Gluten-Free Recipes for Holiday

Marinated Mushrooms

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Fresh mushrooms cooked in an oil, vinegar, garlic, onion, sugar and herb marinade until tender and then left to absorb all the wonderful flavors. These mushrooms are not overly vinegary like store bought, but truly addictive as part of a salad plate, antipasto, side dish with grilled meats, etc. 

For Easter, serve these mushrooms with spiral, boneless, brown sugar spice ham (not sweet or spicy). My husband asked for the tiny fresh mushrooms to pair with cubes of cheese on a toothpick. 

Gluten-Free Marinated Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup oil (I use avocado oil) 
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoon light brown sugar
• ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper or 8 peppercorns
• 3 small bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 medium onion, peeled, halved, thinly sliced and separated
• 1 lb whole baby mushrooms, cleaned

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except mushrooms in a non reactive (stainless steel or non stick) saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Vinegar smells strong as it heats.
2. Add mushrooms, bring back to boil and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Mushrooms will shrink and produce liquid.
3. Remove from heat, pour into glass or similar non-reactive dish, cover and chill.
4. Allow to marinate for at least 4 hours.

Mushrooms are nicest served at room temperature. I also substitute 1 lb thawed pearl onions for mushrooms and cook for about one hour to make addictive onion relish/chutney. Great on French bread with cheese, anywhere. 

Orange Sauce

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

This gluten-free sauce goes well with an Easter ham, chicken, waffles/pancakes, over a cake or with ice cream.

In my wheat flour days, I had skinny sweet potato fries with a dipping sauce of roughly equal quantities of butter, maple syrup and bourbon—it was dangerously addictive. This is a gluten-free variation that my husband and I enjoy. I normally keep a container of concentrated orange juice in the freezer, transferred to a screw top container as it doesn’t freeze solid. I use orange juice concentrate in various recipes using orange juice for a more intense flavor.

Gluten-Free Orange Sauce

Ingredients:

• ½ stick, 2 oz butter 
• ½ c orange marmalade – I use an orange marmalade that has thin pieces of orange peel, not the expensive thick and chunky marmalade. 
• ½ c orange juice concentrate
• ½ c chopped toasted nuts
• 2 tbsp rum, brandy, orange liqueur, bourbon – whatever you like and can have. Optional but does give a lovely flavor. 
• 2 tsp gluten-free cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water. 
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Melt butter, marmalade and concentrate together.
2. Add nuts and rum, etc.
3. Simmer for a minute, add cornstarch and water mix, stir well, bring back to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes and then serve. This does reheat well, keeps in fridge.  Add it to the skillet of fried chicken, pork so it mixes with meat juices and sugars caramelize slightly. For meat, add some rosemary to pan or mint to go with lamb.

SMOKED SALMON SPREAD

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

This smoked salmon spread (pâté) has a very mild, subtle taste. Please use the tiny quantities of sherry and tomato ketchup listed. They are there to add flavor, not to overpower the whole dish. For correct quantities, measure the lemon juice, sherry and tomato ketchup together into a small bowl and then add to the food processor.  It is far too easy to pour huge amounts out of a bottle otherwise and ruin the recipe. I buy imported smoked salmon, it tastes quite different from American lox. I also buy smoked salmon from Ducktrap, a company in Maine.

Ways to Eat Smoked Salmon:

• It can be served with Irish soda bread
• Use it to make cream and smoked salmon sauce for pasta
• It can be added to scrambled eggs
• Use it to make a frittata
• Add smoked salmon to egg salad
• Serve on top of potato pancakes 
• blini with sour cream
• Throw it on slices of cucumber with dill mustard sauce
• Eat with slices of apple
• On top of a toasted bagel 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz softened cream cheese
• 4 oz smoked salmon or more 
• rind/zest of ¼ lemon
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp sherry or brandy
• ½ tsp tomato ketchup 

Directions:

Place smoked salmon in processor and run until chopped. Then add rest of ingredients and run until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, add fresh chopped dill, more lemon, dash of cayenne pepper or Tabasco if desired. The flavors will change as it mellows and matures. Leave for at least 4 hours before using.

