A New Gluten-Free Hamantaschen Recipe for Purim 2010! (Plus bonus cookies)

Purim just isn't complete without the delicious triangular purim cookies we call hamantaschen. I love my original gluten-free hamantaschen recipe, which is made with agave nectar instead of refined sugar, but it's a little too cakey for some people. Today I tried my hand at revising the recipe to make the cookie a bit more crisp, more like a sugar cookie in its consistency. Did it work? Well, these are certainly more crisp than the original recipe. They're still more cakey than the crisp style some people prefer, so I'll try again next year... but I think they're tasty and I hope you do, too. I used apricot jam in some and lekvar (a/k/a prune butter or prune pastry filling) in others. They use regular sugar. They're also nut-free, and if you want to make them dairy-free I am guessing they'd be quite fine with margarine instead of butter. One perk of this recipe is that the dough is very, very easy to handle. When I had a little dough left over, I twisted it up into various shapes which you can see in the photo below the recipe.

Chag sameach! Happy purim!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

HAMANTASCHEN - VERSION #2

[Gluten-Free / Nut-Free / Soy-Free ]

1 stick (8 tbsp) salted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 heaping tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup white rice flour (finely milled)
1/4 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup potato starch
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 additional egg, beaten well and set aside

With an electric hand mixer, or in the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter with the sugar.
Add the unbeaten egg, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and continue combining.

In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry mixture into the liquid mixture. Mix until combined into a cohesive ball of dough. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Flour a counter or other surface thoroughly. Remove dough from refrigerator and immediately roll into a ball and roll the ball in flour before placing it on the floured counter. Roll out until 1/4" to 1/8" thickness.

Using a juice glass or biscuit cutter, cut into 3-4" circles. Immediately move dough circles to parchment-lined cookie sheets. Use a pastry scraper to gently transfer the disks of dough. Place approximately 1 teaspoon of filling (apricot preserves, lekvar, poppyseed filling, raspberry jam, etc) in the center of each circle.

Using a pastry brush, apply well-beaten egg to the perimeter of each dough circle and immediately fold 3 sides of circle together so that the cookie becomes a triangle, and pinch corners to seal. Seal completely and firmly, using beaten egg so they do not come apart in baking. The final cookie should look like a triangle with the filling showing through only at the center. Use the remaining beaten egg to lightly brush the top of each pastry.

Bake at 350 F for 22-28 minutes or until golden on top with some slightly browned areas (the more browned, the crisper the cookie - but be careful not to burn!) Allow to cool slightly before serving or transferring to cooling rack.

Makes approximately 24-28 cookies.

GOT LEFTOVER DOUGH? HERE'S AN IDEA:

To-Die-For Passover Banana Nut Cake, and a Review of A Kosher Gluten-Free Passover Cookbook

I couldn't have been more excited when I received a copy of Tamar Ansh's new cookbook from Targum Press. They were kind enough to ship me Pesach - Anything's Possible: Over 450 Non-Gebrochts, Gluten-Free & Wheat Free Recipes because they know this blog focuses on cuisine that is both kosher and gluten-free. This big, thick, hardcover book is the first widely distributed cookbook that I've seen that has advertised itself directly to the gluten-free community as well as to any Jewish cook looking for Passover fare. Unlike much Passover cooking, all of the recipes are gluten-free and non-gebrokts, meaning the book does not include recipes such as matzo balls or matzo meal cakes which involve exposing matzo to water. Some Ashkenazi Jews, mostly Hasidim, observe a tradition of only eating dry matzo during Pesach so their other Pesach food is all gluten-free.

Pesach - Anything's Possible is a kosher gluten-free cookbook full of beautiful, glossy full-color photographs. One of my pet peeves is cookbooks without photographs - And this cookbook does not disappoint in that department! It even has step-by-step instructional photos for some of the recipes. I don't like reviewing cookbooks without trying a recipe. I never give positive reviews to books or products unless I feel like they deserve it. So I chose a recipe to make for last shabbos: Banana Nut Cake.



Those who tried the cake could not believe what they were tasting - It was perfectly moist, even the next day. It was golden brown on top, with no burned spots. It had a tender, fine crumb. It wasn't crumbly, but instead held together quite well. It had just the right amount of sweetness, just the right amount of banana flavor, and the perfect amount of nuttiness. It had a consistency more like a rich, moist, fluffy cake than the wetter, more dense traditional banana bread. I am not exaggerating when I say this was one of the best gluten-free cakes I have ever eaten! Not the best Passover cake, or the best pareve cake, or the best banana bread... But one of the best cakes, period. If you make this for friends or family they won't believe it's gluten-free, let alone a pareve Pesach cake. Pareve (dairy-free) Pesach cakes are notorious for being dry. This cake puts them all to shame.

Other recipes in the book include Orange Sponge Cake, "Breaded" Cutlets, Chicken Blintzes, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Mexican Pepper Bake, Creamsicle Roll, Best Gefilte Fish Ever, Crepes, Butternut Squash Kugel, Sweet Potato Puffs, Shepherd's Pie, Zucchini Cheese Potato Latkes, Kneidlach, Lukshen (noodles) and more... 350 recipes in total.

Targum Press has been kind enough to give me permission to post the fabulous Banana Cake recipe here on my blog, so that my readers can enjoy this recipe for Passover ... or any time. To order the cookbook click here.



BANANA NUT CAKE

from "Pesach - Anything's Possible" by Tamar Ansh
Posted with permission from Targum Press.

[Gluten-Free / Pareve / Dairy-Free / Soy-Free ]

10 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
3-4 ripe bananas*
3/4 cup coarsely ground walnuts or pecans**
3/4 cup potato starch

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. In a bowl, beat the yolks together with the sugar, bananas, nuts and potato starch. Carefully fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture until it is well blended. Pour the batter into a greased tube pan***. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the edges start to spring away slightly from the side of the pan. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cook completely. Remove the cake from the pan. If it seems moist to you, let it sit uncovered for an hour or so before you wrap it up.

*I used 4 ripe bananas that had been frozen in their skins. I defrosted them and then they slid right out of their skins, already soft enough to blended in with the batter.

**I actually used 1/2 cup walnut meal (finely ground walnuts) and about 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts, and I'll probably do that again next time I make this recipe

***I recommend using a silicone pan if you have one. I didn't have a tube pan so I used an 8x8 silicone brownie pan and a standard-sized tin bread ban.

Other books by Targum Press include:

The Kids Kosher Cookbook

Classic Kosher Cooking: Simply Delicious

Guidelines to Candlelighting and Separating Challah

Guidelines to Pesach

It's Time for Another Gluten-Free Purim! Hamantaschen, Mishloach Manos and More...

