Red Velvet Cookies - Gluten Free for #FantasticalFoodFight.

I have to start this post with a little history.  Many years ago I belong to a group of bloggers called The Secret Recipe Club.  We were assigned another blogger's blog to make and post a recipe from. Well, all good things come to an end and the SRC was disbanded to the dismay of many. 

Then along came Sarah and started a group called Fantastical Food Fight which is a group of food bloggers who were challenged to come up with a recipe using the theme or the main ingredient each month.  You could make up your own recipe, find one online or in a cookbook, it was up to you, you just had to cite your source. 

Again, we're at the end of a great era, and this is the final Fantastical Food Fight, this time round we're having a Red Velvet food fight.  We're tasked to make something Red Velvet, whether it be cake, cookies, breakfast, pancakes, or where ever your imagination takes you.

I brought my best to the food fight a few times, with my Cantaloupe Salsa for Fish Tacos, this amazing Banana Bundt Cake, I've made Eggnog Cake, Pecan Pie Butter Tarts, and these Honey and Garlic Roasted Carrots.  And those are just some of them.    Wait a minute, I almost forgot these Chocolate Cherry Balls.  OMG were they good.  Come to think of it, I've got a chocolate cake in the freezer, and some cherries in the pantry, I may just have to make some more of these, soon. 
Lots of great recipes, and best of all memories. 

I wish Sarah the best in her new life, and I will miss this group.

Here's what I brought to the Fight this time.   I've been playing with gluten free recipes for a while now and when I ran across this recipe from The Toasted Pinenut, it intrigued me.  I didn't have any white chocolate chips, and I also put my particular spin on the recipe as well.

Now for my true confession. I'm really not crazy about Red Velvet Cakes.  I'll have a taste from time to time, but have only had a couple over the years that I thought were really good.  A friend here makes an awesome one, and if she brings one to a gathering, I'll have some of hers.

I'm not going to share just how many of these cookies I sampled,TMI,  but I did leave some to share.
This dough is sticky, and you really do need to let it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. I also wasn't thrilled as to how brown they were, but I really hate to use a lot of red food coloring. 

Here are the cookies on the cookie sheet before baking.  I used a fork dipped in water to press them down a little.  They really don't spread that much.

 First batch, baked.

Side view of the first cookie to undergo the 'taste' test.  It was crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.

And an overview

I don't know if it was the humidity (really high today) or the nature of the cookie, but they became very soft after sitting for awhile.

And here is the cookie as a sandwich with Ermine frosting in between.   Ermine frosting was the frosting for Red Velvet Cake long before Cream Cheese frosting was made popular.  Actually, this looks a lot like Whoopee Pie or maybe a Goober.  All I know is, it was delicious. 

Red Velvet Cookies - Gluten Free

Yield: 20 cookies

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - adapted from a couple of recipes

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 12-14 Mtotal time: 45 M

It's hard to believe these little cookies are gluten free, and almost keto friendly.

ingredients:

• 1/2 butter
• 1/2 cup raw Sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Pomegranate Liqueur or Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring
• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp. mild vinegar

instructions:

How to cook Red Velvet Cookies - Gluten Free

1. Cream the butter and sugar together.  This will take several minutes as the raw sugar takes awhile to break down.  Use your stand mixer if you have one.
2. While that is mixing,  blend the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda together. 
3.   Add the egg, and continue to mix, then add the red food coloring (bonus point if you have organic or natural food coloring) and the pomegranate liqueur or vanilla extract.  
4. Add the almond flour mixture and fold in, and mix until combined. 
5. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and then take cookie dough out of fridge and form into 20 balls, using a small scoop.  Flatten them slightly using a fork dipped into some water to keep the dough from sticking to the fork.  Place on a parchment covered cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes.   Leave on cookie sheet to cool for at least 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. 
7. If you want to continue with the Red Velvet theme, you can add some Ermine frosting to the tops, or make them into a sandwich cookie. 

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Mushroom Souffle Omelette for the Fantastical Food Fight

I know it's fashionable to be a little late, so I'm going to call myself fashionable.
Bad joke, I know.

But I'm here with my version of an Omelette for the Fantastical Food Fight this month.  Sadly, it's the second to last one as our hostess Sarah is going on to better things. 

BTW the Fantastical Food Fight theme this month is Omelettes.

I've had fun with the group when I've been able to join in, although I don't always make it to the party.
I've made Cantaloupe Salsa for Fish Tacos, a Banana Bundt Cake, some Pecan Pie Tarts, I've even made Ice Cream.   One of my favorites was some Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots, and of course Cookies, this version of a Danish Oatmeal cookie, called Havremakroner.  Can't forget the Eggnog Cake.  
I forgot to mention the Chocolate Cherry Balls.  OMG were they good.  

