Atlanta meets Alaska, Chile Lime Coconut Macaroons from 'Sweet Cravings'

Atlanta meets Alaska in this recipe from Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts for a Gluten-Free Lifestyle by Kyra Bussanich (Ten Speed Press, © 2013)

Chile Lime Coconut Macaroons

Easy, Makes about 21 cookies

I first met Brandy, aka Mrs. Alaska 2011, at the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Chicago. She was the emcee for a baking seminar I was teaching and, as a nurse practitioner with celiac disease, she was excited and knowledgeable about gluten-free lifestyles. When I found out that she missed her hometown of Atlanta, I started thinking about desserts I could make to give her a taste of home. They like things hot in Atlanta, so I tweaked my coconut macaroon recipe by adding a little cayenne and the citrusy tang of lime zest for some of the sweet heat that she was missing in Anchorage. Be sure to bake these until they are dark golden brown on top: they’ll still be moist and chewy inside, but the longer baking time ensures a crunchy counterpoint. If you don’t want the spicy kick, leave out the cayenne.

43/4 cups / 537 g desiccated macaroon coconut (not sweetened flaked coconut)

2 cups / 454 g sugar

1 tablespoon plus 11/2 teaspoons / 10.5 g coconut flour

1 tablespoon / 10.5 g freshly grated lime zest

3/4 teaspoon / 1.3 g cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon / 2.4 g salt

1 cup / 272 g egg whites (from about 8 large eggs)

3 tablespoons / 58 g honey

1 teaspoon / 5 g vanilla extract

CRAV Chile Lime Coconut Macaroons image p 48 (1)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut, sugar, coconut flour, lime zest, cayenne, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg whites, honey, and vanilla. Make a well in the coconut mixture and pour the egg white mix into the center of the well. Stir together until thoroughly mixed.

Drop golf ball–sized scoops of the coconut mixture close together onto the baking sheets. Bake until dark golden brown and set to the touch, 22 to 28 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet, then peel off of the parchment and store in an airtight container. You can make the “dough” ahead of time and freeze unbaked on the baking sheet for up to 2 weeks or freeze in an airtight container once they’ve been baked for a month (if they last that long).

(* Reprinted with permission from Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts for a Gluten-Free Lifestyle by Kyra Bussanich -Ten Speed Press, © 2013- Photo Credit: Leela Cyd)


Bosc, Anjou or firm Bartletts, Roasted Caramel Pears from Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook

Since Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell whole approach at Beekman 1802 is seasonal living, it only makes sense that The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook (Rodale, September 2013) chapters are built around seasons.

Today's recipe pick is from Fall chapter.

ROASTED CARAMEL PEARS

SERVES 4 

While decided not to use Bosc pears for poaching (page 156), we do like them when they're baked. Anjou pears or firm, unripe Bartletts would also work.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 

4 Bosc pears (about 6 ounces each), peeled, halved, and cored 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

5 tablespoons heavy cream 

Roastedcaramelpears

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the butter in an 8 × 8-inch glass baking dish and place in the oven to melt while it preheats. 

Remove the baking dish from the oven and stir the brown and granulated sugars and cloves into the melted butter. Scrape in the vanilla seeds into the dish and add the vanilla bean. Place the pears, cut sides down, on the sugar mixture and sprinkle the salt over the top. 

Return the dish to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then turn the pears over and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until they can easily be pierced with a knife. (Timing will vary depending on the type of pear and how ripe they are.) Let the pears cool in the sauce. 

Lift the pears out of the sauce and place on dessert plates. Remove the vanilla bean (rinse and dry it and save for another use). Transfer the sauce to a large skillet, add 3 tablespoons of the cream, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until thick enough to coat a spoon and reduced to 3/4 cup. Spoon the sauce over the pears, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cream, and serve. 

(* Recipe reproduced with permission from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell-published by Rodale-September 2013- Photographer: Paulette Tavormina)


Crisp, Chewy Gluten Free Pizza Dough Recipe From Vegan Pizza

After Chili Mac Pizza recipe from Vegan Pizza50 Cheesy, Crispy, Healthy Recipes (Andrews McMeel, September 2013) by Julie Hasson here's the dough.

Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

Makes 4 individual (9-inch) thin-crust pizzas

If you’re looking for a crisp, chewy, thin-crust gluten-free pizza, then this is your recipe. Part of the magic herein lies with the hard apple cider or gluten-free beer, which not only creates a nice chemistry with the yeast, but also adds a really lovely depth of flavor to this crust. This recipe was inspired by a gluten-free crust from the fabulous bread-baking duo of Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg.

