Amaretto Pear Cobbler (Gluten Free)

You can use just about any fruit with this recipe but I was feeling like the winter weather meant I needed to go with the something like apple or pear... in the summertime I could see it as a cobbler with nectarines, peaches or berries...

Amaretto Pear Cobbler

• 1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cane sugar 
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 Tablespoons soft butter
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg

For filling: 

• 3 cups fruit (in this case I used pears)
• 1 tablespoon amaretto liquor
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup cane sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish.

2. In a large bowl mix brown rice flour, potato flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, cane sugar, and sea salt.

3. Add soft butter and mix. 

4. In a small bowl beat buttermilk with egg and then add to batter mix. Mix till combined.

5. Mix cornstarch with sugar and then toss sliced up fruit till coated. You can prepare the fruit to your own preference. I used peeled and sliced pears in this instance. 

6. Drizzle mix with amaretto liquor and toss. 

7. Spoon batter into greased casserole dish until bottom is covered. Gently add fruit filling. 

8. Spoon remaining filling on top of fruit. Sprinkle top with 1-2 tablespoons of cane sugar, this will give the top a sugary sparkle. 

9. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 

10. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Excellent with a side of home whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

xoxo- Iris

Quick Buttermilk Fresh Baked Sweet Sorghum Bread (Gluten Free)

I decided if I ever owned a Cafe that my guests would be treated to a warm basket of mini loafs of this bread with soft butter. I can think of no more welcoming way to say to my guests "you have entered a gluten free zone and it is delicious!"

This was actually my first foray into baking for Sweet Sorghum Flour and I wasn't sure what to expect. I tried googling descriptions of the taste and came up empty handed. So to clarify it tastes a bit like a mild sweet corn. In the nutritional scheme of things Sorghum flour is higher in protein than rice flour but if you are using rice flour then brown rice is nutritionally superior to white, higher in protein and lower in calories.

Quick Buttermilk Sweet White Sorghum Bread

• 1 cup White Sweet Sorghum Flour
• 3/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
• 1/4 cup Potato Flour
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (if your buttermilk is thicker you may need an additional 1/4 cup)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Grease 3 x 8 bread pan with either butter, shortening or a cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients flours through salt and mix thoroughly. 

3. In a smaller bowl combine buttermilk, egg and oil and beat. 

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix gently till just combined.

5. Immediately transfer into prepared pan. I find if you wait too long the dry ingredients will start to absorb the moisture so you want to do this immediately to achieve the nicest shape. 

6. Place in preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until the top of the loaf is a dark golden and when you look at the side of the loaf you can see that it has turned golden too. If your loaf is too dark on top and seems light on the side you can cover the top once it is par baked and continue to bake. This will allow the sides to darken and not over brown the top. 

7. Remove baked loaf from the oven and permit to cool for about 20 minutes before removing from pan and slicing. 

I loved this loaf fresh from the oven with a generous smear of butter. It tastes like a very delicate corn bread and satisfies all cravings for fresh baked bread. This bread would be great with jam or perhaps a nice creamy brie cheese. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Cantaloupe Honey Sorbet

Ripe sweet melons are one of the best things about summertime. In recent years I started purchasing Tuscan Cantaloupe. Tuscan Cantaloupe is a sweeter variety of cantaloupe, the good news is that it is not genetically modified, they are a hybrid melon developed through conventional cross breeding to produce a particularly sweeter melon. I like the sugary almost floral fragrance of the melon.

Of course I must talk about the benefits of eating cantaloupe as well! They are vitamin rich in A, C and beta-carotene. Cantaloupe reduces stress because it is high in potassium which reduces stress and anxiety by promoting good heart health and increasing oxygen to your brain. Also, like some of my other favorite foods to talk about, cantaloupe is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. So you can go ahead and add this melon to your list of super-foods!

