Book of Yum

This Fourth of July we went to a local park for a picnic and fireworks with some very special friends. I love packing a picnic lunch for Independence Day, and there are some dishes that have become something of a tradition.

Our 4th of July menu was:
Grilled Sesame Tofu (recipe below)
Summer Vegetable Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Balsamic Honey Grilled Eggplant
and
Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Financiers (recipe below)

If you look at my post for July 4, 2007 you’ll note that I made peanut sauce last year too, for sesame grilled vegetables. But I also made some new recipes for this year’s feast… like this delightful recipe for Balsamic Honey Grilled Eggplant.

This recipe was a real keeper, and one that I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot in the years to come. DH is skeptical of eggplant, and he seemed to enjoy it- and I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. To me it was like grilled and savory candy (but better).

I also experimented with a recipe from Martha Stewart that I’d been eying for a while. Of course, as written the recipe was full of gluten, gluten, gluten, but I thought it would probably convert reasonably well to be gluten-free. Even though we’re currently packing up our whole house for a move, I deliberately left out my mini-muffin tins just for this recipe. Oh, how I love my mini-muffin tins. Like real muffin tins, but cuter. Anyway, I was thrilled for the opportunity to use up some of the organic, local raspberries I’d been storing in the freezer, and an Indpendence Day Picnic seemed like the perfect time for financiers. Although, to be honest, I didn’t quite know what financiers were. To me they just seemed like little jam-filled-mini muffins.

Luckily, the Joy of Baking was able to enlighten me.

“Financiers are French tea cakes (pronounced fee-nahng-syehr), also known as Friands (meaning “dainty” or “tasty”). They are made from a sponge-like batter of beurre noisette (brown butter), egg whites, flour, toasted ground almonds, and powdered sugar. Financiers are similar to Madeleines in that they both use a sponge-like mixture that is baked in special molds. When baked Financiers are soft and springy with a slightly domed top and a lovely golden brown crust.” (Source: Stephanie Jaworski)

Financiers are a natural for gluten-free conversion, as a good portion of their batter is made with almond flour and eggs, two high protein ingredients that help compensate for any lack of gluten in our flours. Unfortunately commercial varieties will also contain gluten-flour, but you can make them at home with excellent results. As it happens, I converted the recipe to be dairy free, but for a more traditional recipe you could use butter instead of the DF, CF margarine and let the butter brown. This browning of the butter adds great nutty flavor. Just be careful not to burn it! I think traditionally financiers are made in special molds, like madeleines, but home cooks use mini muffin tins very successfully. I knew I was happy I bought that mini-muffin tin!

In Love with Financiers?
Try Gluten-Free Girl’s Chocolate Financier Recipe, brought to you by Smitten Kitten.
Or, an agave-nectar sweetened version of the recipe
An adorable Gluten-Free Apricot Financier Recipe
Or a gluten-free adaption of a Almond Tea Cake Financier Recipe

But food aside, the best thing about any holiday is sharing it with special friends that are your family-away-from-family. Last year we spent it with my favorite adopted “little sister”- and this year we spent it with one of our favorite couples. These are friends that have been with both of us for the long haul, and I hope will always be a part of our life. Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I hope your holiday was absolutely delicious, and that you got to spend it with your very favorite people!

Yummy Grilled Tofu Side Dish  Tofu  American

Ingredients 1 lb of firm tofu (Chinese Style is best for this kind of recipe) 2 tbsp GF soy sauce (preferably San-J Low Sodium Tamari) 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (we like a Japanese brand) 2 pressed cloves of garlic Directions Drain water from tofu, and cut horizontally in thirds or half. Wrap in towel and leave for 30 minutes or so until water has absorbed into towel. Mix marinade ingredients, and marinate tofu for at least 30 minutes. If possible, grill, if not, broil or pan fry. Makes a wonderful protein addition to salads, sandwich fillings, and perfect with rich rice dishes like risotto. Notes I’ve been making this recipe for years and it always goes over very well at parties. Very flavorful and easy. Can be doubled for a crowd. You may wish to brush or spray grill with oil, as the tofu can stick.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Vegan Vittles Recipe ID:  1036 Added:  March 14, 2007 Last Modified:  July 6, 2008

