Book of Yum

As you know, I am currently hosting a blog event for Bette Hagman. I announced this event on August 18th, but you are welcome to participate anytime until the deadline, September 3rd. How can you participate?

Over the next two weeks from August 20th to September 3rd bake something from one of Bette Hagman’s cookbooks, and take a really beautiful photo of the baked good that you produce. I would like to think of each photo as a flower bouquet honoring Bette Hagman, and so include at least one beautiful flower (and possibly a flower bouquet) in the background of your photo or placed on the baked good like the photo I posted here. Post your photo on your blog along with a short (one or two line) note on the impact Bette Hagman had on your life and comment here with the link or email it to me at mehere.jpg. Please download the “Baked in Honor” tag and post it along with your post. If you feel comfortable doing so, include a wallet sized photograph of yourself in the post or email. If you don’t have a blog, that’s ok, just send me the photo(s) and your message. Please size your photo to be about the same size as the photo posted here.

I will be posting a round up of all the entries no later than Friday, September 7th, and posting a report about the final card/product that is created with all our entries.

For now, here’s my submission, a photo of Bette Hagman’s Buttermilk Garbanzo Bread with a bouquet I bought at the weekly farmer’s market, taken on my balcony. The bread was delicious, as always- and I enjoyed it with margarine, tomato jam, and even in a egg sandwich with mayo and tomato jam… Sounds weird but it was just what I wanted. The bread also won high marks with my non-celiac DH… Thank you, Bette- for showing me that gluten free bread can be a delicious, special treat even for those who don’t have to eat gluten free!

Bette Hagman’s Sesame Bean Bread

I am so enamoured with Bette Hagman’s book, The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread: More than 200 Wheat-Free Recipes, that I haven’t made many bread recipes from her other cookbooks in quite a while. But, the other day I was flipping through “The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy” and came across this recipe for her gluten free Sesame Bean Bread. I first made this recipe when I was living in Colorado, a place famed for its high elevation. As I recall it practically burst out of the top of the machine and dough dripped down into the heating elements. Oops. This bread has some SERIOUS rising power. I was able to tweak the recipe for high elevation baking and tried again, with amazing success. I liked the bread with its faint sesame flavor and bean flour sponginess so much I actually re-named it “Happiness Bread” and wrote that next to the title. When I stumbled across it again recently the title made me think nostalgically of my life in Colorado, where I first began experimenting with a bread machine. I made the bread in my Zojurishi gluten free bread machine and was thrilled with how much it rose (without overflowing!). I started the bread pretty late at night, so I ended up leaving the bread to cool on a wire rack overnight. (I never leave my bread in the machine on the warm setting, as it deflates. I also never cut the bread before it cools, as that also has an adverse effect on the height of the bread.) Because I left it out overnight, it was a little drier than it would have otherwise been the first day I cut into it- but it was still just as delicious as I remember, and it made absolutely perfect heirloom tomato/avocado/hummus sandwiches. I also developed a special Vegan Gluten Free recipe using high quality olive oil, seasonings, balsamic vinegar, avocado, fresh heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil, both grown on my balcony. I garnished it with Hawaiian black salt and was in heaven. I later did a variation of the recipe on Kinnikinnick bagels- and both ways, it was absolutely delicious. I would give Bette Hagman’s recipe for Gluten Free Sesame Bean Bread an 8, but recommend not leaving it out all night for optimal shelf life. Why not try the recipe, and see if it is gluten free “Happiness” bread for you as well? (And if baking isn’t your thing, try my vegan bruschetta topping on some packaged gluten free bread like Whole Foods Sundried Tomato Gluten Free Bread- toast the bread really well for a contrast between the creamy, faintly sweet and salty topping and the crunchy bread.)

Basil Olive Oil Gluten Free Bruschetta Recipe Side Dish  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients Spice Hunter or Trader Joe’s Pasta Spice mix (or any spice mix you like) High Quality (local if possible) olive oil Balsamic Vinegar 3 fresh basil leaves, julienned 1 really yummy small organic summer tomato, sliced thinly 1/4 an avocado Black Hawaiian Salt (or some other coarse ground salt you like, kosher etc.) Freshly ground pepper Sprouts (if you have them- for garnish) 1 thick slice of Gluten free Bread or 1/2 a Kinnikinnick tapioca rice flour bagel Directions Take small rice bowl and shake at least a teaspoon of Pasta spice mix into the bowl. Put your julienned basil leaves in the bowl. Add a generous glug of your high quality olive oil and mix, crushing the basil leaves a bit and making sure the spices have mixed evenly with the oil. Let sit. Slice your tomatoes thinly, and slice your avocados into strips. OR dice your tomatoes and avocados (this works well on a square piece of bread.) Toast your bagel or bread until crunchy and golden. Return to your olive oil, basil mixture in the small bowl. Add a small amount of balsamic vinegar and whisk to emulsify. If you like a more tart flavor or want to use less olive oil, you can add more vinegar and use less olive oil. Add more spice mix to taste, and add a little of your gourmet salt and pepper. Assemble your bruschetta by lightly basting the bread with the basil vinaigrette, using the julienned basil to spread the vinaigrette OR dribbling delicately with a spoon. (The basil method makes it easier to be sparing with the vinaigrette.) Be very generous with the basil. Next, carefully lay your tomato slices on top of the basil and vinaigrette. Top with your avocado slices. (If you used the diced method, sprinkle them interspersed with each other on the surface of your well toasted bread.) Sprinkle with more Black Hawaiian salt or whatever salt you have. Dribble a little vinaigrette on top of the avocado slices, adding any leftover basil to the top. Garnish with sprouts, if you like. (Optional) Enjoy this summery, light vegan meal. (Note: Kinnikinnick bagels are dairy free but not egg free, so if you use them this recipe won’t be vegan. It would be CF though! Yay!)

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contenst of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1115 Added:  August 7, 2007 Last Modified:  August 7, 2007