December 16, 2008

• Holiday Treats for Gifts or for Eating

  One of my happiest Christmas memories is from Doug’s childhood.  He was about five years old, making the memory over twenty years old now.  We spent a day together, baking and decorating cookies.  I had been up before him that morning, making pastry and rolling it out for enough pies to fill every pie pan I had.  Load after load, pies and cookies, into the oven and out onto racks, kept the house warm and fragrant all day.

  It was dark that evening before we were all finished.  We loaded everything into the sled, with him tucked into the back to keep an eye on the load.  Then we pulled the sled all over the neighborhood, dropping off pies and cookies, getting glimpses of the neighbors’ decorations, having cups of hot chocolate forced on us.  The cost was minimal, the process of production was pure fun, and the returns were spectacular.  I even got most of the baking pans back.

  I have to watch what I eat now, for my health.  Additionally, I don’t have the energy to bake all day and Doug doesn’t have the will.  But I can still share some of my favorite goodies with you.  I’ll alternate between recipes for sinful sweets, and some that work for me.

  

  Pecan Pie

  Preheat oven to 350 F .

  Mix together:

  3 eggs, slightly beaten
  1 cup Karo syrup, light or dark as preferred
  1 cup granulated white sugar or firmly packed brown sugar, as preferred
  2 tablespoons melted butter
  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  Then stir in 1 1/2 cups pecan halves or broken pecan pieces.

  Pour into unbaked 9-inch pie shell and bake about 50 to 55 minutes.  Pie is done when a knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean.

  For that pie shell, the pastry must be tender and flaky.  Since I was 12 years old, I have been relying on the recipe in the Joy of Cooking for that.  It never fails.

  I’m supposed to avoid wheat (as in the pie crust above) and sugar (as in just about every recipe for any holiday treat), but that doesn’t mean I can’t have pie.
  

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  Sugarless Wheat-Free Custard Pie

  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

  Prepare the custard first:

  Beat together:
  2 cups milk (I use reconstituted non-fat dry milk if I don’t have enough goat milk for this.)
  3 eggs
  1/3 cup Splenda (or sugar, if you can handle its glycemic effect and the addictive qualities of it)
  1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (avoid imitation – ethyl vanillin is nasty, toxic stuff)
  1/4 teaspoon salt

  Set it aside while you make the crust.

  In a 9-inch pie pan, preferably a deep one, stir together with a fork:
  1/2 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour (The only source I’ve found for this is BobsRedMill.)
  1/2 cup sorghum flour
  1/2 teaspoon salt

  When the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, whisk together:
  1/3 cup grapeseed oil (or your favorite vegetable oil)
  1 1/2 tablespoons cold milk

  Pour the liquid over the flours in the pie pan and mix lightly with a fork until all flour is moistened.  Then press the crust evenly over the sides and bottom of the pan.

  Fill the finished crust with the custard mixture and bake about 1 hour at 325 F.  When it is done, the top will be browned and the center of the filling will jiggle only slightly when shaken.
  

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  Jelly Tarts, Jam Drops or Thumbprint Cookies

  Blend until creamy:
      1/2 cup butter
      1/3 cup granulated sugar

  Beat in:
      1 whole egg or 2 egg yolks
      1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
      1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
      1 cup all-purpose white flour
      1/8 teaspoon salt
      (optional) 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

  Chill dough for several hours or overnight.

  Roll into 1-inch balls, dip in slightly beaten egg white, roll in chopped nuts.

  Bake 5 minutes at 375°F.

  Remove from oven, make thumbprints, and fill with jelly:  red cherry, golden apple, and green mint jelly for Christmas.

  Return to hot oven and bake for about 8 minutes more.
  

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  Sugarless, Wheat-Free Holiday Cookies

  Preheat oven to 400° F, 205° C.

  In a large bowl, whisk together thoroughly (sift together if you’re a purist or the ingredients are particularly lumpy):

  3 cups garbanzo and fava bean flour (I use the combo from Bob’s Red Mill.  Rice, potato, sorghum, or other combinations of flours would probably work.  If you don’t have a wheat allergy, this recipe can be made using ordinary white flour.)
  3 cups Splenda® non-caloric sweetener (the granular style that’s meant for baking, not a gazillion little packets) — sugar or a half and half mix of white and brown sugars may be substituted if you’re neither diabetic nor addicted to sugar.  If using granulated sugar, combine it with the eggs, not with the flour.
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1 teaspoon salt

  In a separate bowl, beat

  4 large eggs, then add and continue beating:
  1 1/2 cups vegetable oil  (I use grapeseed oil for both its flavor and the essential fatty acids to lower cholesterol.  Olive oil would be an acceptable second choice.)
  1/2 cup (1 quarter-pound stick) melted butter — NOT margarine unless it is trans-fat-free, ’cause that stuff is lethal
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (optional; use it if you like the flavor, can handle the carbohydrate, and are not using brown sugar)

  Have ready:

  2 cups quick cooking oats (optional for those who must avoid all gluten)
  1 cup chopped pecans (walnuts or almonds would be acceptable, I suppose, if nobody’s allergic to them)
  1 cup shredded or flaked coconut (organic unsweetened is best)
  2 cups cornflakes cereal (these add a minimal amount of sugar, so dieters and diabetics need to limit their consumption or leave out the corn flakes)
  1 cup raisins (optional if the calories are an issue, or substitute dried currants or cranberries)

  Combine the liquid ingredients with the flours, then add the rest.  Drop generous globs onto cookie sheet.  These are “drop” style cookies, but will probably need some handling and forming to make them stick together.

  Bake at 400°  (205° C) for about ten to twelve minutes.
  

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  Gingerbread Men

  Whisk or sift together:

  2 cups all-purpose flour
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon ground cloves
  1 teaspoon ginger
  1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  Cream together in separate large bowl:

  1/2 cup butter
  1/2 cup granulated sugar

  Stir in:

  1/2 cup molasses
  1 egg yolk

  Add and combine dry ingredients.  Blend until smooth.  Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

  Preheat oven to 350° F or 175° C. 

  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost and/or decorate when cool.

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  Gluten-Free Gingerbread

  Preheat oven to 350° F or 175° C. 

  Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish.

  Whisk or sift together in mixing bowl:

  1-1/2 cups amaranth flour
  1/2 cup arrowroot starch, corn starch, or tapioca starch
  1 tsp baking soda
  1/2 tsp sea salt
  3/4 tsp ground ginger
  1 tsp cinnamon
  1/4 tsp allspice

  Whisk together in small bowl:

  2/3 cup warm water
  1/4 cup grapeseed or other vegetable oil
  1/3 cup honey
  2 Tbsp. lemon juice

  Pour liquid over dry ingredients all at once and combine quickly.  Pour immediately into baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. When done, cracks appear and top springs back when touched. Best if served warm.

  Makes 9 Servings.
  

  • 9:08 pm
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