When Life Gives You Lemons...

I'm still recovering from what was an overly complicated week filled with stress, unexpected surprises (both good and bad), and a whole gamut of emotions. In the end, all of this change has spurred a fairly significant decision: I have decided to move, and in exactly one week from today, I will be based out of New York. I'm not exactly certain of all the details yet, but things started to fall into place. Unfortunately, the excitement of moving has been overshadowed by two main things, one of them being the fact that saying "goodbye" is extremely difficult, especially when you don't have a lot of time to do it. Between bouts of ranting and/or crying, I kept thinking of the phrase "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," because I have hope that a great deal of good will come from my current circumstance. However, I didn't really want to make lemonade to tell you the truth, and since I was already drowning my sorrows in various sugary food-items, I decided that "When life gives you lemons, make a creamy lemon meringue tart." And so I did. Perhaps this tart didn't solve all my problems, but it was amazingly delicious; tart and creamy, contrasted by a delicate, buttery crust, all topped with a cool, airy meringue. I would take this over lemonade, any day.

GLUTEN-FREE CREAMY LEMON MERINGUE TART*

*Filling originally based off of Martha Stewart's creamy lemon squares

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

1/2 c. confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. gluten-free baking mix (tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch, oat flour, sorghum flour, sweet white rice flour, almond meal)

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large egg yolks

1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

3/4 c. fresh lemon juice

MERINGUE:

5 egg whites

1/3 tsp. cream of tartar

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons superfine sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-11 inch tart pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. Make the crust: beat butter, vanilla, sugar, and salt with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour and xanthan gum, mix on low until just combined. Press dough into the bottom of prepared tart pan and up sides; prick lightly all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, about 10-15 minutes. Make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven, and bake until filling is set 18-25 minutes. Refrigerate 2-3 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator and top with meringue (recipe follows).

MERINGUE:

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt in immaculately clean mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until very stiff. Spread over tart filling; seal to edge of crust. Make peaks in meringue with the back of a spatula or spoon. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Let tart cool on a wire rack.

Store at room temperature (no matter what you do, the meringue will always "bead" with moisture and begin to breakdown once it is subjected to refrigeration).

Gluten-Free Carrot Cupcakes!

You may recall a gluten-free carrot cake post on my site from last year. Well, it's easter-time again and my sister had been asking for some carrot cake, and I figured any good sister would honor that request. I also hosted a going away party, and since people have something against cutting cake and eating slices of it, I turned my carrot cake into carrot cupcakes to satisfy the masses. The recipe is similar to last year, however, this recipe uses two packages of carrot baby food instead of applesauce and a bit more oil instead of the mayo. I also switched to unsweetened organic coconut flakes (found at whole foods) which I like much better in this recipe than the larger sweetened kind I used last year. I have to say, I like this recipe even more than last year's cake! The cupcakes were very moist - I'm pretty sure no one would have guessed they were gluten-free.

GLUTEN-FREE CARROT CUPCAKES

2-1/2 c. gluten-free flour blend (tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch, sorghum, garfava flour, sweet white rice flour, oat flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. light brown sugar

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. (2 plastic containers) of pureed carrot baby food

1 c. crushed pineapple, drained

3/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut (I actually used a "low fat" coconut, found at whole foods)

1/2. c. (or a little more) golden raisins

3 c. finel grated carrots (I grated them in a food processor and it was extremely efficient)

FROSTING:

1 pkg. (80z.) neufchatel cheese

1/2 c. (1 stick) softened butter

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. powdered sugar

TOPPING:

Walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine flours, xanthan gum, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl, and stir with a whisk. Combine sugars, vanilla, vegetable oil and carrot puree/baby food in the bowl of an electric mixer, blending well. Add slightly beaten eggs to mixer bowl. Stir in carrots, pineapple, coconut, and raisins. Pour into prepared cupcake pans. Tap pans on counter to level and remove air bubbles. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and frost when completely cooled. Sprinkle top of cupcakes with walnut pieces, if desired.

FROSTING:

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or with an electric hand mixer), combine cream cheese and butter. Add vanilla and blend. Slowly add powdered sugar to taste.

"Roll-Em-Ups" (gluten-free!)

Growing up, "roll-em-ups" were a weekend breakfast staple in my home, much like pancakes or waffles for any child. Halfway between a pancake and a crepe, I later found out that "roll-em-ups" were also called "dutch babies" and "german pancakes." The difference is, we always served these rolled up with powdered sugar and butter, and a squeeze of lemon, as opposed to slices, as many people do. The recipe originates for my great grandma Rishack, a woman I never had the pleasure of meeting, but someone to whom my mother credits her own cooking skills. Before my mother could see over a kitchen counter, my grandmother would set her on her knee at the stove and teach her the secrets of classic german cooking. From a wooden stool, my mother would taste such delights as german potato salad, rouladens, and "roll-em-ups." I've changed the recipe slightly (including coming up with a gluten-free alternative) but the recipe remains nearly identical to the one that was scratched out on an index card all those years ago.

Gluten-free "Roll-Em-Ups"

Serves 2-3

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2/3 c. flour (1/3 c. tapioca starch, 2 Tbsp. potato starch, 1 Tbsp. oat flour, 1 Tbsp. white rice flour, 1 Tbsp sweet sorghum flour)

1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. fat-free milk

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Whisk salt and eggs in a medium bowl. Blend in remaining ingredients.