1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (239 grams) white rice flour
¼ cup (30 grams) brown rice flour
1/3 cup (38 grams) tapioca flour/starch
1/3 cup (54 grams) fine yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons (23 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
1 teaspoon (3 grams) xanthan gum
2 tablespoons (12 grams) golden flax meal
¼ cup (57 grams) boiling water
1 tablespoon (9 grams) instant yeast, at room temperature
½ cup (112 grams) warm water (110° to 120°F)
½ cup (112 grams) gluten-free hard apple cider (alcoholic, not juice) or gluten-free beer, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (20 grams) extra virgin olive oil

Cover (1)

1. In a large bowl or a food-safe 4-quart plastic Cambro bucket, combine the white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour/starch, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and xanthan gum, mixing well.

2. In a cup or very small bowl, whisk together the flax meal and the boiling water. Make sure to mix it right away, or it can get lumpy. After about a minute or two, the mixture will become thick and viscous. Set aside to cool for a couple of minutes.

3. Sprinkle the yeast over the dry ingredients. Add the warm water, cider, and olive oil to the bowl or bucket, along with the flax mixture. Using a fork or wooden spoon, mix until the dough comes together and all of the flour is mixed in. Cover the bowl or bucket with plastic wrap or a fitted lid, and set in a warm spot to rise for 2 to 3 hours (or up to 5 hours), until doubled in size.

4. Bake as directed according to the recipe directions.

Variation: You can substitute sorghum flour for the white rice flour, although it will produce a softer crust.

Tips: This dough needs to be shaped into individual thin crust pizzas. It doesn’t work well as a large or thick-crusted pizza. Also, this dough is best used the same day that it’s made. Extra dough can be baked as untopped flatbreads, which are delicious! You can use this dough for most, if not all, of the pizza recipes in this book. Just remember to make thin-crusted individual pizzas with it. This recipe really works best with fine cornmeal. When you roll out your dough, use white rice flour, which will help give you the crispiest crust. This recipe can be doubled to make 8 individual pizzas.

(* Recipe from Vegan Pizza50 Cheesy, Crispy, Healthy Recipes by Julie Hasson- published by Andrews McMeel, September 3, 2013- all rights reserved)


Gluten Free Apple Upside Down Cake with Pomegranate Syrup from 'Nosh on This'

'No cookie, strudel, brownie, pie, cake, tart, or treat left behind' with gluten free baking from a Jewish-American kitchen offered in Nosh on This (The Experiment Publishing, September 2013) by Lisa Stander-Horel of Gluten Free Canteen and Tim Horel is about.

Fall is apple season so we'll start in the apple orchard.

Apple Upside-Down Cake with Honey Pomegranate Syrup

One of the strongest symbolic traditions celebrating Rosh Hashanah is dipping apples in honey. It symbolizes hope and optimism for the coming Jewish New Year. Apple upside-down cake made with honey is a wonderful way to honor that tradition. Adding pomegranate syrup to the cake makes it a perfect dessert for the second night of the holiday, when tradition says to introduce another new fruit in celebration of the upcoming year. Be sure to use pomegranate concentrate (100 percent pomegranate) and not pomegranate molasses, which contains additional ingredients. Flip the cake out of the pan when it is piping hot, because that is how you get the apples to stay with the cake and not the pan. Don’t forget to use those pot holders. 

Makes 8 servings

Baking time: 40 to 45 minutes

Dairy-free option available 

Nonstick spray, for greasing

Tart apples: Pippin, Gala, McIntosh, or Granny Smith

2 medium

fresh lemon juice

1 to 2 teaspoons

brown sugar

40 grams | 3 tablespoons

honey

42 grams | 2 tablespoons

pomegranate concentrate

2 teaspoons

Nosh AP GF flour

200 grams | 1½ cups

baking powder

1 teaspoon

baking soda

¼ teaspoon

kosher salt

¼ teaspoon

unsalted butter, slightly softened

130 grams | 9 tablespoons or ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon

or

shortening

96 grams | 8 tablespoons or ½ cup

granulated sugar

200 grams | 1 cup

eggs

120 grams | 2 extra-large

vanilla extract

1 teaspoon

water or milk

115 grams | ½ cup

lemon zest, freshly grated

5 grams | 1 tablespoon

HONEY POMEGRANATE SYRUP

honey, orange blossom preferred

100 grams | ½ cup

pomegranate concentrate

3 tablespoons

dark rum or rum flavoring

1 teaspoon

Nosh on This.Apple Upside-Down Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease one 8-inch round pan with nonstick spray.