I wanted to share my version of a Souffle Omelette today though.

I know you're going, a Souffle Omelette really, but take my word for it, it's delicious.   I've actually been making omelettes this way for many years, just didn't know they were called souffle omelettes.  I called them fluffy omelettes.   Who knew? 

This is more of a method to use, rather than a straight up recipe.

Separate the eggs, whites in one bowl, yolks in another.   I've used up to four eggs, and found out the hard way that using more eggs, takes longer to cook, which can detract from the overall experience.

Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak, and set aside. 

Then whisk the egg yolks for a couple of minutes, they'll thicken a little, which is what you want.  
Heat a heavy pan with some non-stick spray over low heat.   
I then add the egg yolks with any seasoning to the egg whites, and fold them together.

 See how fluffy they look? 

   
Pour the egg mixture into the pan. 

At this point I dribble about a teaspoon of water around the outside of the omelette and put a lid on it. the steam helps to cook the top of the omelette.
 
After a couple of minutes, I'll take a little bit of butter and run along the inside of the pan, loosening and lifting the edges of the omelette with a spatula so that the butter can run underneath it.  Place the lid back on the pan and let it continue to cook.  As soon as the top is set, add some sauteed mushrooms and cheese to the omelette and fold over. 

Sprinkle some fresh chopped chives on top and enjoy.  You can see how fluffy the omelette is, and the texture is not the same as a regular omelette either.  I think it's actually better. 

 

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Havremakroner- Oatmeal Macaroons for #FantasticalFoodFight

It's time for another Fantastical Food Fight hosted by Sara from Fantastical Sharing. 

This time round we're making Cookies.  

I know, it's that time of the year when you make dozens and dozens of cookies. And hand them out as gifts while trying your best not to eat them all.   

I've cut back on my cookie making this year and decided I'd only make one or two kinds but then...

Sara came up with this challenge, and I had to participate. 

First off, we love Oatmeal Cookies in this house, and I usually play with my basic recipe a little.  I take half the recipe, add chocolate chips for the hubs, and then add coconut, nuts, dried fruit, and other good things to the other half, I call them Kitchen Sink Cookies.  

But there is a Danish cookie called Havremakroner, which are a light, crisp oatmeal cookie that tends to get overlooked at this time of year, but is totally delicious, and it's dead easy to make as well.

So for the cookie challenge I present to you these cookies.   I did play with the basic recipe, just a touch, using self-rising flour.  I also 'skinned' the almonds, it softens them somewhat and makes it easier to chop them up.

These cookies also lend themselves to being baked on parchment paper, it's  much easier to 'peel' them off the paper than try to use a spatula to release them from greased cookie sheets.

Havremakroner- Oatmeal Macaroons

Yield: Approx. 5 dozen

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking adapted from Karen Berg Danish Home Baking

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time:45M

These light, crisp oatmeal cookies are delight to eat.

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup  self rising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon  baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup finely chopped almonds- if you remove the skin by pouring boiling water over them, and taking the skin off, they are easier to chop. 

instructions:

How to cook Havremakroner- Oatmeal Macaroons

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Mix sugar and oatmeal in a bowl.
3. Melt the butter, cool, then pour over of oatmeal sugar mixture.
4. Stir well, then sift in flour and baking powder. Add the eggs and almonds.
5. Drop by small teaspoonfuls onto a parchment covered baking sheet.
6.  Leave lots of space in between the cookies, they spread out a lot.
7. Bake about 15 minutes, or until a golden brown.  Remove from pan, let cool and store in an airtight container. 

NOTE:  These cookies are a very thin, crisp or chewy cookie, depending on the humidity level outside.  They should be crisp and light.  If you let them sit for a couple of minutes after they come out of the oven and removing them from the cookie sheet, they will peel right off of the parchment. 

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All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are all the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking © 2011-2019, with all rights reserved thereof.

Looking for ideas for Christmas gifts? Check out my cookbooks on Amazon. All are available as paperbacks or as e-book.
 Simple Shrimp Recipes - 25 + Appetizer, Entree and Dipping Sauces. Nibbles and Bites - A Compilation of Appetizers, Canapes and Finger Foods. Available in both book form and as an ebook.

My cookbook Hygge - Danish Food and Recipes would be a great gift for any foodies in your life. Available as a Kindle e book or in paperback.

Pecan Pie Fight- Pecan Pie Butter Tarts

It's time for another Fantastical Food Fight hosted by Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes and this time round we're fighting with Pecan Pies.

