Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
6/1/11
FOOD FOTO: A Berry Peachy Endeavor
I wrestled with myself over whether to actually leave that title, but I had to. The truth is, I've made a few fruit crisps in my day - an easily gluten free, widely appealing and adaptable dessert - but I think this combination of strawberries, peaches, and nectarines might be my favorite of all time.
One of the best fruit stands in the neighborhood had a 2-pound assortment of ripe nectarines and yellow peaches for 79 cents TOTAL, so I peeled and diced those along with about a cup of strawberries, and added a tablespoon of honey and the juice of half a lime. I let this little concoction rest in the fridge overnight, not because I was feeling fancy, but because I simply didn't have time to do anything with it. So last night around my lunchtime (which, for night shift people is generally just before midnight), I made a mixture of brown sugar, quinoa flakes, gf baking mix, and cut in about 1/3 stick of softened butter for the crisp. I also made a small slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) so that the accumulated fruit juices would thicken while baking.
Assembly is as easy as spreading half the crisp mixture in the bottom of a prepared souffle (or, deep pie dish if that's what you have), pouring in the fruit, then adding the remainder of the crisp mixture. Forty minutes in the oven produced a deliciously sweet-tart dessert that I will absolutely make again, and next time I'll take pictures to post with a recipe. Hello, summer dessert stand-by.
Labels:
baked goods,
baking,
dessert,
food foto,
fruit,
peaches,
strawberries
2/8/11
Cara Investigates: The New 'No Gums!' Manifesto
Q: Do you use xanthan or guar gums in your baking?
I do, and I have since I started baking gluten free. Gluten is the protein composite in wheat, barley, and rye that provides many foods with their shape and elasticity. So logically, if we bake using flours that don't contain gluten, we need to find some substance to mimic the effect. I've read countless disastrous accounts of g-f baking where someone forgot to add such a substance, and they were left with a giant pan of crumbs.
There are a few replacement options, the most popular of which has seemed to be gums: xanthan and guar. Gums are complex little carbohydrates that are naturally produced through fermentation, expressly for use as thickening and binding agents in food. Most g-f baking mixes for breads, cakes, and muffins contain at least one type of gum, at a ratio of something like 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon to one cup of g-f flour. I can personally attest to using xanthan gum in all my baked goods, with satisfying results. An 8 oz. package will run you around $11, but mine has lasted for at least a year.
Sounds legit, right? So what's this new NO GUMS baking trend circulating the internets?
There are a few replacement options, the most popular of which has seemed to be gums: xanthan and guar. Gums are complex little carbohydrates that are naturally produced through fermentation, expressly for use as thickening and binding agents in food. Most g-f baking mixes for breads, cakes, and muffins contain at least one type of gum, at a ratio of something like 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon to one cup of g-f flour. I can personally attest to using xanthan gum in all my baked goods, with satisfying results. An 8 oz. package will run you around $11, but mine has lasted for at least a year.
Sounds legit, right? So what's this new NO GUMS baking trend circulating the internets?
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