Warka and the Quest for Baklava

Baklava was my favorite dessert when I was a child and I grew up learning how to butter and fold the thin phyllo leaves with my mom, scattering some layers with nuts, while my dad concocted his Special Baklava Syrup. In the more than 10 years since I became gluten-free, baklava and I have shared only wistful glances at each other. Who makes gluten-free phyllo dough? I looked everywhere and found no one.

So it became my quest to make it myself. I tried the Greek method of rolling out the dough to paper-thin sheets, but nothing I made came even close to the real thing. Besides, my arms were tired! But what other method could I use?

One of the first. Note that it's a bit thick in areas.

A few days ago, my dad pointed out this recipe for warka from his favorite cookbook author, Paula Wolfert. Warka is the traditional Moroccan version of paper-thin pastry leaves used like phyllo dough. The method is quite different from Greek phyllo; instead of rolling out the pastry, you dab or brush a thin crêpe-like batter onto a hot skillet that's heated evenly by a pot of boiling water beneath it. (It's a bit like Filipino lumpia, but even thinner.) When the pastry is cooked on one side, pluck it off the hot skillet with your fingers and brush it all over with olive oil, layering them between pieces of parchment paper.

Time-consuming? Certainly. Worth it? YES.

Improvement!

I made two gluten-free batters, using Wolfert's recipe as a base. One worked spectacularly well. So well, in fact, I immediately used the pastry sheets for a spontaneous batch of baklava. Even so, this recipe is still under development and I'll wait to post it here until I'm satisfied with both the recipe and the method. I know there are a few improvements still to be made.

In the meantime, if you strike out on your own, I'll leave you with the lessons I learned while making warka:

1: Don't use a silicone brush. The "bristles" don't catch or spread the batter in a gentle enough fashion and you'll end up with cooked splatter instead of thin pastry sheets. (I used a wad of cheesecloth soaked in the batter and dabbed on gently all over in a circle; this is the Method in Development.)

2: Don't mix up the cooked side with the uncooked side!

3: Use your fingers to pluck the cooked pastry off the hot griddle. You may burn yourself, but no spatula will be gentle enough to get it off in one piece. It needs to be your fingers.

4: Use plenty of olive oil to coat both the sheets and the parchment paper between them. Being skimpy here leads to sticking.

5: Since plenty of olive oil was used to prevent sticking during storage, use less butter in the baklava than normal or it'll get a bit greasy.

6: Sit on a bench or tall chair while working or your feet will holler later.

Finished Baklava

Ginger Caramel Banana Pudding

One of my favorite websites, www.food52.com, recently picked Coconut Cajeta Chocolate Fondue as a winner in a recipe contest. For good reason. This recipe is fantastic. The plain coconut milk cajeta became a quick staple in my kitchen the last few weeks, but no use for it has inspired me so thoroughly as adding it to my banana pudding. Ginger Caramel Banana Pudding is born: gluten-free, dairy-free, and all-delicious.

I like to make my own ginger snaps, but Trader Joe’s also has a great gluten-free ginger snap that’s a good substitute if you don’t have the time or resources to make them homemade. I’ve also included my recipe for vanilla wafers, which are what I used in this recipe originally.

But it’s hard to go back, once you’ve gingered this pudding!

Ginger Caramel Banana Pudding

Ginger Caramel Banana Pudding

Makes 8 servings

Pudding:

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/8 teas sea salt

1 whole egg

3 eggs, separated (reserve egg whites for the meringue)

3 cups soy milk, regular milk, or other non-dairy substitute

Trader Joe's ginger snaps

3/4 teas vanilla

1 batch coconut milk cajeta (see below)

2-3 dozen ginger snaps (see below)

3 large bananas, peeled, threaded, and sliced

Meringue:

3 egg whites (reserved from the pudding)

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Separate the top and bottom parts of a double boiler. Fill the bottom part with water to its fill line. Heat the water to boiling, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water to form a thick liquid. In the top of the double boiler, combine the sugar and salt, mixing well. Stir in the whole egg, the 3 egg yolks, and the soy milk. Add the cornstarch mixture. Mix well.

Place the top of the double boiler over the bottom and bring the pudding to a simmer over low heat, stirring almost constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes. When the mixture is smooth and thickened, remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and coconut caramel.

Spread about 1/4 cup of the pudding in an ovenproof casserole dish. Arrange a dozen ginger snaps on top of the pudding. Place a third of the sliced bananas on top of the wafers. Cover the bananas with pudding and repeat the layering process until all the pudding, bananas, and ginger snaps have been used.

