5 tips for Dating Gluten Free...

Last time I got badly glutened was from a kiss from a man right after he drank a beer. Yes, I am that highly sensitive and not everyone is, but still there are a few things to keep in mind when dating someone who is gluten free by medical necessity.

1) Make the date centered around an activity that is not eating.

It's very awkward having to explain to someone why you are gluten free or the anxiety and precautions that you need to take to avoid getting glutened. It also feels really unsexy having to explain what you need to a waiter in front of a date. A lot of socialization is centered around food and eating so it can sometimes be alienating to a person who isn't able to safely eat out at a restaurant. Make a plan like going for walk through an interesting area, checking out a movie, going to a museum or an art show.

2) Don't eat in front of us.

I once met up with a guy on the beach for a date. I thought I had cleverly planned ahead by making sure the date wasn't meal-centered. After a nice stroll he announced a few minutes in that he was hungry and wanted to go find something to eat. We ended up at a nearby restaurant where he ate garlic bread and Fettuccine Alfredo while I had a Sprite. The crummy part was I actually WAS hungry so the date wrapped up pretty quickly after.

3) Look up some fun gluten free recipes and plan a night in cooking dinner together. 

There are a lot of great options now for the gluten free eater if you plan ahead or do some research and want to eat out. But most people on a super strict gluten free diet will tell you that they really do feel safest eating in their own kitchen where the chance of cross contamination is pretty unlikely. If you want to really impress them do a little research, find some gluten free recipes and show up for your date with a nice bag of groceries and together you can prepare a lovely romantic gluten free dinner.  This is not really a first date activity.

4) Don't drink beer if you wanna get a kiss. 

I mentioned this at the start. It might not apply across the board, but don't risk it! If there is any chance spit might be swapped, just don't do it! If we kiss you and taste that beer on your mouth we'll be more focused on the fear of what we just got into our system then enjoying the moment with you. Stick with things like wine, bubbly or whisky if you want an adult beverage.


Go have fun!! xoxo - Iris

Gluten Free Cream Cheese Hershey's Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Gluten Free Cream Cheese Hershey's Cinnamon Chip Cookies

• 1/2 cup soft butter

• 4 ounces (half a package) cream cheese

• 1/2 cup cane sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour

• 1/4 cup potato flour

• 1/4 cup corn starch

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 large egg

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup Hershey's cinnamon chips

In mixer combine cream cheese and butter and mix till combined, add both brown sugar and cane sugar. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat till thoroughly mixed. Now add all dry ingredients and beat till combined. Add chips and fold in with a spoon. 

Roll dough into balls, if the dough is too sticky you can chill in fridge before handling. After you have rolled the cookie balls you should press them down just a little so they are like little cookie discs, not too flat, these cookies don't spread much so if you leave them as a ball they will be too round. Chill balls in fridge till completely cold, 30 minutes to an hour. 

Preheat oven to 350 and bake cookies spread out evenly on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove from oven after approximately 9 or 10 minutes, the tops and edges should just slightly be turning gold. This baking time will vary depending on how large you want your cookies but if you like a cookie that remains soft in the center take them from the oven just as soon as they are getting golden on the edges. 

LEAVE on baking sheet to cool for at least 5 minutes and then remove to finish cooling on a platter or cooling rack. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Easy Lemon Cupcake with White Chocolate Frosting (Gluten Free)

I posted on Instagram a couple days ago that I would be baking up cupcakes and took requests for the flavor. There was overwhelming support lemon/raspberry and raspberry white chocolate. I decided to go my own way with it and so was created the Easy Lemon Cupcake with White Chocolate Frosting topped with a lovely fresh raspberry. I brought these to a gathering and they were a hit!

Instagram: @Petitebakeshoppe

Lemon Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting(Gluten Free)

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 3 tablespoons corn starch 
• 1/3 cup potato flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 11/2 teaspoon baking powder.
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup lemon curd
• 2 sticks soft butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 16 oz package white chocolate chips
• Fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake tins with papers. 

2. In a stand mixer or simply a bowl with a hand mixer beat eggs till thick and creamy, add sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. 

