Apple Apple Apple Cake, Anytime

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Salts Kitchen

Half way through baking this cake, I panicked and told everyone there would be no dessert at Rosh Hashanah this year. A friend even rushed to the bakery to bring the “just in case” chocolate cake. My cake was overflowing, the inside wasn’t cooked through, and I lost hope completely when the taste on the testing toothpick was extra “gluten-free-esque”.

And then… I don’t know what happened but things made a miraculous turn. I was still skeptical when I served it after dinner, but people loved it, assumed it was gluten-full, and most folks even took a slice to go.

Then I got creative: I experimented on this cake over and over until I had so many amazing versions. My roommates certainly didn’t mind tasting this one again and again.

I should note that because I tested with this one so many times, there were also some runner-up versions: The pears tasted great, but sank to the bottom; the muffins were delicious but hard to eat because the pear/apple slices were big; more cinnamon was a winner, but not in my book; chopped fruit instead of sliced made things easy to eat with the hands; and oh so many other variations. These are all viable options if you feel frisky and want to change things up. But here is the final result in all its glory. It’s my favorite version, and I think it should be yours too.

Based loosely on BlackBird Bakery’s Jewish Stacked Apple Cake. 

Anytime Apple Cake
For the apples combine:
1 1/2 pound apples (about 4), peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt

Set apples aside and start the batter:
6 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups + 3 Tablespoons sorghum flour
1 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum
4 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons vanilla
almonds or walnuts for decoration, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Using a stand alone or handheld mixer, beat the eggs on high in a large bowl. In a steady stream, add the sugar and beat until frothy. Add the olive oil. Beat on high for another minute.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, combine orange juice and vanilla. Alternate pouring the juice mixture and the dry mixture into the egg mixture. Beat until the batter is nice and thick and frothy, about 1-2 minutes.

Grease 2 9-inch round spring-form pans, or 2 large loaf pans (or 4 smaller loaf pans as I did one time for gifts- adjust the time accordingly). Be sure to grease all the way to the top, as the batter may puff up that far. Pour the batter into the bottom of your pans, up to about 1/2-inch. Make one slightly overlapping layer of the apple mixture in the center, leave plenty of room around the sides as it will spread out. Pour another layer of batter, just enough to cover the apples, and repeat this process. The batter should be the final layer. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or almonds if using.

This cake rises, so be sure to leave at least 2-3 inches from the top. Loaf pans bake for 35-40 minutes. Spring-form pans bake for 45-55 minutes. The top should be nice and browned and crisp and the toothpick should come out with crumbs only. If it starts to get too brown, cover with tin foil for the remainder of time in the oven.

Let cool about 10 minutes and then turn out onto baking racks. Once completely cooled, cover tightly. This cake freezes well for a couple of weeks. It also works in the fridge for a couple of days. Or eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as I did.

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Apple, Caramelized Onion and Roquefort Galette

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Salts Kitchen

Oh yes.

Galette success. This was another one of those, “are you sure this is gluten free?” delights. A friend actually tried to smack the galette out of my hand when he saw me taking a bite, assuming I was about to poison myself. Nope, all gluten free, dairy free, and full of flavor. I think I found my new favorite savory crust. It’s an adaptation of the pie/galette I created a few months back and that was an adaptation of the pie crust from a Blackbird Bakery crust.

Since it was Rosh Hashanah, I wanted plenty of apple dishes. Tart apples go so well with sweet caramelized onions. Finca Pura Vida has been selling bags of their sweet onions so I grabbed 5 pounds of those and had more than enough for all of the dishes I created in the last couple of weeks. I decided to make two small galettes this time so it was slightly easier to work with. However, the dough held together so well I could easily have made this just one large galette. Because I had two though, I did a little extra experimenting and made one with roquefort and one without. I must admit I loved what the stinky sheep’s cheese brought to the table. I also think walnuts and chopped rosemary would be delightful next time (this time I used the rosemary just as a garnish). Perhaps when it’s not a Jewish holiday, I’d probably fry up some pancetta and throw that in with the onions.