For a special party, starter for St. Patrick’s day, Easter, Good Friday.  Line a 4 cup mold with plastic wrap, mix ½ brick of cream cheese with chopped fresh dill, spread into mold.  Top with salmon spread and chill. You can spread some red white fish caviar between layers and in middle of mold when you turn it out. Romanoff® Red Whitefish Caviar or Red Salmon Caviar is labeled gluten-fee.

Turn out onto serving plate and finish with sliced cucumber, slices of smoked salmon rolled up, sour cream, caviar. 

Lemon Snowballs

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

No, this isn’t a Girl Scout cookie lookalike recipe. These lemon snowballs actually came from a 1997 Lithuanian Heritage magazine. They were originally made with wheat, and I made them gluten-free. These are delicious and easy to make!

Gluten-Free Lemon Snowballs
Makes 20

Ingredients:

• ¼ c powdered/icing/confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp gluten-free cornstarch in one cup measure, add
• 5 oz (140 g) King Arthur all-purpose gluten-free flour blend to fill one cup. (this blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or baking powder. Adding cornstarch is a way of softening the flour blend, more melt in the mouth and tender, and a substitute for cake flour.)
• ½ c finely chopped, toasted almonds, pecans or walnuts. Bake nuts for 10-15 minutes in 350 oven, watch they don’t burn. Let them cool before you add them to dough. 
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ – ½ tsp xanthan gum. 
• powdered sugar to finish
• Zest or orange or lemon for flavor, optional

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350*F.
2. Beat 1/4 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla (and zest) together until light and fluffy.
3. Add flour with cornstarch, xanthan gum, chopped nuts and salt and gently mix until soft dough forms.
4. Shape into 1 inch balls.  I use small pampered chef cookie scoop about 1+1/4 inch diameter, 1 Tbsp quantity.  Number 60 should be carved onto circle that cleans cookie dough from scoop. Scoop, clean against side of bowl and drop cookie onto ungreased cookie sheet, two inches apart. I like to line cookie sheet with parchment paper.   I don’t bother to roll cookie into ball shape. They flatten slightly on baking, refrigerating before baking doesn’t keep the ball shape.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until light golden brown on the outside, still almost white in the body of the cookie but set to the touch.  Don’t cook until brown all over, tastes disgusting. This is meant to be like a melt in your mouth shortbread.
6. Remove from oven, remove from cookie sheets, cool slightly and heavily dust with sieved powdered sugar. I find when hot they are far too fragile to pick up. Cool completely.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Over Christmas, we had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. The menu had a flourless chocolate cake with strawberries, strawberry sauce and whipped cream. We bought one to bring home and share. The cake was bigger than a cupcake, but only tasted of bitter cocoa. Just cocoa doesn’t meet my criteria for a chocolate cake, so I made this version instead to satisfy our craving…

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soft butter or melted coconut oil 
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3 large eggs 
• 2 Tablespoon cocoa 
• 1 teaspoon almond extract 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• Pinch of salt 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F and spray pan—you can use a 1 x 9” springform pan or a cupcake pan. Line base with parchment paper or cupcake liners and dust with cocoa.
2. Melt chocolate and butter/coconut oil together until the chocolate is totally smooth.
3. Mix the rest of cake ingredients in a bowl, then add melted chocolate and beat for 2–3 minutes until fluffy. 
4. Spread mix in pan and bake for about 30 minutes for cake, 18–20 for cupcakes. Stick a toothpick or knife in the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s done.
5. Remove from oven and let cake cool for about 10 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack.
6. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before removing paper liners and adding strawberry topping and sauce.