Gluten-Free Raspberry Almond Financiers Dessert  Alternative Grains  European

Ingredients 8 tbsp. dairy free margarine like Earth Balance 1/3 cup honey (I like raw honey) 2 cups finely ground almonds (I use Trader Joe’s or you can grind your own) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup finely ground brown rice flour (like Authentic Foods’) 1/4 cup sweet (white) rice flour 1/4 cup tapioca starch 1/2 tsp salt 5 lg. egg whites (you can probably veganize this by using 3-4 Ener-g foods egg replacer eggs, soy yogurt, or flax seed eggs) 1 cup raspberries (if frozen, defrost first), pureed and strained (not strained is ok if you don’t mind seeds) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray two mini muffin tins with GF nonstick cooking spray. Melt your margarine in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, whisking occasionally and heating for 6-7 minutes. At the end, whisk in your honey and let it combine thoroughly. Put your ground almonds, sugars, flour, and salt in a standing mixer (or large bowl) and whisk together on low. Turn up the speed to medium-high and add your egg whites (or egg replacer eggs) one at a time, combining each one thoroughly until adding the next. Use a spatula to make sure all the ingredients on the side of the bowl integrate with the rest of the ingredients. Lower mixer speed to low and add your warm honey-margarine (whisk quickly first to make sure it hasn’t separated) in one long, continuous stream. Turn up speed to high for 45 seconds. Fill your mini muffin tins half full. Then take a scant 1/2 tsp of your raspberry puree and pull up a little of the batter with a knife, dribbling the puree in and then settling the batter over the top to make a raspberry heart shape. Or, just make a little jam circle on the top if the heart is too much effort. Bake for 7 minutes or so, turn your rack around and bake another 7 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy! Notes Another cute little mini-muffin, er, I mean financier, recipe!

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Modified from Martha Steward Living to be dairy and GF Recipe ID:  1264 Added:  July 6, 2008 Last Modified:  July 7, 2008

Our recent trip to India is beginning to seep away, crowded out by a bewildering collection of new experiences in Austria and Germany- two countries that are a world away from India in both flavor and geography. When I think back on India, it comes to me in flashes of sensory experiences- the smell of Aloo Jeera, twanging of cumin and rich oils, the colors of women’s saris lit up like butterflies under a hazy sun, the sound of chanting and music from a nearby temple- the suffocating exhaust from rickshaws and the honking of their horns negotiating for space. But in all the confusion and excitement that we experienced in India, I think my favorite memories are of two occasions when DH’s co-worker and wife opened their home to us for two exquisite dinners enjoyed with their family. When I came to India previously two years ago, I was only there for a week and got the briefest brush with the country. I soaked up experiences and sensations as best I could, but everything was strange and new to me. I skimmed the surface of this new culture like the lightest of water bugs, shopping, sightseeing, and viewing temples just as I was supposed to as a tourist. The closest I came to experiencing home life in India was a peaceful stroll through a local grocery store. This trip I decided, like any good tourist, to fulfill a life-long dream to see the Taj Mahal but I also hoped to spend some time out of the tourist circuit just enjoying spending time with some of DH’s friends in India. When one of his friends (who had visited the States the previous year) invited us to his home with wife and young son for dinner, I was thrilled- and visiting their peaceful apartment complex and home offered a welcome break from a hotel lifestyle in noisy Bangalore. I was really happy to meet DH’s friend’s lovely and hospitable wife and clever young son, and being me, I was practically hyperventilating with excitement at the prospect of a home-cooked meal and the chance to learn some new recipes or preparation methods. The meal and evening surpassed my wildest hopes, and it was such a pleasure to enjoy a meal with fellow vegetarians. (The family is vegetarian and of course, so was our meal.) In Bangalore, people tend to eat dinner far later than we tend to in the States, so our meal began late, which was good as I had eaten a late lunch and definitely needed lots of room for the extensive array of dishes our hostess had planned. After being shown around their home and admiring their son’s cool bike and toys on his request, the relaxing meal began with a delicious and light boiled peanut salad with fresh cilantro leaves and onions. One thing that eating in Indian restaurants in the States or simply reading Indian cookbooks hadn’t shown me was that crisp, fresh salads (rarely involving lettuce) are often a refreshing beginning course or accompaniment to heavier dishes. The yummy peanut snack was followed with a crunchy salad of sliced red tomatoes, red onions, radishes, green chilies and wedges of fresh lime or lemon. These crisp vegetables were sprinkled only with salt (sometimes pepper is also added, both black or chili) and I was amazed by the sweetness and flavor in the simple tomato slices garnished with salt and just a squeeze of lime. When I exclaimed over the flavor (in December, no less), DH commented that a great deal of Indian produce is naturally organic- something I hadn’t known. Here’s an interesting article on the issue of organic farming in India if you’d like to know more about this. I also loved the simple salads of lightly salted red onion slices and limes served in Indian restaurants- while I’ve always found lettuce a bit dull, I think I’ve discovered a new style of “salad” that I will be enjoying in my own home now that I’ve returned. Who needs corn syrup filled “lowfat” dressings when a light sprinkle of salt and lime juice enhances the flavor of vegetables so beautifully? The star of the meal for me, though, was the satisfying “snack” of fried Chana Dal Pakora or Dal Vada, fried croquettes of chana lentils that had an amazing “bready” texture and crisp exterior, with heavenly, perfectly balanced seasonings. The meal was prepared by our hostess, her mother, and their son’s caretaker, and it was actually the natively South Indian caretaker who had introduced the family to the recipe. I watched the patties being prepared from a bowl of the mashed ingredients and felt my mouth water- and when they were fried to golden perfection and served with delicious green chutney their flavor surpassed my wildest imaginings. DH enjoyed his with ketchup, but I scooped the green chutney onto mine for a completely harmonious pairing. I had to have the recipe in order to try to make them at home later- and of course, to share with you all (see recipe below). After our round of snacks and salads were over, we adjourned to the table for more amazing dishes. The first night, we had a salty, smoky (and yet completely vegetarian!) dal dish that I still hope to get the recipe for, hearty aloo gobi (potatoes with cauliflower), and an amazing rich cheese dumpling dish in a tomato gravy (another dish I’d love to have the recipe for). They’d kindly made rice for me, and then made (gluten containing) roti flatbread from scratch for the other guests. I peered around the corner to watch our hostesses mother make the roti- she used a small,solid wooden cylinder rolling pin to flatten the dough and then placed the dough on the heating surface until it puffed lightly, then skillfully flipped it and put it into a basket, beginning the whole process over again. Crispy pappadam completed the meal, adding welcome crunch and a contrast in flavor. The cheese dumplings melted in the mouth and made me wish I had five more stomachs so that I could eat more (thanks to my greedy enjoyment of the dal vada I was getting quite full by this time), the cauliflower in the aloo gobhi was delightfully seasoned and reminded me again why I like cauliflower in Indian food, and the dal was so rich and salty I decided I need to expand my dal repertoire. For dessert we had prepared rasgulla, which I was delighted to find was gluten free. Sometimes store prepared and labeled food is the most wonderful thing in the world- I wouldn’t have dared to try unlabeled rasgulla, but this stuff was safe! Unfortunately by then I was so full that I couldn’t eat much of the very concentrated sweet rasgulla, to my dismay- but it had been a wonderful meal. I especially appreciated the gracious hospitality of our hostess, who patiently explained all the ingredients to me and was able to make me feel so safe and comfortable when eating out with gluten intolerance can be such an intimidating prospect. Our hostess worked so hard to make us all comfortable that she didn’t take time to eat herself, which made her American guests feel rather as though we ought to start serving her food so that she could enjoy her own feast! It must have been after midnight by the time we finished, and we were so full we could barely waddle to the car so our host could take us home. It was strange to drive through the dark and relatively silent streets of Bangalore that late at night- usually we burrowed into our hotel no later than nine or ten at night. A drive that during the day would take at least forty-five minutes in stop and start, honking rickshaw traffic took barely minutes, and before we knew it, we were back at the hotel bidding farewell to our host. Although I feared that might be our only chance to enjoy dinner with their family because we were flying to Delhi to see the Taj Mahal the next weekend, we had one more opportunity later to have dinner with their family before we left. This second meal was just as delicious as the first, and they made those divine dal vada again as a snack- DH and I ate so many we were quite ashamed of our greediness, but they were so good we couldn’t help ourselves. This second meal featured a delicious potato dish, another tasty dal, and a tomato gravy paneer with green peas. It was so delicious that again, we wished we had brought some extra stomachs along to help. Dessert was a delightful surprise, and one that DH and I thoroughly enjoyed- our hostess had prepared a slow simmered rice pudding richly spiced with freshly ground cardamom and bits of tasty nuts. DH in particular has a weakness for fresh cardamom and we were sorely tempted when our hostess offered us some to take home, but we didn’t trust our unreliable hotel refrigerator (with its inability to keep even soft drinks cool) to keep a milk dish safe for later consumption. *sigh* Luckily, I got the recipe so you can bet I will be making some of my very own sometime soon. Both the company and the food were absolutely wonderful, and we were both grateful to our host and hostess for welcoming us so graciously into their home. In particular, I was touched that they went to such effort on our behalf when I’m such a hassle to cook for, being both vegetarian AND gluten-free. I always feel awkward when explaining to potential hosts or hostesses the complex assortment of things that I can’t have- and the best of intentions can’t always compensate for the difficulties of preparing gluten-free food. Luckily, our host’s family was vegetarian, and Indian food really does have many naturally gluten-free dishes, and so perhaps it wasn’t as complicated for them to prepare a meal for us as it would have been in other food cultures- but still, I am immensely grateful for their hospitality, their company, and their gift of amazing, vegetarian, gluten-free home-cooked food in Bangalore, India. Thanks to their entire family (and congratulations, on their recent good news!), and thank you, Bangalore. Agra and its Taj Mahal may offer the world the most wonder, but Bangalore has somehow crept into my heart and become, in a small way, a place that feels like home- a place with friends, and memories, with places that I nested in and places that I gazed at with wonder- favorite coffee shops and un-favorite streets to cross- good experiences, like the rickshaw driver that DIDN’T charge more than the fare meter, and people that remembered me from two years ago, and bad experiences, like the ever present noise and air pollution… but nevertheless, a place I will think of fondly. And of course, Bangalore is a place with flavors that I expect to provide inspiration for dishes for years to come.

