how to make candied citrus peel

Lately I've been on a "use the whole lemon" kick. I know! It sounds crazy, right? Eating the skin of a lemon, or an orange or a grapefruit for that matter, sounds more like a punishment than a treat, right? But seriously, I was so wrong. Using the whole fruit is very, very good. I've got so many places to go with this, and I'm going to be blogging about it over the next couple of weeks as soon as I am done tinkering with the recipes, but for now let me just say that using a whole citrus fruit is absolutely brilliant. Whoever thought that up deserves a big hot kiss from Clive Owen ::swoon:: Unless, I guess, that person is also a man, and doesn't swing that way. In which case, Jessica Alba. Ok, still not interested? Maybe just a lovely box of chocolates and a week in Paris. Unless you live there already, in which case I guess it's not exactly a reward. How did this get so complicated again?

ANYWAY.



Using the whole citrus fruit is like having little bits of zingy candy in every bite of your dish, and it makes a ho-hum-had-it-a-thousand-times dessert really sing with new life. Serve it, and your friends and family will be begging you for the recipe and throwing themselves at your feet as they worship you for the domestic goddess that you are. And all because you used a whole lemon. Really, after all that can you afford not to try?

So, after all that hoopla about using the whole lemon, I'm NOT going to use the whole lemon in this recipe. Wait, what? I know, aren't I mean? You'll just have to come back next time, because today we are talking about the part that doesn't usually get used: citrus rinds. You know, that stuff most people (sad, sorry ignorant people) usually toss? Well it's a shame so much of it ends up in the waste bin, because with a little bit of attention those rinds could be turned into something super tasty. From now on, whenever I use a piece of citrus that doesn't call for the whole fruit, I'm going to pop those rinds in the freezer to candy later.

Ok! Lets get started!




Candied Citrus Peel

I don't know why candying citrus peel sounds so scary. I know it took me ages to try it, but once I did I realized it was a piece of cake. Be prepared: It takes a while to do it right. It doesn't take a lot of actual hands on time, but there IS a lot of blanching, and the candies need to "rest" overnight. These are ideal to make while you are making something else (dinner maybe?) so give yourself some time and don't rush. making candy should be fun.

The ingredients for these are ridiculously simple. You need the following: water, white sugar, citrus. That's it! If you want to, you can also use a few drop of food coloring.

First, you need some citrus. I am using 6 blood oranges. If you want to use lemons, make it 8, if limes, make it 14 (those little buggers are small), if regular oranges make it 5, and if grapefruit make it 4.

the first thing you want to do is wash your oranges, and cut off the little nubby tops.



Now cut your oranges into quarters. Wow, aren't blood oranges spectacular?



Now we are going to "supreme" the oranges (sort of). This is fancy for "cut out the flesh of the oranges." It's pretty easy. Just do it like this:



There might be a little flesh left in the skin (does anyone else feel like this is a little graphic sounding for a candy recipe? flesh, skin? blood oranges? I'm just saying...) So if there is, scrape it out with a spoon. And don't throw that stuff away - save it something else. I'm making mine into marmalade!



Now you should have some clean skins. Repeat, until all your oranges are done.



Once all your oranges are skinned, slice them lengthwise into strips about 1/3".


Now get a stock pot and put those babies in.



Fill the pot with cold water until the rinds are covered by 1" of water. Why are we doing this? Good question! The white part of the orange is very bitter and not too tasty. Some people just cut it out before candying, but then you have very wimpy peels that fall apart easily. We don't want wimpy peels, so we are going to be soaking the rinds in water and then blanching them to remove that bitter taste.


Let the rinds sit in the cold water for 1 hour. Then, drain them in a colander.



Now for the blanching. Fill the pot up with cold water again, until the rinds are covered with 1" of water. Now bring the water to a boil, and boil those rinds for 20 minutes. Why are we doing this? Well this blanching helps get rid of the bitter taste of the white pith. If we didn't do this, our candy would probably be inedible, and that would be sad. The blanching is really key to getting a great candy.


Once the candy has been blanched for 20 minutes, drain it in a colander again. OMG? Where did all the color go? My peels have certainly lightened up a bit.



Now repeat the blanching TWO MORE TIMES. Yep, that's right, I said TWO MORE TIMES. Dude! That's a lot of blanching. But it's necessary. Don't skip. You'll be sorry.


Ok, all done now? Let those rinds just sit in the colander, while we make the syrup. You will need 3 cups of water and 3 cups of white sugar. We are going to be making sugar syrup. Mix those two together in the stock pot. You may also want to use some food coloring. I used two drops of red, one drop of yellow, and one drop of pink. But you can do whatever you want. I think pink limes would look weird anyway.


Now bring the sugar-water to a boil. At was at this point I discovered my candy thermometer was broken (At sea level water DOES boil at 212 degrees, not 175, correct?). I think this just goes to show that you can, indeed, candy stuff without a candy thermometer. But it would be a lot easier with one. If you have one, boil it until it reaches 220 degrees. If you don't, boil it for about 25 minutes.


Now add the peels to the syrup. Mmm. so pretty. Remember all that blanching we did? Well it opened up the pores of the lemon skin (seriously, I feel like I'm talking about facials, not candy), so that all that syruppy goodness can be absorbed. Aren't you glad we did it now?



Put the peels and the syrup back on the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat (we don't want the syrup to thicken up just yet), and simmer the peels in the syrup for 45 minutes, until they start to look translucent. Here's mine after its 45 minutes simmer:



Now for the boring part. Let peel cool, and leave it alone overnight on the stove, uncovered. Don't mess with it, just leave it alone. Come back tomorrow, peel needs a good long time to soak up that all that sweet goodness.


Day 2


Get some draining apparatus ready. I think a wire rack with parchment paper underneath it works great. If you don't have one, just put down some parchment paper.


Reheat the peel, and bring it back to a boil. Using your candy thermometer, boil the syrup until it reaches 228 degrees. Unless, of course, your thermometer is broken in which case you are going to heat the peel to the "soft ball" stage. How do you tell if the sugar is at the "soft ball" stage? Well, take a spoon and put a little drop of syrup into a bowl of ice-water. It's done when it forms a soft little ball. It's over-done if it forms a hard little ball, It's not done yet if it just turns into liquid and mixes with the water.

Once the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, turn off the heat, and strain the peel out of the syrup (most of the syrup may have been absorbed by the peel though). Drain on a wire rack. I think mine look a little bit like french fries.


Let the candies dry for 1 hour. The will begin to harden, and won't be so sticky. Now roll those babies in sugar. Voila! You are done! Candied citrus peel. Lots of steps, but quite a bit easier than you thought, wasn't it?


Now put those is a pretty jar and serve them on top of blood orange sorbet, or, you know, just gobble them up plain. It's really up to you.

enjoy!

Egg Salad Sandwich with Spinach

I've always liked sandwiches.

But I learned to LOVE them when I visited London during college.

We were studying abroad and Nate and I decided to get there a few days early and do the tourist thing. London wasn't ANYTHING like what we expected. I was thinking rain, fog, overcoats, cups of tea, boiled peas, suet. Instead we emerged from the "Tube," bleary-eyed with jet-lag, into blazing August sunshine. Obviously, it was time to shuck the overcoats. And take a nap. We hadn't slept in over 24 hours and even though it was the middle of the day in London, it was the middle of the night in Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, our hostel wasn't ready for us. So we were left wandering around Southwark looking for something to do, but too tired to really do anything. We wandered into a sandwich shop and ordered two paninis, then ate them in a little park overlooking a kids' play yard. In the haze of that memory, sitting there in the sun eating those sandwiches, it was the BEST sandwich I had ever had. I can't even remember anymore what kind of sandwich it was, but I do remember that I didn't even know sandwiches could be that good.