3. In a small bowl combine flours with baking powder. 

4. Slowly add flour mixture to eggs and sugar mixing till just combined. 

5. Heat milk not to boiling. Slowly add milk and melted butter till batter has completely combined. Add lemon juice while mixer is on and beat thoroughly on high to prevent any separation.

6. Fill cupcake papers to 3/4 full, this will make about 1 dozen cupcakes.

7. Place cupcake tin in oven and bake approximately 20 minutes or until cakes are golden on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once you can easily remove cupcakes from tin do so and allow to cool the rest of the way on the counter top. 

8. In stand mixer beat softened butter with powdered sugar. 

9. Melt white chocolate chips, do this slowly so you don't overcook the chocolate. 

10. Add melted white chocolate to butter/sugar mix and beat till combined. At this point your frosting may seize up just a tiny bit, add milk and beat until smooth. You can add more powdered sugar or a but more milk till you reach the desired consistency. 

11. Top cooled cupcakes with a small spoonful of lemon curd. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes immediately. I find that the white chocolate frosting becomes stiff once it cools so it is best to decorate with frosting while the frosting is still fresh and soft. Top with a fresh raspberry. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Baileys Irish Cream Gluten Free Cupcakes

I made these for St. Patrick's Day this year and of course I had to do a little research because liquor is one of those things that can be difficult for someone who is gluten free. I found from Baileys Irish Cream website the following: "The ingredients used in Baileys are Gluten free. On the basis of this and to the best of our knowledge there are no traces of Gluten in Baileys." 

As someone who is highly sensitive I can confirm that I had no complications following the consumption of these cupcakes, however I did note at the store that there are flavored versions of Baileys and I did not do the research on those so I'd stick to original to be on the safe side. 

Baileys Irish Cream Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons corn starch 
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder.
• 1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream 
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 stick soft butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• additional Baileys

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake tins with papers. 

2. In a stand mixer or simply a bowl with a hand mixer beat eggs till thick and creamy, add sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. 

3. In a small bowl combine flours with baking powder. 

4. Slowly add flour mixture to eggs and sugar mixing till just combined. 

5. Slowly add 1/2 cup Baileys and melted butter till batter has completely combined. 

6. Fill cupcake papers to 3/4 full, this will make about 1 dozen cupcakes, if you like them taller it will only make about 10.  

7. Place cupcake tin in oven and bake approximately 20 minutes or until cakes are golden on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once you can easily remove cupcakes from tin do so and allow to cool the rest of the way on the counter top. 

8. I decided to pair these cupcakes with a Baileys frosting but it would also be excellent with chocolate or even just whipped cream. 

9. To make the Baileys frosting beat with stand mixer or hand mixer softened butter and powdered sugar. Slowly add Baileys till desired texture it achieved, about 1/4 of a cup... If you make it too soft you can always add a little powdered sugar to thicken your frosting. I also added a few drops of green dye to really add to the St. Paddy's Day spirit.

10. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. 

Gluten Free Teff Brown Bread

Teff is touted as a wonder grain and is the worlds smallest grain. Teff is actually an Ethiopian grass, it is high in fiber, protein, iron and calcium. Teff is one of the world's oldest grains too dating back to somewhere between 1000 BCE and 4000 BCE. Pretty awesome, huh?

Here is a recipe for an excellent quick bread using teff flour. I have made it in both a loaf pan and small pans to make mini loaves and love it both ways.

This recipe also contains molasses which is excellently high in iron, calcium and magnesium.

Teff Brown Bread

• 1 cup teff flour
• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. In a large mixing bowl combine flours with corn starch, salt, baking soda and sugar. Mix till combined. 

3. Add molasses and buttermilk and mix till combined. 

4. Butter baking tin. 

5. Transfer batter into pan and smooth top. 

6. Place in oven and bake for one hour or until baked through. If you are using a smaller baking tin or shallower your baking time will be shorter. Insert a stick to determine doneness. 

7. Permit to cool for about 10 minutes and then remove from pan to cool completely on baking rack or cutting board. This will effect the texture of the crust so do not leave bread in pan. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Teff Brown Bread served with quiche and
curried butternut squash soup.

