Blueberry Pie

I've been looking forward to the pie ratio rally for months!  Pie has always been scary for me and I was determined to find a delicious and flaky crust that I could come back to year after year.  I also found a great deal on a Cuisinart food processor and was excited to incorporate it into my pie making routine.  I experimented with 3 different flour combinations and found one that I absolutely love.  Yeah!!!  I want to say that trial and error led to my pie success, but it was probably the food processor!

The pie crust ratio is 3-2-1 (flour-fat-water).  And once you find a great crust there's nothing stopping you from creating just about any kind of pie you can dream up.  The only negative is that an 8 or 9 inch pie is too much for our family.  We usually only eat half of the pie.  Enter the 6 inch pie dish.  When working with ratios you can easily scale a recipe to fit your needs.  Now I've got a recipe that is the perfect size for our family.  I'll be making pie year round!

This pie is for a double crust 6 inch pie plate.  If you'd like to make it to fit a 9 inch dish multiply everything by 3.

Gluten Free Blueberry Pie
6 inch pie

Crust:
40 grams gluten free oat flour
40 grams white rice flour
40 grams corn starch
40 grams cold shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
40 grams frozen unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
40 grams ice water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine flours, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until aerated.  Add shortening and butter and pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles course meal with a few larger pieces remaining. Slowly pour in the ice water and pulse 5 times or until the mixture just begins to come together. If mixture is dry add additional water 1 teaspoon at a time.

Divide dough in half, place on plastic wrap and form into a disk. Wrap each disk in the plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.  Make filling (below).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove chilled dough from the freezer and let rest on the counter for a few minutes before rolling.  If it's been in the freezer longer than 30 minutes you'll need to let it thaw a bit longer before rolling.  Unwrap the disk from the plastic wrap but keep the disk on the plastic wrap while you roll.  Roll out dough to an 8-9 inch circle (about 1/8 on an inch thick) and place into your 6 inch pie plate.  If dough rips gently press it back together.  Fill the pie plate with the blueberry filling.  The filling will be higher than the pie plate and might start to spill over but when it cooks it will shrink so you want more than you think you'll need.  Roll out the 2nd dough disk just like the first and gently place it over the filling.  Fold it under the bottom crust and use a fork to crimp the edges. Cut a few slits in top of the crust to let out the steam. Brush the crust with a little cream and sprinkle with sugar crystals if desired. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit on the oven rack one notch lower than the middle for 20 minutes.  You'll probably want to bake it on a cookie sheet to avoid blueberry juice spilling in your oven.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes.

Filling:
2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Stir together until all of the blueberries are coated.  Place in bottom pie crust.

For links to more amazing gluten free pie recipe visit this months host Lisa over at Gluten Free Canteen.

Gluten Free 7UP Biscuits

These soft biscuits are delicious and so simple.  You only need 4 ingredients including a gluten free baking mix.  I used Pamela's but you could use the gluten free baking mix of your choice.  We like them smothered with honey or homemade jam.

Gluten Free 7UP Biscuits

2 cups Pamela's gluten free Baking and Pancake Mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut sour cream into Pamela's mix and stir in 7UP until just combined.  Dough will be sticky.  Flour your work surface with additional Pamela's mix and pat dough out to 3/4 inch thick.  Place butter in a 9 inch square (or round) pan and place in the preheated oven to melt the butter.  Cut into nine 2 inch circles (I used a drinking glass to cut them).  Remove pan with melted butter from the oven and place cut biscuit dough into the pan.  Return pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Serve warm with topping of your choice.

PIZZA! GF Ratio Rally

Making pizza by ratio has definitely been a learning experience for me.  I've made over 8 pizzas in the last 3 weeks (which is a lot for a family of 3) and I have yet to find a "perfect" gluten free pizza recipe.  That being said, I do have a go to recipe that is yummy and easy and for now that's good enough!   This month's rally was hosted by Karen of Cooking Gluten Free.  Check out her blog for the complete list of links to the delicious gluten free pizza recipes created for this months rally.

Here are some things I learned:

Ruhlman's Ratio- For Pizza Ruhlman's ratio is 5:3 of flour and liquid.  I tried this and it was a dismal failure.  The dough was heavy and dense and looked compressed and underbaked.  It felt like a rock in my stomach.  Gluten free flours need more liquid.  I figured out the ratio for my go to crust, the one I posted here and have been using ever since.  The ratio for this is 6:3:1 flour:liquid:egg  This ratio is close to Ruhlman's  but the addition of an egg adds the right amount of moisture to create a nice firm crust that you can pick up with your hands without being heavy and dense.  For the flour I found that I like a crust with more starch than my usual flour blend so I went with 50% high protein flour (brown rice, millet, soy) and 50% starch (tapioca, potato, corn)

          

I knew I had a crust I liked before I started the challenge, but I wanted a go to crust that didn't use eggs.   I tried a few more flour:water ratios including:

10:7 (dense and heavy)

19:16 (excellent)

8:7 (also excellent but I cheated and used an egg as part of the liquid)

1:1 (batter too thin)

Like I said, I learned a lot...there's nothing like a good failure to get the noggin thinking!

Even though I tried several ratios, my main focus really was more on technique.  I cooked my pizza at a hotter temperature (450 degrees Fahrenheit), I let it rise for an hour before rolling it between 2 pieces of parchment paper, and I pre-baked it on the rack with a hot pizza stone on the oven rack beneath it before adding the toppings.  All of these things, together with the 19:16 ratio made for a great crust.