In fact, British food was much better than its reputation makes out out to be. We loved British cheeses, back bacon, bangers and mash, tikka masala, kebab, bitter warm beer and the endless cups of tea. But we really loved the sandwiches. This is one sandwich we fell in love with while we were there (once we got over the jet lag and could remember flavors of food again). Some were not so great (like anything with Marmite or "brown sauce") but this one is delish.

Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich with Spinach

This recipe makes two sandwiches. Make one for a friend, or save the second one for later. It's a win-win situation, really.

Ok, first, you are going to need some eggs.



specifically, two. Go ahead and put them in a bowl.



Now take a fork and start to mash those babies up.



Keep going with that fork, breaking the white up into smaller and smaller bits.



When it's done, it should look like this:



Now we are going to need our good old friends, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. And for pete's sake, use the real stuff people. Life it too short for fake mayonnaise. Really.



You're also going to need these old friends: vinegar (you don't need to use this one, but use a tasty one), cracked pepper, and kosher salt.



Now add 2 tbs mayonnaise, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, and a splash of vinegar. You should also add a pinch of salt and some pepper.



And mix all that good stuff up.



Now it's time for the really yummy stuff. Take a handful of spinach and chop it up.



And add it to that yummy egg mixture.



And mix it all up.



Now for the sandwich. When first stopped eating gluten, I thought my sandwich eating days were over. Mostly this was because I couldn't find any edible bread. But THEN I found this bread:



It's pretty good. That or I have forgotten what real bread tastes like and I just don't know any better these days. In any case, I get to eat sandwiches these days. Yay!

Now toast that bread and make yourself a sandwich!



I make Nate's sandwiches on "real" bread, like, you know, bread that is made out of wheat and costs less than $6 a loaf.

However, as you can see my sandwich is a little more petite than Nate's.



Now get yourself a tall glass of lemon-aid to go with that sandwich. Bon Appetit!

Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon

It's really cold. Even here in California, we have been bundling up like eskimos and huddling around the heater with cups of tea. Also, I've been having crazy cravings for smoothies, which are oh so tasty, but um, a little chilly for this time of year? Maybe?

After a mango-pineapple-banana smoothie for breakfast, we were ready for something a little warmer for lunch. Like, oh, I don't know, creamy potato soup? with BACON? Because bacon makes everything better. seriously.

So lets get started!

*2/11/09 After making this soup a second time, I made a few changes to the recipe. Specifically, we thought the soup was a bit TOO creamy (is that actually possible? Apparently so!), so the second time we pureed 1/2 and mashed the other half. Yum!

Also, originally we put sour cream IN the soup, but the second time around we liked it alot better with just a dollop on top. Enjoy!

For this soup, you will need about a pound of these:



I used yellow Baby Dutch potatoes, but I think this soup would be tasty with other kinds of small thin-skinned potatoes, like Yukon Gold, White Creamer, or maybe even red potatoes? Just, whatever you do, don't use those generic Idaho spuds. Those skins are way too tough for soup. And you don't want your soup to taste like mashed potatoes. That would be weird.

You also need all of this:



That is, 2 cups of chicken broth, a few cloves of garlic, olive oil, an onion, butter and thyme. Also, you will need cream, and water. Also, bacon. But if you don't like bacon, or if you're a vegetarian, you can leave it out. (Sorry, no picture. I can't be taking pictures all the time.)

I have to be honest, this is kind of a little-of-this, little-of-that recipe. I don't really do a lot of measuring when I cook (except when I bake. You got to measure when you bake. seriously). I taste as I go along, and if it tastes good, I'm doing something right!

First step, put a 2-3 tbs of olive oil in soup pot. I like to use my iron enamel pot, but use whatever you got. Add 2-3 tbs of butter and melt on med-hi heat.

Peel and chop the onion and add it to the pot. Now the garlic - I LOVE garlic. I love a LOT of garlic. So I use 4-5 cloves. But if the thought of that much garlic makes you feel weak in the knees because you fear the dragon-breath, by all means use less. Pansy. No, I totally didn't say that. Just, you know, some of us are braver than others.

