The Runaway Cook

A diary of culinary adventures

Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes

Posted by Elizabeth Thursday, February 21, 2013 comments (0)


As some of my loyal class-goers know, for the last 4 months I have been eating a gluten-free diet, prescribed by my doctor. It's not permanent. As she describes it, we are working to reset the system. I have more and more friends and acquaintances that are like me, finding themselves in a kitchen without gluten by their side. So here is my recipe for fluffy pancakes that taste delicious, no beany flavor, no xanthan gum required, light rather than dense (I find many of the GF pancake mixes are far too dense), and just enough fat to keep these pancakes velvety. I have also used this batter with just a bit more water to coat fish for frying and make onion rings. Believe it or not it's almost better than regular. 

Ingredients:
1 &1/3 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour Mill
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
3/4 cup Warm Water
1 Egg Yolk
2 Egg Whites
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
3 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 cup Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

Method of preparation

1. Beat the egg whites until frothy, add cream of tartar and beat another minute, gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form; set aside.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Add wet ingredients including whites to dry ingredients and mix until a mostly homogenous mixture forms.
4. Heat a sauté pan or griddle to medium heat and rub surface with some extra vegetable oil, wipe excess off with a paper bowl. Pan surface should be well coated but now drown in oil. 
5. Pour abut 1/3 cup of batter onto hot pan and place 4-6 blueberries on top. Wait for bubbles to rise in batter and bottom to be golden brown before flipping. This will ensure a cooked/ non-goey center.

Top with butter, blueberry syrup, whipped cream, or powdered sugar. 


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My Apple Pie Cocktail

Posted by Elizabeth Friday, November 9, 2012 comments (1)


That cold bite of the wind on my cheek and the crackle of leaves under my feet are a little reminder that it is time to fill the kitchen with all things spiced, baked, and flavored with apple. This cocktail is my own creation. As the granddaughter a pie legend, I believe pie to be nearly a religion and that perfect balance of sweet and rich filling with the salty crisp crust my center. So when I decided to make a cocktail that would have pie in the name, no ordinary apple and cinnamon combo would do. The sweet and salty rim on the glass makes this cocktail as satisfying as a great slice of pie. It may sound strange, but I urge you to try using Cinnamon "Salger" and experience the my apple pie cocktail


Ingredients
3 oz apple cider
1 oz cranberry juice
1 1/2 oz brandy
1/2 oz caramel or butterscotch liqueur
1/4 oz fresh orange juice
2 dashes of bitters

Procedure:
Using and orange to moisten the outer edge of the glass, garnish glass with the cinnamon mixture below making sure to have an even coating on the outside of the glass edge and nothing on the inside. This is important. you can achieve this by tipping the glass and rolling the moistened outer edge through the Cinnamon "Salgar." Then, shake all ingredients together and strain into a cocktail class

Cinnamon “Salgar”
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp sugar

-Combine and place on a small saucer for ease of use. 

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Where's the Rest of It!

Posted by Elizabeth Wednesday, October 3, 2012 comments (0)

Hello Foodies!

For those of you who have been awaiting the end of my travel tales you will soon be able to read them on a separate page titled "Continued: Travels Through Germany." I know a lot of you have been waiting for me to finish this and I'm excited that I have some time to tend the blog!  I'll post on Facebook when the first story is completed.

Taste and see,
The Runaway Cook

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My Tiramisu Recipe

Posted by Elizabeth comments (0)


You'll always get it right if you use mascarpone, grappa, and fresh eggs!


 Ingredients
2 eggs
8 tbsp sugar plus 2 more for the coffee mixture and another 4 more for the whites 
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
16 oz mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy cream
2 pkg pavesini cookies or dry lady fingers (lady fingers can be home made if you desire)
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2 cups espresso coffee 1/4 cup grappa or rum cocoa powder for garnish


  1. Separate yolks from whites and beat the whites until stiff using cream of tartar add sugar gradually to help stabilize the texture.
  2. In a separate whip the cream until smooth soft peeks form. Do not over whip .
  3. In a third bowl, combine the yolks, sugar, and mascarpone. Beat until well
    combined.
  4. Fold the cream and whites into the yolk mixture and set aside.
  5. In yet another bowl, combine coffee, sugar, and grappa
  6. In a deep glass baking dish spread a layer of mascarpone filling then dip the
    lady finder into the coffee mixture covering both sides the removing before cake/cookie disintegrates. Placing dipped cake/cookies on top of the cream layer and continue doing this until there are three layers ending with a layer of cream.
  7. Sift cocoa powder on top of the cream and refrigerate at least 2 hours for soggy perfection, or eat immediately and forgo the excruciating wait... for those who do not wish to wait leaving the lady fingers in the espresso mixture just a hair longer is acceptable. 

     NOTE: I like to prepare this in individual portion using wine or cocktail glasses. It makes for easy serving and a beautiful presentation.