As usual, I am posting a holiday roundup just a day or two before the holiday. Oy, I am such a procrastinator. Hopefully this will still come in handy for some of you. I notice I'm getting a huge number of hits for "gluten-free hamentaschen" / hamentashen, hamantashen, etc. So I thought I'd make it easier for you to find my Purim-related postings as well as some postings by some other blogs.


If you're looking for gluten-free hamantashen recipes:

My recipe for Gluten-Free Hamantaschen made with no-refined sugar. I love this recipe and am sad I haven't had the chance to make it this year. I've gotten very good feedback on this recipe - If you try it please let me know how it works for you!

Elana's Pantry has a vegan, refined-sugar-free, grain-free recipe for Gluten-Free Raspberry Hamantaschen that you might be interested in if you have multiple food restrictions.

Or maybe you'd like to try an Adaptation of a Chabad Recipe for Gluten-Free Hamantaschen.

About.com also offers a recipe.


If you'd like to order gluten-free hamantaschen online:

Heaven's Mills Gluten-Free Hamantashen

Katz Gluten-Free Raspberry Hamantaschen (I ate these today!)


If you're looking for ideas for gluten-free mishloach manos:

My list of ideas for creative gluten-free mishloach manos can be found here. Think outside the box!


If you're a Jew with food allergies or intolerances and/or celiac disease:

Consider joining the AllergicJews listserv, on which other Jewish (kosher and non-kosher) folks with food restrictions share recipes, ideas and resources.

CHAG PURIM!

Gluten-Free Chanukah Recipe Roundup: Latkes, Sufganiot (Jelly Donuts) and More!

Are you looking for gluten-free Chanukah recipes? You can see last year's Chanukah recipe roundup here. I thought I'd do an updated roundup with some links to a bunch of gluten-free Chanukah recipes to help you enjoy a delicious holiday. Some are mine and some are other folks' recipes. Chanukah foods are traditionally fried in oil and/or contain dairy, but there are as many different variations as there are ways to spell Chanukah / Hannukah / Hanukkah / Hanuka. I've tried to provide links that are varied enough that most folks can find something they'll be able to eat and will enjoy. Chanukah sameach!




GLUTEN-FREE LATKES

Sweet Potato & Leek Latkes
Confetti Latkes (Carrot & Parsnip with Chives)
Traditional Potato Latkes
Potato Latke Recipe from Kosher Celiac Cookery
Karina's Potato Latkes
Zucchini Latkes
Vegan Broccoli Latkes
Karina's Vegan Sweet Potato Latkes
Cauliflower Latkes (use soy flour option)

TOPPINGS FOR YOUR LATKES

Cranberry-Applesauce & Traditional Applesauce
Vegan/Pareve Cashew Sour Cream
Apple Salsa, Honeyed Yogurt and More
Wasabi Scallion Sauce
Dill Sour Cream

GLUTEN-FREE SUFGANIYOT / SUFGANIOT / JELLY DONUTS

Gluten-Free Jelly Donuts / Sufganiyot
Low-Carb Donut Recipe from About.com

OTHER CHANUKAH TREATS

Chocolate-Dipped Apricot "Gelt"
Leek Fritters (Prassokoftedes)
Gluten-Free Noodle Kugel with Cranberries
Chanukah Cookies
Lamb & Leek Koftas
Beet, Cabbage & Mushroom Borscht
Fried Chickpeas
Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Remember you can always find my Jewish holiday recipes by clicking here or on the "Jewish recipes" tag on the sidebar at left.

HAPPY CHANUKAH!

The Quest for the Best Gluten-Free Cholent

This shabbos, I finally found one of the holy grails of kosher gluten-free cooking - A fantastic gluten-free cholent. I crafted this Ashkenazi/Sephardi fusion cholent by accident, really. Cholent is a stew that cooks slowly in a crockpot during Shabbos (the Jewish sabbath, during which observant Jews do not light or extinguish fires or electricity) without being stirred or having the heat adjusted in any way. It's the ultimate in low-maintenance cooking, since you just add a bunch of ingredients to the crockpot and let them cook overnight with no interference. People who've never tried slow cooking in a crockpot might think that all the ingredients would be mush after so much cooking - Strangely enough, vegetables tend to retain their shape and stay fairly firm during crockpot cooking. The meat, which should preferably be from a tougher cut (tough cuts do best with slow cooking in liquid), will become deliciously tender and fall apart when you stick your fork into it. Ashkenazi cholent is usually made with barley or wheat berries, neither of which people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can eat. But you won't miss the grains with this cholent, as it's unbelievably flavorful and has a variety of textures.

The Sephardi influence on this dish is the use of spices and flavorings that you wouldn't normally find in an Ashkenazi cholent (paprika, lots of garlic, turmeric), as well as the optional addition of whole in-the-shell eggs which become hardboiled over the course of the slow-cooking process. This is a little more decadent and a little more healthy than your average cholent. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this dish has completely changed my conception of cholent. It's heavy but doesn't sit in your stomach like a rock, as some cholent does. My partner is a cholent-eating afficionado and she gave this one two thumbs up.

I sauteed the meat to brown it about 1/2 hour before candlelighting on Friday (a little before 7) and then transferred it, along with all the other ingredients, to the crockpot. My crockpot (pictured above) automatically switches to its warm setting as soon as the cooking time you set it for is done - So at about 7 in the morning on Saturday it switched over, and we ate it at 12:30 PM. It was hot, and perfectly cooked. We ate the leftovers for lunch today and my partner mentioned that this was the first time she'd had the desire to eat leftover cholent. But then again, this is no ordinary cholent!

A little disclaimer: I call for "powdered gluten-free onion soup, vegetable or chicken soup mix." Most kosher soup mixes have MSG in them. That's part of what makes them so tasty. I generally refuse to purchase or consume anything with MSG. But this is my exception. It's my little vice, I guess. If you must avoid MSG at all costs, you can use a couple of gluten-free MSG-free bouillon cubes instead. I've found a kosher, gluten-free brand called Bloch's Best that has no MSG. It's imported from Europe - I found it at Natural Spot in Teaneck. They won't be quite as flavorful as the mixes with MSG, so if you like you can use more salt and more spices and a little more white wine to make up for it.

If you don't have a slow-cooker you can still make this dish - Bring the ingredients to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then right before shabbos cover the pot very tightly and either simmer over a low flame all night, or have it cook in the oven on a low setting.

I will be happy if thise recipe helps just one other gluten-free Jew have more joyful and delicious shabbos... and even happier if some non-Jews and/or non-celiacs will discover this as a new way to prepare a filling one-pot meal.

