Valentine's Day!

                                            

  For those of you who have been asking about GF/CF cut out cookies, I hope to post pic’s of our latest creations, soon.
  Sometimes, it all falls to the room mom to pull together something for a given class party; in this case the pink and red holiday of hearts and hugs.
 So yesterday, as our dear daughter recuperated from her basketball tournament and the masochistic tradition of the no sleep sleepover which always follows, I made 40 nice big cutout cookies, (heart shaped,of course), a huge tub of frosting and two batches of royal icing!
 I love that at 11 and 12 years old, these kids aren’t too cool to have a cookie-decorating contest. It is a small school, it seems like there is less pressure for all of them to grow up fast, it’s nice.
 So, what’s on the menu for Dana B’s home tonight?
 Traditionally, we have a bright, red dinner,
I think tonight ought to look like this:
- Dark red grapes, deep black caviar, and black rice crackers.
 -Fillet Mignon, grilled after the snow is cleared form the deck… thanks, Honey
 -Big Salad with lots of red leaf lettuce, deep red apples, cranberries and spicy sweet walnuts, I make these a day ahead, for a nice alternative to croutons.
 -Jasmine and Sage Rice, perfect with black sesame seeds, for those who can tolerate them
 And, of course a decadent chocolaty dessert with lots of layers that just flow out with each stab of the fork.
 -This means a triple layer brownie cake, layered with just fruit raspberry jam, dairy free ganache, served with a dollop of whipped coconut milk laced with the heat of fresh ginger root.
  I should be embarrassed, perhaps, at such a seductive indulgence, but it’s once a year. So, I will push ahead sans blushed hue.
 _This is the first year in many I will not be coating hundreds of strawberries in chocolate, but that is always a quick, romantic dessert.
 It’s possible to make a festive, colorful Valentine Dinner, without food coloring, gluten, dairy, or anything prepackaged.

Dana B’s Cutout Cookies Recipe:
1 C GF/CF/SF butter alternative, softened.
    We use soy free Earth Balance,
     From Nature’s Green Grocer
Whip in:
1 C Evaporated Cane Juice
When Fluffy Add:
2 eggs,
1tsp vanilla,
½ tsp Sea Salt
In Separate Bowl, or Sifter, Blend:
½ tsp Baking Powder
2 ½ c Dana B’s GF Blend,
Blend well, remember, you are GF now, so there is no worry about over beating and upsetting the gluten.
 Scrape down sides of bowl, form a ball if you can,
You will now set it all in the fridge until it’s a nice texture to work with, not hard, but not too sticky.
Then simply lay out your silpat mat, or a few sheets of wax paper, sprinkle liberally with more DB’s GF Blend, and more evaporated cane juice, enough to coat each side.
Begin to roll out the ball, gently, flip dough a few times during rolling, adding more DB’s GF and ‘sugar’ as needed.

When it’s all the desired thickness, I like’em pretty thick,  (1/8 -1/4) in
get out those cookie cutters you’ve been gazing longingly at since Thanksgiving passed,
and cut, cut, cut!

Throw scraps back in the bowl as you go.
 At this point, I lift each little shape with a metal spatula; they have such a lovely edge, right onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
 Still nervous?
 Don’t be!
 You can do this.
 Still trepidatious? Set the sheet in the ‘fridge for twenty minutes or so, take some deep breaths, set that oven to 375, and get ready for the bliss of a quiet afternoon spent glossing your golden gifts with decorative icings.
 I like to set the oven timer to about half the time for recommended bake time, so I remember to swivel the pan, and just check on everything.
 Depending on the shape, size and thickness of your soon-to-be cookies, they will need to bake for 5-15 minutes, experiment. We like crisp edges with a bit of chewiness toward the center.
 Also remember; store all GF goodies in the freezer if you aren’t going to eat them all today, which I definitely do not recommend!
 If you’re not sure why you need to freeze’em, write and ask…I gotta get back to my oven mitts!

 This recipe was adapted from a vintage Fanny Farmer Cookbook

Whirlwinds and Wonders

 So, the biddings of ‘Happy New Year’ have long faded into the past, and another month has gone by without a fresh blog from our little bakery.