19:16 sounds like a strange ratio, but if you multiply it by 10 grams you'll end up with an easy 18 inch pizza crust. Here's the Recipe:

Pizza Crust by Ratio
makes one 18 inch crust (or two 8 inch crusts)

190 grams gluten free flour

• 95 grams high protein flour (I used equal parts of millet, sorghum and soy but play with this using flours you like or have on hand)
• 95 grams starch (I used 70 grams tapioca and 25 grams potato starch)

160 grams warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2  teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix water with yeast and sugar and let proof for about 10 minutes or until nice and foamy.  Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil slowly to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the mixture is well incorporated. Increase the speed to high and continue to mix for 4 minutes.  The dough will be sticky.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour or until doubled.

After an hour preheat the oven to 450 Degrees Fahrenheit and put a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.  Place dough on a piece of parchment paper.  Spray a second piece of parchment paper and place it on top of the dough.  Use a rolling pin and with light pressure roll the dough to about an 1/8 inch thick (thicker if your prefer, but you'll need to adjust the baking times).  Remove the top parchment and slide the bottom parchment with the crust onto the oven rack.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust just begins to brown.  Remove crust from the oven and top with your favorite toppings.  Return the pizza to the oven for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and crust is brown on the edges.  Enjoy!

Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes

Our baby girl turned two this month and requested cupcakes for her birthday.  She calls them "Happy Birthdays".  I love that.  She loves the color pink lately and strawberries are one of her favorite fruits, so strawberry cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting was the only way to go!  My husband says these are the best cupcakes he's every had and probably his second favorite dessert behind Aunt Betty's Chocolate Cake.  They really are that good!

Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (3 oz package) gluten free strawberry jello mix
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups gluten free flour mix
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-6 strawberries; chopped and mashed or pureed to equal 1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan(s) with 12-15 cupcake papers.  In a large mixing bowl beat sugar, jello and eggs at medium speed for 1 minute.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.  Pour batter into the pans dividing evenly and filling each cupcake 2/3 full.  I like to use my 1 1/2 Tablespoon cookie scoop and put 2 scoops of batter in each cupcake liner.  Bake cupcakes in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of cupcake comes out clean.  Let cupcakes cool for a few minutes and then remove them from the pan to finish cooling.  Frost cooled cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. (below)

**I never frost all of my cupcakes.  Instead I put half of them in the freezer, unfrosted and I store the extra frosting in the fridge.  Whenever we want cupcakes I grab a few out of the freezer along with the frosting from the fridge.  The cupcakes thaw on the counter within 20 minutes or 15 seconds in the microwave.  Just frost and enjoy.  Fresh cupcakes every day for a week (less in our house)! 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

2 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 Tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1 strawberry, chopped & mashed or pureed (1-2 Tablespoons)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
milk if needed

Place cream cheese, butter and pureed strawberry in a mixing bowl and beat until combined. Mix in the lemon juice (optional but brightens up the flavor).  Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined then turn mixer to high and beat for 1-2 minutes until frosting is light and creamy.  Check the frosting's spreading consistency at this time.  Cream cheese frosting tends to be on the soft side so you probably won't need any additional liquid.  If the spreading consistency is too stiff mix in some milk 1 teaspoon at a time checking spreading consistency after each addition.  Store frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

**The strawberry makes the frosting a pale pink.  I added a little food coloring to make it brighter.

Strawberry "Happy Birthdays"

Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad - Gluten Free

We've been eating a lot of salads lately.  Not only are salads a great way to incorporate veggies into our diet, but it's been crazy hot in Arizona and salads make a nice cool meal!  It can get a bit boring having salad 3 times a week, so I'm always on the lookout for a new twist on a familiar favorite.  The buffalo wing sauce used in this otherwise traditional Cobb Salad fits the bill and tastes delicious.

**a note about bleu cheese**

Bleu Cheese was traditionally made using bread as the starter and there was a question about whether or not it was gluten free.  Many companies now use chemical starters for the cheese instead of bread, making the cheese free of contamination and safe for the gluten free world.  However, there are some cheese makers that still use bread to make bleu cheese.  Bleu Cheese tests have detected gluten at less than 1ppm (part per million).  That's even smaller than itty bitty, but if you are super sensitive research some brands before you buy.  And ALWAYS read the ingredients on salad dressings...or make your own using bleu cheese that you are comfortable with.  That being said, my husband doesn't like bleu cheese so I used sharp cheddar cheese and gluten free ranch salad dressing instead!

Gluten Free Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad

-serves 4

6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1 large chicken breast, cooked & shredded (1 1/2 - 2 cups)

1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce (check ingredients)

1 head of your favorite lettuce, leaves torn

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or 4 ounces bleu cheese crumbles

1 avocado, cut into cubes

1 large tomato, chopped

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

1/4 cup diced red onion

gluten free Ranch or Bleu Cheese salad dressing for serving

Toss the shredded chicken with the buffalo wing sauce.  Cover four dinner plates or one large platter with the lettuce.  Arrange the bacon, chicken, cheese, avocado, tomato, eggs and red onion in columns on top of the lettuce.  Serve with your favorite gluten free dressing.