Layer of pudding, layer of ginger snaps

Layer of sliced banana

Layer of pudding, keep going!

Preheat the oven to 350F. To make the meringue, place the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed for 1 minute until the mixture is foamy. Slowly add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and all the sugar is dissolved (2 to 4 minutes). Do not underbeat. Beat in the vanilla. Spoon the meringue over the pudding, spreading the meringue to the edges of the casserole dish to completely cover all of the pudding. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the meringue is a light golden-brown on the peaks.

Pile on meringue, then bake

Coconut Caramel (cajeta)

1 can coconut milk (14 fluid oz.)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine coconut milk, sugar, and sea salt in a sauce pot. Warm until sugar is dissolved. Turn heat up to medium high and simmer about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, until significantly reduced and thickened. Sauce should be a deep fawn color and easily coat a spoon. Cool before using. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

(from hardlikearmour’s recipe: http://www.food52.com/recipes/9557_coconut_cajeta_chocolate_fondue)

Ginger Snaps

Makes 4 dozen

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup vegan butter, softened

1 egg

1/4 cup dark molasses

2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 cup sorghum or white rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Vanilla sugar for dipping

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg, molasses, and fresh ginger.

Pile flours on top of wet ingredients, mashing in baking soda and spices to prevent lumps. Mix together until dough is uniform.

Cover cookie sheets in parchment paper. Form dough into 1-inch balls, dip one side into vanilla sugar, and place sugar-side up on parchment. Use your palm or the bottom of a glass to flatten into rounds. Allow ample room on sheet for growth. Bake 6-8 minutes, until cookies are crisp at edges. Cool on wire racks.

Vanilla Wafers

Makes 4 dozen

1/2 cup real salted or vegan butter, softened

1 cup vanilla sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (splash more if desired)

3/4 cup brown rice flour

3/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat in vanilla, then beat in the egg. Combine dry ingredients, mashing out any lumps in baking powder. Stir into wet mixture until dough is uniform and moderately stiff. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Leave about 2 inches of room between cookies, as they will grow a fair bit.

Bake at 350F for 8 minutes. Edges will be golden brown, but tops will be light in color (unlike the store-bought cookies). Be careful not to over-bake. Cook on a wire rack before using in banana pudding, or dipping in melted dark chocolate.

Bread Sticks Detour

I love Pocky. You know, those crispy cookie sticks dipped in chocolate and sold at every Asian foods market you’ll ever encounter. They’re delicious! And also poison for people with a gluten allergy. Yesterday, I decided I’d had enough years without Pocky and it was time to make it myself.

I detour easily.

In the midst of looking for a suitable Pocky dough recipe base, I somehow ended up making bread sticks instead. Rolled in chocolate, these bread sticks do make a rather convincing Pocky substitute; however, they’re absolutely perfect as plain breadsticks for all your savory dipping, munching, and crunching needs. Dust them in salt and black pepper before baking and they’re even better. The same dough, rolled out flat and brushed with olive oil and herbs or cheese, also yields delicious flat bread.

The real gluten-free Pocky recipe will have to wait. I’m too busy munching on bread sticks.

Bread Sticks

Bread Sticks

Makes about 40

1 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup amaranth flour

1/2 cup potato flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

3/4 tsp salt

1 packet quick rise yeast

3 eggs

1/2 cup warm water (more as needed)

1 Tbls olive oil

Mix together all flours, tapioca starch, salt, and yeast. Warm water to about 120 - 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs and olive oil together well. Add warm water to flour mixture and mix till crumbly. Add egg mixture and mix till dough forms mostly into a ball. (Use more warm water as needed to clump dough.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Dust cookie sheet with coarse cornmeal. Working with about 2 tsp of dough at a time, roll into long 1/4-inch thick snakes. Arrange on cookie sheet so they aren’t touching. Bend into shapes if so desired. Dip finger tips into olive oil and run them lightly down the surface of each bread stick. Bake about 20 minutes, or until well-browned and crisp.

Oatmeal Bread

Yeasted gluten-free bread has eluded me for a long while, but I finally broke the code on the first of this year. (A lot of jumping and bouncing ensued!) This homemade bread is chewy, soft, and delicious with a perfect balance of oats and molasses. It’s dairy-free as well as gluten-free and enthusiastically disappears when set in front of anyone on a gluten-free diet or not. A soy-free version should be possible by using rice milk or fruit juice instead of soymilk, though I have yet to try it. Egg whites are what give this bread its beautiful elasticity, so a vegan version may be long in coming.