Strawberry Topping and Liqueur Sauce

Ingredients

• Strawberries
  • Alternatives: fresh raspberries with raspberry jam, canned peaches (use the sauce from the can), can of pineapple (add brown sugar and rum to sauce)
• Sugar to coat strawberries
• 1–2 Tablespoon brandy, rum, amaretto, or orange liqueur (optional)
• 1 cup cream
• 2 Tablespoon sugar
• 1–2 Tablespoon liqueur

Directions:

1. Wash and slice strawberries, then sprinkle with sugar and leave for a few hours to produce juices. You can add 1–2 Tbsp brandy, rum, amaretto, or orange liqueur to strawberries for a bit of a kick. 
2. Mix 1 cup of cream with 2 Tablespoon sugar and liqueur, then whip until stiff.
3. Once cake is cooled, spoon some of the strawberries on top.
4. Puree any remaining strawberries and juice. Drizzle this around the cake.
5. You can spoon cream on top, or, for a fancier look, pipe with cream around the plate and around the cake (see photo above).

Coffee Walnut Cake

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

This is the same almond flour base I made in wheat flour days. Almond flour cakes are very common in Europe and naturally gluten-free. 

Gluten-Free Cake with Coffee & Walnuts

• Cake – single 8″ cake layer about 3/4 inch deep, with coffee butter frosting. 
• 6 tbsp (3 oz, 84g) very soft butter or coconut oil. I use coconut oil as my butter substitute in baking and prefer it to margarine style subs.
• 1+1/4 cup (4oz, 112g)  almond flour – almonds ground without skin (Trader Joe’s on line state that their almond flour -white – and almond meal – freckly – are gluten free and only $4.99/lb compared to other national brands except for Costco $4/lb for 3 lb bag, labeled gluten-free)
• 1/3 c (2oz, 56 g) toasted, chopped walnuts. I toast contents of a bag of chopped walnuts in 350 oven for about 10 minutes and then store them, ready to use. Toasting nuts really does make a difference, just don’t let them burn.
• 3/4 c, (6 oz, 180 g) sugar  
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tbsp (15ml) water – regular Folger’s
• pinch of salt
• 1+1/2 tsp (8 ml) gluten-free baking powder 
• no xanthan gum needed
• 3 eggs  
• Frosting/Buttercream:
• 1/2 cup/1 stick (4 oz, 112g) soft butter or butter substitute you like
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 2 tsp water. 
• 2 c (8 oz, 224g) powdered (icing, confectioners) sugar

More toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top of frosting. 

1. Preheat oven to 350*F/170*C. Lightly grease and bottom line 8”  pan with parchment paper circle, dust with rice flour. 
2. Place all the cake ingredients in a 4 cup, 1-litre bowl and beat for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Color will lighten slightly but will still be coffee-colored.
3. Spoon raw batter into prepared pan and smooth out. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes until cake has risen, softly firm is dark golden brown  If you use almond meal/natural almond flour (almonds ground with skin still on) then cake will be even darker.
5. Remove from oven, cool in pan for about 3 minutes, then turn out onto cake serving plate, remove paper lining and then turn right side up.

Frosting/Buttercream:

6. I like to sieve the powdered sugar as it is often lumpy and it’s easier to sift first then try and beat little white lumps out of frosting.
7. Slowly add powdered sugar to very soft butter and coffee. Be careful, the sugar has a tendency to explode up. Once all sugar is added, beat well for 1-2 minutes to make fluffy.
8. This quantity of frosting is enough to generously top cake and pipe around edges. Then sprinkle with more toasted walnuts.

Variations:

1. Whipped Cream. Whip 1 cup of cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of Kahlua or rum until stiff.  This can be used to frost cake instead of buttercream frosting. Or just serve on the side.
2. Regular chocolate ganache with Kahlua or rum added. 

1 c (8 oz, 240 ml) heavy or whipping cream

1 c (6oz, 168g)) Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips -labeled gluten-free.

2-4 tbsp (30-60ml)  Kahlua or rum. Depending on the alcohol content of the chosen liqueur, this can taste quite strong.

Heat 1 cup of whipping or heavy cream to nearly boiling, add chocolate chips and stir. Let stand for a few minutes, then stir and microwave more if necessary until a totally smooth sauce is formed (looks like thick chocolate syrup). You can also use an immersion blender to make the sauce totally smooth.

Add alcohol and refrigerate for several hours until stiffer than set jello pudding.

I like to lightly whisk half of chilled ganache and gently persuade over top of cake and it will start drizzling down the sides. Then whisk remaining ganache and pipe on top of cake. Ganache is very soft if served immediately, piped chocolate will set up stiffer with refrigeration.  

