Almond Milk Gluten Free Baked Donuts....No, They ARE Good!

Look at these here baked donuts, made with almond milk and gluten free flour. Delicious, right?

It's our twice monthly Cook the Book. We are cooking our way through every chapter of Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book. There are six of us participating in the project: Rachel of Ode to Goodness, Sammy of Rêve du Jour, Emily of The Bon Appetit Diaries, Aimee of Homemade Trade and Claudie of The Bohemian Kitchen.

My mom, Gran Fran, made fried donuts just once that I can recall. She has a big fear of somehow burning down her kitchen while working with hot oil, cooking anything fatty in the oven, or, come to think of it, anything other than pasta or potatoes. For a woman who spends so much time in the kitchen, she certainly isn't comfortable with any kind of volatile cooking.

When I mentioned I was making donuts, she, in NY, said to me, in SF:

"Make sure you open all the windows, have the fire extinguisher handy, and maybe let the neighbors know you're frying something, so in case there's some kind of fire, they can help you."

I'm the youngest of five, two of us live 3,000 miles away from Gran Fran. She has been giving me these long distance words of wisdom for 20 years. I can only image what kind of in-person guidance my NY siblings get from her.

When I was in New York for my parents 50th wedding anniversary, one of the granddaughters made a list of all the Gran-Fran and Joe-isms she could think of, along with some input from the other 10 grandkids and my sisters and brother. Let me tell you, there were a good number, none of which included any reference to the fire extinguisher. Wish I had remembered to bring that one up when the list was put together.

Two quotes stand out in the lineup:

1. "I'll make you a plate."

2. "Make sure you lock the top lock."

The first quote is a straightforward example of Gran Fran always making sure we are well fed, to the point of needing to switch into our stretchy pants.

The second refers to always locking all the locks on the door, especially the top lock. Whenever she would leave us alone, she'd lock the door behind her and get in the car. Next thing you hear is her banging on the back door yelling "Make sure you lock the top lock." This inevitably scared the heck out of us as we had already locked the top lock, and were not expecting a re-appearance of Gran Fran. (A friend sent me this link of S**t Italian Moms Say.  Make it to the very end, you'll see why).

With Gran Fran's warning in my ear, I opted out on frying the donuts and instead chose a baked donut recipe. This is the second time I've tried baking donuts. The consistency is more like a cake donut, not so air filled, denser. I prefer a nice cake donut, so it's perfect for my taste. If you like an airier donut, you probably want to stick to frying.

Almond Milk Gluten-Free Baked Donuts

adapted from Marion Cunnigham’s The Breakfast Book, Copyright 1987, Alfred A. Knopf

Ingredients

•     2 packages dry yeast
•      1/3 cup warm water
•      1½ cups almond milk
•      1/3 cup vegetable shortening
•      ¼ cup sugar
•      2 teaspoons salt
•      2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
•      2 eggs, lightly beaten
•      4½ cups all-purpose flour, approximately (I used Gluten-Free Pantry's All Purpose Flour Mix)
•      ½ cup melted butter
•      1 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl and let it dissolve for 5 minutes.  Put the milk and shortening in a saucepan and heat until the shortening is melted.  Cool to lukewarm.  Pour the yeast mixture into large mixing bowl and add the milk mixture.  Stir in the ¼ cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, eggs, and 2 cups flour.  Beat briskly until well blended.  Add the remaining 2½ cups flour and beat until smooth.

Cover the bowl and let double in bulk, about 1 hour.  Dust a board generously with flour and turn the dough mass onto it.  The dough is soft and needs enough flour on the board to prevent sticking, but is easy to handle.  Pat the dough into a round about ½ inch thick.  Use a 3-inch doughnut cutter to cut out the doughnuts, placing them (and the doughnut holes) on greased baking sheets, 1 inch apart.  These don't spread much; they rise.

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.  Let the doughnuts rest and rise for 20 minutes, uncovered.  Bake about 10 minutes, or a little longer, until they have a touch of golden brown.  Remove them from the oven.