Gluten-free Oatmeal Rolls

I grew this recipe out of one I saw on food52.com: Heavenly Oatmeal-Molasses Rolls, posted by monkeymom. They sounded so good, I just couldn’t help but make another yeasted bread attempt. You’ll see a lot of similarities between our recipes, though the methods take a sharp turn from each other when dealing with rising. Gluten-free bread does not like to rise twice; if you punch it down, it will stay down. I find I have the best results with quick rise yeast, since it quickly attains a good height and will remain so when baked at its peak.

I love the combination of molasses and oats for this bread. It yields a slightly sweet bread that still pairs well with soup or other savory meals. Though the loaf is hearty and dense, it makes good sandwiches and excellent toast.

Gluten-free Oatmeal Bread

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Bread

Makes 1 loaf or 12 rolls

1 packet quick rise yeast

1 Tbls brown sugar

1/4 cup lukewarm water

3/4 cup soymilk

3/4 cup rolled GF oats

1/2 cup canola oil

2 Tbls molasses

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 whole egg

2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

1 cup sweet rice flour

1 1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp guar gum

coconut oil for top

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water with ¼ tsp brown sugar. Let it proof about 5 minutes till it foams up. Warm oven slightly, then turn off heat. This will be where you’ll let the bread rise (unless you have a favorite warm place in your house for this purpose). Grease a loaf pan or 12 muffin cups with coconut oil and set aside. (Rub a little coconut oil on your hands too!)

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, canola oil, molasses, and salt. Scald soymilk in a saucepot, mix with the oats, then cool till lukewarm.

While the mixture is cooling, combine flours, tapioca starch, and guar gum in a separate bowl. In another bowl, separate 2 egg whites from yolks and beat egg whites to stiff peaks. You won’t use the yolks in the bread, so set them aside and add them to your next kitchen project.

When mixture is lukewarm, beat in whole egg and yeast. Stir in egg whites, but do not over-mix. Add flours and stir or knead in standing mixer with dough hook about 1-2 minutes, until uniform. Dough will be sticky, but not goopy. Spoon into prepared loaf pan or muffin tin, cover with plastic wrap, drape with cotton towel, and set in a warm dry place to rise for 1 hour. (This is where the warmed, but NOT ON, oven is useful.) Leave it alone for 1 hour and don’t peek.

After 1 hour, unwrap bread and set on counter. It should have risen to the lip of the loaf pan or above the edges of the muffin cups. If it’s not there yet, wrap it back up and give it a little more time (15 minutes or so).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In the meantime, brush top of bread with coconut oil and scatter a few whole oats on the top. Bake about 35 minutes for a loaf, or 15-20 minutes for rolls. When it’s done, bread should pull away from the sides of the pan, appear slightly browned on top, and yield a clean toothpick when probed in the center. Cool on a rack. Wrap in a couple layers of plastic when completely cool and keep for 2-3 days at room temperature or 1 week in the fridge. This can also be sliced and frozen for future use.

Happy New Year!

Ring in the new year with gluten-free rum balls! The extra dark Theo chocolate in these makes them a perfect addition to a party table—they’re rich, decadent, and just strong enough. Recently, I made a new variation of these by grinding up gluten-free Gingersnaps from Trader Joe’s. That added a nice spicy undercurrent that paired well with the chocolate and rum. I’ve also included my recipe for gluten-free vanilla wafers, but really any dry gluten-free cookie will do the trick.

Have a fun and rummy New Year’s!

Rum Balls

Rum Balls (GF, DF)

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

1.5 – 2oz Theo chocolate (74% Madagascar is best)

1 cup powdered sugar

28-30 vanilla wafers

3/4 cup blanched, toasted almonds

3 Tbls light corn syrup

2-4 Tbls dark rum, more as desired

In a food processor, grid together chocolate and powdered sugar until well-blended and chocolate is no longer in identifiable pieces. Add vanilla wafers and almonds, grinding until mixture seems like semi-fine crumbs.

Mix in corn syrup and rum until it holds together, but is not too wet or dry. Mixture should hold together in a ball when formed, but should not require a lot of pressing for it to hold together. Neither should the mixture be so wet that it is sticky or goopy. Add more rum if it is too dry; add more powdered sugar, almonds, or vanilla wafers if it is too wet.

Form mixture into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar to coat. (If powdered sugar melts quickly into the balls, your mixture is too wet.) If you are making both strong rum balls and light rum balls, roll the light in powdered sugar and the strong in cocoa powder. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Store in sealed container in refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.

Note: If you are making the vanilla wafers fresh for your rum balls, be sure to allow them to cool thoroughly before grinding to crumbs. If they are hot, they will melt the chocolate and ruin the consistency.

