Gluten-Free Backyard Bourbon Marinade

Today I was going through my utility room cabinets perusing old and not-frequently-used cookbooks. I pulled out "The Jimtown Store Cookbook," which was published 10 years ago. I had purchased the cookbook for its amazing buttermilk pie recipe. However, I retired the book four years ago when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. No more pie, no more cookbook. But today, I found I had retired the book way too soon!

I perused the recipes and was struck with the number of delicious offerings that were either gluten-free or could be easily adapted. The longer I deal with this disease, the more adept I've become at substituting or reworking a wide variety of recipes. To sum it up, I'll be cooking from the "Jimtown" cookbook more often. 

Tonight's menu featured porterhouse steaks, and this marinade is PERFECT for steaks. I don't have a picture (because it's a Coca-Cola colored mixture in a tupperware bowl), but trust me -- it's worth the time to let your steaks linger in this goodness!! Then put them on the grill.  Let steaks rest for about five minutes after you take them off the grill. Then enjoy this "ambrosial" goodness!

First off, here is a link to buy your own Jimtown Store cookbook if you're interested. 

Backyard Bourbon Marinade

Ingredients:

6 cups water

1 cup Maker's Mark Bourbon

1-1/4 cup of gluten-free soy sauce (not reduced sodium)

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a non-reactive large bowl (I use a large Tupperware mixing bowl with the "burping" lid ). 

Put steaks in marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least three hours. Overnight is even better! 

Blood Orange, Beet and Fennel Salad

I snagged this recipe from Food and Wine magazine and made a few modifications. It's delicious. It's beautiful. It's Gluten-Free and oh so good for you. I made this for the first time a few days ago. Tonight, I am repeating it to serve with bacon-wrapped filets from Roy Pope Grocery (a hometown classic!). The sweet/tartness of the oranges and the fresh fennel taste is unbeatable. Start a bit early with this recipe so you'll have time to segment the oranges and bake the beets.

Lovely salad!

Ingredients:

2 medium red beets (tops trimmed)
2 medium golden beets (tops trimmed)
3 blood oranges
1 medium naval orange
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 fennel bulb (thinly sliced using a mandoline -- see photo below)
1/4 red onion (or sweet 1015 onion)
Good quality pecan oil (I buy mine at Central Market)
Coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper
handmade goat cheese (NOT feta cheese -- the handmade goat is mild tasting and has the texture of cream cheese)

This is a mandoline, a gizmo used to thinly slice veggies and fruits.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets individually in aluminum foil and place on rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for one hour or until beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool before handling.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from all oranges. Cut between membranes of 2 blood oranges to release segments into a medium sized bowl. Squeeze juice out of the membranes and discard membranes. Slice remaining blood orange and sweet naval orange crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in bowl with the segments. Add lemon and lime juice.

Blood and navel oranges. Sliced and segmented.

Sliced fennel and red onion.

Peel cooled beets and slice 2 beets into thin rounds. Slice the remaining two beets into wedges.

Strain citrus juices from bowl into measuring cup.

Layer beets and oranges (sliced and segmented) on plates, dividing evenly between plates. Arrange fennel and onion over the beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over fruit/veggie arrangement and drizzle pecan oil generously over it all. Top with coarse sea salt, pepper and a dollop of goat cheese. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow for the flavors to blend. Enjoy!!

Welcome Blake, Guest Recipe Maven!

I know you all enjoyed Monday's post from our buddy Blake. Blake grew up in "the hood" with Jody and me. We all went to the same high school, and afterwards, Blake joined me at TCU for some good clean sorority fun ;). Now we are spread out in different parts of Texas, but we're still "sisters!" And Blake loves to cook for the men in her life (hubby and two boys).

Stay tuned for more guest posts and delicious recipes!

Tortilla Soup **

**(Can be gluten-free -- check your enchilada sauce can)

Ok this is not fancy but yummy and very easy and quick!

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1 12 oz can mexican corn

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

1 can diced tomatos

1 can mild enchilada sauce

2 cups water

3 sliced soft corn tortillas

olive oil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp chilli powder

1/2 chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

tortilla chips

sour cream

shredded cheese

In large saute pan saute oil in garlic and onion and cooked shredded chicken breast, add tomatos, add corn and then add stock and water and enchilada sauce. Stir well and then add the cilantro, cumin, chili powder and oregano. After everything is cooked through then add salt and pepper to taste and add the tortilla strips and cook till soft. Serve in bowls and put a dollop of sour cream and cheese on top and a few chips if you prefer some crunch!

Bourbon-Butternut Squash Soup

Gluten-free recipe. After the Christmas-time feeding frenzies, I always seem to find myself scouting out soup recipes for  January dinners. This soup is perfect for the fall and winter seasons. Organic butternut squash is plentiful in grocery stores, and when roasted, yields a "meat" so flavorful and rich that it needs neither butter nor salt. The following recipe is an excuse for me to use my favorite gluten-free bourbon in a recipe (Maker's Mark). It's also an excuse to showcase the flavor of the regal butternut squash. 