The Crust
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sweet rice flour (mochiko)
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
8 Tablespoons earth spread butter
2 Tablespoons shortening
2 eggs, beaten
6-8 Tablespoons ice water
extra olive oil, an egg, kosher salt for brushing

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening and combine with your fingertips until the dough resembles small peas. Add the eggs and then 1 Tablespoon at a time of the ice water until the dough can be formed into a bowl with your hands.

Lightly knead the dough in the bowl, adding more Mochiko if it’s too wet to handle. Form the dough into a ball, or 2 if making 2 galettes, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for an hour, and up to 24 hours.

The Filling and the Assembly
2 Tablespoons earth spread butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
5-6 cups onions, sliced thinly
2 large crisp apples (I used pink lady)
1/4 cup blue cheese
1 long rosemary sprig

Preheat the oven to 400. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add the onions and saute over heat until completely soft, about 20-25 minutes (since it’s such a large amount). Peel and core the apples. Slice into thin slices.

Let the dough sit for 10 minutes before rolling it out. Roll out 1 piece of the dough at a time. Make sure to dust the parchment paper with the glutinous rice flour. Roll the dough and flip it over once (within the parchment paper) and dust the other side too. This will make it easy to move it over to the back of a cookie sheet pan.

Once on the sheet, pile half of the onions in the center, then half of the sliced apples. Crumble the blue cheese on top and then some of the rosemary. Now fold over each “end” of the dough. I like more filling to crust, so I pile it up, spread it out and then the dough does not fold all the way over. Some people prefer the dough to completely cover the filling.

Prepare the wash: in a small bowl, whisk the egg and 1 Tablespoon olive oil together. Brush the top of the crust and the filling thoroughly. This is extra important for gluten free crust: it keeps it moist and allows it to brown nicely. Sprinkle with fleur de sel or kosher salt.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees. The crust should be golden brown.

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New Year’s Chicken

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Salts Kitchen


I celebrated Rosh Hashanah with my sister and brother-in-law and their kids. Driving up to Round Rock, I called my parents and grandparents to wish them a happy new year. When I got there, we stumbled through the prayers, lit the candles, and then sat down to dinner. I won’t tell you what we had, mainly because it was the least kosher meal ever prepared and my sister made me promise I wouldn’t mention it on-line. After dinner we played, my niece danced, and then I got back in my car to head home and prepare the next night’s meal.

While I spent the holiday with my family, I wanted to have a celebration with my friends as well. It’s a good excuse to have everyone over and cook (I’ll go with any excuse for that really). The one thing I knew I wanted to make for sure was the chicken. As the numbers attending the potluck grew, I decided roasting whole chickens would be way too time-consuming and I’d be checking things constantly just as folks arrived. So I went for the fool-proof slow-cooking method instead. My hands would be free for wine and socializing while the chicken cooked. I could eat this for days.

Stewed Chicken with Prunes and Green Olives
5-6 pounds chicken pieces (I used almost all brown meat)
2 cups pitted green olives, rinsed
1-1 1/2 pitted prunes
2 small onions, about 1 1/2 cups, quartered
1 whole head of garlic, pieces separated, skin on
1-2 cups chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup arrowroot powder*

Preheat oven to 300. Sprinkle the chicken with salt on both sides. In a large skillet, brown both sides of each chicken piece over medium heat. Work in batches and set the browned chicken in a large roasting dish. About 2-3 pounds in, the skillet will be full of blackened bits: pour 1/2 cup of wine into the empty skillet and scrape up the brown bits. Pour the liquid into the roasting dish. Finish browning the remainder of the chicken and repeat the deglazing process once more at the end. The chicken should be in one layer and not overlapping. Crowded is just fine though.

When all the chicken is in the roasting pan, add the onions, garlic cloves, and olives. Pour 1 cup of the broth over the chicken and the remaining cup of wine. The liquid should reach about 1/3-1/2 way up the chicken pieces. Cover tightly with tinfoil or a lid and cook for one hour. After an hour, remove tinfoil and check on the liquid. If it has reduced below 1/3 of the chicken, add more chicken broth mixed with up to 1 cup of water.

Cover again and roast for another hour. At this point, the chicken should be almost done. Turn the pieces over, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour more.