  1. Peel and core the apples. Cut the apples in half. With the cut side down, slice several ½-inch-wide wedges—enough to form a ring in the bottom of the pan. Cut the remaining apples into ¼-inch cubes. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice over the cubed apples and set them aside. Place the apple wedges in a concentric circle in the bottom of the prepared pan with the points facing upward (remember— it’s an upside-down cake). Sprinkle with the brown sugar, honey, and pomegranate concentrate.

  2. In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt just until combined. In a larger bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, combine the butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, water, and lemon zest and beat to combine. Stir into the dry ingredients and beat for a minute until the batter is shiny and smooth. Add the apple cubes and fold gently with a spatula to combine. Pour or scoop the batter over the apple wedges. Rap the pan on the countertop to remove any air bubbles.

  3. Bake the cake for 25 minutes and rotate the pan for even baking. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until a toothpickcomes out clean and the cake is golden brown. Immediately run a knife around the edge of the cake and get your serving plate ready. Using pot holders (unless you have fingers of steel), place the cake plate over the pan and in one smooth motion flip it over. Wait until you hear the sound of the cake plop onto the plate and then tap the top of the inverted pan with a butter knife. Carefully lift the pan and if any apple bits are stuck in the pan, you can place them back on the cake while it is hot. This only works while it is hot. Let the cake cool completely before serving. Store, covered loosely, at room temperature.

HONEY POMEGRANATE SYRUP
Simmer the honey and pomegranate concentrate in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until beginning to boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, carefully add the rum, and give it a minute to thicken. Pour over the cake and serve, or slice the cake and pour over each serving.

(Recipe from Nosh on This: Gluten-Free Baking from a Jewish-American Kitchen copyright © Lisa Stander-Horel and Tim Horel, 2013. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold.)

Blueberry Brunch Table: Blueberry Boy Bait, Blueberry Ginger Hand Pies, Blueberry Caipiroska, Paletas

Want to make your Sunday brunch very blueberry, these recipes will get you started.

On your blueberry table, start with Nordic Blueberry Caipiroska (from 'Cocktails') add moist Fifties flavors with Blueberry Boy Bait by Cybele Pascal (from 'The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook').

Make your pies portable with Blueberry Ginger Hand Pies (from 'Vegan Pie in the Sky').

Leave room for a berry laden cocktail, Camden Hike by bartender Tom from Maine (from 'The American Cocktail').

Don't forget breakfast part of brunch with Vegan Vanilla Mixed Berry Muffins (from 'Flour Too') and Gluten Free Five Spice Berry Crisp (from 'Gluten Free Asian Kitchen').

Cheesecakeblueberry

Let's not leave out ice-cream and pops with Cheesecake Ice Cream (Pie) Sprinkled with Blueberries (from 'Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones') and also Paletas de Yogurt con Moras by Fany Gerson (from 'Paletas')

Now don't get an indigestion. Leave room for a little salad and eggs in between.

(* Illustration, 'Cheesecake Ice Cream Sprinkled with Blueberries' from Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker,  and Dabney Gough, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. Photo credit: Paige Green © 2012)


Appetizers to Lamb to Vegetarian, Slowly Organizing Our Recipes in 15 Categories

After sharing recipes for a few years, I thought it was time to find a way to allow visitors to the site to narrow their search.

We started today with 15 categories listed with their respective links in right column of 'Serge the Concierge' after mother category Recipes.

The 15 categories (listed in alphabetical order using model Recipes: Appetizers) are Appetizers, Baking, Chicken, Chocolate, Cocktails, Fish and Seafood, Gluten Free, Ice Cream and Sorbet, Lamb, Non Alcoholic Drinks, Pork, Salads, Soups, Vegan and last Vegetarian.

Some recipes like Chilled Tofu with Crunchy Baby Sardines are referenced in 2 (or more) groups for Tofu with Sardines both under Appetizers and Fish and Seafood.

Panelle-1 (2)

So far about 40 to 50 recipes have been updated to reflect this friendlier way.

We will add the rest as quickly as we can and hope to be done by September 1st, 2013.

Let us know how you like the change.

