Gluten Free Desserts

Have you ever wondered how someone comes to find out they can't eat gluten? I used to wonder that very thing, because if you ask most people, they don't know what gluten is or what it comes from. So if you don't know what something is in, how do you know you can't eat it? This last year has really been very educational for me in regard to gluten. I started baking some gluten free treats so that I could make something delicious for those poor souls who couldn't have gluten, whatever it was. I learned about gluten-free flour substitutes- white and brown rice flours, sorghum flour, buckwheat flour. It gets confusing because gluten is the protein in wheat, barley, rye, farro....but buckwheat is actually a grass, not a wheat. Then there is the tapioca and potato flours and starches- tapioca flour and tapioca starch are the same thing, just use them interchangeably. The potato is not however- potato flour is completely different from potato starch and they are not interchangeable!
Confusing world, isn't it? Not so much, once you understand the basics. And I needed to go beyond the basics as I ended up giving up gluten and dairy Labor day 2010. Gluten has to be given up by people with celiac disease, but there are many other health issues that benefit from a gluten free diet, and rheumatoid arthritis is one of them. While being tested, I gave up gluten and within 5 days I felt so much better. So now I can really understand why someone would choose to follow this sometimes difficult dietary choice. But still, we have to have a treat sometimes, don't we? And that is why I love to experiment with gluten-free desserts.
Right now, I am able to offer gluten free, baked donuts, cake/cupcakes and cookies. I am experimenting with flavors and textures and hope to have some really good G-free cinnamon rolls soon. It is such a great feeling to make something for someone and have them say "This is the best thing I have been able to eat since giving up gluten." THAT is such a reward, to put a smile on someone's face and give them a feeling of comfort knowing that this treat isn't going to make them sick like most baked goods would. It is so exciting to me to be able to do this for people!
stay sweet! ~Patti

A very special cake

Today I had the pleasure of delivering a cake for a very special birthday- the caterer I work with was throwing a surprise birthday party for his mom's 80th birthday and he asked me to do her dessert. I was so excited because the Granata family is in its third or fourth generation of chefs! The family has owned a pastry shop in NYC and they know pastry! I felt very honored that Michael trusted me to make the cake, but at the same time I was nervous as well considering their background.

I really like contrast in texture as well as flavor and I really concentrated on that in the dessert. The base is a disk of french meringue, and the layer on top of that is a chocolate genoise cake. That was layered with dark Belgian chocolate ganache and sliced fresh strawberries. Atop that was another layer of genoise, then a quick chocolate "mousse". That was topped with white chocolate buttercream, then strewn with sugared strawberries, golden white chocolate pearls, and curls of dark and white chocolate. The whole thing was wrapped in dark chocolate. To wrap the cake, I melted dark chocolate and added a small amount of glucose syrup to make the chocolate flexible. This was cooled until it could be kneaded, then rolled out between two sheets of freezer paper. The cake was wrapped in the chocolate and then a chocolate fondant bow was wrapped around that. This was painted with edible gold paint.

The ultimate compliment? The family LOVED the cake and said it was crazy awesome! I am so glad- they are a very special family and I was glad to help out in their celebrations!

Food, Inc

My son and I watched the movie Food, Inc. last night and it was very disturbing. I recommend anyone who cares about what they put in their bodies to watch this film! It made me think about how GOOD desserts fit into your life. I have said before that I believe in everything in moderation. There is a huge difference between the cupcake that I bake with flour, sugar, butter, and the hostess cupcake on the shelf in grocery stores. Even the ones in the grocery bakery for that matter. No chemicals, no preservatives. Just real FOOD. Isn't that what we should all be eating? If you want to treat yourself, make sure you are eating something made with food and not chemicals!

Salted Butter Caramels

I really love caramel and decided to try my hand out at making some of my own. I looked over several recipes and used ideas from them to come up with my own.

