Mini Margarita Cheesecakes

Gluten Free Mini Margarita Cheesecakes

Inspiration often strikes when you least expect it.  In this case my daughter was holding up a small pale yellow and green potholder.  Moments earlier her nimble fingers had been weaving colored nylon loops with painstaking precision.  Upon closer inspection of the four inch square, I could see that she had methodically planned out the pattern that was executed meticulously.   She rolled her eyes as I sang the praises of her brilliant work.  “It was easy”, she said.   Then she asked if I wanted to use it in my next photo shoot.  How could I refuse an offer like that?   My mission was clear.  I needed to find something that would be small enough not upstage the true star of this show.  The recipe also needed to contain colors that would compliment her work.  I swear that potholder began to speak to me.  Actually it was screaming … LEMON-LIME.  Lo and behold, the Mini Margarita Cheesecake was conceived. 

Crust Ingredients:

• 5 oz of gluten free Shortbread  Cookies ( crushed)
• 2 tbs Butter (melted)                           

Filling Ingredients:

• 2   8oz packages cream cheese (softened)
• 3/4 cup sour cream  
• 1/3 cup sugar
• juice of 1 lemon & 1 lime
• zest of ½ lemon and ½ lime

Topping Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• less than 1/8 tsp salt
• zest of ½ lemon and ½ lime

Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Place 12 liners into a cupcake tin. 
2. Crush the shortbread cookies into crumbs then mix the crumbs, and melted butter together in a small bowl.
3. Evenly divide the crust mixture into the cupcake liners.  A small flat bottomed glass can help in pressing the crumbs into place. 
4. In a large bowl add the sugar, ½ of the lemon & lime zests as well as the juice of the lemon and lime.  Stir to allow the sugar to dissolve.  Add the cream cheese and sour cream and mix thoroughly until you have a very smooth mixture.   You could use an electric mixer but if the cream cheese is fully softened it’s pretty easy to mix by hand.
5. Evenly divide the mixture among the twelve liners.  Use the back of a spoon to gently smooth out the tops.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours.  If you can make them a day ahead that’s even better to give them plenty of time to set.
6. While they are chilling, combine 2 tbs of sugar with less than 1/8 tsp of salt then stir in the remaining lemon and lime zests.  Sprinkle the tops of each cheesecake with a bit of the flavored sugar.  I like to wait until the last minute so that the sugar maintains its crunchy crystalline texture.

Gabi holding the inspiration behind the dessert.

In the end I saw several parallels between the potholder and the cheesecakes.  They both looked more complicated to make than they actually were.  They were both strikingly beautiful in their close-up shots.  And last but not least, they will both evoke delicious memories for years to come.  Thank you for the inspiration Gabi.

Chocolate Chili Spiced Truffles

It seems everyone is looking to beat the summer heat.  People are dashing towards swimming pools and ice cream stands trying to escape the rising temperatures.  But I thought maybe just for today we could abandon that fight and embrace those climbing temperatures.  Maybe we could even borrow a bit of inspiration from this scorching season to flavor a dark chocolate indulgence.  If we just add a bit of cinnamon and some fiery chili we could push our taste buds to the outer limits of reason.  Relax the spices are entirely optional so if you’re not the type that likes to indulge in the extremes of flavor then by all means leave the spices by the curbside.  Maybe while you’re out there the ice cream truck will drive by to rescue you.

Ingredients for the Truffles:

8 oz Dark Chocolate (60% - 80% cocoa solids)

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Ingredients for the mixture to roll the Truffles:

1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa

2 tbs Confectioner’s Sugar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon, 

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepepr 

Video Instruction:

Chop up all of the chocolate into small slivers, place it in a medium bowl and sprinkle the cinnamon and cayenne over the chocolate pieces.   Now heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just comes to a boil. Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the bowl with the chocolate.  Let it stand for 2-3 minutes to give the chocolate some time to melt then stir until you have a very smooth glossy mixture.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2- 4 hours until the mixture sets. 

