Pear Cardamom Coffee Cake

Wow, I've been busy. It's been a week since I've posted a recipe and longer than that since I promised some pear recipes. Well here's one, at least. This particular recipe has been my very favorite pear cake recipe for several years. It's one of those awesome, treasured recipes I found at a local orchard. I just love making recipes that come from small family businesses, like I love buying those slim, small country store recipe books. There's something about them that screams "home" to me. Or maybe I'm just a random recipe pack rat. Hmmm.


Anyway, this recipe converted to GFCF really well - so well that it doesn't last long after coming out of the oven. I love making this coffee cake for friends because the bundt shape is so pretty, I've made it for showers and homecomings several times in the past. I was worried about making this bundt cake GFCF and having the sides stick to the pan and everything falling apart into crumbs. So I couldn't believe my eyes when I turned the bundt pan upside down to release the cake - it fell right out! I didn't have to knock on the pan to loosen the cake, I didn't have to shake it, and absolutely nothing stuck! It turned out beautiful and tasted awesome. It's these little things in life that make me happy. Like little country store cookbooks - my little slice of home away from home.

2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
6 oz dairy free vanilla yogurt (such as So Delicious Coconut)

1 1/2 cups GF flour blend (I used this one)
1/2 cup nut meal
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. cardamom mixed with 1/4 cup sugar
3 soft ripe pears, such as Bartlett, peeled, cored and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt cake pan with palm shortening and coat with the flour blend you are using for the cake, tapping out the excess flour. Don't be tempted to take a shortcut and use cooking spray, which will only make the flour clump together and get soggy. Use shortening for this, spreading thinly all over the inside of the bundt pan with a small piece of paper towel, making sure to get all the crevices. Set aside.

Beat together the eggs, vanilla, sugar, canola oil and yogurt until blended. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour through the xanthan gum. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat until blended.

Toss the diced pears with the cardamom sugar. Gently fold the pears into the cake batter. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 - 15 minutes. Place a plate on top of the cake pan and turn the cake upside down onto the plate. It should release nicely - if it does not, tap on the pan with the back of a butter knife until the cake falls from the pan onto the plate. Cool completely before slicing.

Xanthan Gum vs. Guar Gum

I've finally put my money where my mouth is and have been using guar gum instead of xanthan gum in my baked goods for the past few weeks. Xanthan gum is corn-derived where guar gum is not. I can see no difference between the two in my baked goods. I've been using 50% more guar gum as xanthan gum, so if a recipe calls for 1 tsp. xanthan gum, I use 1 1/2 tsp. guar gum and everything has been turning out great. The one exception is yeast bread - for some reason guar gum is not working in my sandwich bread - read here and here.

Guar gum is much less expensive than xanthan gum, so even if I was not concerned about xanthan gum being corn-derived, I'd use it anyway because it's half as expensive, maybe less. Which really counts for something in my household these days! I am still using xanthan gum in sandwich bread but in everything else I'm using guar gum, and over time this will help keep the cost of gluten free baking a little more manageable - every little bit of savings counts!

Update
Check out the comment from Niksmom (thanks for the heads-up, Niksmom). I have stated elsewhere that some people may have problems with guar gum because of the high fiber, but I had forgotten that legume sensitive individuals may need to avoid guar gum as it is bean-derived. For people who need to avoid legumes, see this helpful list of legumes here.

Julie - girl I am so sorry. Samuel cannot have gluten, corn, legumes...your gluten-free baking just got a lot harder. I will look up SCD for you. In the meantime, see this article about cross-reactivity, it might be helpful for you.

GFCF Frosted Pumpkin Bars

These frosted pumpkin bars are good - almost like a cake. I've modified the original recipe (from Penzey's Spices). The maple frosting also goes well with Banana Cupcakes.

2 cups GF flour blend
2 tbsp. flax seed meal
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan or guar gum
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce
scant 1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 15 oz. can solid packed pumpkin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.

Sift together the flour through the nutmeg, set aside. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs through the pumpkin. Gradually add the dry ingredients and blend well. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack and frost with Maple Frosting.

Maple Frosting
1/4 cup palm shortenting
3 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. rice milk
2 cups powdered sugar, plus more as needed

Beat together the shortening and maple syrup. Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add the rice milk and beat. Add additional powdered sugar until frosting consistency is reached.

Try pumpkin bars with orange glaze (powdered sugar and orange juice) for a change of pace.

Mom-Blindness

Today was Parent-Teacher Conference Day. I sat down with Anna's teacher this morning to go over Anna's strengths, her weaknesses, and goals for academic and social progress. I raised a couple of concerns and Anna's teacher mentioned that Anna is at this school and in remediation to address her areas of weakness.