(* Illustration is photo from Panelle, Sicilian Fritters, Gluten Free recipe from The Country Cooking of Italy by Colman Andrews- Chronicle Books, Fall 2011- reproduced with permission of the publisher- all rights reserved- Photography by Hirsheimer and Hamilton)


Heatwave Proofed, Chilled Beet, Orange and Buttermilk Soup from The Animal Farm Buttermilk Cookbook

From Animal Farm in Orwell (Vermont), Diane St. Clair serves us some of her recipes in The Animal Farm Buttermilk Cookbook (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2013).

With East Coast heatwave still going strong, a cool dish sounds like a perfect first take.

Beet, Orange, and Buttermilk Soup

Beet and orange is a classic combination, but they can be almost cloyingly sweet together. With a bracing dash of butter- milk, you can enjoy the best of this combination but cut some of the sweetness. Sometimes I sprinkle fresh dill on top, for a different flavor profile. It’s a wonderfully refreshing soup on a hot summer night.

Ingredients:

3 or 4 medium red beets (about 1 pound), trimmed
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Juice of 2 large oranges
2 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Beetorangebuttermilksoup

1 Place the beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the pan to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer the beets until tender, about 1 hour. Drain and rinse in cold water.

2 Slip off and discard the skins. Slice the beets coarsely directly into a blender or the bowl of a food processor. Add 1 cup of the buttermilk and process until very smooth.

3 Pour into a large jug or bowl and whisk in the remaining 1cup buttermilk, the orange zest and juice, and the vinegar to your taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired when the soup is cold. Sprinkle with the dill before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Animalfarmbuttermilkjacket

(* Recipe from The Animal Farm Buttermilk Cookbook by Diane St. Clair -Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2013- Photography by Colin Clark- all rights reserved)


Shiso Sprouts in Refreshing Orange and Sumac Scented Quinoa Recipe from 'Full of Flavor'

Keeping it vegetarian on a hot and humid Monday with refreshing quinoa recipe from Full of Flavor: 18 Ingredients...Endless Possibilities (Kyle Books USA, April 2013) by Maria Elia 

Orange and sumac scented quinoa 

When I first tasted quinoa I thought the health benefits outweighed the taste. I decided this needed to change and experimented cooking it in flavoured stocks and fruit juices. Here's the result of one experiment.

Serves 4 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

120g quinoa

finely grated zest of 1 orange

240ml freshly squeezed orange juice

sea salt and black pepper

25g flaked almonds, lightly toasted

1/2 bunch coriander, finely chopped

1/2 bunch mint, finely chopped

1 avocado, diced into 1cm cubes

shiso sprouts, if available

2 tsp sumac, plus a pinch for garnish 

Quinoa

Heat the oil in a medium pan. Add the carrot, celery and onion and cook over a medium heat until tender. Add the quinoa and cook for 1 minute while stirring. 

Add the orange zest and juice, and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10–15 minutes until the quinoa is tender and the orange juice has been absorbed. Season with sea salt and pepper. 

Leave to cool a little before stirring through the almonds, coriander, mint, avocado and sumac. Garnish with shiso sprouts if available and sprinkle with a pinch of sumac. 

Variations

• I like to serve this with oily fish, such as mackerel.

• It’s also delicious served chilled with prawns or on its own.

• Great with chilli-roasted feta too.

• Try cooking the quinoa in apple juice instead of orange juice.

(* Recipe from 'Full of Flavor' by Maria Elia- published by Kyle Books USA, April 2013-  reproduced with permission- Photography by Jonathan Gregson)


Home Brew for Gluten Free Girl or Guy on First Day of Summer, Gluten Free Pale Ale from True Brews

After Mango Lassi recipe, here's a home brew for gluten free girl or guy on first day of summer from 'True Brews' How to craft Fermented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda, Mead, Kefir and Kombucha at Home (Ten Speed Press, Spring 2013) by Emma Christensen.

Gluten-Free Pale Ale

Makes 1 gallon

Target Original Gravity Range = 1.045–1.050
Target Final Gravity Range = 1.010–1.015
Target ABV = 5 percent

Going gluten free means giving up many beloved foods. Beer should not be one of them. Sorghum is the closest gluten-free equivalent to a base malt, though it’s currently only commercially available as a syrup. It tastes like a cross between brown sugar and honey, and it plays nicely with the whole range of hops. Other grains, such as buckwheat and quinoa, give gluten-free beers more depth and character. Be sure to use dry yeasts when brewing gluten-free beers since liquid yeasts are cultured with barley malts.