When the chicken is starting to fall off the bone, remove from the roasting pan from the oven. In a saucepan, put 1/4 of a cup of the arrowroot powder and whisk in 1/2 cup of the chicken liquid. When the powder has dissolved, scoop as much of the liquid from the roasting pan as possible into that mixture. This should be about 4-8 cups of liquid. The sauce should be gravy-thick. If need-be, add the rest of the arrowroot and whisk well. Pour the gravy back over the chicken and let all of the juices blend together, this will thin it back out a bit.

Serve hot with lots of sauce poured over.

*A combination of glutinous rice flour and arrowroot also worked.

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Kale with Pecorino and Pine Nuts

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Salts Kitchen


On a recent trip to visit the family in Los Angeles, we went for a birthday dinner to Osteria Mozza. It was one of those 3-hour dinners where the food keeps coming and the wine is flowing.

I do believe I ate most of the kale salad when it came out. It had the perfect amount of lemon zestiness, mild anchovies, and it was topped with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and pine nuts. My version here is simply an interpretation of the heavenly dish that was served to us that night. It’s pretty gosh darn tasty if you ask me and I can eat a whole bowl of it in one sitting. I served the final trial of this at the Rosh Hashanah potluck at my house and it went too fast to save any for leftovers.

Kale Salad with Pecorino and Pine Nuts
1 bunch Lacinato kale
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
hefty pinch of salt
1/8 cup pine nuts, toasted
2-3 Tablespoons Pecorino Romano, grated or shaved
black pepper
mild or white anchovies, optional
1/4 cup raisins, optional

Wash and dry the kale. Tear away the stems by folding the kale in half and ripping the green away in 1 (or 2) tears. Bunch the kale together on your cutting board and cut into 2-inch strips. Throw in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Drizzle half of this mixture over the kale and massage well for at least a couple of minutes, making sure to work the dressing into each piece of kale. If you need more dressing after massaging for a minute, add the rest. If not, save for another day: the dressing stretches far and you don’t need much. Place kale in the fridge until ready to serve.

Right before serving, add the raisins and mix. Add the pine nuts and pecorino to the top, and the anchovies if using as well. Sprinkle black pepper on top and serve.

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Vietnamese Chicken Meatball Goodness

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Salts Kitchen


Returning from a vacation means there is likely nothing in your refrigerator. Depending on the time your flight, ride, or boat arrives in town you may not even have the energy or patience to search the cupboard to see if you can throw something or other together.

When I got home to Austin after another trip to Los Angeles, I needed to “cleanse” again: I can only eat so much prosciutto and bufalo mozzarella in one weekend. So I raided, I mean raided, my freezer. I uncovered and defrosted ground turkey, found some cilantro in the crisper that was just about to turn, and I decided to make Vietnamese-inspired Turkey Meatballs.

I tried this with both chicken and turkey and they’re both great. I’ve worked with the recipe to be sure they don’t fall apart and still have plenty of flavor. There’s also no bread crumb “substitute” which is great AND still on a Paleo (the brown rice is not necessary) and most Elimination Diets too.

Chicken and Cilantro Meatballs
1/2 cup short-grain brown rice, cooked
1 pound ground turkey or chicken
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot chili sauce (optional)
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2-3 teaspoons lime juice
pinch of salt
pepper

For the cooking liquid:
2 Kaffir Lime leaves
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
water to fill up to 2 inches in your skillet

In a large bowl, place the brown rice and mash with the back of a fork. The rice doesn’t have to be completely mashed, but just a bit broken up. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and with a fork or your hands, blend all ingredients well. Stick in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

In a wide skillet, place the cooking liquid and bring to a simmer/low boil. You do not need a rip-roaring boil. While the liquid is heating, form the meatballs with your hands. Roll them between the palm of your hand and the fingers of your other hand until you have about a 2-inch in diameter circle. Place meatballs in the liquid and cover with a lid. The liquid should go just about half way to 3/4 of the way up the meatballs. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Lift lid, flip the meatballs over, re-cover, and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. These meatballs are great right away, but will also keep in tupperware for up to a few days.

