Lawrence Timothy W. - Gluten-Free Miniature Desserts: Tarts, Mini Pies, Cake Pops, and More

TARTLETS, MINI PIES, CAKE POPS,
AND MORE ABIGAIL R. GEHRING Skyhorse Publishing With gratitude to my husband, Tim Lawrence, whose
culinary creations nourish and inspire me and who
contributed several recipes for this book. Copyright 2013 by Abigail R. Gehring All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com. Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-62873-479-9 Printed in China

I f theres anything lucky about having celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity, its that we have it now, when the availability of gluten-free products is expanding at lightning speed. As few as five years ago, many folks didnt even know what gluten was, and unless you were in a natural foods store or specialty grocery store, you wouldnt be likely to see a single item labeled gluten-free. Now, many mainstream supermarkets have whole gluten-free sections, and many restaurants provide gluten-free menus! (Though, a word of warning: gluten-free menus are not always as exciting as they seem. I once ordered eggs benedict from a gluten-free menu, eagerly awaiting the first English muffin Id had since discovering gluten made me feel lousy. When the plate arrived with just a lonely poached egg and a bit of hollandaise saucesans English muffinI was sorely disappointed.) Going gluten-free is a whole lot easier now than it ever has been before. Still, it takes some time to recognize which ingredients are safe and which are not, and there is the unavoidable fact that gluten holds baked goods together and helps them rise and without it, your cookies, cakes, and piecrusts are at a high risk of being flat and crumbling to bits.

Those are really two separate issues, so lets start with the first one: ingredients. Ingredients to Avoid Wheat, rye, and barley are the gluten-laden culprits you must avoid. Unfortunately, thats not as simple as it sounds, since those three grains show up in a myriad of forms. Heres a list of common dessert ingredients to watch out for:

DANGER LIST

Barley, barley malt, barley extract

Bran

Bread flour

Bulgur wheat

Cereal

Durum

Einkorn

Farina

Farro

Gluten

Graham flour

Kamut

Malt extract, malt flavoring, malt syrup

Matzo

Oats, oat bran, oat fiber, oat syrup*

Rice Syrup, brown rice syrup **

Rye

Semolina

Spelt***

Sprouted wheat

Wheat, wheat berry, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheat grass, wheat starch, wheat berries

* Oats are often processed in facilities that also process wheat. Look for certified gluten-free oats to ensure theyre safe. ** Rice syrup is often processed using barley enzymes.

Check with the manufacturer to ensure the brand you use is safe. *** Spelt is an ancient variety of wheat, so it is not safe for individuals with celiac disease. However, some people with gluten-sensitivity or intolerance find that they can tolerate spelt just fine. To further complicate things, these ingredients can show up in some unexpected places. The below ingredients do not always contain gluten and when they do its trace amounts, but especially if you have celiac disease, you should be careful about what brand of the following items you are buying.

MAYBE LIST

Alcohol

Artificial color

Baking powder

Brewers yeast

Chocolate

Dextrin

Dextrimaltose

Dry roasted nuts

Flavoring and flavor extracts

Glucose syrup

Ground spices

Instant coffee

Maltose

Modfied food starch

Non-dairy creamer

Now for the good news.

MAYBE LIST

Alcohol

Artificial color

Baking powder

Brewers yeast

Chocolate

Dextrin

Dextrimaltose

Dry roasted nuts

Flavoring and flavor extracts

Glucose syrup

Ground spices

Instant coffee

Maltose

Modfied food starch

Non-dairy creamer

Now for the good news.

There are lots of flours, starches, and other essential dessert ingredients that you can eat. Here Ill focus on the flours and starches, since those are the trickiest areas. The following are safe to eat on a gluten-free diet:

SAFE LIST

Agar-agar

Almond flour

Amaranth

Arrowroot flour or starch

Buckwheat flour

Cashew flour

Chestnut flour

Chickpea/garbanzo flour

Coconut flour

Cornmeal and cornstarch

Flaxseeds

Gelatin

Millet flour

Oats (if theyre certified gluten-free)

Pecan flour

Potato flour

Potato starch

Quinoa

Rice flour, brown rice flour, sweet rice flour

Sorghum

Soy flour

Sweet potato/yam flour

Tapioca flour and tapioca starch

Teff flour

Xanthan gum

Tips for Successful Gluten-Free Baking Use a mix of flours and starches. On page xii youll find a basic recipe for gluten-free all-purpose flour. It includes a variety of flours and starches, which helps to ensure a nice texture in your finished dessert. Using sweet rice flour adds some stickiness to your batter or dough that is sometimes lacking in gluten-free flours.

I recommend brown sweet rice flour (rather than white), since its a bit more nutritious. (Note: sweet rice flour is sometimes called sweet rice glutinous flour, but it doesnt contain any gluten.) Go small (obviously a big theme in this book). Smaller cakes, muffins, and cookies hang together more easily than really big ones. Add moisture. Applesauce, pumpkin puree, and yogurt add moisture and nutrition to gluten-free baked goods. Using brown sugar instead of white also helps, as does using a little honey or gluten-free brown rice syrup.