Not really, we're just pitting our recipes against each other to see who comes out on top.  

I think everyone has a particular recipe they like for Pecan Pie, and personally I don't think there is such a thing as a bad one.

At least not that I've had.  Some of them have been a touch on the skimpy side when it comes to the addition of pecans, but others have almost overloaded the pie with pecans.

Actually I don't think you can overload it with pecans. My own personal viewpoint. 

But I wondered about adapting my favorite Butter Tart recipe for this challenge.
So I did.
This is not a Butter Tart with Pecans however, at least I don't think it is.
Cause Butter Tarts are pretty much sacrosant with Canadians.  You don't mess around with Butter Tart recipes.
I'm just sayin...

For fun I added some dried cranberries along with the Pecans, and I think I came up with a winner. 

At least my mouth said it was.

I thought I'd also share how I get those little circles of dough into the depressions in the tart pan.  I grab my handy, dandy shot glass and use it to press the dough down.  I know they make fancy ones that you can use, but this works well for me.

 Here's how they look as I'm filling them.

And of course, filled and ready for the oven.

 Look at that gorgeousness. 

Pecan Pie Butter Tarts

Yield: 24 mini tarts

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking inspired by my Butter Tarts

prep time: 10 Mcook time: total time: 10 M

These are the perfect bite size treat for after Thanksgiving Dinner or for Christmas or just because.

ingredients:

• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons cream or milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 48 pecan halves - divided
• Pie crust- either home made or bought

instructions:

How to cook Pecan Pie Butter Tarts

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Melt butter and mix in the brown sugar, vanilla extract and cream.  Add the egg and whisk thoroughly.   Set aside while you chop the pecans and cranberries.
3. Take half the pecans and do a rough chop, reserving 24 pecan halves.  
4. Spray the inside depressions of a mini tarts pan with some non stick spray.
5. Roll out the pie dough or unfold if using commercial pie dough.  Cut out enough circles of dough for each tart pan.  Place a circle of dough onto each depression in the pan, and using a shot glass press the dough down carefully, making sure not to tear the dough. 
6. Add a little of the chopped pecans and cranberries to the bottom of each tart and then very carefully, pour the filling into each tart, filling it 3/4 of the way. 
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes and then turn oven down to 375 and continue baking for about 20-25 minutes or until the tarts are lightly browned. 
8. Take out of oven and let cool.

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Ice cream- Brandied Cranberry and Peach

Are you up for another Fantastical Food Fight?  


You are?  That's great.

Because this is a fun one.
A little fattening, but a totally delicious one.

The theme for the Fantastical Food Fight is ICE CREAM this month, which is good, cause it's July and in many parts of the country it's been hotter than ____.  Although in my little part of the world, it's kinda monsoon season combined with sweat lodge/sauna and hurricanes.

Which is totally miserable!

I've been wanting to play making my own ice cream, without a churn.  So I did what anyone would do, I googled and googled and googled. 

I remember hearing about using sweetened condensed milk in ice cream years ago, and I found several sites that shared how to make ice cream using 2-3 ingredients.
This site, The Kitchn was one of them.  I also looked here and here.

Armed with that knowledge, some heavy whipping cream, a can of sweetened condensed milk, I let my inner child out to play.
Some of the flavorings or mix-ins or add ins or whatever you want to call them.
Dried Cranberries soaking in Brandy.  BTW, you can drink the brandy afterwards and it tastes like Cherry Brandy. 
I have an idea, sorry got excited there. 

 Chunky pieces of canned peaches, mixed in with the sweetened condensed milk.

 Folding the whipped cream into the peaches and cream.

I've been wanting to recreate a rum soaked raisin ice cream I had many years ago, and this was the perfect vehicle.  But the bottle of rum I knew I had was gone, and I'm the guilty one. I use it to make my home made vanilla extract.  So I soaked some raisins in some Cassis liqueur but it didn't work well.  I mean, they were ok, but kinda meh.  Although the raisins were delicious, but tasted mostly raisiny.

Then I got the AHA!!! moment and soaked some dried cranberries in brandy and that, well, all I can say is, I'm making more.

and another shot, cause you know I had to.

I did also make some peach ice cream.  I'm just wondering if I need to call it Peaches and Cream Ice Cream? 

Not everyone likes boozy ice cream ya know.

