No Bake Gluten Free Pie: Strawberry Yogurt Cream
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No bake gluten free pie. Blah blah blah blah pie. As long as it ends in pie, you’ve got my attention. Now that I have yours, we can talk about … more »

No bake gluten free pie. Blah blah blah blah pie. As long as it ends in pie, you’ve got my attention. Now that I have yours, we can talk about how this gluten free pie is a perfect warm weather treat that won’t having you slaving away in the kitchen when you’re trying to enjoy the outdoors, and your lovely guests. Make it ahead, freeze it and then allow it to thaw a bit while you eat, say, a lovely gluten free cold pasta salad.

No Bake Gluten Free Strawberry Cream Pie

This pie is a (much better) riff on the yogurt pies I used to have as a kid. Those were a tub of thawed Cool Whip mixed with some strawberry flavored yogurt (probably nonfat, at least if it was the lowfat 90′s, when everyone got fatter), pour into a premade graham cracker pie crust, and then frozen.

No Bake Gluten Free Strawberry Cream Pie

This gluten free pie is worlds apart from that one (which, sadly, makes me shudder when I recall the plastic taste). Lightly sweet, totally real and absolutely fresh and creamy. Instead of strawberry flavored nonfat yogurt, we use full fat plain Greek yogurt mixed with fresh strawberries reduced with just a touch of sugar (if you’re reading this and it’s no longer strawberry season, frozen and thawed strawberries would work great). Instead of Cool Whip, fresh whipped cream stabilized with some unflavored gelatin. You can skip the gelatin, but the pie will be much more icy in texture.

No Bake Gluten Free Strawberry Cream Pie

After I made the pie a few times, I bought more strawberries and made more of that gorgeous, bright red strawberry puree and have been drizzling it over gluten free waffles, mixing it into yogurt and stirring it into lemonade. Oh my word.

No Bake Gluten Free Strawberry Cream Pie

You can even stir some of the strawberry puree into the top of the pie right before you freeze it. Or serve it with some more sauce on the side. Or just give it to me. I’ll figure something out.

No Bake Gluten Free Strawberry Cream Pie

The crust is just a basic no-bake cookie crumb crust. One time I used crushed thin & crispy gluten free chocolate chip cookies, another time gluten free graham crackers. Or … you could make things even easier (and let’s face it way better for you!) and serve it crustless. Naked pie! To avoid any confusion, I am not suggesting eating it when you’re naked (not that there’s anything wrong with that but this is a family blog so let’s keep it clean).

Prep time: 25 minutes       Cook time: none       Yield: 1 9-inch pie
Ingredients

For the Crust
1 1/2 cups (225 g) gluten free crunchy cookie crumbs (these crisp gluten free chocolate chip cookies work really well)

6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling
8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces plain Greek yogurt

1 scant tablespoon (1 packet) unflavored powdered gelatin*

2 tablespoons cool water*

2 cups (16 fl. oz.) heavy whipping cream, chilled

2 tablespoons (14 g) confectioners' sugar (or more to taste)

*The gelatin (and 2 tablespoons water that go along with it) are optional, but really help ensure a smooth, and not icy, filling when frozen.

Directions
  • Make the crust. In a large bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and melted butter until well-combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch nonstick or greased pie plate. Place the pie plate in the freezer until firm (at least 10 minutes, but longer is fine).

  • While the crust is chilling, make the filling. First, cook the strawberries. In a medium-sized heavy-bottom saucepan, place the strawberries, granulated sugar and salt, with a splash of cool water and mix to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries are softened and have given off much of their juice (about 7 minutes). With an immersion (stick) blender, puree the strawberries until mostly smooth. In a medium-sized bowl, place the Greek yogurt together about about 1/2 cup of the strawberry puree, and mix until smooth. Set the mixture aside.

  • Place the contents of the packet of powdered gelatin and the 2 tablespoons of water in a small, microwave-safe bowl, and mix well. Allow to sit for a few moments until the gelatin swells. It will be lumpy. Microwave the gelatin mixture for 30 seconds on HIGH to liquefy it. Set the gelatin aside and allow it to cool for about 2 minutes, or until no longer hot to the touch.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the heavy whipping cream and the confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the slightly cooled gelatin mixture to the whipped cream and beat at high speed until the mixture has thickened and holds a stiff (but not dry) peak. Carefully fold the strawberry and yogurt mixture into the whipped cream mixture until only a few white streaks are still visible.

  • Remove the pie shell from the freezer, and pour the filling into it. If desired, pour another few tablespoons of the strawberry puree on top of the filling, and gently smooth the top with a cool, wet spatula. Freeze until set all the way through, about 4 hours. Before serving, allow to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

  • Adapted from Chocolate Mousse Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust on page 177 of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Quick & Easy (Da Capo/Perseus 2012).