Yeast Starter
2 tablespoons sorghum extract
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons (1 packet) dry ale yeast (such as Safale US-05)

Ingredients
11⁄2 gallons water
11/4 cups / 8 ounces toasted buckwheat groats
21⁄8 cups / 11⁄2 pounds sorghum extract
2 tablespoons / .7 ounce / 20 grams Cluster hops (bittering)
1 tablespoon / .3 ounce / 10 grams Cluster hops (flavoring)
1⁄8 teaspoon dried Irish moss
1 tablespoon / .3 ounce / 10 grams Saaz hops (aroma)
3 tablespoons / 1 ounce corn sugar dissolved in 1⁄2 cup boiling water and cooled, for bottling

Gluten Free Pale Ale

Make the yeast starter 1 to 3 hours before you plan to brew. Sanitize a 1-pint canning jar and a spoon. Stir 2 tablespoons of sorghum extract into 1 cup of boiling water until dissolved and cool to room temperature in the jar. Add the yeast and cover the jar with a piece of plastic wrap secured with a rubber band. Give the jar a good shake and let it stand until needed. The starter should become foamy after a few hours, and you will see tiny bubbles popping on the surface of the liquid. 

In a large stockpot over high heat, warm 8 cups of water to 155°F. While doing this, preheat your oven to 150°F to 155°F to create a nice, comfy environment for mashing the grains. If you don’t have an oven setting this low, or don’t own an oven thermometer, just warm your oven for about 5 minutes on the lowest setting. Turn off your oven once it has warmed.

Remove the pot of water from the heat, pour the buckwheat into the water, and stir. Check the temperature of the mash with an instant-read thermometer. Stir until it reaches at least 155°F.
Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Halfway through, pull the pot out, stir the grains, and check the temperature. Maintain a mash temperature of 150°F to 155°F. If the temperature starts to drop below 150°F, set the pot on the burner for just a minute or two to warm it up again. If it’s too warm, stir the mash off the heat for a few minutes to bring the temperature down.
After 30 minutes, the buckwheat is mashed. Place the pot on the stove and heat the mash to 170°F. Hold it at this temperature for about 10 minutes. While doing this, heat the remaining 1 gallon of water to around 170°F in a separate pot to use for the next step.

To sparge the grains, set a large strainer over another large stockpot, your fermentation bucket, or another vessel large enough to hold all the liquid from the mash step, and place this in your kitchen sink. Pour the mashed grains into the strainer. The liquid, now called wort, will collect in the pot beneath. Slowly pour half of the warmed water over the grains, rinsing them evenly.
Clean the stockpot used for making the mash and transfer the strainer with the used grains back to this pot. Pour the wort through the grains again. Repeat this sparging step twice more, ending with the wort back in your original stockpot.

Add 11⁄2 pounds sorghum extract and enough additional warmed water to make about 11⁄2 gallons of total wort, measuring based on the size of your pot (a 2-gallon pot will be three-quarters full). The amount of additional water needed will vary depending on how much liquid the grains absorbed during mashing. Discard the used grains.

Bring the wort up to a rolling boil over high heat on the stove top. This will take 30 to 45 minutes. Watch for the hot break and be careful that the wort doesn’t boil over as this is happening. Stir the wort or lower the heat as needed.

Set a timer for 60 minutes and add the 2 tablespoons Cluster hops for bittering. When 20 minutes are left, add the 1 tablespoon Cluster hops for flavoring and the Irish moss. When 1 minute is left, add the
1 tablespoon Saaz hops for aroma.

Prepare an ice bath in your sink. Cool the wort to around 85°F, changing out the water in the sink as needed.

Sanitize your fermentation bucket and lid, the air lock, a long-handled spoon, a strainer, a funnel, and a hydrometer. Set the strainer over the 2-gallon fermentation bucket. If desired, line the strainer with a flour sack towel or several layers of cheesecloth (sanitized by submerging in the sanitizing solution). Strain the wort into the fermentation bucket. Check to make sure you have at least 1 gallon of wort. Add more water if needed. Take a hydrometer reading to determine the original gravity (see Brewer’s Handbook, page 16).

Pour the yeast starter into the wort and stir vigorously to distribute the yeast and aerate the wort. Snap on the lid and insert the air lock. Set the bucket somewhere out of the way, out of direct sunlight, and at moderate room temperature. You should see active fermentation as evidenced by bubbles in the air lock within 48 hours.

Let the beer ferment undisturbed for at least 3 days or up to 7 days, until fermentation has slowed and the sediment created during brewing has had a chance to settle. At this point, the beer is ready to be transferred off the sediment and into a smaller 1-gallon jug for the longer secondary fermentation.