Vanilla Wafers (GF, DF)

Makes about 5 dozen

1/2 cup DF butter, softened

1 cup white sugar (vanilla sugar if available)

1 egg

1 Tbls vanilla extract

3/4 cup sorghum flour

3/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flours, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Space them about 2 inches apart, as they will grow a bit.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes or until edges are just golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in sealed bags in freezer for up to 8 months.

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

Blueberries and cornmeal just work well together. I discovered this beautiful combination when I stumbled across an old Native American dish called Sautauthig. During colonial times, the Native Americans shared it with the settlers, who then began making their own variations of it. The Native Americans knew what they were doing; these flavors sing in beautiful harmony together. I wanted something a bit more portable than a pudding, so I created these muffins. Serve them hot out of the oven drizzled with maple syrup, for breakfast Christmas morning, or tucked into your lunch. You’ll smile with the first bite.

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins (GF, DF)

Makes 1 generous dozen

1 cup yellow cornmeal

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

1 Tbls baking powder

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup sweet rice flour

2 Tbls tapioca flour

1/2 cup white sugar

2 Tbls brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp molasses

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup soymilk or apple juice

2 eggs

1 tsp maple syrup or extract, optional

1 1/2 - 2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, mostly thawed wild blueberries)

Brown sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the cups of your muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal and baking powder, mashing out baking powder lumps. Add flours, sugars, and salt.

In a glass measuring cup or separate bowl, measure out canola oil. Add soymilk, cider vinegar, molasses, and lemon juice. Beat in eggs and maple syrup.

Quickly mix the wet ingredients into dry, well enough so there are no dry pockets in the batter. Fold in blueberries and fill muffin cups about ¾ full. Sprinkle with a dusting of brown sugar if desired. Bake about 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into a center muffin comes out clean. Pop out of tin to cool.

Espresso Toffee

I make Almond Toffee every Christmas for friends and family. This year, I wanted to make it for one of my friends who can't have nuts, so I was puzzling over what I could add that would give it a satisfactory crunch. I work for Tony's Coffees and Teas and it dawned on me that crushed espresso beans might do the trick. Indeed, it's delicious! It's also stronger than regular toffee and will please those people who don't like candy super sweet.


In this batch, I used Espresso Noir beans. I think a dark roast balances best with the toffee's sweetness, though I imagine a medium roast would be delicious as well. I wouldn't use anything as dark as French, or you may run the risk of overpowering the toffee completely.

Espresso Toffee

Espresso Toffee
Makes about 50 small pieces


1/2 cup espresso beans, coarsely crushed
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar or vanilla sugar
3 tablespoons very hot water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 ounces 74% dark chocolate
(Theo's Madagascar is best)


Crush espresso bean with a mortar and pestle. You don't want any to be whole, but be careful not to grind to a powder or the toffee will become sandy. Chill in freezer about 1/2 hour before using. Grease a sided cookie sheet about 10.5" x 15.5" with butter.

Crushed Espresso Noir Beans

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, slowly melt the butter over very low heat (lowest setting or no higher than 2 on an electric stove). Do not allow it to discolor. Then add the sugar over low heat, stirring every few seconds until it is all dissolved and you see no separation between butter and sugar.


Once the butter and sugar have not bubbled but are completely incorporated, mix together the hot water and corn syrup, then pour it into the butter slowly, stirring just once or twice.


Keep cooking on moderately low heat. Do not stir, but gently cut through it occasionally. Cook until about 300 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer or until a small portion dropped into ice water is brittle and not quite tacky on the teeth. It will be brown and bubbly, fawn-colored. If it smokes, stop cooking immediately as it will burn very fast. When you think it's close to done, start tasting pieces from the ice water. This takes practice to find just the right color and consistency.


Once it's cooked, quickly remove from heat and fold in crushed espresso beans. Be gentle, do not stir, and mix as little as possible while still incorporating beans. The more you work it, the more likely it is to separate as it cools. Pour out into greased cookie sheet and allow to set at room temperature about 1/2 hour. Move to fridge and let it harden at least 2 hours before continuing.


When toffee is cold and hard, melt the chocolate over low heat. Spread in a thin layer over hard toffee. You may want to allow the toffee to rest at room temperature for 1/2 hour before doing the chocolate, so it warms up slightly and doesn't harden the chocolate too quickly. This depends on your method; if you work fast, you can put the chocolate on directly from the fridge. Refrigerate until very cold and hard, a minimum of 2 hours.


Break cold toffee into pieces and store in an airtight container in refrigerator. Serve cold or just at room temperature. If it gets too warm, the chocolate will begin to melt. It's just as tasty that way too!