GLUTEN-FREE CROCKPOT
CHOLENT / HAMIN

A Slow-Cooked Meat & Bean Stew for Shabbos and Every Day

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Soy-Free ]

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb to 1 1/2 lbs cholent meat / stew beef
1 onion cut into chunks
2 cups dry cholent bean mix or any combination of pinto beans, cranberry beans, white beans and/or kidney beans
3 Tbsp powdered gluten-free onion soup, vegetable or chicken soup mix*
1 or 2 carrots cut into 1" slices
5 medium yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut in half
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in quarters
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
5-10 cloves of garlic, chopped roughly or sliced
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Optional: Generous dash of white wine
Optional: 2-4 uncooked eggs in their shells

[*I use Osem's pareve, vegetarian, kosher-for-Passover "Chicken Style Consomme Instant Soup & Seasoning Mix" which is gluten-free. I purchase it at Passover to last me year-round since the rest of the year their formula includes gluten.]

In a pan, or in the ceramic liner of your crockpot (if it's the type that can be removed from the element and used like a pot on the stove) heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onions and sautee for 2-3 minutes. Add meat and cook only until browned on the outside. Move onion and meat mixture into the crockpot (or move your ceramic liner back onto the heating element of the crockpot). Set it so that it will cook on low for 12 hours and then switch to its warm setting.

Add dry (unsoaked) beans, then potatoes. Add all of the rest of the ingredients except for the eggs, distributing ingredients as evenly as possible. Make sure the meat won't touch the lid of the crockpot. Nestle eggs carefully on top of other ingredients. Pour water into the crockpot until it covers everything. Put the lid on, making sure it fits securely so that steam doesn't escape (use a layer of tin foil underneath if necessary).

Do not stir the cholent until you are ready to eat it, at which point you can remove the eggs so that you don't crack their shells, and stir it VERY gently.

Serve in bowls, topped with the now-hardboiled eggs (if you included them). If you've warmed your favorite gluten-free bread or challah on the top of the crockpot you can use it to sop up the stew.

NOTE: This recipe is for a 6-quart crockpot. For a smaller crockpot, reduce all the quantities slightly. No exact measurements are necessary for this recipe.

Gluten-Free Passover Links for 2008

Dear friends, I am so very sorry that I have not had the time to do a real 2008 redux of the Great Gluten-Free Passover Roundup of 2007. Though I'm happy to say, last year's post is still every bit as relevant this year. Recipes don't age into oblivion like so many things in our world do, gratefully. Since I don't want to let the days slip into Passover without pointing new visitors in the direction of some gluten-free Pesach resources, I thought I'd quickly throw together a list of links that I hope will be helpful to new and old readers alike.

If you are not Jewish and are gluten-free... Good grief, people, what are you waiting for? Get thee to a kosher grocery store! This is the time of year to stock up on gluten-free delicacies, from blintzes (I have two packages in my freezer and can't wait to try them) to croutons to seven-layer cakes. Specifically, look for the label "non-gebrokts" to find products not made with matzo meal, and if a non-gebrokts product isn't also marked gluten-free (or even if it is) contact the company to verify gluten-free status to avoid potential cross-contamination from products made with matzo on the same line. The days after Passover are often a good time to get these items on sale, too.

I hope next year I will have more time and less stress around the holidays and be able to wow you with some new recipes, but for the time being, have a healthy and happy Passover.

Chag sameach!

GLUTEN-FREE PASSOVER LINKS

RECIPES

• Gluten-Free Passover Recipe Roundup 2007 - Recipes from all over the internet
  
• My Passover Recipes - Recipes from this blog that can are kosher for Pesach or can be made suitable for Pesach (ssome may require minor ingredient substitutions, but most don't). Includes mock matzo, non-gebrokts Passover noodle kugel, matzo balls, and more.
  
• Gluten-Free Passover Recipes from Recipezaar
  
• New GF Pesach Recipes from Ellen - Including a new matzo ball recipe that sounds great.
  
• Elana's Gluten-Free Passover Recipes - These look amazing, though many contain agave nectar which sadly isn't yet available in a kosher l'pesach version
  

INFORMATION, PRODUCTS AND MORE

• Why Passover is a Gluten-Free Goldmine - A guest column by Lisa Mandl
• A Gluten-Free Paradise - Gluten-Free NYC shows photos of why Passover is, indeed, a "gluten-free goldmine"
  
• A Sample Gluten-Free Passover Menu - With recipes
• Gluten-Free Oat Matzo - Where to buy it. By now it is probably too late to order it, but you can still find it in many kosher groceries. I can tell you first-hand it was flying off the shelves at Rockland Kosher (Monsey, NY) and Glatt Express (Teaneck, NJ)!
• Food Freedom: A Celiac's Passover Story
• Quinoa: The Grain That's Not - Kashrut.com explains why many rabbis consider quinoa acceptable for Passover. Note that Kosher Overseers determined that Ancient Harvest and Trader Joes' brands are kosher l'pesach without a special Passover hechsher as long as they are in closed boxes.
  
• Passover By Design - Susie Fishbein's newest book has sold out nearly overnight at many stores and features over 130 gluten-free recipes for Passover and year-round.
  

Sugar-Free Pecan Coconut Macaroons - A Gluten-Free Treat for Passover and Year-Round

When the Mid-Hudson Valley Gluten-Free Outings Group had our Valentine's Day Gluten-Free Cookie Swap back in February, I encouraged members to consider making a recipe that would accommodate people with food restrictions beyond just celiac disease or gluten intolerance. So I decided to take upon myself the project of creating a gluten-free sugar-free cookie. I'm not usually a big fan of Splenda but I figured I'd give it another shot - At least my mother, who was doing the South Beach Diet, would eat the cookies, right? My other hope was that I'd figure out a way to finally make a macaroon that I'd like and that I could make with little to no sugar for when Passover rolled around.

Well Passover is nearly here. Splenda is NOT kosher for Passover except in its industrial version. However, I think these cookies would taste just fine with another dry alternative sweetener such as granulated fructose, artifical sweetener (not my preference), certain sugar alcohols, maple sugar... whatever you can find that's kosher for Passover -- I'm not sure what's on the market because I don't plan on eating many sweets this Passover. Of course, if you eat sugar, you can save yourself the trouble by making this recipe with plain old white sugar.

I have cut the Splenda amount in this recipe from the amount I used when I originally baked these, since I found them too sweet. Coconut and pecans have their own sweetness to them and I wanted their flavor stand out in all its glory. In fact, I'm even considering making these for Passover without any sweetener at all!

This was my first time trying pecan and coconut flavors combined, and I discovered I love this duo! Better, in fact, than the traditional almond-coconut macaroon combo. I'm not sure if there is a kosher l'pesach brand of ground pecans, but you can always buy some pecans and pulse them in a food processor (or little by little in a coffee grinder) until they have a relatively fine, sandy consistency. Voila, pecan flour!