3. Fruit. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, add slices of fresh or canned pineapple and gently fry until starting to brown on edges.  Pour 2 tablespoons of rum into a measuring cup, then pour into skillet, allow to heat for about 20 seconds and use gas grill lighter to ignite the alcohol fumes. Make sure there are no children or animals around.  Do not lean over pan, keep hair out of the way. Allow flames to die down and serve on side of cake. In the summer just grill some pineapple slices.

Wine & Rosemary Beef

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Heading into the holiday season and then other get-togethers, I wanted an entrée easily made, with easily available ingredients. And then I saw packets of roasted, vacuum packed, organic chestnuts in my local chain grocery store. My father always made a chestnut stuffing to go with the roast turkey.  London at Christmas with gleaming bright Christmas lights across the streets and in shop windows on Oxford Street and all the other street names you recognize. Braziers of roast chestnuts giving off light and heat on a winter’s night, trying to peel a hot chestnut with gloves on and then burning your tongue with the lovely flavor are special memories.

I’ve always made my beef stroganoff with sirloin steak. Traditionally it’s made with beef tenderloin/fillet steak and cooks in minutes, but you need to take out a mortgage for the recipe for a party and also count on being able to get well butchered, matured beef for flavor and tenderness. Beef stroganoff is a very popular recipe with students and clients and one I have to always cook for certain clients. If you decide on this for a party, buy the beef sirloin when it’s on sale, trim it of fat, cut it up yourself rather than have the butcher do it and freeze ready to make a day or two in advance of the party. The flavor does develop and mellow if made in advance and helps you keep your sanity knowing another dish is prepared. 

Gluten-Free Wine & Rosemary Beef

Ingredients

6-8 portions when served as part of a meal with other dishes

• 2 lbs boneless beef sirloin, trimmed. Slice into thin slices about 2-3” long x 1” wide x1/4”-1/2” thick. 
• 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil 
• ¾ cup orange juice 
• ¾ cup Marsala wine 
• ¾ cup gluten-free chicken stock
• Zest of one orange, and then remove peel/skin of orange, segment and use for garnish
• 4 x 4-inch stalks fresh rosemary
• 2 3.5 oz bags of cooked, peeled chestnuts
• ½ 10 or 12 oz tub of fresh mushrooms  
• Cornstarch to thicken, as needed
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter/olive oil in pan and gently cook onions and garlic until translucent. This sweetens the onions and garlic.
2. Turn up heat, add beef strips, and sauté until strips are evenly brown or seared. 
3. Add Marsala wine, orange juice, chicken stock, orange zest, rosemary stalks, salt and ground pepper, stir well, turn temp to as low as possible. Cover pan and simmer for at least 20 minutes until beef is tender. This can take up to 45 minutes depending on quality of sirloin, size of pieces and pan used. Use your slow cooker if you have one for cooking and reheating. Check that the pan is cooking at the lowest possible heat otherwise all the juices will evaporate away, leaving a dry mass. Add ½-1  cup water if going dry.
4. Once meat is tender, increase heat, add mushrooms and quickly cook with meat mix.
5. Dependent on amount of juices, thicken with cornstarch and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add chestnuts and let them simmer for a few minutes. If you add chestnuts too early, they break up, so you get the flavor but not the mouth experience of whole chestnuts.
7. Remove stalks of rosemary, leaving just the needles, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and garnish with orange segments.

I have also made this with Angus beef bottom round, labeled for a pot roast. Cut off heavy fat, and cut into small cubes. Roughly 2 hours in 350 oven or 30 minutes in pressure cooker once it comes to pressure. 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cobbler

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

A tasty fall dessert, perfect for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin base:

• 2 eggs
• 1 x 15 ounce can pumpkin 
• 1 c (8 fl oz, 240 ml) evaporated milk 
• ½ cup (120 ml) granulated sugar
• 1/4 c (60ml) packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp (10 ml) pumpkin pie spice or more to your taste
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Snickerdoodle Topping:

• ¼ c (2oz, 56g) butter, softened
• ⅓ c (2+1/2 oz)  sugar
• 2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ c (2+1/2 oz, 70g) King Arthur all-purpose gluten-free flour. 
• 1/8 tsp xanthan gum

To roll snickerdoodles:

• ¼ c (60 ml), granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8×8” pan (2-quart baking dish) with gluten-free cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a 4 cup bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared baking dish.
3. Combine the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Shape chilled Snickerdoodle Topping into 16 balls. I used a one tablespoon scoop and can make just 16 balls. Roll balls in the cinnamon-sugar. Press balls to slightly flatten to 1+ 3/4-inch-diameter rounds. Place in 4 x 4 rows over pumpkin filling.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until filling is set, edges begin to pull away from dish, snickerdoodles will have spread across custard, and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm and, if desired, with whipped cream.

Snickerdoodle Topping:

1. In a medium bowl beat all topping ingredients together for 2-3 minutes until soft and fluffy.  This is a very soft mix, not stiff cookie dough. Cover and chill dough 1 hour or until easier to handle, then scoop immediately into cinnamon sugar, roll into a ball in sugar, slightly flatten, and gently place on custard.  They might look as if they are sinking a little into custard. Snickerdoodle topping bakes up like soft, fluffy cake, snickerdoodles cooked on their own on cookie sheet, are thin and crispy.

APPLE AND CRAISIN BREAD PUDDING

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

A warm, fall-themed dessert to keep you feeling cozy as the nights start to turn cold!

Ingredients:

• 2 gluten-free plain bagels cut into small cubes.  Don’t use soft white bread, it cooks up too mushy.  I’ve made this with Udi’s and Canyon Bakehouse plain bagels. 
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces, like shredded cheese. Large chunks will make pudding fall apart when cooked.
• ¾ c brown sugar
•  ½ stick (2 oz, 60 ml)  butter
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie or apple pie spice or 1 tsp cinnamon plus ½ tsp powdered ginger plus ½ tsp ground nutmeg.
• ½ c craisins
• 2 tsp gluten-free vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp rum – optional, but gives lovely flavor
• 2 cups half and half or whole milk
• 5 large eggs
• brown sugar for top

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a 6 cup saucepan, add apples, sugar and spices and cook over gentle heat until the apples are nicely soft without becoming apple sauce.  They don’t really cook much more in the bread pudding. I also mix this and cook in microwave in m/w safe bowl, add rest of ingredients and then refrigerate covered. 
2. Add craisins, vanilla and rum to pan, stir in bread cubes.  Adding bread cubes should be sufficient to cool the mix to add eggs and milk.
3. Beat eggs and milk together – I tend to use my immersion blender so I don’t have ‘threads’ of egg still showing. Gently mix into bread mix.  
4. Pour into greased 8 x 8 brownie pan or equivalent sized pan and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.  The large quantity of liquid should be absorbed leaving a small quantity of excess liquid around the edges.  Insufficient liquid will leave the bread hard and dry in places.
5. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar for a crusty topping. Place on a baking sheet in case of spills as it is a very full baking dish.
6. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for about 45 minutes. The bread pudding will have risen up, the top will be set, crusty and light brown and if you dig into the center it should be soft and moist but not wet with loose liquid. If you’re cooking it cold from the fridge, it will probably need 
7. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes before serving with caramel sauce. Reheats well.

Caramel sauce:

• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp butter 
• 2 tbsp rum – optional

1. Put sugar in an 8” skillet with water. Cook, covered, over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Covering pan while dissolving sugar stops formation of sugar crystals on side of pan.
2. Remove lid, increase heat and cook until syrup turns a deep gold color, swirling pan will mix light and dark syrup.  You will notice burnt sugar smell and a smoke above pan if overcooked. Undercooked is tasteless. Be very careful as boiling sugar gives a nasty burn. Don’t stir mix as it will crystallize.
3. Remove from heat, carefully add cream and butter, it will spit and bubble and harden. Return to low heat and stir until sauce is smooth again. Add rum if wanted.  Thickens slightly on cooling.

Cauldron Cakes for Halloween