Gluten Free S'mores Pie

Chocolate marshmallow is my husband's favorite flavor combination.  When I saw a recipe for s'mores pie in Rachael Ray's June 2011 magazine I knew I had to make this for Father's Day - gluten free, of course!  This super sweet chocolate delight is so easy to put together. 

I put a layer of chocolate chips between the pudding and marshmallow topping for that melted chocolate effect that you get with smores, but only some of the chocolate chips melted.  It was still really yummy (I ate 2 slices!), but next time I might try mixing the chips in with the marshmallow topping to see if they melt better.

Gluten Free S'mores Pie

Crust:
4 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups gluten free cookie crumbs (I use a 6 oz box Orgran gluten free vanilla animal cookies crushed in the blender)

Filling:
1 5.1 oz box gluten free instant chocolate pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 cup gluten free whipped topping

Topping:
1/2 cup gluten free chocolate chips
7 ounce jar gluten free marshmallow creme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a 9 inch pie dish combine the crust ingredients and use a fork or clean hands to pat the crust into the pie dish.  Bake at 375 for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.

While the crust is cooling, whisk together the chocolate pudding mix and milk until smooth (about 2 minutes).  Stir in whipped topping.  Spoon chocolate filling into the cooled crust and top with chocolate chips.  Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.  (If you're making this ahead of time, refrigerate the pie until 30 minutes before serving.  At that time, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes).  Turn on your oven to broil, remove pie from the freezer and spoon marshmallow creme over the pie sealing the edges.  It's sticky, so use a wet knife.  Place pie under the broiler until marshmallow topping starts to brown.  This only takes a few minutes so watch it carefully!

Remove S'mores Pie from the oven and serve immediately.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Churros- Gluten Free Pate a Choux Ratio Rally

How did I not know churros were made using pate a choux?  My mom taught me how to make cream puffs when I was a little girl and I made gluten free pate a choux for eclairs soon after I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  If I'd known frying the dough would make churros I would have tried it years ago!  I'm not much of a food fryer - mostly because I don't like the smell that lingers in the house from the hot oil.  That being said, these were so easy to make and yummy to eat I might start making them every year to celebrate the beginning of summer.  There's nothing like a churro to usher in the months of summer fests and  amusement parks!

Pate a choux is this months Gluten Free Ratio Rally.  Our host was Erin, The Sensitive Epicure.  You can check out her blog to see all the wonderful gluten free eats made with pate a choux this month.  I chose to make churros because 1- I love them, 2- I missed them, 3- I'd never made them, and 4- they are made out of pate a choux (but mostly because of 1).  The pate a choux ratio is:

1 part flour

2 parts liquid

2 parts egg

1 part fat

or 1:2:2:1

The ratios are done by weight.  I start by weighing my egg and adjusting everything else from there.

Gluten Free Churros

makes 10-12 5 inch churros

53 grams water (almost 1/3 cup)

27 grams butter (about 5 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

27 grams gluten free flour mix (about 1/4 cup)

53 grams egg (1 large egg)

Oil for frying
1/3 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon for rolling the churros in once they are cooked.

Boil water, butter, salt and sugar. Add gluten free flour mix. Work mixture together and cook 1-2 minutes longer. Continue working the mixture until all flour is incorporated and dough forms a ball. Remove pan from heat and cool pan by dipping into cold water for 3-4 minutes - don't let any water get into the pan. You want the dough to cool down so that it doesn't scramble the egg, but it still needs to be warm.  Add the egg, and using a whisk beat the dough to fully incorporate the egg.  The dough will look slippery and messy at first but continue to whisk and it will come together after a minute or so.  If you double the recipe add the eggs one at a time fully incorporating each one before adding the next one. Once the mixture is smooth, refrigerate it for 1 hour or overnight.

Put refrigerated dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1M tip.  Pipe dough into 5 inch lines onto small baking sheet.  Freeze for 15 minutes or overnight.

Add 2 inches of oil to a medium pan and heat over medium until it reaches 375 degrees.  Remove the churros from the freezer and place 1 to 3 into the hot oil.  Fry for 60-90 seconds and then flip the churros to cook the other side an additional 60-90 seconds.  Remove from oil and place on a plate covered in paper towels.  Allow the churros to cool 1-2 minutes and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Make sure the oil is at 375 before frying the rest of the churros.
Best eaten warm.