 Thank you all for the fantastic feedback on the samples, keep those addresses coming in, as there are more surprises in the works.

What is the one thing you have all been just pining for? The one thing that would make you just weak in the knees to be able to saunter up to the deli counter to order? A sandwich you say? A lovely warm bit of crusty bread next to your steaming cup of minestrone?

 In all the time I have been baking, I have not developed a love of the quintessential bakery staple. The loaf.

 Ah, yes, I was content for a time to churn out Toll House Cookies, muffins, even eclairs and benet and tiny cheddar crackers… I was fooling myself, and my muse wasn’t buying it.

 He grew up in Buffalo, home of not just the wings of fame and lore, but the Beef on Weck.  If you have not had this, you are really missing out and if you have, you remember it well. I remember just where I was standing when I took my first bite, at my brother- in- law’s wedding reception… a casual affair on a lovely golf course just outside Buffalo. A beautiful, romantic day spent dancing with my husband and daughter as the sun began to set over the gentle mounds of green which rolled way into the horizon.

 I also remember just where I was standing when my dearest shared his longing for that sandwich. His eyes were sparkling like a four- year- old in front of the FAO Shwartz on Christmas eve (this is nearly always the light that dawns just as some culinary inspiration strikes). The setting was slightly less romantic… the deli case at the local grocer.

 There is something you should know about my dearest. He thinks I am amazing, perhaps even magical. He truly believes I can still be something. No, he sincerely believes I AM something. Therefore, there is no question In his mind that when he shares a craving or whim for something, long taken away by celiac, that I will, on first attempt, nail it.

 This fills me simultaneously with such elation and terror, that I cannot fully explain it. So I stand close to him, believing I can soak up some of that confidence he has in my abilities, and try not to dash his hopes with piddly little things like physics and reality.

 Reminiscent of the bumper sticker “I just want to be the person my dog thinks I am”. Commence sarcastic eye roll here, if you need, but really he is just such an elfin creature, brimming with sunshine and optimism.

 Back home now, with kosher salt, lovely, fragrant caraway seeds, fresh yeast, beautiful roast beef, and a rising fear, the one that always accompanies me into the valley of the unknown.

 Although, honestly, as with anything scary, procrastination is an inviting alternative to diligence, right? So, I slept on it, poorly.

 The solution? The result?

 Focaccia! I would simply adapt the pizza crust recipe we already love, and make focaccia, half a batch, though, just in case it’s terrible…

 Measure, mix, pour, let it rise; lay on an absolute burden of salt and seeds. Bake it, with fingers crossed, actually a sincere prayer.

 Viola! - A gorgeous beef on weck to warm us on the latest snow day.

 The lovely, indulgent thing about focaccia is it gets a bit fried about the edges, so you feel as if you are really having something bad, but with grape seed oil… just enough to keep it all from sticking, it is just the hint of crispy without going all the way to fairway fried dough (which I will tell you all about another time).

 This gave way to a new obsession. The French Crullers are set aside, and I have now made, in less than a week, three batches of the stuff, one for a fundraiser at our daughter’s school, and the latest, a big double batch, which sit in our freezer now.

 Since good bread seems to be the one continually illusory staple in the celiac safe arsenal; as is so often the case, my response may seem over rated, and for someone who can just march down to the local mom and pop to get a loaded bagel or sub, the occasional tear swept away before it even has a chance to glisten on the check would be a certain melodramatic gesture, but for those of us who endeavor to enjoy what we used to love without doubling over in pain, or being consumed with brain fog… without losing life as we now know it, for us to bite into something wonderful and fresh and warm and SAFE, is just this side of miraculous.

 Thank you dear, for your faith in me, it has pushed me to try things I knew were impossible.

Bring it on, world!

 Readers, tell me what you miss, I would love to include you in this journey, and walk you through the how to, with me.

You can do this.

The samples have been a huge hit.

Stay tuned for new features and keep us in prayer, that we seek the Lord above all.