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