Sweets

Watermelon White Wine Granitas

Oh, you guys. Would you look at this dreamy dessert? So perfectly fresh, light and summery, I'm in love. And it's so easy!

YIELD 6 - 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 cups seeded watermelon, scooped (1 small seedless watermelon, about the size of a large cantaloupe)

1 cup white wine of your choice

Juice of small lemon or lime

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Scoop watermelon and combine with wine and citrus juice in a blender or a bowl for an immersion blender

    2.    Process until smooth, pour through a strainer if the little white seeds bug you, and then into a baking dish

    3.    Pop in the freezer and use a fork to rake into icy bits, raking every half hour after that until thoroughly frozen and flaky (about 3 hours)

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis and Minted Coconut Cream

Velvety chocolate + tart raspberry coulis + cool minty cream... Just c'mon. Time to bake it up and eat it up. Enjoy!

YIELD 8 - 10 slices

CATEGORIES sweets

INGREDIENTS

        For Cake

        6 ounces dark chocolate (I used 70%)

        6 tablespoons butter

        6 eggs, separated

        1/3 cup coconut sugar

        1 teaspoon vanilla

        oiled 9" springform pan

        For Raspberry Coulis

        10 ounces raspberries

        2 tablespoons water

        2 tablespoons honey

        For Minted Coconut Cream

        6 tablespoons coconut cream (the thick cream at the top of a full-fat can of coconut milk)

        2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk

        1 tablespoon honey

        6 to 8 drops of peppermint extract (to taste)

IMG_8789.jpg

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Preheat oven to 275F, and while it's heating up combine butter and chocolate in a microwavable bowl and microwave/stir in 30 second intervals until smooth

    2.    Let the chocolate/butter cool just slightly and stir in egg yolks

    3.    With a hand mixer beat egg whites to soft peaks as you slowly add coconut sugar, then continue to beat into stiff peaks

    4.    Thoroughly whisk 1/3 egg whites/sugar mixture into chocolate/butter and then gently fold in remaining egg whites/sugar

    5.    Pour batter into oiled pan and bake 45 minutes, or until a tooth pick can emerge from the center cleanly

    6.    While the cake is baking, combine ingredients for raspberry coulis in blender and blend until smooth, set aside

    7.    Next combine the minted coconut cream ingredients in a glass or metal mixing bowl (preferably chilled) and use a hand mixer on medium for a couple minutes until it's all whippy and lovely

    8.    When the cake is done, cut slices and top with the coulis and cream

Lemon Curd and Lavender Cashew Cream Crepes

My love of lemon curd knows no bounds. Tart and rich and sweet and light... and perfect. It checks all my boxes. And now that I know how to make it myself? And how very easy it is?? Dangerous information, folks ;). Especially paired with this beautiful lavender cashew cream to give some balance to the citrus, it's just dynamite. Top with a little lemon zest, coconut and edible flowers for a stunning plate and enjoy!

YIELD 6-8 crepes

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 to 6 crepes (my 6 ingredient wraps work perfectly!)
  • For Lemon Curd
    • 2 lemons (I prefer Meyers lemons for their natural sweetness) for 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 3 eggs
    • 4 tablespoons raw honey
    • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • For Lavender Cashew Cream
    • 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds
    • 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk (from the can, after cream and liquid are thoroughly combined)
    • 1/2 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked overnight and drained
    • 1/2 to 1 tablespoon raw honey, to taste
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • For Garnish (optional)
    • Lemon zest
    • Shaved or shredded coconut
    • Edible flowers (I used pansies)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prepare crepes and set aside
  2. For lemon curd: Zest and juice the lemons
  3. Beat eggs in a saucepan until lighter yellow and add in honey and lemon zest
  4. Heat saucepan on low and constantly whisk until mixture begins to thicken (this takes some patience, 10-ish minutes of whisking, but it's well worth it!)
  5. When it's starting to thicken add in the lemon juice and coconut oil and continue to whisk - it will thicken even more, looking fluffy and whipped - that's when you know it's done and you can remove it from the heat
  6. Transfer to a glass or ceramic container and chill (lemon curd must be stored in the refrigerator)
  7. Notes: Do not let curd boil at any point. If you end up with a few scrambled egg bits, don't worry. Just turn the heat down a little when you noticed them, keep whisking and when you're done pour the finished product through a sieve to remove the solid bits of egg.
  8. For lavender cream: Put all lavender cream ingredients in a high-powered blender (or use an immersion blender in a jar) and process until smooth, then refrigerate
  9. Once the lemon curd and lavender cream are well chilled, spoon the curd down the center of a crepe, roll the crepe and then top with the cream and sprinkle on garnishes. Beautiful!

Ashley's Almond Blossoms

Holidays are happening! Which means deliciousness abounds, and grain-free/dairy-free homes are no exception. I mean, look at these little beauties. Reminiscent of the peanut blossoms my family used to make at Christmas when I was little, but with body-friendlier ingredients.

They're "Ashley's" (my sister) because you can thank her for this idea. We were chatting about Christmas cookies a few days ago, and I realized I hadn't come up with a single holiday treat for the blog (yeesh... a full head nearly led to a cookie-less blog this year). Plus I miss her tons. Giant tons of tons. So the tonnage of my missing + her timely request meant I was figuring out this recipe in time for your holiday cookie baking. Hope you enjoy!