While the truffle mixture chills, combine the cocoa, confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, in a small bowl then set it aside.  The spices are optional.  If you’d prefer your chocolate unadulterated then by all means omit the spices. 


When the truffle mixture comes out of the fridge use a spoon or small scooper to dig out rounded teaspoon sized portions and drop them into the cocoa mixture.  Roll them into the desired round shape and then they are ready to serve.

On a hot summer day,  I find these truffles go especially well with a tall glass of iced coffee. Of course if you'd prefer some chilled Champagne, who am I to argue.    

Focaccia Style Pizza

In case you haven’t noticed, quite a few of my recipes lately have included Gluten Free Bisquick.  Over the years I’ve often turned to this classic baking mix to whip up a quick coffee cake or a fluffy stack of pancakes.  Last year when Bisquick announced a gluten free variety I was pretty excited.  Although I must admit, I was not too thrilled about paying $6.50 for a one pound box of the gluten free variety but at least I would have my old buddy back on the pantry shelves.  As you can imagine, when it went on sale at my local store, I stocked up on several boxes.  That brings us to the gluten free pizza experiment I executed today after discovering a recipe on the side of the box.  The dough was very easy to prepare.  The pizza - focaccia was remarkably delicious.  Did you notice I had  a bit of trouble calling this a pizza?  You see, the crust in the final product was almost more of a crisp quick bread type crust rather than a chewier, more glutinous doughy type crust that I normally associate with pizza.  Nonetheless the pie was fantastic.  I could easily see myself serving this at a brunch. Maybe I’d make small individual pizzas and add a few paper thin ribbons of prosciutto just as it came out of the oven.  It might even be spectacular with a fried or poached egg on top. I’d definitely serve this to a gathering of foodies, gluten free or otherwise.    

Ingredients for the Crust:

1 & 1/3 cup Gluten Free Bisquick

1/2 cup Water (optionally you could add a few tbs of wine to the water)

1/3 cup Olive Oil

2 Beaten Eggs

Ingredients for the Anchovy Pesto:

1 Clove of Garlic

3 Anchovy Fillets

About 10 basil leaves

Red Pepper Flake to taste

Zest of  1 lemon

2-3 tbs of olive oil

Video Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

For the crust, in a medium bowl, add the eggs, water, olive oil, and GF Bisquick and stir until thoroughly combined.  Spread the mixture into a greased 11-12 inch round pizza or cake pan.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. 

When it comes out of the oven, it’s perfectly normal for the surface to have a few cracks.  At this point top it with your favorite sauce, and whatever cheese or toppings you’d like.  I topped mine with sliced plum tomatoes, provolone cheese, and an anchovy pesto. 

For the pesto I used a mortar and pestle to crush the: garlic, anchovy fillets, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest before stirring in a few tablespoons of olive oil.  This mixture was then spread over the warm crust before topping it off with the cheese and tomato slices.  Then I sprinkled on a little thyme and a drizzle of olive oil before returning the pizza to a 425 degree oven to cook for another 15 minutes.

When the pizza came out of the oven I let it cool down for a few minutes before removing it from the pan.  Right before serving, sprinkle on some ribbons of fresh basil if you'd like .  I'm sure that if you give this recipe a try you'll enjoy it as much as I did.  

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pancakes

These gluten free sweet potato pancakes are perfect for breakfast lunch or dinner.  It’s the middle of July and the temperatures here in the northeast are hovering in the mid 90’s so it might seem absurd that I’m blogging about a holiday spiced pancakes.  Alright, maybe this wouldn’t be my first choice for lunch in July but I had some roasted sweet potatoes leftover in the fridge and I wanted to put them to good use.  So, like any self respecting budget wise cook might do, I decided to mash them and whip up a small batch of holiday spiced pancakes.  This recipe is like Christmas in July recipe.        