The following recipe is my own -- an amalgam of the best of several different recipes.

Bourbon and Butternut Squash Soup 

with Bourbon Créme Fraiche

Ingredients:

1 large organic butternut squash (3 pounds)

olive oil for greasing squash

1 T olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced leeks

1/2 t. cumin

2 T chopped fresh garlic

1 T chopped fresh ginger

2 T maple syrup, grade B

2 T gluten-free soy sauce

1/4 c. bourbon (Maker's Mark is my fave & gluten free)

1/2 c. dry sherry

1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg

5 cups gluten-free chicken stock

1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave squash on high power for 2 minutes to make it easier to cut. Cut squash in half length-wise and remove pulp and seeds. Brush exposed flesh with olive oil and place face down on foil-lined baking dish. Add 1/4 cup of water to dish and then cover tightly with foil. Cook for 90 minutes (one hour for convection ovens). 

It should be very soft when you push on it. Scoop it out into a bowl. 

In a heavy soup kettle (I use my 6-quart Le Creuset), heat the olive oil and add onions. Cook until light golden brown and add leeks and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes and add garlic and ginger. Cook for one minute. Then add maple syrup, soy sauce, bourbon, sherry and nutmeg. Add squash and stock and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook gently for 15 minutes. 

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add cream, but do not reheat to a boil because the cream will clot and make lots of white specks throughout the soup.

For an added touch, garnish the soup with:

Maker's Mark Créme Fraiche 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Maker's Mark bourbon

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 T buttermilk

1 teaspoon salt

Place cream in heavy saucepan and heat to 100 degrees. Remove from heat and add buttermilk. Transfer to a small jar and store for 24 hours at room temperature (75 degrees). When créme fraiche has thickened, add the salt and bourbon and stir until incorporated. Place in a small container and refrigerate until ready to use. If you don't have time to make your own créme fraiche you can purchase some at the grocery store and incorporate the bourbon. 

A perfect pot of soup.

Next-day leftovers are even more flavorful.

Caramel - Coconut Heaven (Gluten Free)

This afternoon, in the frenzy of gearing up for Christmas, I busied myself in the kitchen making two incredibly delicious things: coconut macaroons and salted caramel sauce. The first is surprisingly easy. The second goodie is a bit more difficult, but SO worth it. The salted caramel sauce is that good. And I'm skipping dinner since I sampled WAY TOO MANY of my products. WAY TOO MUCH!!

 Salted caramel sauce in heatproof glass jars. Ready to be refrigerated for up to one month.

 Salted Caramel Sauce drizzled on top of a homemade coconut macaroon. Perfection.

Salted caramel macaroon on the left and (on the right) a macaroon topped with bittersweet chocolate and salted caramel. The test kitchen favored the cookie with only the caramel sauce. However, all interested parties loved the chocolate/caramel one as well.


THE RECIPES!

Coconut Macaroons (from Dec. issue of Food and Wine magazine)

One 14-oz. bag of Baker's sweetened coconut
One 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with two sheets of parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut and the condensed milk with the vanilla. In the bowl for your stand mixer, beat the egg whites and salt on high until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds of the mixture onto the baking sheets, spreading cookies one inch apart. Bake sheets in the upper and lower one-third of the oven for 25 minutes, switching sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking. When cooking time ends, place sheets on racks and let cookies cool completely. Macaroons can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

OPTIONAL: melt 4 oz. of bittersweet chocolate. Either dip cooled cookies into chocolate or drizzle over the top.

OPTIONAL: Make salted caramel sauce. Drizzle over the top of macaroons. This is my family's favorite choice. See recipe below.


Salted Caramel Sauce

3/4 heavy whipping cream
1/4 light corn syrup (Karo's)
1-1/4 cup of white sugar
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (the flaky fleur de sel found at gourmet shops)

In a microwave-safe cup (like Pyrex), pour the cream and corn syrup. In a wide, medium saucepan (I used my All-Clad copper core saute pan) spread the sugar in an even layer. Cook over medium heat WITHOUT STIRRING until it begins to turn light brown (caramelize). Swirl the pan (DO NOT STIR) to incorporate the caramelized sugar. At this point, microwave the cream/corn syrup mixture for 2 minutes on high power. Continue cooking the sugar until it turns a medium amber color (caramel will have formed, about four minutes). Remove from heat and CAREFULLY add the cream to the mixture, stirring with a long-handled spoon. Use a long-handled spoon as the hot caramel can jump up and burn your hand when the cream is added.

Return the caramel to low heat and add the butter and salt, stirring until any hard pieces of sugar are melted. Transfer the caramel to a heatproof glass and let cool. Can be refrigerated for one month. Reheat before using.