Teff Brown Bread, toasted under poached egg,
hollandaise sauce and a side of roasted potatoes.

Banana Flan

The first time I made this recipe I remember standing in the kitchen exclaiming "it worked! it really worked!" The funny thing about flan is that it feels like you've done a magic trick in the kitchen and it in my mind it's always much more complicated than it really is. This is a fun twist on the usual flan and delicious banana flan!

Banana Flan

• 1 cup cane sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
• 1 cup bananas (extra ripe, the riper the better the flavor)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch sea salt
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Set clean dry flan pan on countertop easily accessible to your stovetop. I recommend using a medium casserole dish but I think pie pans are also used often too. 

2. In a sauce pan over low heat cook sugar till it dissolves and becomes a liquid caramel. You will need to keep a close on the pan and stir constantly so that the sugar does not burn. At first it will just kind of clump together and then very quickly it will dissolve all at once. 

Beginning to dissolve.

Almost there!

3. As soon as the sugar has dissolved pour directly into pan, you might need to tip the pan around a little to be sure you get even sugar syrup distribution on the bottom. Set this aside to cool while you prepare the flan. 

Sugar syrup cooling in dish.

4. I used a blender because using a food processor for liquids can be too messy. Combine eggs, sweetened condensed milk, bananas, vanilla and salt. Blend until completely smooth. Add one cup water and blend till combined.

5. Place flan pan into cake pan. I used a 13x9 pan. Pour blender mixture into flan pan. Add water to surrounding pan till it reaches the midpoint of the flan pan. This is kind of like a double boiler sort of situation. You are NOT ADDING WATER to the flan, you are placing it in the surrounding pan so that when you bake the flan it will cook more gently. 

6. Set into oven. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes. Toward the hour mark you will want to test the flan with a knife. If it comes out clean your flan is set. 

Bake flan.

7. Remove from oven and leave on countertop for at least 30 minutes to come to room temperature. 

8. Cover flan and move just the flan pan to the refrigerator to set. Cool in fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours. 

9. Remove cooled flan pan from fridge, slide knife around edges to ensure it has loosened from the dish. Place serving dish on top and flip over to transfer flan out onto plate. I recommend using a deep serving plate as the caramel becomes syrupy and will want to drip down along the flan and into the dish. 

10. Keep cool until serving to maintain desired texture. 

Enjoy!! xoxo - Iris

No Bake Cheesecake (Gluten Free, Vegetarian)

Decadent, divine, light, rich and sumptuous! Just a few words to describe this amazingly simple and incredibly delicious no bake cheesecake! I recommend making this a day ahead so it has proper time to set but this recipe is definitely one to save because it takes just a few minutes to put together but will be the star dessert.

No Bake Cheesecake

Crust: 

• 1 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• pinch of sea salt

Filling:

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 lemon 
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl mix together almond meal with cane sugar, soft butter and sea salt. Once this is thoroughly combined it will resemble wet sand. Dust into bottom of 9 inch spring form pan. You can use a smaller or larger spring form pan but this will effect how deep your cheesecake is. 

2. Once dusted crust in in place pat down gently with your clean hands to secure in place. If you like a thicker crust to your cheesecake you can double the crust recipe. 

3. Now prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl or with a hand mixer beat cream cheese with sugar and vanilla extract. It is best to have your cream cheese at room temperature for this step as it will make it easier to blend. Zest the lemon into the mixture and continue to beat. I suggest using organic lemons so you aren't eating a bunch of wax and pesticides. 

4. Set aside cream cheese mixture. 

5. In a large bowl beat whipping cream till soft peaks form. 

6. Add cream cheese to whipped cream and fold in, gently using folding motions till cream cheese and whipped cream are entirely combined. 

7. Spoon filling into spring form pan on top of crust. Smooth top as uniformly as possible. 

8. In a small bowl mix together topping of sour cream, vanilla and sugar. Spread a thin even layer over the entire top of the cheesecake. 

9. Cover with plastic wrap and place into fridge. I let mine sit over night in the fridge and when I released the spring form pan the next morning the cheesecake was set perfectly and sliced like a dream! 