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/8 cup heavy cream (you could replace this with oil or melted butter)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2/3  cup gluten free Bisquick *

* If you don’t have gluten free pancake mix in the pantry you could replace it with:  

1/3 c rice flour, 1/3 cup potato starch, 1/4 tsp Gluten free baking powder & 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Whisk the milk, egg, heavy cream, sweet potato, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl until the mixture is well combined.   
2. Add the Bisquick and stir until it is well incorporated with the liquid ingredients but don’t over-mix. 
3. Add some butter to a nonstick skillet or griddle and heat to medium-low.  
4. Drop about ¼ cup measures into the pan.  Cook the pancakes fairly slowly to allow them plenty of time to rise and become fluffy before getting too dark on the surface.  Let them cook for 3-5 minutes on the first side or until the pancakes begin to look dry and large bubbles begin to rise to the surface then flip and cook on the second side for a minute or two before they are ready to serve. 

I like to add butter and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.  Or you could serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you really want to cool things down on a hot summer day.  Give this one a try and call it Christmas in July. 

This recipe will make about a half dozen 3-4 inch pancakes but you can easily double or triple this as needed.   

  

Shrimp Fra Diavolo With Creamy Polenta

Shrimp Fra Diablo with Polenta

This modern take on shrimp and grits came to me as I was rifling through my cluttered freezer trying to dream up an idea for a quick lunch.  I spotted a small Ziploc bag containing several lonely looking shrimp.  Instantly I began to crave a plate of spicy Shrimp fra Diavolo.  I could just see those long strands of linguine drenched in fiery sauce twirling around my fork before spearing into a plump juicy shrimp.  The only problem was that I didn’t have any gluten free pasta in the pantry.  Nor did I feel like making a batch of homemade pasta at that point.  Feeling defeated I began to poke around the freezer again when I was struck with an idea.  Shrimp and grits is a classic pairing in the south and polenta is the same thing as grits so why not merge the southern Italian classic, Shrimp Fra Diavolo with creamy polenta instead of linguine.   And so, my lunch was born.  Its name may have originated in the pits of hell but oh how I heard the angels singing while I was eating this one.   

Ingredients for the Polenta:

• 1 cup water
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup instant polenta

Ingredients for the Shrimp Fra Diavolo:

• 4 oz shrimp (peeled & deveined)
• Sea salt & red pepper flakes to taste 
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 serrano pepper (seeded and diced)
• 1 clove garlic (peeled and sliced)
• ½ cup marinara sauce
• 1-2 oz red wine (white if you don’t want to discolor the shrimp)
• fresh basil

Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. To make the polenta, add the water, salt, and butter to a small saucepan and place it on a medium heat.  When the liquid comes to a boil, add the polenta and lower the heat.  Stir the polenta as it simmers for 3-5 minutes then turn off the heat, cover the pot and set it aside while you make the shrimp.
2. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and red pepper flakes.  Heat a skillet to medium-high then add the olive oil, shrimp, garlic and Serrano peppers.  Once the shrimp has sautéed for two minutes on the first side, turn them and allow them to cook for one minute on the second side before adding the wine.  After another minute add the marinara sauce.  Simmer for an additional minute then turn it off. 
3. To serve, spoon the polenta onto a plate.  Top it off with the shrimp mixture then add some ribbons of basil, a few more red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil to finish it off.   

Notes:  The amounts written in this recipe are enough for one large entree.  You could divide it into a few smaller appetizer sized portions or you could double or triple the recipe as needed.   

Brutti Ma Buoni - Ugly but Good Cookies

Brutti Ma Buoni Cookies - Gluten Free Ugly but Good Cookies

These cookies are a classic Italian delight that literally translated means ugly but good.  When I was a kid I remember the enticingly sweet aromas that drifted through the summer air from the bakery just down the street.  Sadly, we didn’t visit that South Philly bakery very often.   You see, my mother is an incredible baker herself so our home was always filled with delectable cookies, pies or cakes.  Besides that, my mom was a single parent raising three children without much money.  Nevertheless, when she was able to squeeze a few extra dollars from the family budget, occasionally she’d take us to the bakery.  I remember it well.  These brutti ma buoni cookies were all piled up behind the crystal clear display case.  I also remember running the other direction straight towards the sprinkle topped cupcakes or cream filled cannoli.  Please don’t fault me for avoiding these cookies.  I was only a kid after all and these cookies were frankly not all that eye catching to my untrained eyes.  As the years have passed, my tastes have expanded.  These nutty meringue based cookies are now one of my favorites.  They may not be pretty but oh are they good.

The Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups toasted almonds (finely chopped)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1tbs cocoa

Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat the egg whites until they begin to get light and foamy then slowly (one spoonful at a time)  add the sugar while the mixer is still running until all of the sugar is incorporated into the eggs.  
3. Add the cocoa, then the cinnamon and then the vanilla and continue whisking until the eggs form glossy stiff peaks.  
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in the almonds.  
5. Use a tablespoon or a small ice cream scoop and dollop the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet or silicone baking mat leaving an inch between the cookies.  Bake them at 300 degrees for 35 minutes.  Turn the oven off and open the door about 2 inches and let them stay in the oven for another 30 minutes.  Remove them from the oven and let them cool before removing them from the cookie sheet. 

Before serving the cookies, you might just want to take them to the next level of decadence.  I filled mine with a dark chocolate ganache spiked with amaretto to compliment the cookies themselves.  But I have to admit that served this way, they no longer live up to the ugly in their name.  Oh no my friends, these cookies are a thing of beauty now.   

Mini Plantain Pizzas ~ Perfect as a Quick Lunch or as an Hors d'oeuvre at Your Next Soiree

Mini Plantain Pizzas

In all honesty this recipe was born out of desperation.  It was nearing lunchtime as I wondered what I might throw together. I looked on as my daughter pulled two slices of leftever pizza from the fridge.  Needless to say, the pizza was not gluten free.  As she began to munch away, I began to feel a bit of envy creeping in.  Alright, so maybe it was full blown jealousy but would I allow myself to wallow in defeat? Certainly not!  Then the idea hit me.  Those starchy plantains that were sitting on the countertop might just make the perfect crusts for my pizza indulgence and ...QUICKLY!  Alas, the Mini Plantain Pizza was born.

Ingredients:

• 1 Plantain (just turning yellow)
• ½ cup of your favorite Marinara Sauce
• 2-3 oz grated Mozzarella
• 2 tbs grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Basil Leaves for garnish

The Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel the plantain and slice into about ¼ inch slices.
3. Toss the slices in a bowl with 1 tbs of olive oil. Then placed them onto a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with a nonstick spray and give them a sprinkle of salt. 
4. Bake them at 375 for 5-7 minutes. 
5. When the plantains come out of the oven flip each one over with a spatula then top them with sauce and the two cheeses then return them to the oven for 5-7 minutes.
6. When the Mini Pizzas are done place them onto a plate then garnish with some ribbons of  fresh basil and serve.  

Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread

Chocolate Banana Bread with walnuts

Banana Bread is perfect for breakfast or a snack any time of the day.  Alright so maybe you did buy a few too many bananas earlier in the week and now you find them lingering in the fruit basket with one peel in the grave.  

This is not the time for despair.  

This is the time for action!  

It's time to give those half dead looking bananas a new lease on life.  Those over ripe bananas will ultimately make the best banana bread.  The only thing that can make this sweet treat even better is the addition of rich dark chocolate.  Now go forth and rescue those bananas.  

The Ingredients:

• 3 Ripe Bananas (smashed with a fork)
• 2 Eggs
• ½ cup Butter 
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 ¾ cup G F Bisquick Baking Mix ** (see below for substitutions)
• ¼ cup Cocoa
• 1 tsp Cinnamon 
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips 
• ½ cup Walnuts

**If you don’t have GF  Bisquick I’d substitute the ingredients below:

(1 ¼  cups rice flour ,  ½ cup cornstarch,  1 tsp xanthan gum, 2 tsp GF baking powder)


Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl whisk the GFBisquick and Cocoa powder together then stir in the sugar and cinnamon then set this bowl aside.   
3. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, and vanilla, melted butter and mashed bananas. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is well combined but don’t over mix.  
4. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips then pour the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.   
5. Bake at 350 for between 60 and 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the banana bread for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. cool completely and serve.