Happy New Year!
Congratulations fellow readers: we have made it through a whole year of blogging! In 2010 I finished culinary school with a bang, started cooking for my "honey," and found out I had a gluten allergy. My palate has thus changed a little over the year. I still experiment with new combinations of flavors and textures, but I discovered that my best recipes are "simplistic-ish" and true to myself. While it's fun to attempt a Caribbean-inspired meal, I do best with seasonal ingredients and local flavors. So, as one of my New Year's resolutions for 2011, I am going to try to do just that. I have no doubt that there will still be flaming disasters and inedible failures along the way (gotta keep it interesting of course). But, at least the food will hopefully be Abbey-esque!
To ring in the new year last night, I made a chocolate fondue feast. Festive, right? It was complete with fresh fruit, marshmallows, gluten-free salted pretzels, and (le piece de resistance) homemade Gluten-Free Graham Crackers. With the exception of the chocolate burning to the bottom of the fondue pot, dessert was romantic, elegant, and delicious. And who doesn't enjoy the taste of scorched chocolate every now and then? I was totally impressed by the flavor and texture of the graham crackers. My boyfriend claimed that they tasted just like the store bought non-gluten-free version we had both grown up with as kids. From him, that is the ultimate compliment! For your own graham cracker cravings, the recipe is listed below.
Gluten-Free Graham Crackers: Yields 4 Dozen Crackers
2 1/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 3/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t baking powder
3/4 t xanthan gum
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
7 T unsalted butter, diced
3-4 T cold water
3 T raw honey
1 T molasses
1 t vanilla extract
1. Whisk together flour mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt. Using your fingers, blend in the butter until the mixture resembled small peas. Add 3 T water. Stir in honey, molasses and vanilla. Add additional water if the mixture appears to dry. The batter should be just wet enough to gather into a disk. Wrap disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 325. Divide dough in half. Roll out onto a lightly greased sheet of parchment paper to 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Square off edges. Transfer dough to a sheet pan. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut graham crackers into 1 1/2 x 3 inch rectangles, cutting all the way through but no separating. Prick all over with a fork. Repeat with remaining dough, placing on a second sheet pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until graham crackers are golden and the edges are fairly firm to the touch. Let cool completely before separating.
These are absolutely delicious. I even had some with yogurt for breakfast this morning! My next attempt will be chocolate grahams (Kicked up as sandwiches with homemade marshmallow cream and raspberry jam or peanut butter. Oh yeah!!). Don't you worry, I'll let you know how they turn out. There are many more gluten-free and "green" recipes to come in 2011. Keep checking back and, until next time, happy cooking.
To ring in the new year last night, I made a chocolate fondue feast. Festive, right? It was complete with fresh fruit, marshmallows, gluten-free salted pretzels, and (le piece de resistance) homemade Gluten-Free Graham Crackers. With the exception of the chocolate burning to the bottom of the fondue pot, dessert was romantic, elegant, and delicious. And who doesn't enjoy the taste of scorched chocolate every now and then? I was totally impressed by the flavor and texture of the graham crackers. My boyfriend claimed that they tasted just like the store bought non-gluten-free version we had both grown up with as kids. From him, that is the ultimate compliment! For your own graham cracker cravings, the recipe is listed below.
Gluten-Free Graham Crackers: Yields 4 Dozen Crackers
2 1/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 3/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t baking powder
3/4 t xanthan gum
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
7 T unsalted butter, diced
3-4 T cold water
3 T raw honey
1 T molasses
1 t vanilla extract
1. Whisk together flour mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt. Using your fingers, blend in the butter until the mixture resembled small peas. Add 3 T water. Stir in honey, molasses and vanilla. Add additional water if the mixture appears to dry. The batter should be just wet enough to gather into a disk. Wrap disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 325. Divide dough in half. Roll out onto a lightly greased sheet of parchment paper to 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Square off edges. Transfer dough to a sheet pan. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut graham crackers into 1 1/2 x 3 inch rectangles, cutting all the way through but no separating. Prick all over with a fork. Repeat with remaining dough, placing on a second sheet pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until graham crackers are golden and the edges are fairly firm to the touch. Let cool completely before separating.
These are absolutely delicious. I even had some with yogurt for breakfast this morning! My next attempt will be chocolate grahams (Kicked up as sandwiches with homemade marshmallow cream and raspberry jam or peanut butter. Oh yeah!!). Don't you worry, I'll let you know how they turn out. There are many more gluten-free and "green" recipes to come in 2011. Keep checking back and, until next time, happy cooking.
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