Serve as they are, in soup, on vermicelli, or over greens and carrots.

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Rich Chocolate Cake with Mocha Buttercream Frosting

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Salts Kitchen

When I was a child I did a lot of baking. Gluten-full baking. As I’ve mentioned, my mother is in the culinary world: there was no shortage of experimenting, new foods, tasting, chopping, and the like in my house. I often volunteered/got volunteered for the baking of the desserts. I’ve mentioned those amazing lemon squares I grew up baking, and one of the other standby recipes was a layered chocolate cake with mocha butter-cream frosting. It came from the Cafe Beaoujolais cookbook we had in the house for years and years. I remember making this for many birthdays in the house and I attribute my frosting skills to this cake- years and years of practice.

While I can’t actually make the recipe I grew up making, I finally found a recipe that comes pretty derned close. It’s delicious. It’s simple. And it’s a real live chocolate cake. Gluten and dairy free of course. The frosting is adapted from the Cafe Beaujolais cookbook. It was an experiment, and I’d say it worked. Oh holy delicious.

Another staff meeting, another birthday cake experiment. The cake recipe is straight Elana’s Pantry. But here’s the frosting:

Mocha Buttercream Frosting
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2.5 Tablespoon instant espresso
1 teaspoon boiling water
1 cup earth spread, softened
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk

Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water. It should make a thick paste. In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and the espresso mixture over low heat. Be sure to stir and don’t let the chocolate burn. Let cool slightly. Place all of the remaining ingredients in a food processor. Blend thoroughly. Add the chocolate and coffee mixture and blend. Chill until it is at spreading consistency, about 15 minutes. It keeps in the fridge for awhile if need be- bring back to just cooler than room temperature to spread.

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Roasted Cherry Tomato and Sausage over Soft Polenta

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Salts Kitchen

I made dinner recently for a fairly particular eater whom I’d never cooked for before- let’s call him The Writer. It seems he “wants” to be open to new foods, but I’m not really sure how deep that runs. No matter. I wanted to make something tasty, simple and that didn’t take a ton of effort. Polenta is a good standby for me because most people love it, it’s easy and it’s cheap. And the best part is that anything can go on top of it.

It’s the end of tomato season here in Texas: the tomatoes are no longer super sweet but they’re still plentiful. Roasted cherry tomatoes tends to be a good solution here. After running ideas past my sister, I opted to make a simple topping rather than a sauce and I was rather pleased with the way this turned out. I’ve done other variations of this, but in this version the flavors each stood out and there weren’t any ingredients hiding in a sauce.

I know the meal was appreciated, but I’m pretty sure since it was made in his kitchen and didn’t involve a plastic cover or a microwave, anything would be pretty exciting. I’ll post the ice cream soon enough: that may have been the best part of the meal.

Roasted Cherry Tomato and Sausage
Sauce for 2 cups uncooked polenta
2 pints cherry tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, whole
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 slices pancetta
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium shallots, chopped
2 mild Italian sausages (about 3/4 pounds)
chili flakes, optional
handful of parsley, chopped
grated parmesan cheese or pecorino

Preheat the oven to 400. Place whole cherry tomatoes in a pyrex dish, toss with 2 Tablespoons olive oil, the whole garlic cloves and a hefty pinch of salt. Roast in the oven until tomatoes pop and brown slightly: about 30 minutes. Turn the heat to broil for the last 5 minutes.

While the tomatoes are roasting, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Chop the pancetta into cubes and saute until browned. Add the chopped garlic and shallots and saute over low-medium heat until completely soft. Add a pinch of chili flakes if using. Remove the casing from the sausage (or buy bulk) and cook over medium heat until completely done.

When the tomatoes are done, toss into the sausage mixture. Do not mix much: it’s best to leave the tomatoes whole and not mash them around. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with pecorino and some parsley. Serve hot over polenta, pasta, or eat with bread.