PECAN COCONUT MACAROONS

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Soy-Free ]

Adapted from Low-Carb Dessert Blog

Makes approx. 24 cookies

4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup Splenda* (if they're not for Passover), white sugar, or the equivalent amount of a kosher l'pesach alternative sweetener
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp ground pecans
2 cups dried shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large mixing bowl, whip the egg whites, salt and vanilla until frothy with an electric mixer. Slowly pour in the Splenda or other dry sweetener. Whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the ground pecan and coconut gently. Do not over-stir - Batter should remain frothy.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon measure to drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto the paper 1/2 inch apart. Remember that they won't rise or expand! Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges (let them get a little browner than in this photo!). Turn off the oven heat, open the oven door slightly, and let the macaroons sit in the oven until cool to keep them from becoming overly moist.

*The Splenda available in retail stores is not kosher for Passover.

New Source for Gluten-Free Oat Matzo

I couldn't have been more thrilled when I got an e-mail from a gentleman from Lakewood Shmura Matzo Bakery in Lakewood, NJ, telling me his bakery was now producing certified gluten-free oat matzos right here in the United States. He graciously sent me two boxes of matzos to try out.

The only source of gluten-free oat matzo I knew about before this was a company in the UK which makes a good product (and gluten-free matzo meal, too!) but is costly due to being imported. The Lakewood product is half the price of the British matzo ($20 for three matzot, as opposed to as much as $40 for three matzot). So this year I'll get to save my money for other Passover treats.

The matzo from Lakewood Shmura Matzo Bakery has a hechsher from Rabbis Katz and Klein, both of Lakewood. It is made of certified gluten-free oat flour. The final product was tested by the Food Allergy Research & Resource Program (FARRP) in Nebraska, and the bakery sent me a copy of the report from FARRP, which indicated that there is no detectable gluten in the product (the product was rated "BLD" or "below limit of detection") which means this product is reliably safe for celiacs. Please note, however, that there are some people with celiac disease who find they cannot digest oats at all.

If you're wondering why gluten-free matzo is so expensive, let me explain. First, the oats have to be grown segregated from wheat and other gluten-containing grains. They have to be harvested and milled with separate equipment. Shmura matzo is handmade rather than made with machines. This is especially remarkable given the fact that matzo must be made within 18 minutes to be considered unleavened. In addition, a dough made of only oat flour is difficult to work with as it contains no gluten nor gluten substitutes. Of course, the entire process must be supervised to ensure the product is kosher... and not only kosher, but kosher for Passover - A much higher standard of kashrut. This is why shmura matzo is always expensive, and gluten-free shmura matzo even more so.

The Lakewood matzo is good. The bakery suggests reheating the matzoh "in a very low oven for a few minutes before eating, it takes a lot of the moisture out." I second this recommendation, as the matzo can be a little stale coming right out of the box. It is definitely "the bread of oppression" - Probably not a cracker I'd nosh on just for the fun of it. However it is perfect for fulfilling the mitzvah of eating matzo on Passover and would taste fine heaped with charoset and maror (and you can grind up leftovers in a food processor to make matzo meal!) The matzos are thicker than a normal wheat matzo, which the bakery says is to make them less likely to break during shipping, so they're not as crisp as thinner matzos. There is something about the taste that definitely says "matzo" to me, which made me happy since it reminds me of when I could eat regular matzo. All in all, I can recommend these without reservation. I think they are certainly equal with the matzo from the UK.



The Lakewood Shmura Matzo Bakery doesn't have a website, but you can order by faxing (732) 364-4250 with shipping and billing information. The product is $20.00 per box of 3 matzos, plus a flat $10.00 for shipping (I believe this cost covers as many boxes as you order). If you have questions call (732) 364-8757.

The matzo is also available in many kosher grocery stores.

GLUTEN-FREE MATZO RESOURCES

TO ORDER MATZO:

Lakewood Shmura Matzo Bakery
Lakewood, NJ
Phone: (732) 364-8757
Fax: (732) 364-4250
Certified gluten-free oat shmura matzo. Available by mail order or in stores.

Gluten-Free Oat Matzos (U.K., distributed worldwide)
http://www.glutenfreeoatmatzos.com
Made in the United Kingdon but available at local distributors or from Kosher.com. Certified gluten-free oat shmura matzo, machine matzo and matzo meal available. No direct mail order on their website.

MATZO RECIPES:

Gluten-Free Mock "Matzo"
Gluten-Free "Matzo Balls" Recipe
Potato Kneidlach: A Matzo Ball Alternative

The mock matzo recipe above does not fulfill the mitzvah of eating matzo, as it is not made from one of the five grains specified by Jewish law. But it's still tasty!

Remember, the widely available spelt matzo is NOT gluten-free. Spelt is a form of wheat and contains gluten, thus is not safe for people who are gluten-intolerant or have celiac disease.

A Gluten-Free Purim - Hamantaschen Recipes and Mishloach Manot Ideas

This post is admittedly a bit late (Purim starts Thursday night) but I've been in the Bay Area with my partner for the past week and a half doing anything but blogging.

Here are some links for your enjoyment:

GLUTEN-FREE HAMANTASCHEN RECIPES

My own delicious recipe for cakey, no-refined-sugar gluten-free hamantaschen can be found here.

I posted it last year around Purim and it's been a big hit. You can see reviews of the recipe on Recipezaar, too. I've become more strict about only using products with reliable kosher supervision, so I no longer use Pamela's Baking Mixes. However, Pamela's mix works amazingly in this recipe. If you are dairy-free, want the recipe to be pareve, or only use hekshered products, you should feel free to use another gluten-free baking mix of your choice.

About.com's Celiac Disease page just published this recipe for hamantaschen that uses cream cheese in the dough. Looks like a tasty dairy option.

Two other options are this recipe from the Jewish-Food listserve (adapted from a Chabad recipe) and these fascinating hamantaschen from Elana's Pantry, which are both grain-free and dairy-free.

IDEAS FOR GLUTEN-FREE MISHLOACH MANOT

One of the wonderful traditions for Purim is mishloach manot. These are gift baskets of at least two different types of food that Jews are required to deliver to friends and family. What to do if you're making mishloach manot for gluten-free folks? Here are some ideas of things to include in your gift baskets:

• Homemade gluten-free hamantaschen (see above for recipes)
• Small bottle of kosher grape juice
• A bottle of wine
• Gluten-free candy (AllergyGrocer.com marks clearly which of their candies are kosher and this PDF file has a comprehensive GF candy list)
• A box of storebought gluten-free cookies
• Nuts - Stick to the unflavored kinds unless you can verify they're gluten-free.
• Jar of olives or pickles
  
• Fruit
• Potato or corn chips (check the ingredients)
  
• A nice artisanal kosher cheese (anything but blue cheese should be safe).

Have a wonderful and wild Purim!

...And if you're Jewish and have food allergies and/or gluten intolerance or other food restrictions, come join us on the AllergicJews listserve, where we discuss everything from the halacha (laws) of gluten-free challah to recipes for nut-free charoset.

Sweet Potato & Leek Latkes

Everyone in my family's been trying to eat a lower-glycemic, more nutritionally sound diet for a plethora of health reasons, so I thought we could do with a little change of pace this Chanukah. Breaking with tradition is always hard, but it can also be a good opportunity to try new recipes and create new relationships with ingredients. Tonight's experiment was one of those times when pushing the boundaries of "Jewish food" was well worth it. You may have noticed I am a big fan of the fried leek. In these latkes, the warm, mellow onion flavor of leeks compliment the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

In addition to being healthier than traditional potato latkes, these sweet potato pancakes have a few other differences. They are less messy and easier to make. Because they don't have the potato starch that is so plentiful in white potatoes, they need a lot more help binding - Additional eggs and potato starch will do the trick (if you don't have potato starch, try tapioca or sweet rice flour - But stay away from grainier gluten-free flours such as regular white rice flour). Even with extra binder added, they have a looser and less sticky consistency so they need to be formed and placed in the oil and flipped with extra TLC. They take a bit longer to cook than regular white potato pancakes, so make sure to keep the oil turned down just a little below the heat you'd use for white potato latkes which will give them longer for the insides to cook before they become crispy around brown around the outer edges.

I recommend serving these tasty vegetable pancakes with sour cream or non-dairy cashew sour cream, but applesauce also works as a condiment. Chag sameach!



SWEET POTATO & LEEK LATKES

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve /
Vegetarian / Soy-Free ]

3 extra large sweet potatoes
3 large leeks
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Refined vegetable oil (preferably canola or corn oil)

Preheat oven to 200F (if you will need to keep the latkes warm).

Cut sweet potatoes lengthwise so that they are narrow enough to fit through the shoot of a food processor. Using the grater attachment of a food processor, shred the sweet potatoes. Alternately, use the largest holes on a box grater to grate the potatoes by hand.

Rinse the leeks well. Cut the dark green tops off of the leeks, as well as removing the roots from the very bottom. Cut in half lengthwise, and then slice widthwise in very thin slices. Combine the leeks with the grated potato in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, egg, and a generous amount of black pepper. Gently sprinkle potato starch across the top, then stir to combine thoroughly.

Heat 1/3 inch of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, until just below the smoking point.

Use your hands to pat a small handful of batter into a small, thin (no more than 1/3" thick) pancake. Gently lower each pancake into the hot oil. Press each latke with the back of a slotted spatula so that it becomes flatter and thinner. Fry until completely golden-brown on the bottom and crispy around the outside corners. Flip and brown on the second side. If the outside is getting browned and crispy before the inside has a chance to cook sufficiently, turn the burner down just slightly.

Transfer latkes to a plate lined with paper towels or several layers of brown paper (I use grocery bags). Allow paper to absorb excess oil, then transfer latkes to a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet in the preheated oven, where they will stay warm until ready to serve. Serve hot.

Extra latkes can be frozen on a baking sheet in the refrigerator, with parchment paper or freezer paper between the layers. When frozen, transfer to ziploc bags. Reheat in oven on 400 degrees F.

Serves 4.

A Gluten-Free Chanukah

Photo: First night of Chanukah at my parents' house

How did Chanukah creep up on us so fast? It's only the first week of December! Oh that whacky Jewish calendar (or a whacky Gregorian calendar, really). I didn't really have time in between Thanksgiving and now to cook up some new Chanukah recipes, so I'm going to have to regurgitate (metaphorically) some oldies but goodies. To save folks the trouble of digging through the archives, here's a roundup of my Chanukah recipes from last year, as well as a few recipes that aren't Chanukah specific but would be appropriate for this week's festive meals. It is a custom for this holiday to eat foods that are fried in oil, in honor of the miracle of one night's worth of oil lasting for eight nights in the Chanukah story. The oil burned for eight nights, we light eight candles, we gain at least eight pounds and spell the holiday's name at least eight ways.

Happy Chanukah / Hanukkah / Hanukah everyone!

GLUTEN-FREE CHANUKAH RECIPES

Parsnip & Carrot Confetti Latkes


Traditional Gluten-Free Latkes (Potato Pancakes)


Celery Root & Potato Latkes


Homemade Cranberry Applesauce & Traditional Applesauce


Vegan Cashew Sour Cream


Gluten-Free Sufganiyot (Jelly Donuts)


Chocolate-Dipped Apricot Gelt


OTHER FRIED GOODIES


Leek Fritters (Prassokeftedes)


Gluten-Free Fried Mozzarella Sticks


Fried Leeks with Tarragon Vinegar

Sample Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Menus

Since I know there are always folks who are looking for recipes or meal ideas at the last minute, here are a few possible gluten-free thanksgiving menus along with links to recipes.

MENU ONE:
THE GLUTEN-FREE TRADITIONALIST

Roast Turkey
Classic Stuffing
Cranberry and Pear Chutney
Gluten-Free Gravy
Kim's Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Buttermilk Biscuits
Pumpkin Cupcakes
Apple Pie with Crumble Topping
Persimmon-Pecan Cake

MENU TWO:
THE GLUTEN-FREE VEGETARIAN

Tofu Turkey Roast (Vegan)
Fresh Orange-Cranberry Sauce (Vegan)
Walnut-Sage Potatoes Au Gratin
Easy Vegetarian Collard Greens (Vegan)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic, Parmesan & Pine Nuts
Butternut Squash Timbales with Apple Chestnut Sauce
Scooped Biscuits
Cranberry Crumble (Vegan)
Pumpkin Cheesecake Creme Caramel
Apples Doused in Cardamom Wine

MENU THREE:
THE GLUTEN-FREE KOSHER OR DAIRY-FREE (GFCF) EATER

Maple-Cider Turkey
Gluten-Free Stuffing with Dried Fruit
Pumpkin with Cranberries
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Parsnip & Carrot Pancakes
Cranberry Applesauce
Multigrain Miracle Bread
Apple-Quince Pie
Pumpkin Pie (Also see Part II and Part III)
Ginger & Cardamom Poached Pears

Have a safe and joyous Thanksgiving, everyone!

Looking for Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes?

If you are one of the thousands of people who've found my site this week by doing web searches for gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes, thanks for stopping by! To make things easier for you here are some links to recipes and guides for having a healthy and happy gluten-free Thanksgiving:

• You can find all of my Thanksgiving recipes right here.

• My 2006 Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup is a useful resource (it may be a year old, but those recipes are just as mouthwatering for 2007!)


• Hide & Seek: Hidden Gluten at the Holiday Table is an article I wrote about what foods to be careful about during the holidays. I mention various ways that gluten can lurk unnoticed in a variety of foods, and how to avoid it.


• The number one food related question that people with celiac disease seem to be asking this time of year is "What about stuffing?" Here is my easy and delicious Gluten-Free Stuffing recipe. It actually works best with the nasty, dry storebought gluten-free bread that most of us can find at a local health food or grocery store... the bread we curse at the rest of year ;-P
  


• Natalie of Gluten-Free Mommy created a recipe for Gluten-Free French Fried Onions, the perennial favorite topper for green bean casseroles, and then shows us how to make a completely gluten-free green bean casserole here.
  
  
• Here is my favorite gluten-free pie crust.
  


• Shauna of Gluten-Free Girl offers up A Few Ideas for a Gluten-Free Thanksgiving and How to Cook for Someone Gluten-Free (useful for relatives and friends who will be cooking for us for the holidays).
  
  
• Catherine of Gluten-Free Food Guide has her own wonderful post called Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes and Tips that is full of recipes and great suggestions.
  

Ginger & Cardamom Poached Pears

My dear vegan and milk-allergic readers, I have not forgotten you.

This has to be one of the most popular desserts I've made, when it comes to the reactions of the people who eat the food I cook. I didn't expect that. I think I'm a pretty good cake baker, but when I tried this recipe for the first time at Rosh Hashanah dinner, I got more mmmmms and wows and ohmyg0ds with this deceptively simple fruit dessert than with the honey cakes I served it with. I made it again for Shabbat dinner on Friday and it was every bit as lovely as before. It would be a wonderful gluten-free vegan dessert option for Thanksgiving.

Easy but sophisticated is what I was going for. Peeling fruit does not equal "easy" in my book, so I didn't bother. If you'd like to try peeling the pears before halving them, go for it! This recipe works best with pears that are just ripe enough to have some softness while being firm enough to be handled without their skin getting easily damaged. How long you cook the pears will depend on how ripe they were to begin with - Five minutes on each side is plenty for a ripe piece of fruit. As for sugar, any kind should work. I have used raw sugar both times I've prepared this.

I sure wish these photos were better. The bits of stuff on top of the pears is ginger pieces, which I like to serve with the pear though they can be removed if you prefer. These pictures were taken before the sauce finished reducing into the dark, thick syrup that is drizzled on top of the pears - So the thin sauce you see on the pears is just the pre-reduction version of it, which I spooned on top of them before taking pictures. Imagine a thicker, darker and more syrupy sauce that can be truly drizzled across each pear. This recipe inevitably makes extra of the reduced ginger-cardamom syrup. The leftover syrup is divine, with its rich and slightly spicy flavor and sweet pieces of nearly candied ginger floating in it. It would be wonderful on pancakes or vanilla ice cream, so I like to save it in a little tupperware container for later enjoyment.




GINGER & CARDAMOM POACHED PEARS

[ Vegan / Pareve / Soy-Free / Dairy-Free / Gluten-Free ]

2" piece of ginger root, peeled
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp cloves (powdered)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2" piece of lemon zest
5 semi-ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears, washed and dried

Slice ginger root into very thin slices. Cut slices into narrow matchsticks. Bring water, sugar, spices, lemon zest, lemon juice and fresh ginger to a boil in a wide, heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.

While the liquid is simmering, slice pears in half lengthwise and use a teaspoon to scoop the seeds out of each half. Place the pears cut-side down in the sauce pan and simmer for 5 minutes, then flip over and simmer for another 5 minutes. Baste occasionally with a spoon while cooking. Using a slotted spatula, carefully lift each piece of pear out of the liquid and place on a serving platter or individual plates.

Remove the lemon zest and cinnamon sticks from the liquid (you can remove the ginger pieces, too, if you like, but I think they're wonderful left in). Bring the liquid back up to a rolling boil, and boil until it thickens into a syrup. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of the syrup across each half of pear just before serving.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Gluten-Free Apple-Quince Pie

I got some e-mails asking me about the pie pictured in the post on my Pecan-Quinoa Streusel Crumble Topping. That's an apple-quince pie! I would have posted the recipe sooner if I hadn't been gallavanting around New York City with a bunch of gay Jews this weekend. Have you ever cooked with quince? It's a hard autumn fruit that looks like a hard and somewhat lumpy cross between an apple and a pear. It tastes unpleasantly astringent when raw but is delicious when cooked down with plenty of sweetener (agave nectar, in my case), and has a flavor that is fragrant, mild and apple-y. The texture is firmer and more grainy than an apple, which makes it stand up well to a long cooking time. Apples and quinces are lovely together. Quinces take much longer to cook than apples, so cooking them together results in an apple-quince "sauce" with a wonderful consistency - The apples will nearly dissolve into sauce while the quince retains just enough of its firmness to give the filling a good bite and appearance. I discovered later that I used unripe quinces, so keep an eye out for yellow quinces rather than the green ones I used, and they will take less time to cook.


The pie was fantastic, if not entirely photogenic. I used the Natural Feast Gluten-Free Frozen Pie Shells again. As I mentioned in this post they are gluten-free, vegan, kosher (pareve) and free of refined sweeteners. They are also free of soy and nuts. They're no replacement for a homemade crust, but they work well in a pinch. Since they come in packages of two, I had one left after making that delicious apple-raspberry pie, so I used the remaining one for this pie. This recipe calls for a pre-baked crust - If you use the Natural Feast crust, follow the directions on the package for baking it without a filling, but cut the baking time in half, then remove the crust from the oven and fill it with the fruit filling. Once you fill it, put a piece of tin foil underneath and fold the edges up so it creates a loose partial tent around the pie, with the top open. This will keep the edges from burning.


You will likely have some leftover filling, but that's intentional on my part. I think the filling is just too good to only be inside one little pie. Eat the leftovers cold, like applesauce - Or mix with yogurt. Better yet, put them in ramekins, sprinkle with leftover crumble topping, and bake in the oven or toaster oven until the topping has browned slightly. An easy breakfast or dessert. Who needs a crust, really?



APPLE-QUINCE PIE

[Gluten-Free / Pareve / Soy-Free / Vegan ]

5 quinces
8 granny smith apples
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice mix*
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup apple cider
1 cup agave nectar, sugar or honey
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour**
1 Tbsp margarine (or butter) cut into small pieces
1 recipe Pecan-Quinoa Streusel Crumble Topping

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Peel apples and quinces, core them and cut them in thin slices - You can use an apple slicer for the apples, but make sure the quince is cut as thin as possible. Add all ingredients to a large pot, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the fruit is tender (about 20-30 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Pour the fruit mixture from the pot into a mixing bowl, and slowly sift in the sweet rice flour, making sure to mix it in evenly so there are no lumps.

