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Monday, September 27, 2010

Spicy Turkey Burgers with Almonds (No Gluten)

Like I said in one of my previous posts, we eat a lot of turkey and I'm trying to play with flavors and textures to avoid getting bored with them. So this time I tried something I hadn't done before. I actually added chopped almonds to the burgers.... and it was yummy! The almonds gave the burger a little bit of a crunch and the flavor was fantastic.

And all my GF friends can make these too, because there are no breadcrumbs in this recipe.

Here is what you need:

1.5 lbs of ground turkey
3 gloves garlic, finely chopped
1 handful parsley, finely chopped
1 handful slivered almonds, chopped roughly
1 tsp hot paprika
1/4 tsp  ground cumin
1/4 tsp  onion powder
1 dash of worcestershire sauce
1 egg
2 tbsp grated parmesan
fresh ground pepper, as much as you like
salt

To start mix all your dry ingredients in a large bowl, so all the spices are well combined, then add your ground turkey and the egg, combine with your hands or a spoon so spices and egg are nicely incorporated into the turkey. Shape into patties and either fry in the pan or grill until cooked through.

Serve with a nice side salad, potato salad or whatever your heart desires! Bon Appetit!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Linzertorte "Gluten-Free" made with Rice and Quinoa Flour

I love sweets and "Linzertorte" is one of my favorites, it's nutty, sweet and not difficult to make. Lately I've been trying to remake some of the goodies that are very typical for my Austrian and Swiss heritage and "Linzertorte" is definitely one of them. And it is obviously named after the capital of Upper Austria, LINZ!

Here is what you need:

150 g butter or margarine  
150 g sugar
1 sprinkle salt

1 egg

1/4 tsp Cinnamon
150 g ground almonds
75 g rice flour
75 g quinoa flour

your favorite jam or fruit preserve (I like apricot, but the original recipe asks for raspberry)

If you are not GF, you can just use regular all purpose flour.

9 inch spring form pan


In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until small peaks form, mix in the sugar and salt, then add the egg and mix until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Mix all other ingredients, then slowly mix with the butter and sugar mixture until you have a nice soft dough. Then cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Roll 1/3rd of the dough onto the bottom of the spring form pan. The from the second 3rd form a roll and place on the edge of the form to create a rim. Roll the rest of the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and into 2-3 mm plate and chill.

While the remaining dough is chilling in the fridge, generously cover the crust with your favorite jam. Cut out little shapes from the remaining dough and decorate. Then brush with egg and put on the ring of the spring form pan.

Bake in the middle of the pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Remove let cool and enjoy with a nice cup of coffee!


Tip: If you can, and don't need the "Linzertorte" right away, wrap tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and let rest for a few days or so in the fridge. I'll be even better as it gets a bit soft.

Allergy Grocer: 728x90

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes

I love baking, well you probably figured that out by now, so I had some extra time this morning and I thought that while I'll do some other chores as well, I'd make some cupcakes for the office.

I stuck with the gluten free theme, as I want to make delicious deserts and cakes that everyone can enjoy. And one can't really taste the difference in these.

This is what you need for 9 regular size cupcakes or one small cake pan.

100g butter (1 stick)
100g sugar
1 sprinkle salt
2 eggs
1 lemon, zest and 2 tbsp juice
75g corn flour
50g rice flour
1 tsp baking powder

With a mixer, cream the butter until it is nice and soft, then add the sugar and salt, continue to mix until nicely incorporated. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice (from half of the lemon) and continue to mix. One by one mix in the eggs until nicely blended.

Mix the two flours and the baking powder so they are nicely blended. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mix a bit at a time. DO NOT USE A HANDMIXER! Using a mixer will make the cupcakes rubbery.

Fill the mixture into prepared cupcake cups and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. I added some raspberries to some of mine, cause I thought that would go well with the lemon.

While the cupcakes are baking you can prepare the lemon glaze, using the juice form the second half lemon. Squeeze the juice into a little bowl and stir in powdered sugar until you have a thick runny glaze.

Once the cupcakes are done, remove from the oven, poke a couple of holes in them and brush on the lemon/sugar glaze. It will soak into the cupcakes. Let cool a little and brush on some more glaze if you like.

Once mine were cool, I drizzled some chocolate glaze on some of them, but you can leave that out. And now you are ready to enjoy!



Let me know if you tried the recipe and how you liked them. Oh and of course if you are not gluten free, you can substitute the corn and rice flour with regular flour.

Again Bon Apetit!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Gluten-Free Cream Puff's / Eclairs

As more and more friends of mine have problems with gluten, I am trying to adapt certain desserts to their gluten free lifestyle. I love Eclairs/Cream Puffs and they are actually very easy to make. Well at least I think so. It probably only takes and hour or so to make them and you can have a very pretty dessert.