You have some options on how to deal with the garlic: I just got a new toy:




So I used it. It was really fun.

I pounded up the garlic with a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme.

It smelled AMAZING.

I love my new toy.

But if you don't have a mortar and pestle feel free to mince that garlic up with a knife. Or put it through a garlic press. Or beat it with a frying pan.

The options here are really endless.

So do something with that garlic and add it to the onions. Let the onions and the garlic saute until fragrant and golden.

Meanwhile, wash those potatoes (leave aside 2-3 for the garnish) and slice those babies up. And leave the skins on, they're tasty. And good for you. Now add those potatoes to the onions and fry them until they start to get golden and carmely. You don't have to worry about cooking them through, that comes later. Your potatoes should look something like this:




Mmmm. Potatoes.

When those potatoes look golden and lovely, add 2 cups of chicken stock, and two cups of water. The liquid should just cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft when pricked with a fork. Yum.

So, while that's cooking, lets make the garnish!

Actually, it's NOT a garnish.

Garnish implies that it only exists for decorative purposes. This stuff is VITAL.

Don't skip. Really.

Remember those 2-3 potatoes we set aside at the beginning? we're going to use them now, so get those babies out and dice them up. Also, get out two pieces of bacon. Or more, you know, depending on how much you love bacon.

Now heat up a heavy bottomed skillet and fry those babies up. You want the bacon to be REALLY crispy. Or, you know, you could also go the cheater route and buy bacon bits. But REAL bacon tastes much better, I promise. Now when that bacon gets crispy and those potatoes are golden, pull the bacon out, dry it off with a paper towel, and chop it up into little bits. Get it, bits of bacon? Bacon bits?

Back to the soup.

Now that the potatoes are cooked, it's time to get this soup smooth. I, personally, only have a blender. Maybe you have a potato ricer or food mill. If you do, use that! I've heard it's great. Otherwise, use a blender, like me.

Put 1/2 of those potatoes in the blender and top with all broth from the pot. Now puree! If you like your soup REALLY smooth, pull out all the stop and puree until liquid. Now, the other 1/2 of the potatoes. Pull out a potato masher and mash them up. Simple, really.

Now add that puree back to the pot and mix it all up with the other potatoes. Add 1/4 cup cream. Also, add as much stock as you need to get it to the right consistency (hint: it should be the consistency of soup, not mashed potatoes).

It should look something like this:



And of course, now you should add some of this:



It seriously makes everything taste better. Seriously.

Now for the fun part. Top with a dollop of sour cream. Top that with the sauteed potatoes. Top THAT with BACON. So you get this:



Now eat that yummy stuff up. And feel warmer, this cold, cold February.

Lemon Curd Ebelskiver, or, Lemon Stuffed Pancakes

Did I mention that the simple girl cooks? Oh yes, she does. Part of why I cook is because I like to. It's fun. But another part of why I cook is because people need to eat. I know I do. I'm hungry. ALL THE TIME. Like, three times a day. And sometimes, more often than that.



Oh yeah, and cooking makes my life simpler. No really, it does! Home cooking means you have control over what goes into your body. YOU. Not the bored teenager picking their nose as they slave over a crackling french fry bin. Not the corporate giants with their pre-packaged processed food-like edible substances. Not the snooty gourmet person serving ridiculously overpriced tastes of food. To be honest, we hardly eat out anymore. Every time we do, we think "we could have made this at home. And it would have tasted better. And it would have cost less."

So, here's what's cookin!

Ebelskivit, which is fancy for Stuffed Pancakes. With Lemon. MMMMMmmm.

You will need the following:



Pancake Mix. I use Trader Joe's pancake mix. You can use whatever you want. Or you can be really fancy and make your pancakes from scratch. Whatever floats your boat.
Milk.
Oil.
Eggs.
Lemon Curd. I made my own at Christmas. But you can buy yours from the store. I promise it will still taste as good.
Lemons.
Powdered Sugar.