Cantaloupe Honey Sorbet

• 1 average size Tuscan Cantaloupe (you can use a regular but make sure it is super ripe!)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Slice and cube melon, remove rind and seeds and place into blender with water. 

2.  Blend till melon is completely liquified. 

3. Add honey and juice of the lemon. 

4. Puree until completely combined. 

5. Taste mixture to determine sweetness, depending on the level of sweetness of the melon you may want to add more honey. 

6. Use ice cream maker to process mixture. I have a Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream Maker. 

7. Serve frozen!

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Matza/Masa Ball Soup Gluten Free Recipe

I LOVE matza ball soup but when I tried to make it with gluten free crackers they were a bit dense. The flavor wasn't bad but the texture was all off. As a vegetarian I have not had the pleasure of enjoying a bowl of matza ball soup at Canter's but my own version back in my wheat eating days was certainly delightful.

I made these dumplings with a slightly Mexican themed broth however I think that you could probably use whatever broth you like and it would definitely effect the overall tone of the dish. You can taste the corn of the masa but primarily they are like a nice light matza ball that soaks up all the heartiness of the broth in which it is served.

Matza/Masa Ball Soup

• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup masa flour

1. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. 

2. In a small size bowl mix the egg yolks with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and melted butter. I was staying simple with this but if you want a more matza ball style dumpling you could add some finely diced parsley too, about a tablespoon. 

3. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl till soft peaks form. 

4. Alternately fold in the egg yolk mix and the masa to the egg whites. You want to mix thoroughly but not lose the fluffiness that separately beating the egg white imparts on the dumplings. 

5. Heat your broth... I used a tomato vegetable based broth and added a little cumin and bay leaf but this works in an onion or mushroom broth, for meat eaters you could use a chicken soup base. 

6. Once the broth is at a low boil, lower heat. Shape dumplings by rolling into 1 inch balls and setting aside on a plate. 

7. Drop dumplings into heated broth and cook for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings rise to the top. 

8. Turn off heat and let sit for approximately 15 minutes. The soup should still be warm but its nice to let the dumplings really soak up some of the flavor from the broth without overcooking them. 

You can serve warm right away or reheat later, it keeps very nicely and the dumpling do not get soggy in the broth. They should be firm but tender and porous enough to really soak up the flavors from your broth. 

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Crumble

When I was a kid I used to receive these care packages from my grandmother, especially around the holidays. They always contained these raison oatmeal bars. The raisons were so sugary that the the syrup would soak into the oatmeal and I would pull the raisons off and eat just the oatmeal cookie portion of the bars. 

When my grandmother passed a few years ago I went on a mission to find the recipe for the raison bars, it's the kind of thing you never think to ask for and then when you realize it's gone you really miss it. 

I eventually came up with a recipe but still I think it wasn't the same since it didn't come in a box, all squished from shipping with that same loving touch that only a grandma can impart on a box of baked goods. 

This recipe is like a compilation of my childhood as strawberry rhubarb pie was also a favorite of mine. Here I marry together the simplicity of the oat bar with a less cloying filling than the original raisons cooked in sugar. To me this is the perfect gluten free summer treat and can be served warm or cool and eaten plain or a la mode to suit your mood!

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Crumble

• 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup oatmeal flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/8 cup potato flour
• 1/8 cup corn starch
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter (use butter subsitute if you wish to make this dairy free/vegan)
• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 2 cups diced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn starch

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. Mix together diced rhubarb, strawberries, cane sugar and cornstarch in a sauce pan. Cook on low temperature till thick and bubbly. Turn off heat.

3. Combine all dry ingredients with butter. 

4. Press half of oat mixture into bottom of greased 9x9 pan. Pour cooked fruit mixture on top. 

5. Top with remaining oat mixture. 

6. Bake until top is golden brown and set. 

7. Serve warm or cooled. Particularly delicious a la mode!

Enjoy! xoxo - Iris

How to Make Watermelon Lime Jam!

This is first my first video "how to" please enjoy!