Baking for Brandis

     So I have a series of baking items here.  I have been intrigued, nay, inspired by some unusual forces lately.  In large part, the inspiration has been my neighbor, Brandis, who has developed an allergy to wheat.  In her case, this is not celiac the way I usually understand it, but suffice it to say, she has essentially eliminated wheat from her diet.
      In addition, my own health issues has spurred some interest into what we in health care term 'modifiable lifestyle' factors.  I can't exactly change the reality of the nasty medications I am forced to ingest, neither the doctor's visits and scans.  However, as I frequently inform my patients, I can change what passes my lips.  So, this funny fibrosis is supposedly tied to inflammation, and inflammation is tied to things like glycemic indices and diet.  Okay.  I am not so committed to the concept that I am prepared to forsake baked items and the like.  But I AM willing to pursue alternatives if they taste good.
     Don't get me wrong.  I am still going out to the occasional bakery.  And I am not going to turn down pie or cookies.  I will even continue to do the bulk of my baking with wheat flour, as it is logistically simpler.  But I do avoid bread more than I ever have, and other grains as well.
     Also, I disapprove of substitute food.  By that I mean things like tofu made into chicken substitute.   Or Splenda.  Even Stevia seems suspect.  I would rather go without.  Neither am I willing to eat a food item with odd off flavors in an effort to avoid something.
     Therefore, my foray into gluten free baking came with, shall we say, preconceived notions and prejudices.   But the challenge of baking for Brandis (it sounds like a children's book!) spurred me onward, and I have found some happy results.
      My first effort was a recipe that I found on another blog, La Pomme de Portland, for cookies.  These are essentially a shortbread cookie with chocolate drizzle.   The main alternative flour is rice flour, and these were fine.  There was a bit of an 'off' flavor, but not offensive to me.  I would recommend them, and you can take a look.  Bryce, however, rejected them.  Onward.
      I then put some thought into what gluten does and doesn't do.  No real scientific talk here, don't worry.  Gluten is the part of the wheat that creates binding.  So if you want to create that effect, like in bread, you want the gluten.  In some baking, this can be optional or unwanted entirely.
      Take for instance, my next effort.   This was an apple/pear crisp.  For a crisp, I look for caramel flavors and crumbly topping.  It's fine if it falls into pieces.  To this end, I took my friend Katie's crisp recipe, and just substituted almond flour for the wheat.  Voila!  The crisp was even better than the original (sorry Katie).  It was caramelly, crumbly and now had a nutty tone to it as well.  Perfect with fruit.  It passed the Bryce test.
      But now, the ante has been raised.   Thanksgiving is looming.   And that means pie.   Could I make a pie that would pass muster with all parties?   I turned to the local guru, who posts on Gluten Free Girl.  She is married to a chef, which, to my mind, means that all of the recipes she posts has to pass a very high bar indeed.  If you are looking for a gluten free resource, this is the one.  I used her flour mixture, and followed her advice for pie crust, making first an apple crumble pie (avoiding, therefore, the worry of a pie with a top).  Again, success!  Brandis, Robb and Bryce approved.  The next pie test was riffed off of a recipe in the most recent Saveur issue, for a pumpkin brûlée pie.  Again, success!  The crust makes up a little different (but not greatly) from one made from wheat flour.
     Ok,  but how about a cake option?  Once more, I turned to my list of blogs, this time The Year in Cooking.   There I found a recipe for polenta cakes with figs.  It's too late for figs, but the cakes baked up easily, and I hope to pair them with an apple compote.
      The encouragement I have gotten from these efforts makes gluten free baking much less mysterious for me.  It also reinforces that I should suspend my prejudices while simultaneously following the recipes of trusted cooks and bakers.  This doesn't feel like substitute food, in the same sense that there is brown rice and white rice.  Or wheat pasta and rice noodles.  It also makes me happy to give treats to those that have to do without, and know that the results do NOT feel like doing without.

Katie's Crisp Topping

makes enough for a 9x13 dish, or 2 8x8 dishes

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 c flour ( use whole wheat, or almond flour)

1 c brown sugar

1 c oats

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

Mix dry ingredients, then blend in the butter, until well incorporated.  

Use to top your basic fruit crisp.  If you are desperate for guidance in this area, cut up apples and pears, toss with 1 T lemon juice, and sprinkle with a generous dose of cinnamon and sugar.  Or substitute the seasonal fruit of your choice.   Some may require a thickener, like cornstarch, which should be mixed with the cinnamon/sugar before blending with the fruit.  There is your recipe.  

     The apple pie recipe here is a basic one, and as for the topping, brace yourself:  when I make the above crisp topping, I always make a double recipe and freeze the unused portion.  Topping here?  The crisp topping, pressed into service!  

     As for the recipes for pie crust and polenta cakes, rove on over to those sites!  You will be inspired, and may become a blog fiend like me at the same time....