YIELD 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS

        1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons almond flour

        2 tablespoons tapioca flour

        2 tablespoons coconut flour

        1/2 teaspoon baking powder

        1/2 cup coconut sugar

        1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

        1 teaspoon vanilla

        2 tablespoons almond butter

        4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, softened

        2 eggs, beaten

        3 1/2 ounce dark chocolate bar, broken into 24 pieces

        3 tablespoons chopped almonds

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Preheat oven to 350F, then thoroughly combine dry ingredients (except chocolate and chopped almonds): almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking powder, coconut sugar and cinnamon

    2.    Stir wet ingredients (beaten egg, softened butter, vanilla and almond butter) into dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined

    3.    Use a tablespoon to measure/scoop cookie dough onto oiled cookie sheet or silicone baking mat, and bake for 10-12 minutes

    4.    When cookies are done, put a piece of chocolate on each cookie and give a gentle push - don't press too hard or cookie will break

    5.    Put batch back into oven for 1 minute, until chocolate is melty, then remove and sprinkle with chopped almonds

Blueberry Stuffed Apple Dumplings

Apple dumplings are one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Because let's be real... at heart I'm just a dumpling-loving Pennsylvania Dutch girl. That's just the truth of it. And that's why these make me so incredibly happy. Warmed up with a little coconut milk, getting cozy in my pj's, watching a movie on a chilly night. C'mon. Perfect, perfect and perfect.

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        4 small/medium apples, cored & unpeeled (leaving the peel on the apple helps with applying the dough)

        Almond or coconut milk (optional, to serve with)

        For Dough

        1/3 cup coconut flour

        1 cup almond flour

        1/2 cup tapioca flour

        2 eggs, beaten

        2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

        1 teaspoon cinnamon

        For Sauce

        1/2 cup honey

        1 to 2 teaspoon cinnamon

        1 cup water

        For Apple Core Filling

        2 cups frozen blueberries (if you use fresh instead of frozen, I'm not sure how it affects bake times, so keep an eye on them)

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Wash and core apples
(I don't have an apple corer so I very carefully use a knife to stab-outline the core on both the top and bottom, and then push it through with my fingers)

    2.    Combine coconut and almond flours with tapioca, then cut butter in and combine with hands or pastry blender until completely incorporated

    3.    Thoroughly mix beaten eggs into mixture, divide dough into quarters and pop in the fridge

    4.    In a sauce pan heat water for the sauce on lowest heat (doesn't need to simmer, just hot enough to melt honey), add honey and cinnamon and stir until blended, then take off heat and set aside

    5.    Preheat the oven to 375F, get your dough and take one of the quarters for one of the apples
Important note: This dough isn't the kind you're going to roll out and fold over the apple. You're going to pack it on the outside of the apple, smoothing to cover it uniformly. It takes a minute to mold and smooth, but it's totally do-able.

    6.    Oil baking dish to accommodate all 4 apples, place them inside and add blueberries to the hollowed cores and around the bases of the apples

    7.    Spoon about 1/3 of the sauce over the apples, place in oven and set timer for 30 minutes

    8.    When the timer goes off spoon another 1/3 of the sauce over apples and bake for 20-30 more minutes, until apples are soft and tender

    9.   When they're done spoon the rest of the sauce over them, as well as the saucy blueberries from the pan, serve with some almond or coconut milk and eat them up

Pineapple Rosemary Bread Pudding

Toasty and custardy, this bread pudding is just perfect with a little coconut milk. I'm a fan of the traditional cinnamon raisin recipe, but the bread and egg base makes it a good canvas for trying out new flavors. And pineapple and rosemary meld so well together. Subtly herby and bright, with the maple bringing a smooth, warm sweetness. Oh it's so lovely. I hope you like it.

YIELD 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 loaf B&B bread, cubed (roughly 5 cups)

        1 cup small-chopped pineapple

        1 cup full fat canned coconut milk

        2 tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil (my preference for this recipe is butter or ghee, but coconut oil will work too if you're strictly non-dairy)

        5 eggs

        3/4 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped (this is enough to give it a subtle herbal finish, round up to 1 teaspoon if you'd like more)

        1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

        1 teaspoon cinnamon

        1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

        1/2 cup pure maple syrup

        Coconut oil to coat casserole dish

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat butter/ghee in a skillet on medium/low and sauté rosemary and pineapple, stirring occasionally - cook for 15-20 minutes to reduce and thicken
  2. Once it's reduced, spoon out the pineapple/rosemary to cool in the fridge, leaving thickened juice in the skillet and set aside
  3. While the pineapple mixture is cooling, whisk eggs, coconut milk, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg together
  4. When the pineapple is cool, stir it into egg mixture, and then stir the bread cubes into that - allow to soak for at least 10 minutes (remember to refrigerate if you soak it for much longer)
  5. Pour mixture into oiled casserole dish (7"x11"ish) and drizzle with the reserved pineapple butter sauce from the skillet
  6. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until center is set and firm
  7. Serve warm with coconut milk or a scoop of vanilla (...or eat it cold, from the pan, with a spoon the next day, no shame)