That's all! Can you tell I shop at Trader Joe's? And they're not even paying me for the publicity. I just like them.

Oh. You will also need this:



It's an Ebelskivit pan. I don't usually have pans that are JUST for one thing, but I like to think that this pan is useful for lots of things. Like lots of different kinds of ebelskevit. Also, I got it for Christmas, so I didn't buy it. Mine came from Williams & Sonoma, but I think you can also get them other places, like Bed Bath & Beyond. But if you don't have one, don't worry! You don't need to rush out and buy them. You can still make these in a flat pan and they will taste great. They just won't come out in fun little ball shapes.

First, preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Stick a cookie sheet in there. This is to keep your ebelskiver warm while you make the rest. Now mix up your pancake mix according to package direction. Actually, I never follow the package directions. But mix up some pancakes however you like them.

Now Heat up your pan. I heat mine on medium high, but I'm impatient. Put 1 spoonful of batter in each cup. Top with a little dollop of lemon curd, like this:

Repeat, until you have a whole pan full, like this:



Now top them off with another spoonful of batter. Mmmm. Now for the fun part. Once they look done around the edges, take two tooth-picks, or skewers, or forks, or whatever you have, and quickly flip them over.

They are done, when they are done. That is, the batter is cooked all the way through. Everyone knows when pancakes are done though. Pop they out of their little cups and put them on the cookie sheet in the oven. Repeat until you have used up all the batter.

Now for the glaze. THE GLAZE, you say? Of course! What's a pancake without syrup? Take a lemon. Cut it in half. Squeeze the juice out of it. This should equal 2-3 tbs.



Now add 1 cup of powdered sugar to it. Mmm. Whisk well.

Remove ebelskivers from the oven. Turn the oven off. Its job is done. Arrange tastefully on a serving plate. Or not. It's up to you. Brush generously with lemon glaze. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

I know I did.

Some Blogs I'm Digging Right Now

This is just a list of what I am reading right now. Some of these are food blogs, and some of these are not (but they are separated for your convenience!). I really don't like blogs with obnoxious advertising or (worst of all!) music, and I do like blogs that update often! So this list may change from month to month. Don't see yourself on here? I'm always looking for great new blogs to read, and I might like to read yours! Shoot me a message introducing yourself and I would love to read you too, or, leave a comment linking back to your blog. I've found some of my favorite writers that way!


Food Blogs I'm Digging Right Now
101 Cookbooks
Canelle et Vanille
Cate's World Kitchen
Dave Lebovitz
Gluten Free Girl
La Tartine Gourmand
Matt Bites
Simply Recipes
Smitten Kitchen
Tartelette
The Pioneer Woman Cooks!


Non-Food Blogs
Be Wordy
Tom and Lorenzo: Fabulous and Opinionated
Dooce
Fertile Hope
Laundry and Lullabys
Little Wonders
Our Little Pebbles
Paper N' Stitch
Passionate Homemaking
Post Secret
The Spohrs Are Multiplying

Recipe Archives

Apples, Pears, and other Fall Fruits
• Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Barbecue
• Classic Homemade Barbecue Sauce
• Juicy tender Oven Roasted Barbecue Baby Back Ribs
• Summer Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwiches
• The Best Grilled Chicken with big Bob Gibson's White Barbecue Sauce

Beef
• Lighter Beef Stroganoff
• The Little Owl's Italian Meatball's

Cakes and Pastries
• Grandmommy's Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Candy
• Candied Citrus Peel

Chicken and Other Poultry
• Best Grilled Chicken with big Bob Gibson's White Barbecue Sauce
• Practically Perfect Oven Roasted Chicken
• Rustic Basque Chicken Stew with Potatoes, Tomatoes, and other Yummy Things
• Stacked Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas with Salsa Verde


