• 1/2 package fresh strawberries sliced
• some sprigs of fresh mint
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• juice of 4 key limes
• 4 Tbs sugar**
• 1/3 cup vodka
• 1 bottle white wine
• Sprite, Fresca, Club Soda to top off**

** The sugar amount is up to your personal preference for sweetness, and if you choose to use a sweet soda or club soda.  Just play with it.  You can always add more if you find you need it.  I tend to like a white sangria sweeter than a red sangria.


In a pitcher, combine all sliced fruit, citrus juices, sugar, and vodka.  Macerate (or lightly mash) all that together forcing the juices from the fruits to release. Add the bottle of wine to macerated fruit/booze mixture.  


Refrigerate over night.  Fill an iced glass about 3/4 way full with the wine mixture, and then top off with soda.  






Shout out to my Sangria Babes in NB!
CC Bloom

Poo on Rice Flour!

Rice flour sucks.  Bottom line, it's gritty.  I'm slowly substituting all recipes calling for rice flour with a mix of sorghum and oat flour (and probably coconut flour once I'm rich enough to afford it).  Like rice, oats have a lot of starch which is good for binding and "chew" in GF recipes.  Plus, it has fiber, and it just taste good.

Did you know how easy it is to make some of these flours, especially oat flour?!  Buy some certified GF oats from good ol' hippie Bob, and buy an electric coffee grinder (they're cheap), and get on it!  Luckily, I'm not highly sensitive to gluten like many are, so I do fine with regular store bought oats; but, always know you can buy the certified gluten free oats.  Other companies sell them, too.

Directions?  Well, put some oats in your coffee grinder, and get your grind on!  Grind to a super fine consistency, and that's that.  I'm sure you can find some you tube video on this process...

With that said, keep an eye on my recipes, because I modify them constantly when I find what I believe to be an improvement on the original.

Word to the oats,
CC Bloom

I SCREAM...

...for ICE CREAM!  I love ice cream, especially homemade ice cream.  One of the best kitchen tools I've acquired (besides my actual Kitchen Aid, itself) is the ice cream bowl attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer.  Ice cream is expensive, and good ice cream is even more expensive.  That's why I like to make my own.  Also, homemade ice cream is hands down the absolute best tasting!

Philadelphia style vs. French style?  One has a custard base using eggs (French), and the other one does not use eggs (Philly).  It comes down to preference; and really, there's a time and place for both.  Personally, I like Philadelphia style best most of the time, especially for classic vanilla ice cream.  It has the cleanest, most crisp, pure flavor.  Yum, yum, yum, I already can't wait for dessert at lunch as I type this!

Yesterday, I decided to play with a classic Philly style vanilla ice cream recipe and a French style toasted coconut ice cream recipe in hopes of producing a philly style toasted coconut ice cream.  Well, success was achieved!  Holy crap, this ice cream is IN-SANE good...seriously...not lying, here....nom, nom, nom.

Toasted Coconut Philadelphia Style Ice Cream

Note: this is not my photo due to to the fact I'm too lazy to get a pretty picture of my ice cream; this photo is linked to its original poster.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (<--per original recipe, but I used sweetened flake coconut you buy at the grocery, and the results were great)
• 2 cups half-and-half
• little pinch of kosher salt
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon sugar (<-- there were some ciriticsms on Alton's recipe about this ice cream being too sweet, and it is very sweet, so if you want to reduce the amount, I'm sure you can)
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped  -OR-  2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring it frequently so it toasts evenly. Be careful; it will burn easily and fast! Remove it from the oven when it's nice and fragrant and golden brown.

Combine ALL ingredients (including the bean and its pulp) in a large saucepan and place over medium heat (if using vanilla extract, do not combine with heated milk mixture until it is in the cooling stage). Attach a frying or candy thermometer to inside of pan. (see note below) Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to 170 degrees F. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract if necessary, cover with lid or foil, and allow to steep with the coconut and come to room temperature. This will take an hour, so.  Remove the hull of the vanilla bean, pour mixture into lidded container and refrigerate mixture overnight to mellow flavors and texture.

Pour chilled mixture through a mesh strainer to remove coconut, and freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to unit's instructions. The mixture will not freeze hard in the machine. Once the volume has increased by 1/2 to 3/4 times, and reached a soft serve consistency, spoon the mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

NOTE: If you do not have a thermometer, bring the mixture just barely to a simmer. As soon as you see a bubble hit the surface, remove it from the heat. Do not let it boil.