Gluten Free Chocolate Ganache Cake

My Mom is visiting for the night. She is a chocolate addict. I love a good cake, This one makes you feel like you are eating a regular yummy gluten chocolate cake. I am not going to tell her it is gluten free until after she eats it. =)

Gluten Free Chocolate Ganache Cake

Makes two 9 inch layers, or 36 cupcakes
1 cup hot brewed coffee
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup hot water
3 cups gluten-free All-Purpose Flour Blend, more for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup butter
2½ cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the coffee and cocoa powder. Add hot water and whisk until smooth.
3. In a small bowl, sift together flour blend, baking soda, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the blutter sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla mix until creamed well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Blend half the dry ingredients into the wet batter, followed by half the cocoa mixture. Blend in remaining dry ingredients and cocoa mixture, mixing on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
6. Spoon the batter equally into prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Watch carefully as time will vary depending on oven and pan size. Cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Remove cake from oven and cool in pans for 20 minutes. Then turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Frost tops of layers with Chocolate Ganache Frosting. Assemble cake and frost sides.



Chocolate Ganache Frosting Recipe:
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces dark (bittersweet) chocolate, chopped


1. Bring cream to a boil.
2. Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.
3. Set mixture aside until it begins to thicken.
Allow heated ganache to cool to room temperature. Then place it in a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour until mixture thickens. Beat ganache for 1 minute using a mixer with the paddle attachment. This softens the ganache and makes it spreadable. Frost the cake and then keep it chilled in the refrigerator until one hour before serving.

This was one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever had. So moist... so good.

Caramelized Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms

I went to George's at the cove a while back and had these babies. So good! Randy says they are better than steak. Gotta love that man. Super easy to make and quick too.

Ingredients

1 shallot or red onion diced
Large sliced portobello mushrooms
1 clove garlic minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Spirtz of olive oil
thyme
basil

Put 1 tsp olive oil in pan over medium heat. Saute shallots or onions for 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Add mushrooms, vinegar, thyme and basil. Lower heat and cover pan. Cook for 6 minutes turn over mushrooms and add 1 more tbsp balsamic and cook for 6 more minutes.

Butter Basted Scallops

I mastered cooking scallops thanks to Rick Moonen. Turns out I was cooking them wrong all these years. Did you know you were only supposed to cook them on one side? I did not know that! All this time I could not get them to caramelize right, because I was turning them over. Any way. These really are the best scallops I have ever had. My daughter and husband fought over them and both said they were the best scallops they ever had.

1 1/2lbs sea scallops
coarse salt
ground pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 sprig thyme

Blot scallops dry with paper towels and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. When the pan's hot ad 1 tablespoon butter and swirl it around. Set the scallops in the skillet and add the remaining butter in pieces and the thyme.  Cook the scallops basting them with the butter almost constantly. They should have a good brown crust on the bottom and be transclucent in the center.

I served them over green beans and soyrizo with truffle vinaigrette, but they were good all by themselves too.

Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa

My daughter has quite the sweet tooth. She didn't get it from me. I like chocolate, but she likes sweet everything. One of her favorites is sweet salsa. This is a quick way for me to get her fruits and veggies in, while also getting some of that sweet urge taken care of.

Charred Pineapple and Mango Salsa
1 Pineapple
1 ripe mango
2 limes (both zest and juice)
1 bell pepper
1 green pepper
2 scallions
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup cilantro
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt
Chili powder (only if you like spice, I left it out because my daughter hates spice)
Peel and slice the pineapple.
Heat the grill on high. You can also heat a ridged cast iron grill pan on the stovetop over high heat until very hot. Place the pineapple slices on the grill and cook until they appear charred.

Turn over and char on the other side. Peel the mango and slice the flesh from the pit. Cuz the slices into a medium dice and drop into a medium bowl. Toss with lime zest. and lime juice.

When the pineapple has cooled to room temperature, cut it into medium diced pieces and add to the bowl, along with red onion, bell peppers, scallions, garlic and cilantro and stir well. Add the olive oil and season with salt and chili powder. Refridgerate until you serve.

 Taylor likes to eat it with tortilla chips of course =)

Hot And Sour Soup

Well true to my normal form, I came down sick after my trip from Chicago. I ALWAYS get sick when I travel, or when I am around a lot of different people. Even though I washed my hands like crazy, stayed in a virtually germ free home that had hand sanitizer every few feet... I still got sick. Probably from the plane. Any way, I need soup. Back home in Oregon I would order Hot and Sour soup from Wu's Open Kitchen. A lot of places have hot and sour soup, but wu's has always been my favorite. Here is my attempt at trying to recreate it. My husband and I loved it, it was scrumptious.

Ingredients

4 mushrooms thinly sliced
2 tablespoons canola oil
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon red chile paste,
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, sliced
1/2 cup diced scallops
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tsp agave nectar or sugar
2 quarts Chicken Stock
1/2 square firm tofu, drained and sliced in 1/4-inch strips
3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Chopped green onions and cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions
Heat the oil in a wok or large pot over medium-high flame. Add the ginger, chili paste, bamboo shoots, mushrooms; cook and stir for 1 minute to infuse the flavor. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl, pour it into the wok and toss everything together - it should smell really fragrant. Pour in the Chicken Stock, bring the soup to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tofu and cook for 3 minutes.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir until smooth. Mix into the soup and continue to simmer until the soup thickens. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in 1 direction to get a current going, then stop stirring. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs in a steady stream and watch it spin around and feather in the broth (it should be cooked almost immediately.) Garnish the hot and sour soup with chopped green onions and cilantro before serving.

Gluten Free Red Velvet

One of my friends husbands LOVES red velvet. I do too. But since we cut out gluten, this is my take on it gluten free. Try it and see if you can tell the difference.

Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake

* 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 ounces red food coloring (if you are food dye intollerant, leave this out, it is only to make it red. big deal)
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 cups white sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 1/4 cups rice flour, sifted
* 3/4 cup of potato flour, sifted
* 1/2 cup of tapioca flour, sifted
* 1 1/2 tsp xantham gum
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Frosting
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring. Set aside.

Combine the buttermilk, salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the oil and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the cocoa mixture. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Stir together baking soda and vinegar, then gently fold into the cake batter.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Icing: Add all ingredients to kitchenaid mixer. beating until icing reaches spreading consistency.

Heart Shaped Eggs

When I was in Chicago we did a little shopping here and there. We were at Urban Outfitters and I came accross the cutest little heart shaped frying pan. This morning I woke up early for no reason... on a Saturday. So I got up and made everyone heart shaped eggs for breakfast. It is the small things in life that make me happy =)

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are my favorite. I must say that "Lucy's" makes a pretty darn good Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle for a "grab and go". But as always I prefer to make things myself. This recipe rocks. I double it, because our house is never empty. YOU CANNOT TELL THEY ARE GLUTEN-FREE Try it!

Preheat the oven to 350.
•1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened
•3/4 c. sugar
•1 large egg
•1/2 tsp. vanilla
•1 c. white rice flour
•1/2 c. potato starch
•1/4 tsp. salt
•1 tsp. cream of tartar
•1/2 tsp. baking soda
•1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
•2 Tb. sugar
•2 tsp. cinnamon

In your kitchenaid cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat several minutes until light and fluffy. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, starch, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Add these dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Combine on low speed until moistened then beat on medium speed about 30 seconds more.


In a very small bowl, combine the 2 Tb. sugar and the cinnamon. Roll the dough into balls approximately 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar. Place them on a greased cookie sheet, or preheated baking stone ( I love my baking stone ) about 2 – 3 inches apart. Using parchment paper or a silicone mat (silpat)works well.

regrease the paper/mat/cookie sheet between batches to help them spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes. Move them to a wire rack to cool.

Gluten-Free Baguettes

I want bruschetta tonight. So I am going to make:
Gluten-Free Baguettes

Makes 2 long baguettes 8 servings each.
3 cups Gluten-Free, High-Protein Flour Blend
1 tablespoon cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
2 packages (4½ teaspoons) rapid yeast
¾ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups warm water
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make two baguette-shaped forms (each measuring 2 inches wide, 4 inches high, 14-16 inches long), using a double thickness of heavy-duty foil, dull side out; lightly grease and sprinkle each with gluten-free flour or cornmeal and place on a cookie sheet.

1. Mix all dry ingredients except yeast together in the bowl of your kitchen aid mixer.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the water, yeast, vinegar, eggs and oil. Add to dry ingredients.

3. Using the beater or paddle of your mixer (not the whisk), beat mixture on low speed until well blended. Then turn the speed up and beat for 5 minutes on medium-high speed.