Heat a large skillet prepared with non-stick cooking spray over medium heat. Pour in half the batter and let set a bit (not very long, making sure not to brown or over cook). Transfer to the oven very quickly and cook at 475 for 5 minutes. Turn oven down to 400 and cook for 8-10 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter (may cook both roll em ups at the same time, but my oven isn't big enough!). After done cooking, flip upside down onto a large plate. Butter the surface evenly and squeeze a wedge of lemon over the roll-em-up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Roll up tightly and cut into four pieces. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar and serve.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Filled with Pistachio

Here are the other cookies I made with the leftover chocolate tart dough. I had an excess of shelled pistachios (I have no idea why) and I put those to good work in this delicious filling.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Pistachio Filling

1 1⁄2 cups flour (make it gluten-free with a gf baking blend)

1⁄4 cup plus 1 tbsp. dutch-process unsweetened
cocoa powder
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING

4 oz. melted chocolate

pastry bag (or ziploc bag with tiny corner cut off)

FOR THE PISTACHIO FILLING

1/3 C. shelled unsalted pistachios, husks rubbed off

1 c. confectioner's sugar

6 tbsp. softened butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

Heat oven to 350˚. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Separate the dough into three balls, and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper. Place on baking sheets. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut into 1.5"-2" rounds. Bake for 5-7 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies). Cool on a wire rack.

Make the filling: Combine pistachios and powdered sugar in food processor. Grind until a fine powder. Add the remaining ingredients to food processor and mix until well combined.

Assembled the cookies: Spread desired amount of filling on one cookie half, top with another. Place on baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining cookies. Melt chocolate in microwave and place in pastry bag. Drizzle over cookies. Place in refrigerator to set completely.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel filling

Upon making a caramel tart with dark chocolate ganache finished with sea salt for a coworker's birthday, I suddenly found myself commissioned to make two more for another coworker. Because I only have 11-inch tart pans (as to why, well, I explain by saying "but these go to 11!") I had to make one and a half times each tart recipe. This required math skills, but perhaps contradictory to what people may think about me, I did my math correctly and the tarts turned out perfectly. Because I was making two 11 inch tarts, I had an excess of tart dough so I decided to put it to good use and bring in some cookies to the hovering coworkers, wishing they had access to the delicious tarts. I hear these ended up being delicious (I didn't make them gluten-free but I know they would work out well substituted with a gf flour blend). I also made pistachio filled cookies as well, since i soon ran out of caramel, but I'll put those in a separate entry.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel Filling

1 1⁄2 cups flour (make it gluten-free with a gf baking blend)

1⁄4 cup plus 1 tbsp. dutch-process unsweetened
cocoa powder
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE CARAMEL FILLING
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. crème fraîche or full fat sour cream

FOR THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING

4 oz. melted chocolate

pastry bag (or ziploc bag with tiny corner cut off)

sea salt

Heat oven to 350˚. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Separate the dough into three balls, and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper. Place on baking sheets. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut into 1.5"-2" rounds. Bake for 5-7 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies). Cool on a wire rack.

Make the caramel: Combine heavy cream and creme friache or sour cream in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk the sugar and corn syrup with 6 Tbsp. of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Stir and boil hard for 5-6 more minutes until medium amber. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and heavy cream mixture. Let cool slightly.

Assemble the cookies: Spread desired amount of caramel on one cookie half. Place another cookie on top. Set on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Repeat with all cookie halves. Melt chocolate in microwave and place in pastry bag. Drizzle over cookies. Let set slightly, and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in refrigerator to set completely.

Mint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (Gluten-Free)

These sandwich cookies are like a mint oreo. But softer. And more chocolatey. And gluten-free. Oh, and did I mention chocolate dipped? (but only if you want to). Overall, they're just good. Damn good.

GLUTEN-FREE MINT CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES

1 c. unsweetened Dutch Process cocoa powder (like hershey's special dark)

1/4 c. tapioca starch

1/8 c. sorghum flour

1/8 c. oat flour

2 tbs. potato starch

1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

MINT FILLING:

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 c. confectioners' sugar

1-2 drops pure mint extract (or 1/4 tsp)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 drop green food coloring (or as desired for color)

GLAZE:

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Whisk together cocoa powder, flours, and xanthan gum in a bowl. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg until well blended. REduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough in half or thirds, and shape each half into a disk; roll out between two sheets of parchment paper and place on baking sheets. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut out circles and place on baking sheet in preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. (you may re-roll scraps, if desired).

Filling:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in flavorings. Use immediately.

Cool cookies on wire rack. When completely cooled, spread one cookie with mint filling. Press another cookie on top. If dipping in chocolate, heat chocolate in a double boiler and dip cookies in chocolate. place on waxed paper and refrigerate for a while.

Chocolate Dipped Homemade Marshmallows

2010 has proven to be a busy year thus far, hence the lack of recipe additions. That being said, it's not too late to add a few great holiday recipes to the blog. These chocolate covered homemade marshmallows were a hit at my New Years bash, and I'm pretty sure that (minus the crushed candy cane topping) they'd be equally delicious all year long.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS

based off of the french laundry cookbook recipe

3 envelopes of unflavored Knox gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cups corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Confectioners' sugar for dredging

CHOCOLATE TOPPING

12 oz. of quality dark chocolate

1 tbsp. shortening

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for 10 minutes.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. Add vanilla and incorporate into mixture. Scrape into a 9 x 13 in pan lined with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and spread evenly. (Note: Lightly oil hands and spatula) After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan, take another piece of oiled plastic wrap and press mixture into the pan.

Let mixture sit overnight. Remove from pan and using a very sharp knife, cut marshmallow slab into squares. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar and shake off excess.

TOPPING:
Melt chocolate and shortening in double boiler or metal bowl place over (but not touching) a pot of boiling water. Using a skewer and/or fork, dip Marshmallows in chocolate making sure not to leave in too long (mallows will melt). Let excess chocolate drip off and place on waxed paper lined baking sheets. Top with crushed candy or sprinkles if desired and refrigerate briefly, until chocolate has hardened.