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 …
Annie hosts an annual spring gathering to celebrate the tulips in her garden: flowers, friends, and food. This year, among other things, she served tiny cheddar “biscuits” made with bits of savory bacon. Not bragging, not even particularly proud, but bacon hasn’t been on the marketing list for months. Annie’s cheesy bacon bites satisfied a craving … Continue reading
More good news for people who eat a GF diet (or love someone who does) and live around Greater Portland: Jill Miller started The Maine Pie Company. Gus didn’t like pie as much as the rest of the family, so creating a successful fool proof GF crust wasn’t an early priority. Still, since his diagnosis in 1998 … Continue reading
Hopefully you’ve been convinced that miso soup for breakfast is a great way to start the day. Now: miso for dessert! These brownies don’t have the health benefits of soup, but the savory nuttiness of miso evokes popular modern flavor profiles of salted caramels and bacon infused chocolate. When warm they have an excellent aroma and smooth rich texture, … Continue reading
Bakers Chef Professional Plastic Food wrap is efficient, effective, and easy to use. Loved it. Had boxes in several widths. But plastic isn’t good for the environment. Glass food storage systems are an alternative, however sometimes left-overs need to be just covered. Julia brought Bee’s Wrap as a hostess gift to a gathering at which I was a guest. … Continue reading
Anyone who follows this blog knows we are fans of scones. This recipe is in response to a recent post by Gluten Free For Lunch Boxes reminding that scones made with nut flours may be prohibited on school grounds since exposure to nut proteins is a risk for those with tree nut and peanut allergies. The little bit of Turmeric called for … Continue reading
Baking is essentially science. While it’s possible to make the occasional substitution or omission to accommodate dietary or pantry constraints the (muffins) may be a little different than originally conceived. Oven temperature, humidity, salted or unsalted butter, white or brown sugar, GF or conventional flour, egg size and freshness are among factors that will determine the quality … Continue reading
Hallie told us she checked out Maine Island Multigrain Pancakes to determine the what “grains” made up the flour mixture because her family was experimenting with “paleo” banana pancakes. Our conversation during a walk in the woods led to one of the easiest and most satisfying developments of a recipe in recent memory. Serve them with maple syrup for … Continue reading
Gingerbread cake in April?! The Farmer’s Almanac prediction for spring in our neighborhood has proven true: cooler than normal temperatures with near normal rainfall. We served this spicy cake at tonight’s end-o-season Paddle Tennis round-robin and dinner. With temps in the low 40s and a crackling fire inside Karen and Ford’s log cabin, the Ginger Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Icing suited everyone’s tastes. One … Continue reading
Maine Island Pancakes – gluten free, multi-grain, and delicious! We first published the recipe for Maine Island Pancakes in January 2013 without photographs. Easter Sunday provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate spring in Maine by cooking a batch of these special pancakes outside, after which the original post was edited. Stock up on the provisions … Continue reading
More and more nice bakeries and pastry shops are using attractive paper baking molds. They are especially good for cup cakes one takes to a pot-luck gathering, or a coffee cake one might take with a bag of coffee as a hostess gift for the morning after a dinner party. And since we’re not going to reinvent … Continue reading
Gluten Free Gus 