Love,
Me

 

P.S. If you haven't yet, please pick up your copy of the Gluten-Free on a Shoestring cookbooks! With your support, I'll make my kids keep writing the blog long after I'm gone.

Recipe Available at: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/no-bake-gluten-free-pie-strawberry-yogurt-cream/
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
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Gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough is an indulgence. No doubt about that. But since it’s been making its way around the web for a while now, I want you … more »

Gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough is an indulgence. No doubt about that. But since it’s been making its way around the web for a while now, I want you to have it within reach. That’s the business I’m in around here (well, I’m all up in your business, too). The art … of the possible. The regular way to make edible cookie dough, according to most, is without eggs. I tried that. I did! And sometimes it didn’t, well, suck. But it never tasted like chocolate chip cookie dough! Now, it does (how-to secrets below). And then after that, it turned into truffles. Let’s indulge.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Bite into your first truffle, and as the chocolate shell gives way to the creamy and buttery cookie dough center, you’ll know what I know: this is important work we’re doing here.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

I will spare you all my whining about the times I tried, and failed miserably, to make these truffles taste like the crazy treat they are meant to be. I will spare you, but it’s a struggle. I really want to whine my little heart out. That’s the esteem in which I hold you. High. It’s high esteem.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

You do not have to dip these in chocolate, but I did have to. That way, I can serve them after they are no longer well-chilled from the refrigerator. The chocolate is like a protective shell for the gorgeous edible raw chocolate chip cookie dough beneath. Just make sure the balls of cookie dough are really cold when you dip them, since melted chocolate is most cooperative for dipping when it’s warm. That way, the dough will stay together well during the dipping process.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Oh, right! Here’s the secret: pasteurized eggs. There is a company called Safe Egg that makes pasteurized eggs, which are safe to eat raw. I bet there are other companies, too. I found them at a slightly more expensive local grocery store, and believe me when I tell you that I’m not planning to buy them all the time. But they’re lovely for homemade mayonnaise, and of course perfect for making everybody’s favorite gluten free cookie dough. Oh, and did you know that you can even pasteurize your own eggs? It’s not even hard. Just watch the temp carefully, and your eggs will be quite safe.

The other secret? My Basic Gluten Free Flour Blend, Xanthan Gum Free. We’re not baking these, so they don’t need to hold together during baking. Plus, xanthan gum raw? Not a great taste.

Related Recipes:

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

A collage of photos and links to tons of Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes       Cook time: none       Yield: About 36 truffles
Ingredients

2 1/4 cups (315 g) basic xanthan gum-free gluten free flour blend

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar

8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 pasteurized eggs at room temperature, beaten

10 ounces miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 pound semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (for dipping)

Directions
  • Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and set it aside. In a large bowl, place the flour blend, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the light brown sugar, and whisk again to combine well, working to break up any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the butter, vanilla and eggs to the dry ingredients, and mix to combine. Add the chips, and mix until the chips are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.

  • Divide the cookie dough into about 36 equally-sized balls of dough (using a small, spring-loaded ice cream scope for perfect proportions), and place the balls about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookie dough is firm (at least 15 minutes).

  • When the cookie dough is nearly firm, melt the dipping chocolate. Place all of the chocolate except for 3 to 4 1 1/2-inch-size chunks in a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 70% power for 45 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Add the reserved chunks of chocolate, and stir until the chocolate has begun to thicken a bit and the chunks have melted.

  • Remove the cookie dough from the freezer, and place the balls of dough, one at a time, in the melted chocolate. Press down on the cookie dough with the tines of a fork, then flip it gently in the chocolate. Pull the ball of dough out of the chocolate by slipping the fork under it and bobbing the cookie dough on the surface of the chocolate a few times before pulling it along the edge of the bowl and carefully placing it on a clean sheet of parchment paper. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature.

Love,
Me

 

P.S. If you haven't yet, please pick up a copy of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Quick & Easy! I can't keep the blog going without your support!

Recipe Available at: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-truffles/
Basic Gluten Free Flour Blend (Xanthan Gum Free)
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Gluten free flour blends are, really, the most important resource on this entire gluten free blog. A slightly more complex blend of flours (like my Better Than Cup4Cup Blend), including … more »

Gluten free flour blends are, really, the most important resource on this entire gluten free blog. A slightly more complex blend of flours (like my Better Than Cup4Cup Blend), including xanthan gum, is essential to success in most of my gluten free recipes. But lately I find myself using a more basic, 3-ingredient flour blend without the benefit of xanthan gum in some recipes, and it’s strangely liberating. Woohoo! I still believe that xanthan gum is a critical component of most gluten free baking, but this basic gluten free flour blend is an important resource, too, in a certain type of more delicate recipe. Scroll all the way down for the infographic that makes short work of remembering how to make this simple flour blend (it has also taken up permanent residence on my gluten free resources pages), but first, let’s review all the wonderful recipes this blend has made possible so far. Who knows where we’ll go from here!