The use of this word blindsided me. According to the dictionary, the definitions of remediation are " the correction of something defective" and "the act or process of correcting a fault or deficiency (as in) remediation of a learning disability." Although I can agree that Anna has learning differences, there is nothing about Anna that I think is defective. I mean, I realize Anna is in an LD school. I can see her weaknesses and that is why she is at this school. I love her school. She's doing so well there. They understand her needs and her needs are getting met. She's happy there. I want her to stay there. It's a perfect fit for her, for our family. But I do not look at this school as being remediation for her. I look at it as a supportive environment that will help Anna build the skills she needs to live a happy, confident, fully independent life. I don't see this school as remediation - I see it as a perfect fit for Anna.

I know it's a bit silly of me to be worked up over a word, but just last month Anna's OT did a re-evaluation. The report came back and a phrase that was used, which struck me, was "neurodevelopmental delays". It was used to describe the fact that Anna is still behind her peers in several areas and will benefit from continued occupational therapy. I mean, I know that ASD is a neurobiological/neurodevelopmental issue. We started intervention for her because we could see her developmental delays. But this is not what I see when I look at Anna.

It's a strange blindness I have. I'm focused on Anna's needs and getting her help for them. I can see her weaknesses - I talk about them, I make sure other people see them too so that Anna can get help in either overcoming them or developing coping methods to deal with them. But "remediation" and "neurodevelopmentally delayed" are not in my vocabulary. I see her weaknesses but that's not how I see Anna. When I look at Anna, I do not see remediation. I do not see neurodevelopmentally delayed. Sometimes I see ASD when it's obvious, but there is no sadness surrounding that description of her - it's accurate and it makes her who she is. I've embraced it because I embrace her. When I look at Anna, I see her whole person - her sweet spirit, her bright smile, her inquisitive nature, her sparkling eyes. All I see when I look at Anna is perfection.

GFCF Spiced Pear Crisp

Originally I wanted to turn this into a pie, but it was late in the day, the pears needed to be used right away and I didn't have the time to make a pie crust. And really, a crisp is just a pie without the crust. It only took about 15 minutes to throw together and it turned out great (so good in fact that the kids didn't get any of it because DH attacked it). I'm actually glad I didn't have time to play with a pie crust because it gave me the opportunity to play with a crisp topping that is free of everything Samuel is allergic to or might be allergic to! This one is for you, Samuel - I hope you like it.

Filling
6 - 8 ripe pears
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Topping
4 tbsp. amaranth flour
4 tbsp. tapioca starch
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. coconut oil, divided *
4 tbsp. whole grain buckwheat hot cereal

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease one 8x8 inch baking dish, set aside.

Peel, core and slice the pears thickly. Toss with lemon juice. Combine the sugar through the allspice and toss with the pears until evenly distributed. Place into the prepared baking dish. Set aside while you prepare the topping.

Combine the amaranth through the cinnamon. Cut in 2 tbsp. coconut oil with the tines of a fork until the mixture resembles fine meal. Add the buckwheat hot cereal and toss to combine. Sprinkle topping evenly over top of the pears. Drizzle 1 tbsp. coconut oil over top. Bake about 45 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is lightly browned. Cool slightly before serving warm. Cold leftovers are also good for breakfast!

*If you are allergic to coconut, substitute dairy-free, soy-free margarine instead.

You can substitute apples for the pears, if you like! Thanks to Julie for the pretty picture!

Love Affair with Pears

I love pears. Pears are an autumn fruit every bit as versatile as apples. The two are swapped easily in practically most every recipe that calls for one of them. Have pears but need applesauce? Pear sauce is perfectly lovely. Want to make Apple Pie but have too many ripening pears? Pear pie is divine. Want to make mashed potatoes and have an extra couple of pears kicking around? Mashed potatoes with Pears is absurdly yummy. Pears go as well with cranberries as apples do, too. Try pears instead of apples in Apple and Cranberry Tart for a change.

I love apples with cinnamon and I love pears with cardamom so if I do any fruit swapping, I swap spices too. Try pears dressed simply with cardamom sugar* instead of cinnamon sugar. Even Megan, who turns up her nose at pears, will eat them with a little cardamom sugar sprinkled on top.

So because pears have been on sale lately and I just love using pears in the autumn, I'll be posting a small series of pear-centric recipes soon. If you don't care for pears so much, use apples instead!

*To make cardamom sugar, stir together 4 tbsp. sugar with 1/4 tsp. cardamom until well combined and fragrant.

Buttoning Skills and Other Trials

This morning as I was helping the girls get dressed, I started to think about how far Anna has come since starting speech and occupational therapies 2 1/2 years ago. DH and I think along these lines often and we never cease to be amazed. Today Anna was putting on some jeans and needed help with the snap button - it's a little hard to snap and she still does not have the strength in her hands to do it herself. That's okay - at least she did not throw herself on the floor and wail about it. Then she needed help with her jacket. I bought cute empire waist jackets for both girls that have two rows of three big white buttons, thinking the big buttons would be easy for Anna to work by herself and forgetting that the two rows would mess her up. That's okay - I buttoned the first row and she buttoned the second row.