Serve cold topping with fresh fruit or berries. I opted to top this cake with chocolate covered strawberries but whatever seasonal fruit you have will be delightful!

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Potato Crust Quiche (Gluten Free)

The great thing about this dish is it can be served hot or cold so it is a nice dish to prepare for guests or to take with you. I've never been opposed to crustless quiche but the potatoes are a nice variation and also they tend to layer with the egg on the bottom of the dish which I think is very lovely.

Potato Crust Quiche

• 1 to 2 russet potatoes (you can use other varieties too)
• 8 eggs
• 2 stalks of scallions
• 1/2 cup  fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup shredded (not grated fine, decent shredded pieces are best) parmesan or other sharp or aged cheese
• 1/2 cup feta crumbles
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp soft butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Thinly slice potatoes and butter your pie pan generously. 

2.  Arrange slices of potato around interior of pie pan overlapping and coming up over the edge of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp sea salt. 

3.  Place potato lined pie pan into oven. Bake for 15 minutes. 

4. While your potatoes are baking whisk 8 eggs in a large bowl, add chopped scallions, parsley, minced garlic clove and 1/4 tsp sea salt. 

5. Fold in feta and shredded parmesan.

6. Remove potato lined pie pan from oven and pour filling into pan, return to oven. 

7. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until eggs are set and just beginning to golden on top. 

8. Serve warm or cold. 

You can vary this recipe by adding additional fresh herbs. If you want to add some veggies to the dish precook them to avoid excess water from messing with the consistency, for example sauté mushrooms and onions with zucchini, allow to reach room temperature before folding into egg mixture when you add the cheese.

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris  

Nutella Crispy Treats (Gluten Free, Vegetarian)

Today I was headed to a friend's place to spend some time with her and her darling baby daughter. As I crossed through Hollywood on the 101 North what had been a sprinkle in Downtown LA immediately became a torrential downpour, I could see maybe about 20 feet ahead of me and knowing I was about to hit a dip in the freeway prone to flooding I exited immediately. This presented me with a new dilemma. There is a perception out there that Angelinos freak out at the sight of a few drops of rain, what is not also explained is that somehow, despite the fact that this happens every year, this town was not built with proper drainage! The Cahuenga pass was flooded with water up to my car door with these muddy geysers shooting up out of the drains. I'm not even sure the physics of the situation but I was white knuckle driving till I made it to the clear roads.

So you ask "what is the point of this?" Perhaps I'm just trying to justify my emotional cooking impulse that followed. But these Nutella Crispy Treats need little rationalization other than that they are simply delicious and can be prepared in just a few minutes. I was able to prepare them for my friend in about 10 minutes with the use of one bowl and baking pan.

You can make Rice Krispie Treats using Rice Krispies however you must be sure to use the ones that specifically are gluten free. Regular Rice Krispies have "malt flavoring" and therefore are not gluten free. And the cool part is the gluten free variety is actually made using brown rice. However they are not always easy to locate.

I use Cocoa Pebbles in this recipe because they are always gluten free... also for the record Fruity Pebbles are also gluten free.

Now onto the issue of marshmallows. Marshmallows contain gelatin and so they are not vegetarian. I once checked out a package of kosher marshmallows in the hopes they would be gelatin free and they had fish gelatin in them *shiver*.  If you use Marshmallow Creme, I recommend the Jet Puffed brand, it is gelatin free and still makes delicious crispies...

OK, so here is the recipe you have all been waiting for!

Nutella Crispy Treats

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 (7 oz) container marshmallow creme
• 1 cup Nutella
• 6 cups Cocoa Pebbles 

Directions:

1. In a large pot melt butter, turn off heat, add marshmallow creme and Nutella. Stir thoroughly. (You can also do this using a large microwave safe bowl.)

2. Add Cocoa Pebbles slowly and stir till all coated. 

3. Butter 9X13 baking pan and press mixture into pan. Cover and set in fridge to set. 

4. Remove from fridge and cut into serving size pieces. 

Now try not to eat them all. These are slightly more delicate than regular rice krispie treats so I recommend storing in fridge when you aren't eating them! 

xoxo - Iris