Here is what you need for about 12 - 16 pieces:

200 ml water
2 sprinkles of salt
50 g of butter

100 g of Quinoa flour (this will give the eclair a nutty taste)

2 - 3 eggs (I needed 3 medium eggs)
1 tbsp sugar

In a small pan boil water, salt and butter then set aside. Pour in the flour at once and put back on the stove and stir until the doug comes off the bottom of the pan in a ball. Cool down slightly.

The mix in eggs and sugar, one by one. The dough should be soft but not runny!


Using a pastry bag or two small spoons, set little balls on a prepared cookie sheet (butter them and rinse with cold water, leaving the water on, it will help the rising of the dough).

Bake in a well preheated oven at at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR WHILE BAKING! After the baking time, open oven door slightly and let them dry a bit and cool.

In the meantime you can prepare your filling. I just used whipped cream that I sweetened with sugar and a bit of vanilla and some raspberries.

Once your eclairs have cooled down, cut them open with a sharp knife or kitchen shears, fill them with the whipped cream and set the top on.



To make them look pretty, you can either sprinkle them with some powdered sugar or like I did, decorate with some yummy chocolate glaze. Now just arrange on a nice platter and there is dessert!

Bon Apetit!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Quick and Delicious Plum Tart

This delicious plum tart is very easy to make and you can substitute the plums with and fruit you like, apples, peaches, apricots, cherries, rubarb, red or black currents or even blueberries.

These kind of tarts are very traditional for the NorthEast of Switzerland and every bakery, or deli usually carries them in their cases. Fridays, in some regions, are still observed as meatless days and these tarts are a great way to go.

They are super easy and very quick to make, especially it you can buy your pie crust ready made. For this version I used fresh ripe plums and in 35 minutes I had a sweet and delicious meal.

You will need:

1 store bought pie crust
4 oz or 125 ml milk (or cream if you like it richer)
1 egg
4 large plums
2 tbsp almond meal
1 tbsp plain breadcrumbs
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp sugar
cinnamon


Butter a 10 inch pie/tart pan and place the rolled up pastry in it, then sprinkle on the almond meal and the breadcrumbs.

Wash the plums, cut them in half and then make about six slices of every half, layer the plums on top of the breadcrumb/almond mix in a nice pattern, sprinkle with a little bit of sugar and bake in the pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

While the tart bakes, whisk together, the egg, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Once the tart has baked for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and pour over the custard mixture. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, remove from the oven and cool slightly, then serve.



You could also serve it cold, or as a dessert with some vanilla ice cream! Bon Appetit!

First Result with Gluten Free Baking

so I tried my hand a some Petit Fours. And to make it "Gluten-Free" I used rice flour for the sponge cake instead of regular flour. I have to say the sponge cake turned out very well.

To make a basic "fat free" sponge cake (fat free meaning without the use of oil or butter), you can follow these basic guidelines:

1 egg = 30 g / 1 oz of Flour and 30 g/ 1 oz of sugar

multipy the ingredients according to the size of sponge cake you need. For the two layers I used in this recipe 9x6 inches, I used 5 eggs.

To make the sponge, separate the eggs, beat the egg whites until stiff, then beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy, mix in the flower with a spatula, and then at the end fold in the egg whites.

Spread the mixture evenly on two prepared baking sheets and bake in a hot 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Take out of the oven and turn onto a clean dishtowel, that has been lightly dusted with confectioners sugar, cover with the baking sheet and let cool.

While the layers are cooling you can prepare your filling, use either a butter cream, any kind of preserves, mascarpone cream etc. Once the sponge cake is cooled, spread on your filling on one layer, put the second layer on top and chill. After about 30 minutes the filling should be solid enough so you can cut your sponge in small cubes. Cover with icing, or chocolate ganache.

Mine turned out ok, but I still have to work on my decorative skills. Otherwise the sponge turned out great and you couldn't tell it was made with rice flour at all.

This is just my first step with gluten free desserts, so pardon the mess! I keep you updated!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Gluten Free Baking

I have been getting many request to make my mini cheesecakes gluten free and I am happy to say that I found a great way to substitute the graham crackers, with a gluten free product, so Petite Indulgence mini Cheesecakes are also available in a gluten free version.

My next project will be to play around with different gluten free products, like rice, corn, quinoa and almond flour to create little treats that can be enjoyed by the gluten free community.

I think I'll be trying my hand at Petit Fours, creating a gluten free sponge cake, that I can layer with either a butter cream or some other yummy fillings, like a chocolate ganache.

Hopefully time will allow me to start with this project this week. It will be fun and exciting. I better get some more confectioners (powdered) sugar to make different colored glazes for these little treats.

Look out for pictures....