Have ready the melted butter and a brush.  On a sheet of waxed paper spread the cinnamon sugar.  Brush each doughnut and doughnut hole with butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar.  Serve hot.

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Figs

Grilled Proscuitto wrapped figs are wonderful. It's like a kind of salted candy with just the right combination of soft and crunchy.

 I came to love figs way later in life. They are a major favorite of mine. My mom, Gran Fran, talked a lot about the fig tree her aunts and uncles had in their yard in Brooklyn when she was growing up. A co-worker from the East Coast totally related to her story about the covering of the fig tree in winter. His older relatives also covered the fig tree in the winter, the nonnas (grandmas) bossing the nonnos (grandpas) and generally taking charge of the tree covering.

When her brother retired a few years back, he moved out to Oaklahoma from New York. I wonder if it took Uncle (as he's known to me) a bit to get used to it way out there away from New York. Could be. But, I do know that he now has a garden, with a fig tree featured prominently in it. What a lovely reminder of their childhood.

I've taken to making figs many ways: in pizza, as part of a jam or two, in a sandwich, on a pastry and now grilled with prosciutto. If I ate cheese, I'd add some into the soft interior of the fig before wrapping it in the prosciutto.

You can also make these in a hot oven, making sure to turn them over a few times since the juice from the figs will release and make them stew instead of broil. The flavor is the same, but I prefer the grilled version since the figs become super soft while the prosciutto becomes a bit crispy.

 Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Figs

Ingredients:

• 10 figs cut in half
• 10 slices Prosciutto, cut in half
• 20 toothpicks

Method:

1. Get your grill super hot (if using an oven, preheat to 425 degrees, with a  rimmed baking sheet in the oven).
2. Wrap each half fig with a half piece of Prosciutto and secure with a toothpick.
3. Cook on first side for up to 4 minutes, until starting to crisp.
4. Turn over and cook an additional 4 minutes, until second side is browned and crispy.
5. Remove from heat (or oven) and serve.
6. Tastes great on toasted baguette, over salad or just on their own!

Featured: DailyBuzz Moms: Strawberry, Sage and Grapefruit Granita

I was looking at the DailyBuzz Moms site today and stumbled across my Strawberry, Sage and Grapefruit Granita on their Top 9!

Loving that I'm featured and can't wait to try the Blackberry Lime Tarts from Thyme of Taste's website.

Click on over to see the feature and check out some of the other recipes while you are there.

Grits, Fried Green Tomatoes and Bacon: The Perfect Meal

Grits, fried green tomatoes and bacon were the first combination that came to mind when I started work on this installment of our Cook The Book project.

We are covering cereals from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book. There are six of us participating in the project: Rachel of Ode to Goodness, Sammy of Rêve du Jour, Emily of The Bon Appetit Diaries, Aimee of Homemade Trade and Claudie of The Bohemian Kitchen.

I've never made either of these dishes before. Both turned out to be very easy and very satisfying. I was surprised at how much I loved the grits. They are a cross between traditional polenta and a warm grain cereal, like cream of rice or farina. Those were two of my favorite warm cereals growing up, so it makes perfect sense that the grits made me so happy. It's such a filling dish that I think I can get six to eight servings out of each batch.

The recipe said you could serve the grits as a sweet dish with milk and sugar. Savory breakfast is more my taste, so I tried the grits two ways: one just with butter and one with black truffle oil and bacon.

The black truffle oil was my favorite, but way too rich to eat very much of it. The fried green tomatoes were nice and crispy, as an alternate cornmeal texture against the smooth silkiness of the grits. I have plans to make a ton of this, and will likely experiment with some other combinations.

