Cupcakes!

A lot of times with my gluten free baking experiments, I start by trying out someone else's recipe as a base (gluten free or not), then tweak and modify it until I get something better. But sometimes a recipe actually works so well it needs (almost) no modifications. These cupcakes I made tonight are the best I've ever had- gluten or not. The recipe is not mine, and is published in a cookbook that I don't have permission to reprint. But I can tell you, it is from Babycakes NYC, and you can find the recipe on Gwenyth Paltrow's website GOOP right here. I was amazed because the last batch of cupcakes I made had some of the same ingredients, but turned into bricks, unsuitable for human consumption.

I wasn't sure I believed all the hype about Babycakes, but the fans are right, this recipe is the real deal. Of course, one look at the ingredient list, and you gluten free bakers out there can quickly see that these are not cheap to make. Making these regularly could break the bank, so you may want to put this recipe in your special occasions folder. I hate to mess with such a good thing, but I'm already thinking of ways I could make this cupcake just as delicious, but more affordable. Stay tuned.

p.s. Besides being gluten free, these are refined sugar free (sweetened with agave and applesauce), dairy free and even vegan- or at least they were until I put cream cheese frosting on them!

Steak and (Sweet) Potatoes

Okay, here it is, simple, but delicious. While on our way home from the beach, I stopped by a little market I love called Harvest Fresh out in McMinnville. They always have this cut of steak I can't seem to find anywhere else called "Teres Major" which is sometimes called "Petite Tender". It's a cut from the shoulder and it is second in tenderness only to the filet mignon. It was on sale for $6.99 a pound, yes!

My recipe was inspired by Oba restaurant in Portland. They make a Cuban flank steak with boniato mash. Here's what I did:

1. Marinate 1 piece of teres major (about 3/4 pound) with the juice of 1 lime, 2 cloves garlic and about a tablespoon of honey for about 2 hours. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season with salt and pepper and sear the steak on all sides and then put on a sheet pan with a rack in the oven.

2. Peel and boil 1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound). When cooked enough to put a fork through drain and mash (or run through a ricer or food mill). Add butter (or substitute) and enough milk substitute (I used coconut) to reach a smooth consistency. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and a dash of cumin powder.

3. Thinly slice 1 medium onion and dust the onion with a mixture of rice flour and cornstarch to coat. Fry the onions in about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a medium skillet. Cook them like hashbrowns- allow them to brown on 1 side, then flip. Drain on paper towel.

4. Once the steak has reached medium rare (145 degrees) remove the steak from the oven. Let it rest at least 5 minutes, then slice into about 10-12 medallions. Serve with the sweet potato mash and top with the frizzled onions. I also served it with a compound butter (you could use a substitute) made with the juice of half a lime, salt, cumin and pepper.