Gluten-Free Pantry Essentials

Jojo asked me to write about pantry essentials and kitchen equipment for eating gluten free! And I am happy to oblige because 1.) I am well educated on this topic and 2.) it will give me a break from Christmas preparations that make my head spin.

One key to eating healthy, gluten-free is: STAY AWAY from prepared foods. They are high in calories and are not the best for your health or your waist-line. The experienced gluten-free cook makes almost everything from scratch. I do buy Udi's Breads because they are superior in taste to the breadmaker gluten-free variety. They are also lighter and have less calories.

And Duke's Mayonnaise is great in a pinch ;)

I also buy prepared pie shells from Whole Foods. They have figured out the "science" behind a good crust. No other manufacturer can touch their quality. I've tried the boxed, gluten-free kinds at home, and they failed. So go with Whole Foods.

Now let's start with pantry essentials:

Canned Diced or Whole Tomatoes -- The only canned vegetable/fruit I have in the pantry is canned tomatoes. These can be used to cook spaghetti sauce, okra and zucchini dishes, beans, soups, etc. Tomatoes are the basis of a number of good family dishes, and I find myself reaching for them time and time again. My favorite brands are Muir Glen and Pomi; both are gluten-free and organic. Along these lines, I also have plenty of tomato paste and tomato sauce on hand. I use these primarily as a base for my Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce and to top/bind together meatloaf.

Fresh Fruits and Fresh Vegetables -- As many of you know, I have farm-fresh fruit, veggies and meats delivered weekly from a local consortium of farmers and ranchers. I base my weekly meals on the goodies that are in my bin every Friday. I don't ever buy canned fruits or veggies -- eating whole foods is KEY to living gluten free. And it's a whole lot healthier (and much, much lower in sodium) than canned counterparts. I always have onions (love the sweet 1015s), broccoli, squash (winter and summer), green beans, asparagus (in season), carrots, celery, romaine or green leaf lettuce, green onions (use the green ends for chives), strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, raspberries, pears, apples, lemons, oranges, limes and sometimes kiwis. This is just a sampling -- I usually go with what's in season.

Fresh Potatoes -- I would rather die than eat potatoes out of a box. Always, always, always have a few russets, yukons or new potatoes on hand for oven-fried or mashed potatoes. I also have delicious organic garnet yams from Central Market. I am a southerner and I love my sweet potatoes (yams). I use them for baking, mashing or incorporating into a pie.

Pam's Other Essentials:

• Lowfat milk (1% or 2%)
• Whipping cream
• Sour Cream
• Lowfat Greek Yogurt
• Buttermilk
• Butter (Salted and Unsalted -- the latter is best used when using for cooking)
• Cream Cheese (spreadable and in the blocks)
• Cheddar Cheese (Extra Sharp) in a block -- I like to freshly grate it
• Bleu Cheese crumbled
• Feta Cheese crumbled
• Mozzarella string cheese
• About 7 different kinds of mustard
• High-Fructose-Free Ketchup (made by H-E-B)
• Duke's Mayonnaise (the only mayo to use if not making homemade)
• Assorted Fruit Preserves
• Pacific Free Range Organic Chicken Broth
• Udi's GF Bagels
• Udi's GF White Bread
• Udi's GF Multi-Grain Bread
• Minute Maid Orange Juice
• Gluten-Free Spaghetti or Linguine (Dried)
• Imperial Pure Cane Sugar 
• Brown Sugar
• Domino Confectioner Sugar
• Pecans (Texas is famous for its pecans!)
• Coconut milk (I make a lot of Indian dishes and coconut cakes!)
• Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking Oatmeal (GF)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Expeller Pressed Canola Oil
• Joe T. Garcia's salsa mild and medium
• Milagro Corn Tortillas (available at HEB, Central Market)
• Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix (the best)
• Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
• White Jasmine Rice
• Brown Basmati Rice & Brown Short-Grain Rice
• Mango Chutney
• Baker's Sweetened Coconut
• Maple Syrup
• Karo Light Corn Syrup (for candy-making)
• Karo Dark Corn Syrup (for pecan pies)
• Milagro Tortilla Chips (all God's children gotta have a snack!)
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Xanthan Gum (essential to GF baking)
• Guar Gum (" " ")
• Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour
• " " Tapioca Starch
• " " Potato Starch
• Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Corn Grits
• Bob's Red Mill GF Stone Ground Cornmeal
• Sea Salk Coarse and Finely Ground
• Black Pepper in Grinder
• Cayenne Pepper 
• Pimentos
• Horseradish in a jar
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
• Tabasco Sauce
• Cajun Pepper Sauce

This is a good start. And I'll be sure to include recipes in the future that include these pantry essentials. I didn't include spices in this list. I will in an upcoming post.

Because I love to make cakes for my family, I always have my flour mixture on hand. I'll write about this in a future installment and include my amazing recipe for coconut cake!

Happy cooking!