Topped with Coconut Cream and a spoonful of seasonal fruit this is a wonderful dessert for a summer seaside luncheon: easy, light, delicious, and pretty. It can also be served with coconut ice cream and bittersweet chocolate sauce or warm with a little papaya or passion fruit jam for a weekend breakfast treat. Any way you slice it, …
This recipe is an homage to Sarah with a nod to the Barefoot Contessa. Who knew that Ina Garten (M.B.A. George Washington University) worked for the U.S. Government as a nuclear energy budget analyst before (taking off her shoes) to own and operate a specialty foods shop? Last month Sarah, who moved to Maine from NYC seven years ago, …
Tested and enthusiastically approved by GF and non-GF friends and family, this is one of our new favorite scone recipes. We like the combination of sweet, savory, and aromatic flavors. They’re great for breakfast or as a side for salad or soup. 4 years ago we moved from Falmouth back to South Portland (SoPo) where …
It’s strawberry season in Maine, there’s a rain delay at Wimbledon, and I’m meeting Kari and Stephanie at 11:30 to walk around Back Cove before lunch: time to bake a cake! Fresh picked local organic strawberries are fragrant and delicious, but often delicate because they’re not bred to endure cross country shipping. When you think your berries …
This outstanding banana bread is more fun to make than any other and arguably more delicious than our favorite Kona Banana Bread. Roasting the bananas takes a little extra time, but the dimension it adds to the flavor is worth every minute. Using coconut oil and almond milk make it dairy free, however substitute butter for …
Just back from an island with an organic coconut field and organic banana field. Plus there is a LOT of coconut flour in the larder. So when I was sent a link to Empowered Sustanence’s I clicked on it. Easy, satisfying, healthy, and delicious, these may become a staple in your kitchen. Our recipe is …
Late Winter Carrot Soup (Serves 8 -12) This special hearty soup is tangy and thick enough to serve over pasta. Last week I used it on pizza under arugula, feta, caramelized onions, and fig jam. Nathaniel made a ragu for vegetable “noodles” from the Paderno Spiralizer. Served as a soup it can be garnished with pesto, or a drizzle of …
28 years ago four women each had their first child within a five week span. One of those babies will have her first child in two months. The three boys, errr… men aren’t there yet, following Daphne as they did growing up. This afternoon we’re hosting a baby shower. All that stuff about time and change goes without saying. The guests have various …
I am very good at what I do – just pulled a beautiful fragrant GF Citrus Olive Oil Cake out of the oven. But, BUT, yeast is not my friend, so our successful crusty, chewy bread recipes are few. I confess to not having cultivated the relationship carefully, preferring to spend time with cookies and scones. Those of …
Read somewhere (an airline magazine?) about popular chefs’ favorite sneaky, secret ingredients. One admitted to using powdered milk in his conventional cookie recipes because it adds chewiness. Since “chewy” is a rare descriptor when it comes to gluten free cookies I was determined to experiment. Finding Organic Valley Non Fat Dry Milk at Whole Foods cemented it. I’ve …
Tandem Coffee opened a second location: a cafe in a renovated service station on Portland’s Congress Street. Briana Holt is creating excellent sweet and savory baked goods. But fair warning: gluten-free offerings are occasional and the open kitchen precludes a GF environment. However, something I had last week was worth adapting: Briana’s Birds’ Nest Breakfast Muffins. A whole …
Delicious, nutritious, easy, fast, this savory dish is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Even if you splurge on the nicest free range eggs, organic cheddar, heirloom tomatoes and Vidalia onions, it’s an inexpensive way to satisfy the craving for a hearty meal. Traveling to Lake Tahoe to visit Gus who is working at Stanford …
Book Group met last night to discuss The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud. The link is to a (more positive) NPR review because I suggested the book and still think it’s work reading. Have some fun and Google the meanings of the names of Messud’s characters should you delve in. As hostess I made the …
I first experienced Pastry Chef Ben Spungin’s desserts at Marinus, in Carmel Valley, http://www.bernardus.com/. His mom must be extraordinarily proud. Ben’s sweets are some of the most creative, smart, irreverent and successful I’ve experienced. The entire meal was outstanding. Run don’t walk to Marinus for your next special occasion (make a reservation first.) My dinner selections were mostly vegetarian …
Nothing says “Spring” like the scent of Meyer Lemons! This combination of white chocolate mousse and lemon curd makes a beautiful and decadent dessert any time of year, but especially now when bunches of tulips greet one at the market and long stemmed branches of pussy willows aren’t far behind. I like keeping the …
People who love to cook appreciate sharp knives. I noticed Wicked Sharp at the Falmouth Farmers’ Market a couple of weeks ago and made a mental note to take ours next time around. I can’t believe I don’t treat myself to professional knife sharpening more often. Casco Bay Cutlery and Kitchenware, formerly Freeport Knife has … Continue reading
Again with the scones! Yep. These hearty rich breakfast treats are delicious warm from the oven or as a vehicle for clotted cream, artisan butter, special jams, jellies, and/or honey. Oat flour adds nice texture and flavor. Using it in tandem with a GF flour mix insures that the scones are well balanced. Not too … Continue reading
Buttermilk Biscuits warm from the oven served with honey and Vermont Creamery Butter seemed the perfect way to celebrate the first day of fall. Sunday mornings are lazy affairs these days. Even if we get up with the sun to walk or swim before breakfast there seems to be time to languish over something homemade, … Continue reading
As I was headed out the door to Wednesday’s Farmers’ Market Nate reminded me he wanted eggs. “But only if they’re from pasture raised chickens… ONLY if the chickens have been running around OUTSIDE!” he called after me. He wants eggs from chickens that have a natural diet of grass and bugs (instead of GMO … Continue reading
The week after Gus was diagnosed with Celiac Disease Kass hosted our October Book Group meeting. She served grilled fish, steamed broccoli, salad, and rice. Dessert was meringues with vanilla ice cream and stewed stone fruit. Kass didn’t try to make a gluten-free meal, it just was. This dinner gathering so soon after the mandate … Continue reading
We’re continuing to harvest “milk” from whole coconuts as we experiment with curry recipes, leaving us with quantities of “mash” or pulp . It’s a bit of a challenge to crack the first one, but like almost anything else, it becomes easier and faster. Then the challenge is what to do with the shells (compost) and … Continue reading
Sarah and Howard visited us last August. Since then communication with “Uncle Howard”, who currently writes from Backnang, Germany, has been strictly via email. “Dips have been my thing lately. I made some absolutely fabulous zaalouk (moroccan aubergine [eggplant] & tomato dip) last week….” I continue to appreciate How’s adventurous gastronomic spirit, superseded only by … Continue reading
“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes….” First, there are boatloads of green tomatoes in our garden – not gonna fry ’em all! Then, after making coconut milk from scratch for Thai Chicken Curry with Green Tomatoes we were left with coconut pulp. This cake was inspired the idea of using a whole coconut; what … Continue reading
I’ve heard and read off and on for years about the various benefits and detriments of oils we use for cooking. I have new respect for the use of oil in baking because it promotes a more tender cake “crumb”. And an increased appreciation for nuance and complexity with respect to flavor has led to … Continue reading
We had a blast of Indian Summer – furnace blast in the 90’s! Thunderstorms two nights in a row may lead to predicted temps in the 40’s. As we see-saw between two seasons, one can excuse a post-lunch trip to the local ice cream shop and a hankering for comfort sides at dinner. Yep, we … Continue reading
Gluten Free Gus 