Chocolate
• Crispy Chewy White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (gluten free! or not)
• Deep Dark Decadent Chocolate Mousse
• Fat Tuesday Indulgence: Gooey Toffee Chocolate Cookies (gluten free! Or not)
• Gluten Free Girl-Scout Cookies: Thin Mints


Cookies
• Crispy Chewy White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (gluten free! or not)
• Fat Tuesday Indulgence: Gooey Toffee Chocolate Cookies (gluten free! Or not)
• Gluten Free Girl-Scout Cookies: Thin Mints

Creamy Desserts and Puddings
• Creamy Banana Caramel Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Crust and Caramel Rum Sauce
• Deep Dark Decadent Chocolate Mousse
• Fresh Strawberry Fool and Ruby Port Tart
• Meyer Lemon Budino

Crisps and Crumbles
• Brown Sugar, Oat, and Blueberry Crisp
• Peach Crisp with Blueberries and Oats

Disasters
• Deep Fried Oreos
• Lemon Cheesecake Disaster
• Martha Stewarts Endives and Ham with Gruyere

Drinks
• Homemade Lemon Verbena and Mint Lemonade
• Iced Sun Tea with Spiced Simple Syrup
• Raspberry Zinger Iced Tea with Lemon Simple Syrup

Eggs
• Easy Peasy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
• Egg Salad Sandwich with Spinach
• Nate's Favorite Bacon egg Salad

Fish and Seafood
• Giada's Salmon Al Cartocchio, or, Salmon Baked in Foil
• Grilled Keta Salmon with Mango Cucumber Salsa

Fruit
• Brown Sugar, Oat, and Blueberry Crisp
• Fresh Strawberry Fool and Ruby Port Tart
• Homemade Fresh Strawberry Jam
• Peach Crisp with Blueberries and Oats
• Peach Pie Perfection: Fresh Peach Pie With Créme Fraiche and Streusal
• Raspberry Créme Fraiche Tart

Ice Creams and Sorbets
• Meyer Lemon Semifreddo

Jams, Jellies, and Preserves
• Homemade Fresh Strawberry Jam
• Half Sour Fermented Pickles

Mexican and Tex mex
• Authentic Mexican Salsa Verde, or, the Best Salsa Verde a Gringa Can Make
• Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lime and Sundried Tomatoes
• Stacked Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Pork and Bacon
• Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon and Asparagus
• Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon
• Nate's Favorite Bacon Egg Salad
• Summer Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwiches
• Juicy tender Oven Roasted Barbecue Baby Back Ribs
• Warm White Bean Salad with Asparagus, Bacon, and Feta


Salads and Slaws
• Four Pepper Black Bean Salad with Tangy Lime Vinaigrette
• Ina Garten's Basil Green Goddess Dressing with Butterhead Lettuce and Sun-ripened Garden Tomatoes
• Nate's Favorite Bacon Egg Salad
• Roasted Golden Beet and Asparagus Pasta Salad with Spinach
• Spicy Summer Slaw with Carrots and Cilantro
• Warm White Bean Salad with Asparagus and Bacon

Sauces, Syrups, and Condiments
• Authentic Mexican Salsa Verde, or, the Best Salsa Verde a Gringa Can Make
• Best Grilled Chicken With Big Bob Gibson's White Barbecue Sauce and Apple Brine
• Classic Homemade Barbecue Sauce
• Easy Peasy Blender Hollandaise Sauce
• Giada's Garden Pesto with Basil, Baby Spinach, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan
• Ina Garten's Basil Green Goddess Dressing with Butterhead Lettuce and Sun-ripened Garden Tomatoes

Soups and Stews
• Chicken and Tortilla Soup with Lime and Sundried Tomatoes
• Creamy Asparagus Soup
• Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Two Ways
• Rustic Basque Chicken Stew with Tomatoes, Potatoes, and other Yummy Things"

Pies and Tarts
• Raspberry Créme Fraiche Tart
• Peach Pie Perfection: Fresh Peach Pie with Créme Fraiche and Streusal
• Macadamia Nut Cheesecake Crust with Coconut flakes
• Key Lime Tart that Loves you Back

Vegetables and Vegetarian
• Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Creamy Asparagus Soup
• Crispy Homemade Buttermilk Cornmeal Onion Rings
• Giada's Garden Pesto with Basil, Baby Spinach, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan
• Midsummer Zucchini Latkes or Zucchini Pancakes (gluten free! Or not)
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Two Ways
• Roasted Golden Beet and Asparagus Pasta Salad with Spinach

Lime Tart That Loves You Back

So.