It's very interesting to watch Anna's motor planning in action. The way she buttons is very deliberate, like she's still going through the steps in her mind while she's buttoning. She still holds the buttons and pulls them through the button hole awkwardly, like she's not sure how to make her fingers work correctly. I try to make sure I buy things with big buttons so she's more likely to have success and less likely to throw a tantrum. Anna's occupational therapist says that her motor planning skills are such that it does not matter how many times Anna watches someone do something, she can't make her hands do what her eyes see. She has to have the steps broken down and she has to practice over and over and over. Even when she gets it, she'll tantrum at any time if she can't get it perfect. Getting her to learn to tie her shoes is going to be fun. I see a lot of tantrums in our future over that.

Anna finished getting dressed and Megan came over to me for some help. She had already put her shoes on and buttoned her jeans by herself. It was her turn to button her jacket. She wanted to do both rows by herself, but we compromised. I did the first row, she did the second row. "I want to button it myself like a big girl, like Anna!", she said. She took the buttons and pulled them through the holes deftly, like buttoning is an afterthought. I never had to teach her how to do it. She didn't have to go through months of occupational therapy like Anna did (I think it was a year, actually) to learn how to button or zipper or snap.

You know what else we never had to teach Megan to do? Use language. She never had to go to speech therapy to learn how to socially communicate. It's astonishing the things she says and the thoughts she expresses - so effortless, so sophisticated. Megan is only four and DH and I cannot believe what comes out of her mouth. Anna still does not use language that way. That's okay - she's communicating fabulously. But there is a big difference in how they talk. When Anna was 3 and 4 years old, I could see the extreme gulf between her language and the way typical children used language. Thankfully that gulf is not so big anymore. It's really astounding how language has a life of its own, growing and twisting like a vine that weaves itself in and out of every fabric of our lives - most of us learn how to work it to our advantage without being aware of that process. Anna had to be taught. I still think, although it's easier for her now, she still has to think about it sometimes.

I'm always on alert and aware of what Anna is saying, because you never know when she'll come out and say something important. When she talks about school or friends, it's always out of the blue like she's talking about it because it's on her mind right at that moment. She almost never talks just for the hell of it. There's usually a purpose. I think it might be because it's still a bit of an effort for her. Don't get me wrong, she does a lot of talking, especially while she's playing with Megan. But Megan does more talking and she's better at it. I think it's still a little taxing for Anna. At least, that is what I see. Probably somebody on the outside won't see a difference at all. But I see it.

Sometimes I wish I was not always so aware of typical and not-so-typical. I wish things like buttoning and brushing and biking and communicating and interfacing with her typical peers were easier for Anna. I wish I didn't have to worry that things like executive functioning skills and social skills may be her Achilles heel in the future. I try to put my mind at ease - we will deal with these issues as they arise. Anna has come a long way. She'll get to where she's going and be just fine because she has the love and support she needs to help get her there.

Help for Grain Allergies?

Okay, everyone. I've written about my BFF's son before. He's allergic to everything, and I'm really not joking: peanuts, seeds, tree nuts, eggs, wheat/gluten/oats/barley/rye, corn, millet, soy and all other legumes, and...rice. Also grasses and tree pollen, cats and dogs. (Julie, am I missing anything?)

So the corn, millet and the rice are new revelations, in a sense. This sweet boy seems to be allergic to all the grains. I went ahead and told Julie that amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa and sorghum are not true grains. But sorghum is a grass and I can't find out if it's related to corn or millet. Amaranth is the seed of an herb, quinoa is the seed of the Goosefoot plant and buckwheat is related to rhubarb.

But now the question is...if he is allergic to grasses, might he have a problem with sorghum? He is allergic to seeds, so might he have a problem with amaranth or quinoa? He can't have any prepared foods...no Ian's, no Enjoy Life. He can have potato chips. Everything else Julie needs to make at home.

So if we are trying to allow an allergic child some food items resembling normal...the cookies and breads that everyone else eats...can this be done with his allergies? Does anyone have any ideas or advice or my poor stressed-out friend? The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is right out, of course, with the use of nuts. I know we'll have to wait for more blood tests to be done (they can only take so much blood at a time, you know) but if anyone has any tips or thoughts to offer, please do!

GFCF Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

These pancakes are so pretty. They stack nicely, and everybody loves them. What more can you ask for in a pancake?

2 cups GF flour blend (I used this one)
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 beaten eggs
scant 1 1/2 cups rice milk
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated

Heat a griddle over medium heat. In a large bowl, sift together the flour through the cinnamon. In a separate bowl combine the eggs through the canola oil and beat well. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture all at once and beat with a fork until blended. Fold in the grated apple.

Lightly grease the griddle with a little canola oil. Pour 1/3 cupfuls of batter onto the hot griddle (or 1/4 cup if you want to make them smaller - they will spread a bit). Cook until the edges are brown and there are tiny bubbles covering the surface. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side. Serve hot with your favorite condiments.