Crepes...

... more or less.


I tried to cook these on the stove similar to pancakes. However, they were just too fragile and didn't hold up. Baking them in the oven solved this. You may notice that this is very similar to my recipe for strawberry shortcake. In fact, aside from the fillings and the time of day that you'd typically serve them, they are nearly the same. The base "cake" (that was invented when I was trying to make a new version of pancakes) is very versatile!

Crepes

Crepe Base

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp butter (melted)
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup potato flour (not starch)
1/8 cup flax seed
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Filling
6 ounces marscapone cheese (you can modify this amount somewhat based on the package size available)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
sugar, to taste (about a tablespoon is probably plenty)

Fresh fruit of your choice


Preheat oven to 350°. Line one 13x19 jelly roll pans with parchment paper.

Combine the liquid ingredients. Slowly whisk in the flours. Whisk in the flax seed, let batter rest for 10-15 minutes. Whisk in the baking soda, pour into prepared pan, spread into a thin layer.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until done. It should be cooked through (a toothpick tester should have no crumbs) but it should not have browned very much.

Invert pan onto a cooling rack, leave parchment on cake and let cool. When cool, remove parchment.

While the crepe base is cooling, using a stand mixer or a heavy-duty whip marscapone, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until fluffy. Be careful not to add too much sugar- this shouldn't be a sweet filling.


To assemble:

Cut crepe base into nice sections. Place one section on a plate, top with filling and fresh fruit. Fold in half, serve.

Makes 9 servings, with 2.5 grams of starch per serving (depending on filling choice).

Special Occasion Pizza Crusts

Modified from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com, these are "special occasion" pizza crusts because they not as low in starch as many other pizza crust versions that I make. However, they taste so close to "real" pizza (especially if you crisp the crust in step 5) that even starch and gluten eaters will enjoy them. Don't be intimidated by the ingredient list- they are all worth it.

Special Occasion pizza crusts

Ingredients

3/4 cup gluten-free all purpose baking flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
1 cup warm milk
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 18-inch pizza pan or a sheet pan with parchment paper. Stir the all-purpose baking flour, coconut flour, flax seed, almond meal, baking powder, xanthan gum, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, and Parmesan cheese together in a bowl; set aside.
2. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of white sugar in the lukewarm water and milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top, and set aside until foamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat the egg in a separate bowl with the olive oil, vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the garlic until smooth. Once the yeast is foamy, whisk it into the egg mixture, then stir in the flour until no dry lumps remain. Let rest about 30 minutes.
3. Using a half-cup disher, place about 1/2 cup batter on a parchment lined baking sheet at least 3 inches apart for mini pizzas. Spread onto lined pizza pan for a large pizza.
4. To par bake: Cook in the preheated oven 12-15 minutes for mini pizzas, or 20-25 minutes for a large pizza, until the dough has risen and has slightly firmed. Flip pizza(s) over.
5. Top with your favorite toppings. Once topped with your favorite toppings, continue baking at 350 degrees F until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes for a large pizza, or 5-7 minutes for a mini pizza. Remove the pizza from the pan, and cook directly on the oven rack for 5 minutes to crisp crust, if desired.

Makes approximately 12 servings, with approximately 6 grams of starch per serving (excluding toppings)

Strawberry short-"cake"

Yeppers.

Strawberry shortcake. 2.5 grams of starch. No wheat or gluten. All awesome.


This recipe was one of those crazy happy accidents- I was making crepes, and I was sick of trying to fry them. They were too delicate and were falling apart, so I thought that baking them might work a little better. Well, I didn't end up with crepes but using the oven worked like a charm! This cake is a little delicate, but mostly because it is rather thin.

Strawberry Shortcake

Chiffon-style Cake

4 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp butter (melted)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp xantham gum
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup potato flour (not starch)
1/4 cup flax seed
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda

Filling
Fresh fruit of your choice, jam, or pie filling
Whipped cream if desired

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two 13x19 jelly roll pans with parchment paper.

Combine the liquid ingredients. Slowly whisk in the flours. Whisk in the flax seed, let batter rest for 10-15 minutes. Whisk in the baking soda, pour into prepared pans, spread into a thin layer.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until done. It should be cooked through (a toothpick tester should have no crumbs) but it should not have browned very much.

Invert pans onto cooling racks, leave parchment on cake and let cool. When cool, remove parchment.

To assemble:

Often macerated strawberries (cut up strawberries tossed with sugar) are used when making strawberry shortcake, but they would make this cake much too soggy. Plain cut-up strawberries plus a bit of jam work much better, or as I did, pie filling (homemade or store bought)with some fresh strawberries works very well.

Cover one sheet of cake with filling of your choice- if you use pie filling plus fresh strawberries you'll need two cans pie filling plus 1-2 cups fresh strawberries. Top strawberry layer with whipped cream. Invert second cake onto the fruit and cream layer, cut into squares and top with additional whipped cream, if desired.

Makes about 18 servings, with 2.5 grams of starch per serving (depending on filling choice).