Vegan Meringues

This is such an unusual recipe from Slate.com. I am not particularly interested in meringue or chick pea juice (aquafaba), but I had to try this. I tell you, they were really pretty good. I think adding a little cocoa powder or maybe some peppermint or raspberries or lemon or whatever floats your boat could make these cookies special. 

Be aware, it makes quite a lot of cookies. 

Yield: 30 to 35 meringues

Time: About 2 hours, almost entirely unattended

Liquid from one 15-ounce can of chickpeas (about ¾ cup)
1 heaping cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Heat the oven to 250°F and line one or more baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour the chickpea liquid (aquafaba) into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 15 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla.

2. Scoop or pipe the aquafaba mixture into mounds onto the baking sheet(s) and bake for 90 minutes. (The meringues will be hard to the touch.) Let meringues cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve. (Meringues can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.)

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This recipe comes from Gimme Some Oven. If you have read my blog at all, you will know that I am always looking for gluten free recipes. This one does not disappoint. It also is a pretty easy recipe to make and is a good reason to buy a springform cake pan if you don't have one. The cake does not really rise that much and the important step is the time it takes to chill in the refrigerator because the cake solidifies.

3-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake

Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

8 large eggs, cold
1 lb. dark, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
optional toppings: powdered sugar and/or berries

Method

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper or waxed paper and grease the sides of the pan. (Be sure to grease the sides really well!) Wrap the outside of the pan with 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil and set it in a large roasting pan, or any pan that's larger than the springform. Bring a kettle or pot of water to boil.

In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at high speed until the volume doubles. This usually takes about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and butter together. You can either do this in a double boiler on the stove (by placing the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl, set over a pan of almost-simmering water, and stirring until melted and smooth). Or you can do this in the microwave (by heating the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth). Then fold about a third of the beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture using a large rubber spatula until only a few streaks of egg are visible. Fold in half of the remaining egg foam, and then the last half of the foam, until the mixture is totally homogenous.

Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Place the roasting pan on the oven rack and VERY carefully pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the cake has risen slightly, the edges are just beginning to set, a thin-glazed crust (like a brownie) has formed on the surface, and an instant-read thermometer inserted halfway into the center reads 140° F, 22-25 minutes. Remove the springform pan from the water bath and set on a wire rack; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until cool. (The cake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

About 30 minutes prior to serving, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan, invert the cake onto a sheet of waxed paper, peel off the parchment paper, and re-invert the cake onto a serving platter. If desired, lightly dust the cake with powdered sugar and top with berries. To slice, use a sharp, thin-bladed knife, dipping the knife into a pitcher of hot water and wiping the blade before each cut.

Iranian Rice Cookies

This recipe comes from Saveur. These are some good cookies. They have a good consistency, subtle flavors that meld nicely, and are not overly sweet. The cardamom is the secret ingredient in my opinion.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SYRUP
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp. rosewater

FOR THE COOKIES
¾ tsp. sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup rice flour
⅓ cup clarified butter or ghee
½ tsp. cardamom powder
¼ cup syrup
1 tbsp. poppy seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the syrup: Combine sugar and ¼ cup water in a 1-qt. saucepan over high; stir until sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add rosewater. Cool until ready to use.

2. Make the cookies: Heat oven to 350°. Combine sugar and yolk in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy; set aside. In another bowl, combine rice flour, clarified butter, oil, and cardamom; add yolk mixture and mix until evenly combined. Add syrup and mix until combined. Set aside to cool. Roll dough into ⅛ oz. balls, about ¾” thick, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball; using the grooved sides of a meat mallet (alternatively, use a fork), press grooves into cookies to create a pattern. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake, rotating halfway through, until cooked, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets as cookies are quite delicate while hot.

Banana Nut Truffles

I don't remember how I came across this recipe from All My Recipes Online. Nevertheless, I like it. It was super easy and the truffles are good. Everyone liked them at Christmas dinner. They last for several days being taken in and out of the fridge and left out for several hours at a time.

Ingredients

3 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 banana
1/2 cup chopped smoked almonds
unsweetened cocoa powder, for coating

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine the melted chocolate with the peanut butter and banana and puree until smooth. Scrape into a medium bowl and stir in the almonds.

2. Spread the cocoa powder in a pie plate. Roll the chocolate-peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls, then roll them in the cocoa powder until evenly coated. Arrange the truffles on a baking sheet and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Rose Water Cookies

This recipe was published in BonAppétit. They are subtle cookies and I was surprised that they didn't taste great while hot out of the oven. They needed to cool and then they were really good. The cardamom smells incredibly wonderful. It makes the whole kitchen smell sweet and like you're on vacation.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups white rice flour plus more for rolling
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

PREPARATION

Whisk cardamom and 1 1/2 cups flour in a medium bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Add egg and rose water and beat to blend.

Reduce mixer to low speed; gradually mix in dry ingredients (dough will be stiff). Cover and chill at least 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300°. Scoop level tablespoonfuls of dough and, using lightly floured hands, roll into balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 1/2-inch apart. Using a fork or another utensil that can make a decorative pattern in dough, flatten balls to a 1/4-inch thickness. (Alternatively, flatten balls and make an indentation in the centers with your thumb.) Sprinkle cookies with poppy seeds.

Bake cookies until firm but still pale, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

DO AHEAD: Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Carrot Cake

What a great recipe! Judy Haubert posted this to Saveur magazine and it's excellent! Plus it's gluten free! OMG! I think I am going to use all exclamation points for this post! 

I did not use all the coconut and I could see making this recipe without the coconut too if you are not a coconut fan. 

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE
1 tbsp. butter, for greasing pans
4 eggs, divided and at room temperature
2 egg whites, at room temperature
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1 ½ cups shredded carrot (4 medium)
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained and squeezed dry
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnut pieces
1 cup cornstarch
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

FOR THE FILLING
8 oz. cream cheese, soft
½ cup butter, soft
1 (1 lb.) box confectioner's sugar (approximately 3 ½ cups)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375°F with rack in the center position. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with butter and line with parchment; set aside. Combine egg yolks with ⅓ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl and beat on high speed 2-3 minutes until very thick and pale in color. Fold in shredded carrot, pineapple and vanilla extract; set aside.

2. Pulse walnut pieces in a food processor until finely ground. Add cornstarch, baking soda, salt and spices; pulse to combine and set aside.

3. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until foamy. Slowly whisk in ½ cup sugar and beat whites until stiff and glossy. Fold walnut mixture gently into whites, then fold blended whites gently into carrot mixture. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pans and bake 20–25 minutes until cakes are lightly browned and have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pans. Allow cakes to cool 30–45 minutes in the pans. Run a knife around the edges of cakes to loosen from pan, remove parchment and invert onto a wire rack.

4. Beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until well-blended. Slowly beat in confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Place one cake round on stand or serving dish and spread ¾ cup of frosting evenly over surface, leaving a ½-inch border around edges. Sprinkle with ¾ cup of coconut and press lightly into the filling to set. Top with second layer, using remaining frosting to cover surface and sides of cake. Press remaining coconut evenly around sides and over top of cake. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Crème Brûlée

After trying what seemed like a million recipes, I finally put together this one from which I have been able to get consistently excellent results. I know the straining step is a bit annoying, but it really makes a difference. The biggest reason I developed this recipe is because I have had problems with the traditional water bath method. Although, when the water bath method works, it's very good. The other issue with the water bath method is that embedding items like Nutella can be tricky because they have to cook with the cream and that doesn't always work correctly.

Makes 6 4 oz servings

6 egg yolks
2 c heavy cream
2 t vanilla or 1 t plus 1 half vanilla bean
6 T sugar
Nutella or berries (optional)

1. Whisk sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks

2. Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape out seeds into cream. Put the bean husk into the cream as well. Heat the cream in a double boiler, stirring gently until almost boiling. Discard the bean husk. Pour half the cream into the sugar/egg mixture.

3. Mix half the cream into the sugar and eggs until incorporated and then add everything back to the cream in the double boiler. Mix gently till incorporated.

4. Continue to heat the mixture until it becomes thick. Stir gently and constantly. Do not boil! As you stir and the mixture thickens - it will either look grainy or sometimes it may look a little like it’s becoming runny scrambled eggs.

5. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and pour into ramekins. If you are using berries or Nutella, place a small amount of cream on the bottom of the ramekin and then add about 1 T of Nutella or berries. Then cover completely.

6. Chill well for at least 6 hours. Overnight is OK.

7. Sprinkle sugar over the top and torch until caramelized. Chill again until the ramekins are cool to the touch.

Fudgesicles!

Lisa Turner gets the credit for this recipe at the Healthy Gourmet. It's a really nice recipe and so unexpected. The mixture tastes almost like pudding before freezing and still has an avocado flavor. Once frozen, you really can't tell - it surprised me. I also love the fact that the recipe uses honey instead of sugar.

It made only 4 popsicles for me. Because of the leftover coconut milk, I could make 2 more popsicles with an additional avocado and the appropriate amount of the other ingredients.

Ingredients

2 small avocados

1 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup raw, unfiltered honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Halve avocados lengthwise and remove seed. Scoop flesh into a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth and creamy.

2. Transfer mixture to a popsicle tray, and insert sticks. Freeze for 2 hours or overnight.

3. Unmold and serve!

Double Chocolate Macaroons

This recipe comes from Leah Koenig via Saveur. I just love chocolate. I'm not a huge dessert fan but when I'm in the mood, chocolate is awesome and these macaroons don't disappoint. I love it when recipes are easy too. It's a very straightforward process.

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN

INGREDIENTS

2¼ cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
3 egg whites
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 325°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Combine coconut, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and egg whites in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-low heat; cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and sticky, 5–6 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool, uncovered, for 20 minutes; stir in chocolate chips and set mixture aside.

2. Using a tablespoon, portion and roll mixture into balls and place 1" apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets; bake, rotating pans halfway through, until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Mmm. I love a good oatmeal cookie. If you read the post you will discover that the creator, Matt Maranian, of this recipe dislikes breakfast but loves cookies and wants to legitimize the breakfast cookie. I would say that he was successful at least in creating a healthy and very tasty cookie. (My wife has begged me to make another batch.) Now whether it can be legitimized as a breakfast item remains to be seen. I for one am on board.

I have just a couple notes: 1. You can use raisins or dates. Both a very good. 2. You can use chopped or sliced almonds.

• One 15 oz can chickpeas, thoroughly drained in a strainer
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup chunky peanut butter with no added sugars or sweeteners
• ½ cup local organic honey
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Heaping 1/3 cup raw oats
• Heaping 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• ¼ cup packed raisins
• Parchment paper (very important)

While the chickpeas are draining, roast the almonds in a skillet over medium/low heat, stirring and tossing frequently, until the almonds are fragrant and start to brown. Remove from heat, and slide the almonds into a small bowl. Mash the chickpeas and olive oil together with a potato masher until you no longer see any solid pieces of chickpea.

Add the honey, peanut butter, vanilla, both extracts, baking powder, and salt to the chickpea paste, and blend with a mixer on high speed for about five minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl every minute or so, until the batter looks like chunky peanut butter and starts sticking together. Toss in the oats, toasted almonds, and raisins, and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula until everything is just mixed. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is chilled and firm, at least 30 minutes and up to several hours. 

Preheat the oven to 350º. Using a tablespoon-size soupspoon, scoop the dough by the heaping spoonful, and, using a second spoon, scrape onto the parchment (you don’t need to allow a lot of space on the sheet between cookies, as they don’t spread much while baking). 

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tips and edges of the cookies become dark golden brown. If they look a bit like they’ve burned, it’s okay, for some reason they don’t taste burned even when they are, don’t ask me why. Cool on a wire rack. For best results, once cooled, seal in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.

Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Flourless Cake

This recipe comes from a blog called Cakelets and Doilies. I really like it. At altitude, it's a bit hard to make because you have to get the egg whites to whip up correctly to get the right lightness and volume.   I have something to practice now. Icing sugar is the British term for powdered sugar. Check the package because in the U.S. powdered sugar often contains corn starch. 

120 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
275 grams (1 1/3 cups) caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/4 cup lemon zest
4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
240 grams (2 1/2 cups) almond meal
300 grams (10 1/2 oz) ricotta
Flaked almonds, to decorated
Icing sugar, for dusting

Heat oven to 160 degree celcius fan-force (325 degree fahrenheit fan-forced). Line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper and set aside.

Place the butter, 165 grams caster sugar, vanilla seeds and lemon zest in an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Scrap down the sides of the bowl, then gradually add the egg yolks, one at a time, continuing to beat until fully combined. Add the almond meal and beat to combine. Fold ricotta through the almond meal mixture.

Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with a hand-held electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar to the egg whites mixture and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gently fold a third of the egg whites into the cake mixture. Repeat with the rest of the egg whites.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the tops with a palette knife, decorate the cake with almond flakes, and bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked and firm to touch. Allow to cool completely in the cake tin. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Absolutely Amazing Gluten Free Ice Cream Bread

Recently, I came across a very unusual recipe. Apparently though, it's all the rage and Susan Westmoreland from Good Housekeeping has done some very good research and listed a great all around recipe. Whoever thought it up in the first place is a genius. I must say that I am a genius too because I made it gluten free! And it's amazing. Absolutely. Make sure to check out the post from Susan Westmoreland because there are suggestions for other mix-ins. Yum!

2 c premium vanilla ice cream, softened
1-1/2 c gluten free flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 t Xanthan gum
3/4 c chopped dates

1 t grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 loaf pan with baking spray or grease generously with unsalted butter.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and Xanthan gum. Then add dates and zest and mix. 

In a large bowl, stir the ice cream until smooth; then stir in dry ingredients until just blended. Scoop into the prepared pan. Bake 43 to 48 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert loaf onto cooling rack. 

To serve, toast thick slices and arrange on plates with drizzled caramel and fresh made whipped cream.