Salted Butter Caramels

1.5 cups granulated sugar
0.5 cup wildflower honey
1 cup heavy cream
6 TBSP unsalted butter
1 tsp sea salt (I used Roman Sea Salt, just because I think the Italians do everything better!)

combine the sugar and honey in a non-reactive pot, clip on a candy thermometer and set over medium-high heat. Do not stir the mixture, but have a ramekin of cool water and a pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pot so that any of the mixture that gets on the sides of the pot will not cause the mixture to re-crystallize. AT THE SAME TIME, put the cream over medium heat to bring to a simmer. Don't forget about it and let it boil! Bring the sugar mixture to a nice caramel color (just use your judgment) then add the butter about 2 Tbsp at a time, whisking in. Then add the warmed cream and sea salt and whisk in. Continue to cook the mixture to about 240 degrees (soft ball stage) . Pour onto a silpat on a cookie sheet and allow to cool to room temp. At this point, cut the caramel into squares with a pizza cutter. Place the tray into the freezer.

When the caramel is completely cooled, you should be able to snap the pieces apart. Melt some chocolate over a double boiler (I opted for milk chocolate) and coat the caramels with the chocolate. Sprinkle each piece with a tiny pinch of sea salt. allow chocolate to cool, stand back and watch the smiles on everyone's face when they eat it!

Long Live the Kouign!

Kouign Amman, that is. A pastry made with a wonderful laminated dough, similar to croissant but with the addition of sweetness! Laminated doughs (think puff pastry, palmiers, croissants, etc) used to seem way too hard to make. I didn't think I would ever attempt them until I read "Baking With Julia". Her instructions are so clear it makes you feel like you could accomplish anything! My first puff pastry was made following her recipe. I then found the recipe from Bo Friberg and it was even easier! Then came croissants, and now, the Kouign Amman.

Kouign Amman is basically a croissant dough (there is yeast in it) but there is also sugar. Yum, sugar!!! After making turns with the dough, you roll it out and cut into 5 inch square pieces. Fold the four corners to the middle, and proof them in a muffin pan.

Baking laminated doughs is such fun- I love peeking through the oven window to see the dough puff up like magic. But really the magic is in eating them!

If you want to try the recipe, there is a good one here .

Mise en Place

Mise en Place is a French term, and it literally means "to put int place." Mise en place is what you do to prepare for baking. If you get into the habit of doing a mise en place when you get started it will make your baking a breeze.

The first thing you want to do is get out all of your ingredients from your well stocked pantry. Be sure you have everything you need before you start! Get out your measuring cups, spoons, scale and prep bowls. Fill your sink with hot soapy water. As you work you can put your dirty dishes into the sink and cleanup will be easy when you finish!

I find it much easier if I measure out all of my ingredients into prep bowls and line them up in order of use. If you have little bakers in your house, it is really easy to prepare everything and then invite them into the kitchen to help. If you have anything you need to chop it is easier to do that without distraction of a little one in your kitchen too!

Once you have everything measured out, it is a breeze to mix up your dough or batter. Be sure to keep an eye on your recipe because the order that ingredients are added and the amount of mixing needed makes a huge difference in your finished product!

Happy Baking!

A well stocked pantry

I thought it would be appropriate to start out this blog with what is needed to start out baking. Having a well stocked pantry makes it easy to decide to make something and just get started. There is nothing more aggravating than starting a project only to have to stop in the middle and run to the store! There have been plenty of times I have had to do this so now I try hard to keep my pantry well stocked so that I can get to creating when the urge strikes!
Basics- I keep plenty of flour in the house- all purpose, bread, whole wheat, cake, self rising. If you bake for anyone with gluten intolerance, you should also keep rice, sorghum, and buckwheat flours. For sugars, I keep granulated, organic granulated, powdered, light brown, dark brown, demerara, and turbinado (these last two seem to be the same thing...) Other sweeteners to keep in stock are honey (local is best if you can get it), corn syrup, and molasses.
I like to keep butter in the freezer and take it out as needed. Butter will absorb smells from other foods in your refrigerator so it is important to wrap it in plastic wrap. I also keep organic shortening in the pantry. I rarely use margarine in baking so that is something that I don't routinely keep available.
Other dry goods that you want to think about are things like chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts. Nuts can lose their flavor and get bad fairly quickly so if you aren't going to use them soon, these are also best wrapped in plastic and put into your freezer as well.
To make things easier on myself, I store all of my dry goods in large plastic tubs with airtight lids. This is so much easier and cleaner than keeping things in their bags. A container with a large opening will make it easier for you to measure cups of flour, sugar, etc.
I hope to post some pictures of my pantry once I figure out how to download pictures from my phone since my camera is in the shop!
Happy Baking!