Chana Dal Pakora or Dal Vada Side Dish  Indian

Ingredients 250 gm Bengal Gram (Channa/ Chana Dal) 2-4 (sm.) red onions, finely chopped 1 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves 2-3 finely chopped green chili (sm, not Anaheim) 2-3 cloves (Loung?) 1 stick (1 inch) cinnamon bark (dalchini) salt to taste Cooking Oil for deep frying 50 gm. Ginger (finely crushed but Not paste) 1/2 or 1/4 head of garlic (finely crushed) Chutney to serve- mint or cilantro chutney is lovely, and then some kind of red chutney or even ketchup offers a nice contrast. Directions Soak 250 gm. (washed) Bengal gram for 5-6 hours. Strain the water and grind the strained dal along with crushed garlic, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon bark. Put the grinded mixture in a bowl and mix finely chopped onions, fresh cilantro leaves, salt, and green chilies. Mix it well with spoon or by hand. Make round, flat patty shaped balls and deep fry on medium flame in pre-heated oil. Maybe about 2.5 minutes, then turn for 2.5 minutes more. Notes This is a South Indian recipe that our friends (originally from Northern India) had been introduced to by their son’s caretaker. They liked it so much they adopted the recipe- and after weeks in India drooling over all the gluten containing fried snacks I couldn’t have, it was a thrill for me to enjoy this in their home. I begged them to make it again when we visited their house a second time- and it was just as wonderful as I remember! Probably my favorite thing I ate over the entire duration of our trip. :) *Indian onions and other veggies may be smaller than some of their giant American cousins, so you may want to use your best judgment on quantities. When I’ve tested the recipe in my own kitchen I may update amounts…

Rating:  10 Original Source:  Friend in India Recipe ID:  1164 Added:  January 2, 2008 Last Modified:  January 2, 2008

Kheer Cardamon Rice Pudding Dessert  Rice  Indian

Ingredients 1/2 cup rice 2 liters milk 1/2 to 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. cardamom powder (freshly ground) (alaichi) 1 tbsp cashews 1 tbsp almonds (blanched) Directions Wash rice and strain it. Boil your milk and as soon as it boils put the rice in and simmer the rice. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes and then leave it on the burner for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally so rice doesn’t stick or burn. Add sugar, fresh cardamom, cashews and almonds. Let it simmer another 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened to desired consistency. Enjoy!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Friend in India Recipe ID:  1165 Added:  January 2, 2008 Last Modified:  January 2, 2008