3 ingredient No Churn Ice Cream

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking adapted from several recipes

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 6 hourtotal time: 6 H & 5 M

This is a perfect vehicle for all kinds of add ins to make your favorite ice cream.

ingredients:

• 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
•  1 tsp. Flavored extracts
• Mix ins-
• 1 can drained peaches, chopped ( or any fruit)
• or
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries soaked in 1/2 cup Brandy
• or
• 1/2 cup raisins soaked in 1/2 cup Dark Rum

instructions:

 

1. Whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff.  
2. If using fruit or other mix-ins, stir them into the sweetened condensed milk.  
3. Fold the whipped cream into the milk/ fruit mixture.  Place a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap against the surface of the cream mixture and place in freezer for a minimum of 6 hours.  
4. Take out and scoop and enjoy your fresh home made ice-cream. 

NOTE:  You can make this a plain Vanilla Ice Cream by omitting the add ins.   If using heavier ingredients as the mix in, freeze half the recipe, add the fruit or chocolate or?, then pour the remainder of the ice cream mix on top and let freeze. 

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Sourdough focaccia

I'm finally taking part in a Fantastical Food Fight again.   This time round it's Sourdough and I thought I had a slam dunk.   I made some Sourdough Focaccia.

Let me tell you a little about this event first.  We meet once a month, get an assignment, and then either choose to accept it or not. You can go here to find out more info if you like. 

I had every intention of getting this up last night but got distracted, sigh.  

I wanted to make some Schlotzky style sourdough buns, but it turns out they're not really sourdough, at least the kind with a starter and everything.

So I got my starter going, and since I'm cheap, when it came time to divide the starter in two, and discard half, I could not do it.
Just could not do it.
I mean, this poor little guy had been struggling, sorta, in my oven (constant temperature, no air conditioning for this one) for several days.
I could not throw it away.
So I used it and baked a loaf of bread.

It was going to be rolls, but I kinda got sidetracked by my novel, that I'm writing and lost track of time, and they not only over-proofed, they tried to take over the oven.  At any rate, I wrestled the dough back into submission, sorta, formed it into a boule and scored it.  I wanted to serve it with dinner so did not let it rise as much as it could have, but it still tasted good.
So...
I had kept the other half of the starter in the fridge and decided to make it into a Focaccia.
And then that little sucker decided to be shy and it would not bubble merrily along, so I fed it again, and again, and finally... It decided to wake up.  But by that time it was late Tuesday and I wanted to get it baked, photographed written about so I could post it for Wednesday.

Here it is, Wednesday and my dough has been sitting in the oven, slowly proofing all day long, and I finally got it baked, sampled and photographed.

Before baking...

 After baking...

And then I ate some alongside my 'Rustic Pot Roast'.

I used mishmash of several recipes, did some research, calculations and this is what I came up with.

I looked at King Arthur's site, and this place and then played, a lot with the starter.

I used 1 cup of starter and 4 cups of flour, oiled the pans for the focaccia and then I finished them off with a grind of fresh salt, which in retrospect was a mistake.
They were too salty for my taste.  But I have the leftovers frozen, and will use them up somewhere. 

While I've used sourdough starter before, I wasn't aware that if you dollop a spoonful of starter into a glass of water, that if it floats the starter is ready to go.  Mine floated.

Sourdough Focaccia

Yield: 16 + Servings

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking adapted from several recipes

prep time: 12 hourcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 12 H & 30 M

This recipe made two full 1/4 sheet pans.

ingredients:

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 cups flour + 1 cup for kneading.
• Olive oil for the pans and topping
• toppings

instructions:

How to cook Sourdough Focaccia

1. Mix the starter with the water and olive oil.  Add one cup of flour and mix in.  Add the salt and an additional cup of flour until you've added almost all the flour.  Your dough may need all four cups, depending on humidity or not.  Dump the dough out onto a board covered with the final cup of flour.   Knead together until you get a nice soft dough that is still slightly sticky.  I used the stretch and fold method to knead it.
2. Place in oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and let sit at room temp or in the oven, for at least 4-6 hours.  The dough will have done a slow rise. 
3. Take the dough out, divide into two, and plop down onto two 1/4 sheet pans (9x12) or just one pan if you want a really thick focaccia.  Which have been drizzled with olive oil (the pans that is).  Stretch the dough out to the sides of the pan.  Don't worry if you get more olive oil on top, that's a good thing.  Cover and let rise for another 4-6 hours. By the end of the rise time, the dough will have almost doubled in size again.  Dribble a little olive oil over the top, and then dimple it with your fingers.  Just poke them down into the dough at random areas.  The olive oil will catch into the little holes and that's a good thing. 
4. I cut some fresh green onions and a tomato into very thin slices and spread them over the top of one of them, then just sprinkled some Italian seasoning over both pans, and a grind of salt.  ( The salt was too much for my palate, I'm not a big salt person).  Bake at 425 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until the tops are just browned a little. 
5. Serve immediately.

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