Good Grits

adapted from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book, copyright 1987, Alfred A Knopf

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup grits (I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Corn Grits Polenta)
• 1 tablespoon butter OR
• 1/2 tablespoon black truffle oil

Method:

1. Bring the water to a boil and add salt. slowly stir in the grits, and stir for a few seconds more.
2. Turn the heat to medium-low (closer to low than medium on my stove) and cover the pan.
3. Cook, stirring once or twice for five minutes (I left it for up to 10 minutes).
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter or the black truffle oil.
5. Serve hot.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 small hard green tomatoes cut into slices
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (you may want to add more at the end depending on taste)
• 1 to 2 eggs, whisked until yolks are incorporated with the whites, in a shallow dish
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup cornmeal, on a small plate
• Tobasco or Chalula sauce for serving.

Method:

1. Heat a skillet over high heat.
2. Place the tomato slices in the egg wash, turning to coat them completely.
3. Transfer the egg-coated tomato slices to the cornmeal and coat them completely in corn meal.
4. Add the olive oil to the hot pan, swirling it around to cover the entire surface of the pan.
5. Place the tomato slices in the hot oil and cook for four minutes, or until the coating on that side has browned well.
6. Turn the slices over and cook for an additional four minutes on the second side.
7. Remove the slices to a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle with salt and serve.

Raw Juice: Spinach, Carrot, Beet, Avocado, Peach, Strawberry and Banana

Raw juice made with strawberry and vegetables is tastes great and gives you a great energy boost in the morning. I'm reposting this Raw Spinach, Carrot, Beet, Avocado, Peach, Strawberry and Banana Juice recipe this week  because I'm in New York and it's about 30 degrees warmer than I'm used to in San Francisco and I need some relief!

I'm thinking of juicing every day, in addition to the great food my parents are making for us, and will start with this recipe as soon as I get everything together.

Here's what you'll need. Make this juice, or any other combination of fruits and veggies you may have around. It'll cool you off from the summer heat.

Raw Spinach, Carrot, Beet, Avocado, Peach, Strawberry and Banana Juice

Ingredients

• 1/2 avocado, skin removed, cut into chunks
• 15 to 20 spinach leaves (a small handful)
• 1 beet, skin removed, sliced
• 2 carrots, skin removed, cut into rounds
• 1 small peach, pit removed, sliced
• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 strawberries, hulled, sliced
• lime juice (about 1/4 of a lime)
• 1 cup coconut water
• Ice cubes

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender or drink mixer with a good blade.
2. Pulse on high until everything is chopped up.
3. If you want the juice to be thinner, add more coconut or regular water to the mix.

Enjoy!

Cook the Book: Gluten-Free Cinnamon Butter Puffs

Better than beignets, these cinnamon butter puffs really knocked my socks off.

In this installment of our Cook The Book project, we are covering quick breads from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book. There are six of us participating in the project: Rachel of Ode to Goodness, Sammy of Rêve du Jour, Emily of The Bon Appetit Diaries, Aimee of Homemade Trade and Claudie of The Bohemian Kitchen.

After my wonderful cinnamon buns, I was prepared to commit at least eight hours to making these. The butter puffs were made, start to finish in just over thirty minutes. They came out of the oven just as we finished eating dinner, so instead of these being a breakfast treat, we ate them as desert.

This perfect marriage of sugar and spice yields moist, fluffy muffins with a kick of nutmeg. The gluten-free flour mix I used did not take away from the fluffiness of the muffins, which was my main concern. My daughter loved the flavor and texture of them so much that even after I told her they were gluten-free, she said they tasted just right.

Enjoy with tea, cafe au lait or hot chocolate. The lip-licking coating and the downy interior elevate these muffins beyond traditional breakfast offerings.