Sanitize a 1-gallon jug, its stopper, the racking cane, its tip, the siphon hose, and the hose clamp. Siphon all of the beer into the jug. Tilt the bucket toward the end to siphon all of the liquid. Stop when you see the liquid in the hose becoming cloudy with sediment. Seal the jug with its stopper. Sanitize the air lock and insert it into the jug’s stopper. Let it sit somewhere cool and dark for 2 weeks.

To bottle the beer, sanitize a stockpot, a hydrometer, ten 12-ounce beer bottles or six 22-ounce beer bottles, their caps, the siphon hose, the racking cane, its tip, and the bottle filler. Siphon 1⁄2 cup of beer to the hydrometer and use to determine final gravity. Drink the beer or pour it back into the jug once used.

Pour the corn sugar solution into the stockpot. Siphon the beer into the stockpot to mix with the corn sugar solution, splashing as little as possible. Siphon the beer into bottles, cap, and label.

Let the bottles sit at room temperature out of direct sunlight for at least 2 weeks to fully carbonate. Store for up to 1 year. Refrigerate before serving.

( Reprinted with permission from True Brews: How to Craft Fermented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda Kefir & Kombucha at Home by Emma Christensen, copyright © 2013. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. Photo credit: Paige Green © 2013)


Potato Flour Saves Baker, Coffee and Walnut Passover Cake Recipe from 'Jewish Traditional Cooking'

With my very limited knowledge of Jewish cooking, I went back to Jewish Traditional Cooking (Kyle Books, March 2013 for US publication) by Ruth Joseph (a Welsh-Jewish author) and Simon Round to fetch recipes suitable for Passover.

Easy Passover Cakes

Passover, with its flour ban, creates difficulties for even the most adept of bakers, and many people crave inspiration.

Here are a series of traditional cakes, along with some new, more tempting ideas. 

Passover Cake

Begin with a basic cake and make it your own with a whole host of different flavors to choose from.

Serves 8

For the basic cake

9 tablespoons Passover margarine or butter

2⁄3 cup superfine sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

4 organic free-range eggs

2⁄3 cup cake meal

2⁄3 cup potato flour

11⁄2 teaspoons Passover baking powder

a pinch of salt

3 tablespoons milk or water

6–8 tablespoons jam of your choice superfine sugar, for dusting

Easy passover cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 7-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. 

In a mixing bowl, cream the margarine or butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs and beat in the yolks only. Sift in the cake meal, potato flour, and baking powder, and fold in carefully.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add a spoonful of the egg white to the cake batter and mix in thoroughly. Now fold in the rest of the eggs whites, taking care not to knock out any air. Spoon the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 35–40 minutes until risen and golden. 

After the cake has cooled, slice in half horizontally and spread the bottom half with jam. Replace the top half and sprinkle superfine sugar over the top. 

Variations 

Coffee and walnut cake (pictured)

Add 2 tablespoons instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water and 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts. Fold in before you add the egg whites.

For coffee frosting combine 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar with 11/2–2 tablespoons strong black coffee. Beat well and pour over the cake. Decorate with extra walnuts.

Lemon/orange and vanilla cake:

Add the grated zest of 1 lemon or orange and 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar. Cream with the margarine and sugar. 

Fruit cake:

Soak i cup mixed dried fruit in the juice of 1 orange or lemon until plump. Add with the egg yolks. 

Carrot cake:

Add 11/2 cups grated carrot, the zest of 1 orange, and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Add with the egg yolks. 

Almond cake:

Add 2 drops of almond extract. Cream with the margarine and sugar. Sprinkle the top with 1 cup sliced almonds before baking.

Lemon drizzle cake:

Add the grated zest of 1 lemon. Cream with the margarine and sugar. Combine 1⁄4 cup lemon juice with 2⁄3 cup sugar and pour over the cake when it is out of the oven. 

Chocolate cake:

Melt 6 oz Passover chocolate and fold in before adding the egg whites.

Cinnamon apple cake:

Spread the cake mixture into a lined jelly-roll-style pan. Top with 31/2 cups (1 lb) peeled and sliced apples. Sprinkle with 1⁄2 cup superfine sugar, and dust with 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon. Bake and then cut into squares. Serve with Kosher non-dairy whipped cream.

(* Recipe from Jewish Traditional Cooking by Ruth Joseph and Simon Round - Kyle Books, March 2013- reproduced with permission- Photography by Isobel Wield)