Skip to main content

Gluten-Free Fridays: Lemon Bars #glutenfreecheatsheet #sponsor

Earlier this month - before I left on a 10-day camping trip and before my laptop went kaput - I introduced you to a brand new cookbook from Perigee-Penguin: THE GLUTEN-FREE CHEAT SHEET: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less, written by gluten-free maven April Peveteaux, author of the blog Gluten is My Bitch.


Thank you to Perigee-Penguin for inspiring this series of posts. This is my third Gluten-Free Fridays post. Don't forget about your chance to win a copy of the book. I will continue to post gluten-free recipes, but that is a story for another day. This is the final post before the giveaway ends.

One of my biggest challenges, when cooking for my GF friends, has been making sweets.  Sometimes a crust will be as dry as the Sahara Desert. Sometimes it's rubbery. Like Flubber rubbery. Yuck. I should probably blend my own GF flour more regularly to create some consistency and predictability. When I'm in a pinch, I use Trader Joe's gluten-free blend. I have tried Bob's Red Mill GF flour, but I am sensitive to fava flour. Ugh. So, I definitely need to put more time and energy into experimenting with alternative grain flours.

Excerpted, with permission, from The Gluten-Free Cheat Sheet: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux, © 2015

   Alternative Grain Flours
Cooking gluten-free is just like cooking everything else . . . sometimes. To be specific, preparing naturally gluten-free foods is not an issue, but once you start experimenting with alternative flours, things can get weird. I have a few tricks to make your transition much smoother, and your cookies much tastier. The best advice I’ve ever heard, and given, is to keep experimenting in the kitchen.
  • sorghum flour
  • almond flour (a fave)
  • hazelnut flour
  • walnut flour
  • coconut flour (another fave)
  • rice flour (white, sweet, and brown)
  • tapioca flour
  • garbanzo bean flour
  • potato flour
  • soy flour
  • buckwheat (yet another favorite)
  • amaranth flour
  • millet flour (great for making a roux)
  • teff flour
  • cornmeal (has to be labeled gluten-free)

And the new kids on the block:
  • mesquite flour (mostly for adding cinnamon flavor)
  • green  banana flour

I definitely have some shopping - and experimenting - to do! Are you with me?

Lemon Bars
adapted from The Gluten-Free Cheat Sheet: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux, © 2015

This classic treat, and Mann Clan favorite, was adapted even further than just gluten-free because I was simultaneously experimenting with dairy-free! Also, I cut down on the sugar a bit because I wanted it more tart.

Ingredients
  • 1 C butter (I used a dairy-free Earth Balance)
  • 2 C + 1/4 C gluten-free flour (I used the GF King Arthur flour)
  • 1/2 C + 1 C organic granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • juice and zest from 2 organic Meyer lemons
  • organic powdered sugar for dusting


Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9"x13" baking pan. Place 2 C flour and 1/2 C sugar in a bowl. Rub in butter then press the dough into baking pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. In the meantime, make the topping. To make the lemon layer, beat together the eggs, remaining sugar, remaining flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a bowl till smooth and combined.

Pour lemon mixture over the cooked base. Bake for another 25 minutes. Leave to cool. Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.

Enter to win a copy of the book!

One of my lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy of  THE GLUTEN-FREE CHEAT SHEET: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux, courtesy of Perigee-PenguinGiveaway runs from July 3rd till August 3rd at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Perigee Books. You may find Perigee: on the web, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway *Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of THE GLUTEN-FREE CHEAT SHEET: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less by April Peveteaux to review plus the opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are my own. I received no further compensation for my posts.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce