The Bomb!

One of my favorite places to eat gluten-free, is PF Changs. For the last year we lived in a state, yes I said a state, that did not have one location. So, I perfected a copy cat version of my favorites, Mongolian Beef and Chicken Lettuce wraps. That got me to thinking of my favorite dessert, the Chocolate Raspberry Bomb torte. You know the little round, chocolate dessert, with the fancy vanilla and raspberry sauce. I'm happy to say, that last nights version tasted exactly like the one at PF Changs. The recipe is a little time consuming, as you are making two sauces that accompany the chocolate torte. This dessert is pretty heavy on the dairy side, so if you have that intolerance, you might want to try some substitutes. Here's the recipe:

P. F. Chang's Chocolate Raspberry Bomb Torte
serves 5


1/2 cup Butter
3 cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 Eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Vanilla Sauce

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 Vanilla extract
4 Egg yolks

Raspberry Sauce

1 12 oz bag frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons Granulated sugar
4 tablespoons Water

Fresh Raspberries for garnish


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate chips and stir occasionally until chocolate is completely melted. Do not over melt! Remove chocolate from heat to cool.
Beat 4 eggs until fluffy in a large bowl, add sugar and vanilla and mix well until sugar is dissolved.
Temper the egg mixture by mixing in just a few tablespoons of the warm chocolate. Add the remaining chocolate mixture, and stir until well combined.
Pour the batter into 5 buttered and parchment paper lined ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes or until middle of the cake begins to firm up. Remove and cool to room temp, then cover, and chill in fridge.

To prepare the vanilla sauce,combine cream with 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat mixture, stirring often, just until boiling, then remove from heat.(watch carefully to avoid boil over)
In a medium bowl whisk together remaining 1/4 cup of sugar,vanilla, and egg yolks until smooth. Temper the egg yolks by adding a few tablespoons of the hot cream mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and heat it up again, stirring often until it begins to boil. Turn off heat and cool for 5 minutes. Then a cover using a piece of plastic wrap laid directly on top of the sauce and chill in the fridge until you are ready for it.

Make the raspberry sauce by pureeing the thawed raspberries in a blender. Add 4 tablespoons of water to thin the berries . Pour pureed berries into a saucepan over cook over medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons sugar. Heat until mixture boils,remove from heat. Cover and chill.

To assemble torte, I like to transfer the sauces to a squeeze bottles.( I like the Wilton brand) I squeeze a thin line of raspberry sauce on the plate, followed by larger dots of vanilla sauce on either side. I carefully invert the baked torte from its ramekin,peel off the paper, and place it in the center of the plate. Top with fresh raspberries, and a little extra of the the two sauces on top.

Warning: this is very dense and rich, and I often have to share a serving with my husband! Enjoy!

Mini Cheesecakes

Well, it's back to school time again. And you know what that means, freedom, oh no, I mean baking! I love having free time, to tweak recipes and bake to my hearts content. I have been craving cheese cake lately, and was trying hard not to give in. Unfortunately my children don't eat it, so the hubs and I end up devouring the whole thing.
So I had the thought, how about mini cheesecakes? Maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty :)
Here's the recipe:

Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
Crust

1/4 cup crushed gluten free cookies or othe gluten free crumbs
2 tbsp brown sugar
a dash of salt
2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

Filling
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, brown sugar, and salt and stir to combine. Pour over melted butter and mix together with a fork. The mixture should look like sand. Place about a tablespoon of crumb mixture in each of the prepared muffin cups and press down with the back of spoon.

In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth and creamy. Then, beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

Evenly divide cheesecake batter between the muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheesecakes are set.

Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the muffin pan, then carefully transfer cheesecakes to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store finished cheesecakes in the refrigerator.

Magic Cookie Bars!

Are you ready for some messy, chocolatey goodness? I am!
I remember my mom making these "cookies" when I was a child, which got me to wondering, could I pull off a gluten-free version?
The answer is yes. With just a few modifications, you too can have this yummy treat. The substitution lies in the graham crackers.

I used a mixture of crushed Rice Chex cereal, and some doughnut crumbs, from a recent baking disaster. You can use just Chex crumbs, if that is all you have on hand.
I'm not sure if there are gluten-free Graham Cracker Crumbs out there yet,(there probably is and I just don't know about it) but it would make the recipe a little easier.
Doesn't matter anyways, cause this bar cookie is totally worth it! Onto the recipe:

Magic Cookie Bars


1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut


Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add butter to crumbs and press into the bottom of a 9x13 dish, that has been liberally sprayed with non-stick spray.
Open the can of SCM,(try not to eat it all)and pour evenly over the crust.
Sprinkle chocolate and butterscotch chips evenly over the milk layer.
Top with chopped nuts, and coconut.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Cool completely, and cut into squares.

Cinnamon Rolls?

It's been super cold here in South Dakota, so we have been inside, a lot. Of course, this has afforded me some time to refine more recipes.
I'm proud to say I have perfected my cinnamon roll recipe! The pudding mix is the key ingredient, as it helps bind the dough together, and makes it easier to roll.
This recipe makes 8 large gluten free rolls.


Icing:

1 ounce cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Blend all in mixing bowl, until smooth.


Filling:

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, very soft
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour ( I use a 3-2-1 ratio of rice flour, cornstarch, and tapioca flour)
plus an additional 1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 Tbsp rapid rise yeast
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry) OR dry milk powder
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla



Directions:

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix all dry ingredients until combined. Set aside.
Put water and margarine in a glass measuring cup and microwave just until the margarine has melted. Remove from microwave and stir. Add milk, stir. Add other wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
With the stand mixer running (using the paddle attachment), pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrap down the bowl if you have to.
Allow to mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Take a piece of plastic wrap or floured cutting board. Pat the dough down into a roughly squarish shape. Roll the dough out to a square approximately 8″ x 16″.
Spread filling mixture evenly across dough’s surface.
Starting along the long end, roll it up, forming a long cylinder.
Using a long piece of dark thread or knife dipped in water to cut into rolls. Place rolls in prepared pan, with cut side up.
Allow the cinnamon rolls to rise in a warm, draft free place for about 30 minutes, or until nearly double in size.
Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are a nice golden brown.
Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before frosting with icing.