Pour fruit mixture into a partially pre-baked pie crust. Use your fingers to crumble the streusel topping across the entire top of the pie. Arrange small pieces of margarine across the top, and bake for 20-20 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

*You can buy pumpkin pie spice mix from any spice company, or make your own.

**Sweet rice flour is not the same as white rice or brown rice flour, which are not good thickeners. You can find it at most Asian markets as well as some health food stores. It is sometimes called sticky rice flour, glutinous rice flour (yes, it's gluten-free!) or oriental rice flour. You can buy it online here.

Flourless Streusel Crumble Topping with No Refined Sugar

It took me a while to find a gluten-free crumble topping that doesn't use oats and has a texture and appearance that I like. I guess I'm picky about my crumbles. When I finally got this recipe right, I was pleased as punch. Now I can actually convince myself that pie is health food! This crumble topping is especially for those of us who choose to avoid refined sugar, which is the backbone of the crumble toppings usually used on top of fruit crisps, pies and some bar cookies. I created this crumble topping as a healthier, whole grain alternative, free of cane sugar and full of crumbly texture and sweet, nutty flavor. I hope it will help somebody out there transform some plain old fruit or a topless pie (ha!) into something truly worthy of oohs and aahs.

Though certified gluten-free oats are now available, they are hard to find in local stores and are very expensive. There are also celiacs who cannot digest even these certified oats. So some of us still have the need for a gluten-free crumble topping that is made with alternative ingredients. This recipe relies on the versatility of pecans and the oat-like texture and outstanding nutritional profile of Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes for its texture. I buy quinoa flakes locally for around $3 per package. I hear there are other companies besides Ancient Harvest that make quinoa flakes, but this is the only brand I've found in stores here and I'm quite happy with it as a baking ingredient and a hot cereal for chilly mornings.

I have tried this recipe with both honey and agave nectar, and honey creates a much better crumb and holds the sweetness better when the crumble is baked. However, if you need to make this strictly vegan, agave nectar will certainly do the job.

Feel free to use butter (as if you needed my permission!) I've called for non-hydrogenated margarine only because I often like to make my pies pareve so that I can eat them at both meat and dairy meals. I would definitely choose butter if I didn't need this versatility, because butter makes everything better. My good buddy L of A Question Mark taught me that. Using butter would also make this recipe soy-free.

I have a tupperware of leftover crumble in my refrigerator after using it to top a pie I made the other day. I can't wait to go to the farmer's market to buy whatever's in season to transform into a delicious fruit crisp.

PECAN-QUINOA STREUSEL CRUMBLE TOPPING

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Vegan ]

1 cup pecans
3 Tbsp non-hydrogenated vegetable margarine (such as Earth Balance), softened slightly
3/4 cup quinoa flakes
3 to 4 Tbsp honey or agave nectar
Pinch of salt

In a food processor with blade attachment, process pecans until they are in nearly uniform small chunks (see picture below). If you have a plastic blade or mixer attachment, attach it and add the rest of the ingredients. If you only have a metal blade, pulse ingredients as slowly and minimally as possible. Process only until ingredients are well combined and form a uniform, crumbly mixture. Use your fingers to crumble it into small pieces over the top of a pie, fruit crisp, muffins, or other baked good. Place dish into a preheated oven at 400 F. Bake until the crumble topping is browned but not burnt (watch carefully to make sure the top doesn't char), approximately 20 minutes.

Here's what the pecans should look like before you add the other ingredients:

Gluten-Free Challah (Pareve / Dairy-Free): Version 1.0

Oh, my friends, this is the craziest of crazy times, this 4 week period of one Jewish holy day after another! A veritable Jewish spiritual marathon, really, and it's not over yet- Sukkot is nearly upon us and Simchat Torah is right around the corner. The cooking I've been doing has been under time constraints not to mention religious ones - The food has been wonderful and well-appreciated, but there's been little time for photographing and blogging. This fabulous insanity will continue for a while yet.

But you know, it's okay. There is some grace to be found in all this, and some joy in cooking for the sake of cooking rather than for the sake of blogging. And what better way to spend my cooking energy and celebrate the approach of autumn than on preparing a multi-course feast for friends and family on erev Rosh Hashanah? The Rosh Hashanah menu included a terrific beef tzimmes (basically my vegetarian tzimmes with big, tender chunks of beef cooked into it); Roasted Butternut Squash, Marcona Almond and Pomegranate Salad which is a spectacular celebration of fall; the Lacy Potato Kugel I've been making at every holiday since I fell in love with it; steamed green beans tossed with lemon oil; a pareve gluten-free Honey Cake drizzled with local honey and topped with slivers of toasted almonds; and ginger-poached pears (recipe forthcoming) which truly surprised me by stealing the show. Oh, and P.S. I also made gluten-free challah!

I based this recipe roughly upon Sara Nussbaum's gluten-free challah recipe, which Ellen posted her version of a while back. Is this the perfect gluten-free challah, that Jewish celiac equivalent of a holy grail which tastes just like what you remember from your childhood? No, it's not perfect - It's a work in progress. But is it delicious? Oh yes, it most certainly is. It turned out more challah-like than I expected, and it was delicious dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah and made into the loveliest challah French toast in the days that followed.

To get the most challah-like texture without gluten, you need to have a dough with a high liquid content, which would be more like a batter than a dough and thus unable to be handled. This is why most gluten-free challah recipes can't be braided. Most gluten-free recipes that I've seen which create braid-able doughs use dough conditioners that are not easily available / kosher. Making a bread pareve further impacts the moisture. So, in order to make a bread I could shape into something vaguely resembling a traditional shape, I used far less liquid than your usual GF bread recipe would call for. The result is a dough that can be (very carefully) handled, perhaps even braided by a very skilled and well-greased hand - But this also resulted in a bread that was quite a bit less moist than what I'm used to. It was absolutely wonderful when it was still warm out of the oven, but after it cooled completely, I found it needed some light toasting to restore its texture.

I created it in a pull-apart challah style. You can see Bureka Boy's photographs of what a gluten-y pull-apart challah looks like here. It's obvious from my photos that the pull-apart idea didn't really work with this dough, but that forming the challah from balls of dough helped give the top of the bread the bumpy shape that looks similar to how braided round challahs appear. If you don't care how your challah looks, skip that step and just pour the dough into the cake pan at once, smooth the top, glaze it, and bake it.

I considered not sharing this recipe until I improved upon it, but I realized there is no reason to not let you in on my process. The journey that a recipe goes through as it is perfected is often a long one, and I will keep you posted as I improve upon this recipe in the coming months.