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A Picnic Through Austria with Mr. Australia

Posted by Elizabeth Tuesday, July 12, 2011 comments (2)

Goodbye Italy. I already miss the golden sheen of your ever flowing olive oil and the seductive swirl your red wine makes in my glass. What will I do without your markets and men who truly believe they are irresistible when they utter the word “Bella”?  Absence shall only make me grow fonder of your every curve and crazy cabby that drives upon it. Ciao my darling country. 
The long journey to Germany has begun. I have not slept for over 24 hours now. Going to the Opera In Verona made for a late night. Too late to catch the last train so I had to wait for the first train of the new day. This meant again “sleeping” in the station at Verona. Fortunately, this time I was nearly a seasoned train station dozer and almost literally rested with one eye open. When I did almost fall asleep, I had the pleasant surprise of loud Italian cursing. Pulling an all-nighter here was cake!  
I thought that there was a train that went straight to Munich from Venice. The truth is that the train to Munich leaves from Verona. Wouldn’t that have been nice to know before this whole fiasco. I would have willingly slept in a bed instead of cuddling up on that dirty bench. 
Despite my sleepless night, things seem to have a way of working out. Serendipitously, I am now seated next to a fine Australian man, whom I met at my hostel in Venice, and is now enduring this 7-hour train ride with me. 
The sun has been relentless today and being without air conditioning in this metal box is a bit challenging for us. Luckily, I have packed refreshments. Within my never ending bag-lady-like backpack is a picnic filled with my last bits of Italy. One perfectly ripe nectarine, a crisp pink apple, two strange but delicious oblong yellow plums, an apricot, soft camembert cheese, slices of salami, the end of a baguette, and half a plastic bottle of pinot gris that is quickly turning sour in this heat. 
I have to say, this train ride picnics could be the best I’ve ever had. I shared my food with Mr. Australia and in return, he bought us coffees to keep us awake.
I love to eat soft cheeses like Camembert with apples and salami is perfect with stone fruits. I told this to my friend and he gave me a kind of are-you-serious look mixed with a dash of try-not-to-look-alarmed-or-you-will-insult-her grin. He braved my advice and found my combinations of fruit, cheese, and meat to be a good match. His eyebrows raised as he swallowed, “Wow! I would have never thought to put those things together. I figured I wouldn’t like it when you told me to eat that together, but I do.” 
As we munched and crunched our way through our simple dinner, the scenery changed from terra cotta to gingerbread. Signs no longer read of Italian words with too many L’s and O’s, but rather with very long foreign German words with far too many S’s. Intensely green mountains have appeared where flat pastures had once been adding a mystic feeling to the already surreal change. The sun has now dulled just but and the breeze seems to be getting cooler with every kilometer forward. 
I can’t help but shiver with goosebumps from the chill and excitement. What new exotic adventures will you provide Munich? I can hardly wait know.

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Heaven

Posted by Elizabeth Tuesday, July 5, 2011 comments (0)

Have you ever tasted heaven . . . Just a taste, one glorious bite of those golden sunny beams streaming through the clouds?   That flavor is like nothing else!  Warm, exciting, and refreshing, it’s like eating all the best parts of summer in one single mouthful.

Disguised in a red dress, the celestial essence becomes a seductive kiss of color among a crowd green with envy.  Each emerald limb reaches for the rouge beauty with hair standing on end.  Alas, only the very ends of strained stems are permitted to grace her taught skin with their fingertips. Her firm flesh is veiled by a glossy film that seduces even the most upright.  She calls to me with siren voice, singing of her supernatural sweetness.  I can stand the temptation no longer! Her perfection is too much resist.  My hand reaches for the plump jewel, to release her from the jealous hands that had held on for so long. 

Ripe and engorged with elixir of pure summer sun, I stare at the orb enamored by her simple charm.  Her vivacious scent overwhelms my reality, and I consume the luscious fruit.  Pow!  The burst of pressure is an explosion in my mouth, precipitating in gushes of flavor running down my lips and cheeks.  So rich and sweet, yet so light and mouthwatering, how can it be? It just can be I tell you! 

 The tomato is the pure, untouched embodiment of bliss.  Possessing the sun in her flesh, the power of cosmic tears in her blush wine, the perfection of paradise in her taste, and eternal life of yearly regeneration . . . she is heaven. 

http://lakehouse-garden.blogspot.com/



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A Tip For Saving CA$H

Posted by Elizabeth Sunday, March 20, 2011 comments (0)

Note to all travelers staying in hostels. It is no longer the flirtatious smile and innocent giggle that can save you money at your next point of rest. Rather it is bringing lost travelers to your host who end up staying where you were that please him enough to take 23 Euro off your bill. That's right folks. I happened to meet four young travelers on the train from Verona to Venice in the wee hours of the morning and told them about the superb location and bathrooms of my hostel. They needed a place to stay and I brought them back with me. After a short conversation with the owner he decided to knock off a night from my bill. YES!

So what have we learned my friend. That even at 4am it is vital to talk to the traveler next to you, they just might get you where you need to go or save you a few bucks!

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