It's been awhile. I was feeling so discouraged about blogging. I went through a I hate gluten-free, life-hates-me kind of slump. I was in SUCH a slump I actually missed meeting Gluten-Free Girl while she was down here in LA (doh!), so I wasn't able to get my book signed. That is how grey I was feeling about life without good pasta, sugar-glazed maple doughnuts, crackers and cheese.



You know, I have never really been much of a lover of bakery confections. Cupcakes and cinnamon buns and yes, even Krispy Kreme, have never tempted me past endurance. (Now give me a bowl of rocky road or some Medjool dates, and that's another story!). But oh! Internet. I. MISS. PASTA. SO. MUCH. :::grooooooaaaaan::: I can still taste perfectly al dente, extra thick De Cecco brand pasta with homemade, fresh tomato sauce in my mouth, and it makes me tear up, because I miss it SO much. And rice pasta? I don't care how many people sing the praises of Tinkyada and whatever else. It is NOT the same, and no, it is not even that good as a substitute. For the love of good spaghetti, I think we should just stop pretending. Lets call a spade a spade - gluten-free pasta just will never be an adequate replacement for the good stuff.

I know it seems like this doesn't have anything to do with lime bars. When are we getting to the lime bars?? Soon, I promise.



Lucky for me, I now have about 20 different kinds of flour to work with, and ye gods! It's fun! All of them have their own taste, aroma, and texture. Anything else I want to eat, besides pasta that is, can be created in mad scientist fashion by mixing this and that together until it feels and tastes right. In a way, I have actually found gluten-free baking very freeing: Instead of feeling like I have to stick religiously to a recipe, I can play around and do my own thing until I find something I like. Wheat flour baking has been perfected by more than enough posh French people, to the point where it seems like every possible combination of ingredients has a very long name and an even longer history. But gluten-free baking is virgin, uncharted territory, where anything is possible, and internet, I am eating it up.





A few days ago the Philosopher and I had a friend over for carne asada (::groan:: sooo good), and I thought some lime bars would be great with it. The problem is, my lime bar recipe calls for a graham cracker crust. I tried looking around the internet for some kind of substitute but came up dry, and finally I just said screw it! Let's experiment! This recipe is the result of that experiment, and folks? If I say so myself, it is really good. Graham cracker crust is good, but this crust has so much more dimension. It tastes a bit more like a dense, carmelly shortbread than that thin graham cracker crust. If you are not on a restricted diet and you can eat gluten, make this recipe anyway - it is so much better than processed graham crackers, I promise!



This recipe yields enough dough to fill a 10" tart pan with removable bottom. If you want, you can halve the recipe and put it in a 6" x 6" square cake pan.


for the crust

1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup almond flour
t tbs xanthum gum
1/4 cup packed, light brown cane sugar
1/4 cup blonde cane sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (one stick) melted butter
zest from 2-3 limes

for the filling

4 large egg yolks
2 cans (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup fresh kime Juice (6-9 lemons)
zest from 1-2 limes



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flours, sugars, and xanthum gum. Add butter, mixing by hand until butter is incorporated, and mixture forms loose clumps.

2. Press mixture into tart shell, pressing firmly so that mixture is tightly packed on the bottom and up the sides.

3. Bake 15 - 20, or until crust is golden. Remove from oven for filling.

4. While crust is baking, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lemon and zest, stirring gently until incorporated.

5. Pour filling into crust. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Chill at least one hour. enjoy!