(Gluten Free) Biscuits & (Dairy Free) Gravy

I have to admit, I got a little upset at a random friend on Facebook not that long ago. I don't even remember who it was, and I had no right to get upset. But they had posted something about going to Pine State Biscuits. For those who don't know, Pine State serves up (arguably) the best biscuits and gravy in town, and perhaps one of the best in the country. Pre gluten free I was able to enjoy Pine State a couple of times. The Reggie Deluxe is one of those vivid food memories you will never forget. So, when someone posts that they ate at Pine State, it stirs up memories, and makes me a little upset and sad.

I am happy to report that I am no longer mad that I can't enjoy biscuits and gravy at Pine State. I was actually able to make excellent biscuits and gravy at home, and you can too!

Step 1- Biscuits

You'd think making gluten free biscuits would be the most difficult step in biscuits and gravy. But I promise, it really wasn't that difficult. This photo is from the first batch of gluten free biscuits I've ever made in my life. They turned out nicely browned and flaky. They were soft, but with a nice crunch on the outside.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Spectrum Organic butter flavored palm shortening
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk (So Delicious) or other milk substitute
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1 cup gluten free flour mix
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Heat oven to about 425 degrees.

Blend the wet ingredients (shortening, milk, egg) in a food processor until incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until incorporated into a soft dough.

Using an ice cream scoop (preferably spring loaded) drop evenly sized portions onto a lined baking sheet. If you want a more uniform looking biscuit spray some pan spray on a round cookie cutter and put it over the biscuit then spread the dough out with a wet spatula until even.

Bake about 13 minutes or until browned.

Step 2- The Gravy

Sausage gravy is pretty simple, and it only takes a couple of adjustments to make it gluten and dairy free.

• 1 pound pork breakfast sausage (no casing- remove if present)
• 2 tablespoons white rice flour
• Dairy free milk- about 1 1/2 cups- you might use more if you like runnier gravy
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

In a large skillet on medium-high heat cook the sausage, breaking it up into chunks until it is almost fully cooked and the fat has rendered into the pan. Add rice flour and continue to cook about 1-2 minutes.

Add the milk slowly, about 1/2 cup at first- scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the good bits. Add the rest of the milk. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the gravy has reached the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3- Assemble and eat

It doesn't have to be pretty. Just cut a biscuit in half, slop on some gravy, and if desired, cook up an egg on the side. There you have it- gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free biscuits and gravy!

Updated: Caramel Sauce with a Twist: Refined Sugar Free and Dairy Free

Update: New and Improved Caramel Sauce

I'm sure some of you may have heard of Mimic Creme before, but I just discovered it the other day. This works much better for the caramel sauce than the previously used Soyatoo. And, as a bonus, this is now a soy free recipe!

1/2 cup palm sugar

1/2 cup light agave nectar

1 cup water

1/2 cup Mimic Creme (almond and cashew cream substitute, available @ Whole Foods)

Combine palm sugar, agave and water in a medium saucepan (don't use small it will bubble up). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Boil until most of the water has evaporated and the remaining liquid takes on a medium brown color. Remove from heat and stir in the Mimic Creme. Return to low heat and simmer 2 minutes until sauce is smooth. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. It will thicken as it cools.

Guest Review on Make Me Some Pie!

My guest review of Queen of Hearts Berry Pie is up now on my brother's pie blog- makemesomepie.com. Head on over and check it out.

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.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Lower GI)

I've been trying for quite a while now to perfect a chocolate chip cookie that is gluten free and has less processed sugar than other cookies. After experimenting with agave nectar, honey and date sugar, I finally remembered something I'd seen at a local Thai/Asian store- Palm Sugar. I did some research and found out that not only does palm sugar act more like regular sugar than anything else I've tried, it also has a much higher nutrient content and lower Glycemic Index (some report as low as 35) than most of the alternative sweeteners I've tried. Unfortunately, I've yet to find a good sugar free chocolate chip that isn't sweetened with grain (not gluten free), so the cookie still has a bit of regular sugar. The next step will probably be making my own chocolate chips. Try the recipe- you'll swear it isn't gluten free.

Flour mix:

1 part rice flour

1/2 part tapioca flour

1/4 part modified tapioca starch (Expandex- sub corn or potato starch if needed)

Recipe:

2 1/4 cups flour mix (see above)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon xantham gum

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups palm sugar (ground in food processor)

1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract

2 large eggs

12 ounces dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, xantham gum) in a bowl. Beat butter, palm sugar and vanilla extract in stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer until creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time until mixed well. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture gradually. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop about a tablespoon of batter per cookie onto a sheet pan.

3. Bake about 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy. Or move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely for storage.