[If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know the drill with the clickable collage, but just in case—hover over each photo for the recipe title, then click the picture to open a new window with that post and the entire recipe]

Basic Gluten Free Flour Blend Recipes: Xanthan Gum Free

Here’s the 10¢ tour of these recipes made with my xanthan gum-free basic gluten free flour blend (remember – the links are all above):

Gluten Free Crêpes: The ultimate in delicate, crêpe batter without xanthan gum swirls around that frying pan with ease.

Gluten Free Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes: These gluten free pancakes are made extra fluffy by the yogurt in the batter, but without xanthan gum the batter is still easily pourable.

Gluten Free Chocolate Pudding: Most chocolate pudding is made with cornstarch, but cornstarch will cause pudding to leak liquid when it’s chilled. This pudding, made with my basic xanthan gum-free gluten free flour blend, is smooth as silk—hot or cold.

Gluten Free Cornmeal Pancakes: I have made these pancakes both with a more traditional gluten free flour blend and with my basic xanthan gum-free blend, and the xanthan gum-free variety has a much nicer bite.

Classic Gluten Free Pancakes: Ah, the classic gluten free pancake. You can make it with a more traditional gluten free flour blend, one that contains xanthan gum, but you have to begin with a super hot skillet and work quick quick quick, as the batter will thicken as it stands. This xanthan gum-free pancake batter pours with ease and makes for a tender pancake that tastes just like you remember.

Gluten Free Microwave Chocolate Cake for 1: Disappointed by every other gluten free microwave cake I had ever made, I finally got it! No xanthan gum in the flour (along with a few other secrets I spill in that post and recipe) makes for the perfect moist, tender cake for 1—even once it’s cool. Quick chocolate fix!

Finally, as promised, here’s that handy infographic with the basic blend itself (which also lives on the Resources page with all the other All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blends). And Pin It so you don’t lose track of it!:

 

Love,
Me

P.S. Don’t forget your copy of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Quick & Easy! Your support means the world to me. For real.

Recipe Available at: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/basic-gluten-free-flour-blend/
Gluten Free Rice Pudding
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There used to be a recipe for gluten free rice pudding on this blog. It was an early one, too. Soon after I started a blog (March 2009) and long … more »

There used to be a recipe for gluten free rice pudding on this blog. It was an early one, too. Soon after I started a blog (March 2009) and long before I even know that blog was short for web log and even longer before I knew what web log even meant, I put up recipes for different gluten free puddings: chocolate, rice, vanilla, even tapioca, if memory serves. Variations of some of them ended up in the first Gluten-Free on a Shoestring cookbook. But somehow many of those early blog recipes disappeared into the ether. I even got some upset emails from some very flustered early readers about that very disappearance. It’s taken me this long, but stovetop no-bake sweets are back on the blog, baby!

Gluten Free Rice Pudding

It’s easy to forget how elegant something as simple as rice pudding can be. There’s no flour and no cornstarch, and not even any egg yolks. You’ll need nothing but the arborio rice plus some milk to make this thick and creamy gluten free pudding. Sometimes, when I’m feeling like feeling virtuous, I make it with brown arborio rice (Lundberg family farms makes it). It will tolerate any sort of milk at all, as long as it’s not nonfat, and you can dial back or dial up the sugar, too.

Gluten Free Rice Pudding

Single servings of gluten free pudding (like we did with this no-cornstarch gluten free chocolate pudding), especially in these little 4 ounce Weck jars, are perfect for stashing in the back of the refrigerator for an after-school, or a late night, snack on the double.

Gluten Free Rice Pudding

 I like to steep some whole cinnamon and whole nutmeg in the milk, too, just to dress it up. And all you need to remember about cooking the rice is not to overcook it. Simmer it in water just until it has absorbed most of the liquid before pouring in the simmering milk.

Gluten Free Rice Pudding

If you’d like an even quicker and easier version of rice pudding (one that’s dairy-free, too) that requires almost no tending, kindly turn to page 179 of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Quick & Easy. That one even has a thin and lightly sweet crust on top that just … sends me.

Prep time: 5 minutes       Cook time: 25 minutes       Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

2 cups (16 ounces) water

1 cup (180 g) arborio (short grain) rice

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter

4 cups (32 fl. oz.) milk (any kind, as long as it's not nonfat)

1/2 cup (50 g) sugar

1 stick whole cinnamon

1 piece whole nutmeg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ground cinnamon for sprinkling

Directions
  • In a large saucepan, place the water, rice, salt and butter, stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed most of the water, leaving behind no more than a bit of thick, starchy water. Be careful not to overcook the rice.

  • While the rice is cooking, in a separate, medium-size saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and cook over medium heat until the mixture is simmering (about 2 minutes). Once the rice in the separate saucepan is cooked, pour the simmering milk mixture through a strainer into the larger saucepan. Discard the whole cinnamon and nutmeg.

  • Cook the rice and milk mixture over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice has absorbed most of the milk mixture and the entire mixture has thickened and begins to appear pudding-like, about 15 minutes more. The pudding will thicken as it cools, and will set in the refrigerator. Add the vanilla, and mix to combine.

  • Divide the pudding among 6 small heat-safe containers, sprinkle with ground cinnamon to taste, cover and refrigerate until set, at least an hour.

  • Minimally adapted from the recipe for Rice Pudding on page 233 of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: 125 Recipes For Eating Well on the Cheap (Da Capo/Perseus 2011).

Love,
Me

 

P.S. If you haven't yet, please pick up your copy of the Gluten-Free on a Shoestring cookbooks! With your support, I'll make my kids keep writing the blog long after I'm gone.

Recipe Available at: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-pudding-rice/
Quick Pão de queijo: Original Cheese Bread Copycat Recipe
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There are lots of different recipes for pão de queijo. But this time I went with a copycat recipe of an original cheese bread dry mix that shall remain nameless … more »

There are lots of different recipes for pão de queijo. But this time I went with a copycat recipe of an original cheese bread dry mix that shall remain nameless since they sent me an e-mail telling me to remove reference to their product, which honestly is little more than tapioca flour and salt.* I’m still a bit partial to pan de bono, but I know so many of you love your mixes from this company and, to be honest, they feel like smoke and mirrors to me so I’d at least like you to have the option to do it for less at home. I’m nothing if not cheap (for reference, see the name of the blog).

Pao de queijo: Original Cheese Bread Copycat Recipe

*This original mix has “modified manioc starch” as one of its lesser ingredients, which it claims is necessary for binding the wet and dry ingredients. Since both the dough and the bread are extremely chewy and stretchy without any modified manioc starch, I can’t for the life of me imagine how that is necessary. So I didn’t knock myself out trying to find some of my very own modified manioc.

Pao de queijo: Original Cheese Bread Copycat Recipe

Remember, when you buy the boxed mix, you still have to add allllll of these other ingredients (eggs, oil, cheese, water or milk – I used milk instead of water and dry milk, like in this mix, so you don’t have to go hunting for dry milk). And a note about cost-savings: This nameless company sells its 7.5 ounce original cheese bread mix for about $2.50 (on average, being kind). The gluten free tapioca starch/flour necessary for this recipe costs about $1.12 (on average). So you don’t have to take off your shoes (like I did), that’s less than half as expensive.

Pao de queijo: Original Cheese Bread Copycat Recipe

In my recipe directions, I recommend your chilling the dough before baking it, but really it isn’t entirely necessary. Chilling the dough simply makes it stiffer, which allows you to make a slightly more round roll. But a truly spherical pão de queijo would require a different, somewhat more complicated method entirely. So I chill the dough, but I consider that an optional step.

Pao de queijo: Original Cheese Bread Copycat Recipe

Since pão de queijo (or Brazilian cheese bread) essentially has only one dry ingredient (other than salt), and that dry ingredient is a starch (tapioca flour/starch), it won’t brown much unless you seriously overbake it. And if you seriously overbake the rolls, they will be dry as a bone. They should have a thin crust on the outside, and be quite chewy and stretchy on the inside. These are not intended to be light and fluffy rolls. They’re kinda fun and quick and easy to throw together, though, and when you make it yourself without the mix, it costs about half as much. Win-win? I’m here for you, in all my cheap and shoestringy glory. You my homies. You can officially stop paying double the price for a box of tapioca starch now. Please?

Prep time: 10 minutes       Cook time: 20 minutes       Yield: 8 rolls, depending upon size
Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (7. 5 ounces) tapioca starch/flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons (28 g) extra-virgin olive oil

2 eggs (120 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten

3 ounces sharp & hard cheese, grated (I used a blend of sharp cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano)

1/4 cup (2 fl. oz.) milk, at room temperature

Directions
  • Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.

  • In a large bowl, place the tapioca starch/flour and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the oil, eggs and cheese, and mix to combine. Add the milk while mixing. The tapioca starch will quickly begin to absorb the liquid and the mixture will thicken considerably.

  • Divide the dough into 8 pieces (or more, if you'd like smaller rolls) and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes or until the dough is relatively stiff. Roll each piece of dough between dry palms into a round, and return to the baking sheet. Place the rolls in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the rolls are puffed and just beginning to brown. Serve immediately.

Love,
Me

 

P.S. If you haven't yet, please pick up your copy of the Gluten-Free on a Shoestring cookbooks! Your support makes the blog possible and anyway it means the world to me.

Recipe Available at: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/pao-de-queijo-boxed-mix-copycat-recipe/
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