4. With oiled hands or oiled plastic wrap, divide dough in half and shape into 2 baguettes. Place in prepared pan and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.

5.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make two baguette-shaped forms (each measuring 2 inches wide, 4 inches high, 14-16 inches long), using a double thickness of heavy-duty foil, dull side out; lightly grease and sprinkle each with gluten-free flour or cornmeal and place on a cookie sheet OR lasagne pan in forms.

6. Spritz dough with water. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until done.

They are really great when you slice them, brush the slices lightly with olive oil and broil for 2 minutes... to make little brushetta. I then top with my classic mix of tomato, garlic, basil and balsamic. YUM! I served it with shrimp and salad. I am so full!

and all gluten free!!! =)

Jalapeno Hummus

Randy and I love things Spicy. Taylor hates it. So I make 2 seperate batches. This is how Randy and I like ours. Throw it all in a blender until smooth, so good with corn chips, gluten free bread, celery etc....

Ingredients:
•1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas (15 oz), drained
•1 jalapeno pepper, chopped, seeds removed
•1/4 cup tahini
•2 tablespoons garlic
•3 tablespoons lemon juice
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Gluten free Cooking and Baking

I had the most wonderful time this past week, going to Chicago for a Pet Industry show. We stayed with my friends Sister and Brother-In-Law. She is an amazing chef, and a foodie like me. She cooked all pescatarian meals for me, even though they eat game, she kept it to fish and veggies. It was all wonderful. WONDERFUL! The amazing thing to me, is that it was all gluten free. Gluten is the protein part of wheat, rye, barley, and other related grains. Some people cannot tolerate gluten when it comes in contact with the small intestine.You can still eat rice, oats, and many other bread like products. Since the trip, I have been doing nothing but read up on it. Besides just being a healthier way to live, my daughter has all of the symptoms of being gluten intollerant. I mean EVERY symptom. Everyone who knows me, knows that I like my bread and pasta. So the hesitation of cutting out flour was quite big. However, I was so happy when our local sprouts had a gluten free jamboree... 25% off all gluten free products, which I was also surprised to see was half the store! There are so many products out there. And I can still cook my regular recipes, just by tweaking the flour. Combining equal parts of chickpea flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, and brown rice flour, produces a flour that you can cook with and the end result... you can hardly tell it is gluten free. So please all you normal gluten people, you can use normal flour when I call for "Gluten Free Flour Mix", Or I challenge you to try to see if you like it. My noodles will be a little bit different, but close enough. Just go to any local restaurant (besides dennys) and ask for their gluten free menu. You will be shocked. I was. Even Sammy's Woodfired Pizza has it. Almost all Thai food and sushi is gluten free... So I am off to do this journey with my daughter. She needs support. You will probably see some changes to my blog. As I learn and develop new gluten free recipes. You don't have to be gluten intollerant to like the food, I promise.

 
There are four flour blends I will be using in future recipes:
 
High-Protein Flour Blend

This blend works best in baked goods that require elasticity, such as wraps and pie crusts.
1 1/4 cups bean flour (your choice: soy, chickpea, etc...)
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 cup white or brown rice flour


All-Purpose Flour Blend

Use this blend for all your gluten-free baking.
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup potato starch



Self-Rising Flour Blend


Use this blend for muffins, scones, cakes, cupcakes or any recipe that uses baking, powder for leavening.
1 1/4 cups white sorghum flour
1 1/4 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
2 teaspoons xanthan or guar gum
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt


High-Fiber Flour Blend


This high-fiber blend works for breads, pancakes, snack bars and cookies that, contain chocolate, warm spices, raisins or other fruits. It is not suited to delicately flavored recipes, such as sugar cookies, crepes, cream puffs, birthday cakes or cupcakes.

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup teff flour (preferably light)
1/2 cup millet flour or Montina® flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/3 cup cornstarch or potato starch

As adapted from "living without"
Using Xanthan or Guar Gum

Gum (xanthan or guar) is the key to successful gluten-free baking. It provides the binding needed to give the baked product proper elasticity, keeping it from crumbling.

•Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum per cup of flour blend to make cakes, cookies, bars, muffins and other quick breads.
•Add 1 teaspoon per cup of flour blend to make yeast bread, pizza dough or other baked items that call for yeast.