You may also want to give these fig, ham and butter sandwiches from the same book.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Butter Puffs

adapted from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup shortening (I used butter instead, same measurement)
• 1/2 cup suger (less if desired)
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used Gluten-Free Pantry's Baking Mix)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup milk

Topping:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar combined with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Meethod:

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the muffin tins.
2. Put the shortening (or butter), sugar, and egg in a mixing bowl. Beat well.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg and add to the first mixture.
4. Pour in the milk and beat until blended and smooth.
5. Fill the muffin tins about two-thirds full.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
7. For the topping, have the melted butter ready in a bowl that is just large enough to hold one puff.
8. Have a shallow bowl nearby with the combined sugar and cinnamon.
9. As soon as the puffs are done, remove them from the pan and dip them one by one into the melted butter, and then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Restaurant Review: Radish, San Francisco

See those biscuits down there? They're gluten-free. I ordered these for breakfast at Radish in San Francisco.

I had eaten at Radish several times and only on this particular day did I notice the gluten-free biscuits on the menu. They are just as good as everything else I've had at Radish.

The poached eggs were perfectly prepared. I loved the choice of salad greens instead of potatoes, too. It's always a good idea to give me a reason to walk away from the fried potatoes.

I have had their french fries on another visit and thought they were great. My friends rave about the mac and cheese (being gluten-free and dairy-free, I can't eat it) and the bottomless mimosa's at brunch are always a big hit.

A statement from their website confirms that they use all local, seasonal ingredients and make most everything in their kitchen:

"We feature an eclectic American menu with high quality, seasonal, and locally sourced ingredients taking some inspiration from Adam's Southern roots. We make the majority of our products in-house from our baguettes and biscuits to our spreads and sauces. For everything else our tiny kitchen does not allow us to create we partner with other local companies who share our hands-on approach. Our ice cream is from an up and coming local favorite, Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous; our coffee is organic and locally roasted from Mr. Espresso; and our tea is loose-leaf, fair-trade organic sourced from another up and coming tea company, Sartori tea, based out of San Jose."

Take yourself over to Radish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The service is outstanding, the food is delicious, fresh and flavorful and the light-filled dining area is relaxing and beautiful.

Radish is located at 3416 19th street on the corner of Lexington and 19th in San Francisco.

Indian Spiced Okra

I've liked okra for a long time, but have never made it before.

When I was in second or third grade, we had to bring in a regional American dish. I asked my mom to make okra, which I believe was cooked in a tomato sauce. I loved it.

The other day, my co-worked showed up with an Indian spiced okra. I hoped she would share the recipe with me, which she was kind enough to do.

Here is the first of what I hope will be the first of many entries that feature some delightful Indian flavors. Thanks, Reshma!

recipe courtesy of Reshma Iyer

Indian Spiced Okra

as featured on The Fruit Guys website.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch Okra cut into small rounds
•  ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon Chili powder/paprika
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon Coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION

1. On a slightly warmed up pan, add oil.
2. Once the oil gets nice and hot, add the cumin, cooking until the cumin gets darkish brown and you can smell the aroma.
3. Add the turmeric, chili, cumin seeds and coriander powder in quick succession. Note: You have to literally cook these spices for 2-3 seconds, you will notice it getting smokey.
4. Add the Okra and stir around, reduce the flame to low-medium.
5. Add about 5 tbs of water or to your discretion - basically there should be just enough to cook the Okra and not more than needed or it does turn sticky and pasty.
6. Add the salt and cover and cook for about 5-7 mins. Keep checking. If the water does not seem to reduce, remove the lid.
7. Once you are able to break a piece with the spoon or your finger, its done.

Cook’s Notes: 1 bunch of okra should fit into your hand when held up vertically. Wash okra before cutting or they will get pasty.

Slow Cooker Oatmeal: Plain is Best (or Add some Bacon)

Oatmeal is really the breakfast of champions. I love oatmeal made just with water. No toppings, no butter, no sugar. We used to get those prepackaged cinnamon sugar oatmeals, but I never loved them. Plain oatmeal is my favorite.

There are many health benefits to eating oatmeal: lowers cholesterol, adds a good amount of fiber to your diet and stabilizes blood sugar. An extra benefit that I love most: if I eat oatmeal in the morning, I'm full until well into the afternoon.

I have to admit that I not only eat plain oatmeal, I also top mine off with bacon. It sounds a little crazy, but the salty bacon adds just the right something-something to my morning oatmeal. I do love to have a cup of tea and a hard boiled egg alongside my oatmeal.

Yesterday I experimented by freezing a few portions of my slow cooker oatmeal in small containers. Defrosted in the microwave for just a minute and I had a nice bowl of oatmeal at my desk. It's handy for me to be able to pre-cook a bunch of oatmeal and pack it into single servings to bring to work with me. I suppose you could just use the instant kind of oats and make them in the microwave, but I prefer a slower-cooked oatmeal.

However you eat it, do eat oatmeal. It's just so good for you, it's tasty and satisfying, too.

Oatmeal: Slow Cooker Style

Ingredients:

• 8 cups water
• 2 cups steel-cut oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Method:

1. Combine water, oats and salt in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Turn heat to low.
2. Put the lid on and cook until the oats are tender and the porridge is creamy, 7 to 8 hours.
3. Spoon the oatmeal into single serving freezer-proof containers. Freeze until ready to eat.
4. Defrost single serving in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Eat plain, with dried fruit or add some bacon, like I do.

Family Dinners Make My Day

We love a good family dinner around here. The preparation and final product are as important as the conversation around what we're having and what went on in school that day.  We may eat dinner at our house at our kitchen table, or in front of a show we’re  catching up on. Either way, our family meal starts the moment I start cooking.

Growing up, we'd eat dinner together as a family every night of the week. Some meals were more elaborate than others, but there was always a full table with all seven of us around it. We'd take turns cooking the main dish, since both of our parents worked. For Gran Fran, my mom, it was a new dawn, as a working mother of five, she had to depend on us to pitch in to get the dinner on the table. In her childhood, the nonnas (her grandmas) would spend the day going to market and getting the dinner made.

If there was a roast beef in the oven, baked potatoes with an x cut into them to release the steam would be put right on the oven rack.  GranFran would make Lasagna  ahead of time, on Sunday, to be reheated as needed. In my book, reheated lasagna was better than when it was fresh out of the oven. On quick dinner nights, Gran Fran would come home and make us an egg and potato frittata. There was always a vegetable of some sort, broccoli stands out as something that was on our plates a lot, as well as green beans.

We eat at our house a few times a week and at my sister's house once or twice a week. The rest of the time my daughter is with her dad. Dinner at my sister and brother-in-law's house is great. They are both awesome cooks and wonderful and generous hosts. Isabella tells my sister Nicole (I like to call her Nikki, but she does not like that nickname, so I'm trying to be respectful here) that she loves coming to their house for the company, but mostly because she just loves the food they make for her. It's a rare night when you'll find just one main dish. There is always plenty to choose from and lots of good conversation, highlighted by Isabella and her two cousins' conversations about their days.

The kids all go to school together so there is a lot to talk about: which kid got a pink slip, who hit whom on the playground, what event was coming up next at school. I feel very lucky that we live just ten minutes away from my sister and her family. Our family dinners really make the week that much better. When I know we're going over, I usually bring a nice bottle of wine for the grown-ups, something for the table, and sometimes wacky stuff like coconut water direct from a coconut with the shell on , a whole punched in the top and a straw stuck in. I've often wondered if they know exactly how much it means to both of us to be included in their family on such a regular, unquestioning basis. I do love spending time with my brother-in-law (Fran Q) especially when it comes to making food. He has an innate talent for preparing delicious meals out of just about anything, and is even great at desserts

My immediate family now consists of me and my thirteen year old daughter. Meals are still a big deal, just like when I was little, albeit with way fewer people. Dinner is a time for me and my daughter to catch up.  We keep the computer in the kitchen so that we can be together after school while I cook and Isabella does her homework. She and I discuss ingredients, choose our favorite dishes, and I start cooking. No matter how tired I am from working all day (and blogging all night), mealtime is a tradition. I will not give up. It's our time to connect and relish each other’s company.