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Green Curry with Eggplant, Squash, and Chicken

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Salts Kitchen


It’s no secret that I love Thai food. I could eat it everyday and likely never tire of it. Being in and out of town and full of obligations lately (not to mention being on the Elimination Diet), I haven’t had a meal at home with my friends for awhile. I wanted to cook but didn’t feel like making a big production or create a large mess so I went for a no-fuss, 1-pot dinner. This Green Curry fed 6 hungry people and there was 1 serving left for me for lunch.

Green Curry with Eggplant, Squash, and Chicken
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken
1 4-oz jar of green curry paste*
2 Tablespoons grapeseed, vegetable, or peanut oil
4 small Japanese eggplant (about 2 cups)
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 cups)
1 large piece lemongrass
3-4 keffir lime leaves
1 cup green beans or long beans (optional), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can of coconut milk
2-3 cups chicken stock
3 Tablespoons fish sauce (or more to taste)
1 cup bamboo shoots, rinsed
1-2 Tablespoons palm sugar (optional)
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup Thai Basil

Trim and wash the chicken. Cut into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Add the curry paste to the chicken and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Slice the eggplant into 1/4-1/2-inch rounds and place in a colander. Sprinkle a tablespoon of salt over eggplant and toss. Let the eggplant sit in the colander until ready to use. This salting removes some of the bitterness.

Peel the butternut squash, halve it, and remove the seeds. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the squash and saute for about 10 minutes. While the squash is sauteing, rinse and squeeze out excess moisture from the eggplant. Add to the pot. Saute the 2 veggies for another 10 minutes, until both are pretty tender. Add the lemongrass and the lime leaves. Add the chicken and the green beans and saute together until chicken is just about done, about 8-10 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and 2 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and add the fish sauce and sugar (if using). Simmer for about 20-35 minutes, until the veggies are soft. Add more chicken stock if you like it thinner. About 10-12 minutes before you’re ready to serve, slice the bell peppers and add them to the pot along with the bamboo shoots. Serve with a handful of chopped thai basil.

*I generally use the Maesri brand of curry paste found at Thai Fresh. I was out this week so I bought the commonly found Thai Kitchen brand. I find this to be not as flavorful, but with all of the ingredients and added lemongrass and lime leaves, it worked out well. It’s not as spicy as the Maesri brand, so have some chili paste handy.

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Zucchini-Carrot Bread for Amy

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Salts Kitchen

I have a friend in Austin who has the best laugh in town. We meet for coffee or breakfast every so often, but I don’t see her nearly enough. When we do get to meet, it’s about finding a place that caters to our gluten-free ways. And dairy. Last time we went to breakfast we had an okay GF pumpkin bread. I’ve been meaning to make my pumpkin bread for her for ages. I finally got the chance when I was invited to her baby shower.

Half way into pulverizing my almonds, I realized I had forgotten to buy the pumpkin. I decided to change the whole thing and add zucchini and carrots instead. I made 2 batches to make sure this worked, and I do believe it did.

Zucchini-Carrot Bread
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup gluten free oat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 Tablespoons natural sugar
2 Tablespoon honey
3 eggs
1 cup grated zucchini and carrots (half and half worked best)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. In a food processor, blend all dry ingredients until fine. Add the honey and eggs and blend. Add the grated vegetables and blend. I like most of the shreds to be completely pulverized.

Bake at 375 for approximately 35 minutes. The toothpick should come out clean.

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Arugula and Watermelon Salad

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Salts Kitchen


I cannot get enough watermelon this season. Two Happy Children at the Farmers’ Market Downtown sells the most amazing watermelons and currently I’m hooked on the Tiger Melon, a seedless yellow-flesh melon. Continuing on my merry way on the Clean Cleanse, I have been eating a ton of this refreshing and hydrating fruit. There are so many variations on the Watermelon, Tomato, and Feta Salad and the bite of the arugula with the crisp of the watermelon in this version make for a perfect snack any time of day.

Arugula and Watermelon Salad
serving: 1 large salad bowl
2 cups baby arugula, loosely packed
2 cups seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces
5-8 basil leaves
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
hefty sprinkle of pepper
pinch of good salt (I used fleur de sel here)

In a large salad bowl, mix arugula and watermelon. Tear the basil into pieces and toss on top. Add the olive oil and vinegar and toss lightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. And that’s it. Enjoy!

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