Gluten Free / Vegan Voyage

I don't have to live a gluten free life, which is such a blessing to me because I don't really think I could if I tried.  This makes it more important to me to be able to create something so very delicious and authentic tasting for someone who is not quite as fortunate.
There are so many people affected by celiac who have to live a life free of wheat and other glutinous grains.  This makes it a challenge to create breads, cakes and cookies with that texture and flavor we all know and love.
Gluten makes dough pliable and fluffy and gives body to breads and cakes.
Wheat flour gives a lovely crunch to cookies.
Gluten is the magic that makes stuff good.
Or is it?
Likewise, vegans eliminate from their diets the very ingredients that also lend to the perfection of the finished product when it comes to cakes, pastries and breads.  What is egg challah without eggs?  What is a sponge cake without egg whites?  What is the custard in a Boston Cream Pie without cream and eggs???
And what happens when you combine these two restrictive diets and try to make stuff taste really delicious and authentic??
It came as a great surprise to me that I was actually able to conjure up some pretty delectable treats without the use of these products.
The more I study food, the more I realize how simple it is to come up with alternatives.
I have always had to observe a special diet of my own.  Since I was raised ultra orthodox, I had to observe the kosher dietary laws.  When cooking a meal containing meat, we couldn't use dairy ingredients...so making a steak with a sauce mounted with butter was just not an option.  And using lardons or bacon or any kind of pig product was strictly forbidden.  So we had to come up with alternatives.
I truly believe that this experience has made it easier for me to find alternatives in other areas of cooking and baking.

Pate de Fruit with a Twist

This week I played around with fruit and creating candy with it.
With delicious applesauce and berries I whipped up some delightful pate de fruit, but I found it way too cloyingly sweet.  So I sprinkled it lightly with citric acid and then coated it with some sugar crystals, creating a healthier and tastier version of a sour patch kid that an adult can really go ga-ga over...and still give it to their kids knowing it isn't completely junky and bad for them.
I made an apple guava jelly (but the guava flavor seems to have faded in the cooking process - so maybe more guava, less apple, next time around).  I cut those into delightful little birds and bears and also into squares and rounds.

Then I made one with a bit of applesauce combined with blueberry and raspberry puree.  I made some of them in little dome molds and then put the rest in a tray to firm.  Cut some into squares and the rest into rings.  I just had to try to recreate the Joyva jelly ring.
After the little gems had "cured" exposed to air for a couple of days, I tested them.  With the citric acid and sugar they were so tart, tangy and fruity.
Then I did the chocolate test.  I had no idea if it would work.

I melted the chocolate and then gave them a beautiful, silky brown bath. Then I set them on wax paper to  firm up. They looked pretty authentic. Then, the taste test...
PERFECTION!

The chocolate was just bitter enough...the jelly just fruity and sweet enough...the tart hint of citric acid...
Absolutely the best jelly ring I have ever let melt in my mouth.
What a sweet treat!

Sugar - A New Friendship Is Born

I never knew that there were quite so many kinds of sugar available.  I knew of several, but the entire gamut?  Well, I wasn't quite aware there was so much more.  I am not even sure I've acquainted myself with everything out there yet, but I hope to.
Sugar is my new friend.  Feisty sweet demon, it is...but I'm enthralled and I'm hooked.
Mind you, I have to be careful as I was diabetic many years ago (since having lost a great deal of weight my diabetes is still a risk, but not a threat at this point - as long as I do not eat sugar in excess).
White sugar, light and dark sugar are probably most widely available and popular.  However, I am discovering all sorts of other sugars like palm, date, coconut, etc.
I hope to share many new recipes as I test them, along with photos of the goodies I produce with them.