It was so nice to get to eat challah along with everyone else on Rosh Hashanah this year. It made me feel downright almost normal. (Yes, even weirdos can occasionally feel normal.)



GLUTEN-FREE CHALLAH

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Soy-Free /
Vegetarian / Pareve ]

1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/4 cup Vance's Foods DariFree Original Powder (or other powdered non-dairy milk substitute)
1 Tbsp guar gum
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dry potato flakes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
4 eggs + 1 extra egg yolk (at room temperature)
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp water, for glaze
1/3 cup raisins (optional)
Poppy or sesame seeds (optional)
Baking spray / vegetable oil spray (non-dairy)

Turn oven on 200 F for 10 minutes, then turn oven off. Mix yeast and sugar with warm water in a small bowl. Cover with tin foil, and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the top becomes bubbly.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine cornstarch, white and brown rice flours, tapioca starch, guar gum, salt, baking powder, powdered non-dairy milk and potato flakes. Add yeast mixture, oil, honey and eggs (except for reserved egg glaze). Blend thoroughly on high speed. If you are adding raisins, fold them in with the mixer set to a low setting until they are evenly dispersed throughout the dough.

Grease an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan (preferably silicone). Spray baking spray all over the palms of your hands, and place a ball of dough of about 3" diameter in the center of the cake pan. Continue to roll dough into balls, placing them in concentric circles around the center ball until they reach the edge of the cake pan. Do not pack them in too tightly, they should touch each other but some spaces should be visible. The dough is very sticky, so you will need to spray oil on your hands frequently in order to be able to handle the dough and roll it into balls (if you get too much dough sticking to your hands, wash them off, dry them, and re-oil them).

Using a pastry brush, brush half of the egg glaze over the top of the dough. Cover with a dish cloth and place in oven, which should still be warm but should not be on. Allow to rise for 1 hour. It should rise to the top of the cake pan or higher.

Remove the pan from the oven, and set oven to 350 F. Remove the towel from the pan, and brush the remaining egg glaze on the dough. Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired. Return pan to oven, uncovered. Bake for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for another 25 minutes.

Allow bread to cool slightly before transferring it to a cooling rack. Eat while warm, or slice and toast it. Will keep for up to a week at room temperature in a ziploc storage bag, or you can slice and freeze it for longer storage.

Gluten-Free Rosh Hashanah Recipe Roundup 2007

In the spirit of my Gluten-Free Passover Roundup 2007, I thought I'd put together a Rosh Hashanah version. Rosh Hashanah doesn't have any of the food restrictions of Passover, so this holiday doesn't leave most of us in the same kind of panic over finding gluten-free foods to eat. Yet menu planning is always a challenge, especially when cooking for guests, as many of us do this time of year. I hope this will help a bit. Here are some ideas, from my blog and other websites, of foods for your holiday table. You'll notice an emphasis on sweet foods, leeks, carrots, honey, round-shaped foods, etc. Here is an article about Rosh Hashanah food customs, if you're curious.

GLUTEN-FREE
ROSH HASHANAH RECIPES

Codes:

P = Parve (no dairy, no meat)
M = Meat (fleischig)
D = Dairy (milchig)
V = Vegan (no meat, fish, eggs or dairy)
VG = Vegetarian dishes containing dairy or eggs

SNACKS & HORS D'OEUVRES
Sugar & Spice Pecans (P, VG)
Vegetarian Chopped Liver (P, V)
Fig & Pomegranate Tapenade (P, V)

SOUPS & APPETIZERS
Isaiah's Victorious Vegetable Stock (P/D, V/VG)
Sephardic Leek Soup (M)
Hot Beet Borscht (P, V)
Butternut Squash Soup (P, V)
Potato Kneidlach (P, VG)
Gluten-Free Mock Matzo Balls (P, VG)
Beat, Bean and Apple Salad (P, V)
Roasted Butternut Squash, Marcona Almond & Pomegranate Salad (P/D, V/VG)

MAIN DISHES
Beef Tzimmes with Butternut Squash (M)
Apple-Glazed BBQ Chicken (M)
Whole Fish Emeril-Style (P)
Gluten-Free Blintzes (D/P, VG)
Chicken with Pomegranate Glaze & Fresh Mint (M)
Prassokoftedes (Potato-Leek Fritters) (P, VG)
Gluten-Free Knishes (D, VG)
Southwestern Tsimmes Stuffed in Chiles (P, V with Honey)
Leg of Lamb with Pomegranate (M)
Tzimmes (P, V with honey)
Herb-Stuffed Trout with Vegetable Kabobs (P)
Rolled Cabbage (M)
Poached Fish with Pomegranate Sauce (P)
Chicken with Fresh Figs (M)
Sweet Brisket (M)
Parsnip & Carrot Confetti Latkes (P, VG)
Roasted Squash with Potatoes (D, VG)
Pomegranate Tofu (P, V)
Jewish Grandma's Best Beef Brisket (M)

SIDE DISHES
Noodle Kugel (P, V with honey, dairy option)
Winter Squash with Caramelized Onions (P, V)
Fried Leeks with Tarragon Vinegar (P, VG)
Carrot Leek and Apple Bake (D, VG)
Honeyed Nahit (Chickpeas) (M)
Pomegranate Glazed Green Beans & Portobellos
Sephardic Black Eyed Peas (P, V)
Sweet Potato and Spiced Apple Casserole (D, VG)
Holy Carrots (D, VG)
Algerian Green Beans with Almonds (P, V)
Gluten-Free Kasha Varnishkes (M)
Carrot Souffle (P, VG)
Caramelized Butternut Squash (D, VG)
Lacy Potato Kugel (P, VG)
Zucchini with Currants and Almonds (P, V)

BREAD
Gluten-Free Challah I (D, VG)
Gluten-Free Challah II (D, VG)
Rosemary and Olive Sweet Potato Bread (P, VG)

DESSERT
Gluten-Free Honey Cake (Version 2.0)(P)
Gluten-Free Honey Cake (Version 1.0) (D)
Honey & Ginger Cake (D, VG)
Baked Apples (D, VG)
Fig-Bar Cookies (D, VG)
Fruit Compote (P, V)
Bosc Pears with Pomegranate Glaze (P, V)
Pomegranate Tapioca (P, V)
Spiced Dates with Mascarpone Cheese (D, VG)
Pumpkin Creme Brulee (D, VG),
Candy Apples (P, V)
Apple Crisp (D, VG)

BEVERAGES
Mulled Fall Fruit Cider (P, V)
Pomegranate Martini (P, V)
Tej (Ethiopian Honey Wine) (P, V with honey)


L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevu!

[Apples & honey image is from imgmag]