The Best Gluten Free Rice Pudding

Rice pudding has always been one of my favorite desserts. I've tried many rice puddings from both sides of the family, Italian and Greek. Every recipe is a little different. I tried making it many times with many failures.I just couldn't get it to come out right. It was either too dense with too much rice, or too watery and not creamy. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. Then I found this recipe and it is perfect every time!

The recipe is from an old friend of mine and is the recipe he used in his restaurant. Before I went to his restaurant for the first time, he asked me what some of my favorites were. I told him I enjoyed eating seafood out since I rarely made it at home and anything that wasn't chocolate for dessert. This was before I was gluten free so my choices were easier. When we got to the restaurant, there was a seafood entree on the menu, a wonderful medley of shrimp and scallops over pasta (my favorites) named "Seafood Silvana"! On the dessert menu, rice pudding. This was one of the best meals I have ever eaten at a restaurant and the best rice pudding I ever tasted!  So creamy, just the right amount of rice,  it melted in your mouth. I had to have this recipe! I wasn't sure if my friend would give me his restaurant recipe, but he did. And, following his instructions, I made for the first time myself, the best rice pudding. I didn't have to substitute a thing to make it gluten free! All the ingredients are naturally gluten free!

This is the original recipe given to me, Restaurant sized. It makes 2-9x13- trays of pudding, a lot of pudding. The first time I made it, I was afraid to change the recipe at all, so I made the entire recipe. And for the first time, my rice pudding was delicious, just like I had in the restaurant. I cut the recipe in half with the same results. I have served this many times to guests and it is always a hit. This is such a great dish to bring to a party, everyone will love it and you will have a gluten free dessert to enjoy!

There aren't many steps, but you need to follow them exactly. I had so many failures with previous recipes that I don't dare change one thing in this one. Use only Carolina White Rice. You may think this isn't enough rice for all the liquid, but it is, Use low heat or your mixture will burn on the bottom. Very important, wait for the milk mixture to come to a boil, this will take 20-30 minutes, then start timing it to simmer for an additional 25 minutes. Temper the egg mixture or you will get scrambled eggs! I find it is best to make this the day before you want to serve it, It needs to cool overnight to thicken.

Joe's Rice Pudding
Makes 2-9x13 (to make half the recipe, follow quantities in parenthesis)

1/2 gallon milk  (1quart)
3 quarts heavy cream  (1 and 1/2 quarts)
2 cups Carolina Rice (1cup)
12 eggs (6 eggs)
1 lb sugar (1 cup sugar)
1 tbsp vanilla (2 tsps )
Cinnamon

Combine milk, heavy cream and rice in a large pot. Bring to a boil using low heat, This will take 20-30 minutes, be patient. Simmer for an additional 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, Remove from heat.
Beat eggs,sugar and vanilla with mixer until frothy. Temper the egg mixture by slowly pouring a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Then start poring the egg mixture into the milk slowly while whisking. If you pour the egg mixture into the hot milk too fast you will get scrambled eggs. Once you have whisked in all the egg mixture return to heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into trays, the mixture will be watery, but thickens as it cools.Sprinkle the top with cinnamon. Cool in refrigerator overnight.
(Print Recipe)

Gluten Free Penne Vodka

My favorite pasta recipe is Penne with Vodka Sauce. I serve this recipe for holidays and parties.This was my go-to pasta recipe for entertaining before I was gluten free. I hesitated to serve it to guests using gluten free pasta, but this sauce is so good that now I serve it all the time with gluten free pasta and everyone loves it! (If you live near a Trader Joe's try their gluten free rice pastas, the texture is great (you can cook these "al dente") and so is the price!)

When I was newly gluten free, I was "glutened" after drinking Cosmopolitans made with Raspberry flavored Vodka. I was so sick from it that afterwards I couldn't even tolerate the smell of Vodka!  I thought the Cosmo would be safe not realizing some vodkas had gluten in them. I stopped making this recipe for a long time. The thought of ingesting any kind of vodka just brought back that awful experience. Now, I only use potato based Vodka in this recipe.

This is such a quick and easy sauce to prepare, and will impress your guests every time! 

Penne with Vodka Sauce 

4 tbsps unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, diced

6 slices Italian Prosciutto, diced

1/2 cup Potato Vodka

1-28 oz can whole peeled or crushed tomatoes (I love San Marzano, they are so sweet!)

1 small can sweet baby peas

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt/pepper to taste

1 lb gluten free Penne pasta, cooked "al dente"

Melt butter & oil, add shallots and prosciutto, saute until softened. Add vodka, bring to a boil, then lower heat. Add tomatoes, salt/pepper, Simmer for 30 minutes. Add peas and cream just before serving. Serve over Penne pasta. 
(Print Recipe)

Isn't this a pretty color for Christmas Dinner?

Gluten Free Appetizers

I love to entertain. When I entertain, my entire menu is gluten free.  It is possible to keep your menu entirely gluten free so that you can enjoy it too and not worry about cross contamination. There are "naturally" gluten free choices that are delicious and your guests will never miss the gluten! And, now there are so many delicious gluten free cracker choices, even gluten free breadsticks, there is no need to risk including any of the wheat brands. This is a sampling of my "go to" gluten free appetizers.

Antipasto Tray

Antipasto  means "before the meal" in Italian. Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, cheeses, olives, & pickled vegetables. The choice is yours. Be sure to incorporate different colors, flavors and textures. Arrange them on a beautiful platter on a bed of lettuce. The platter pictured above includes:

Genoa Salami

Soppressata

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus spears (Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on a piece of prosciutto and wrap around an asparagus spear)

Sharp provolone

Marinated mozzarella balls

Jarred roasted red peppers 

Stuffed Medjool Dates (Make a slit on one side, take out the pit and fill with goat cheese or cream cheese.

Other items you might include are: Marinated artichoke hearts,marinated mushrooms,

Ricotta Salata (  a variation of ricotta that has been pressed, salted and dried), Smoked mozzarella, Olives.

Traditionally this is served with crusty Italian bread, but to avoid the possibility of contamination, I serve gluten free breadsticks and a variety of gluten free crackers.

Polenta Bruchetta

Polenta is made with cornmeal and is gluten free. I use it as a base for Bruschetta intead of Italian bread. Your guests will love it and won't miss the bread.Slice a polenta roll into 1/2 inch slices. Heat on a grill pan with a little olive oil. Serve topped with store bought bruchetta topping or make your own with tomatoes, garlic,  extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, chopped basil, salt and pepper to taste.



Cream Cheese with Pepper Jelly

My favorite! Simple, simple, simple! Tasty, tasty, tasty! 

Spread pepper jelly (my favorites are Stonewall Kitchen Apple Jalapeño and Trader Joe's Pepper Jelly) on top of a package of cream cheese. Serve with gluten free crackers to dip.

Guacomole and Salsa with Tortilla Chips
Do Not serve your guests store bought guacomole! Homemade Guacomole is very simple to make and so much better. If you make it once, you'll never buy it again.  Just be careful with your Tortilla chips, some sneak in the gluten. Always check the label.

Homemade Guacomole
3 ripe avocados
1/2 tomato, chopped into cubes
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Salt/pepper to taste
Mash avocados with fork, and the rest of the ingredinets and stir together.  (Make this the same day you are going to serve it, it tends to turn brown the next day)



No plastic for wine, please!

Surprise, these are plastic!
Don't they look real?

Enjoy!

Gluten Free "Death by Chocolate"

This time of year I'm always looking for a quick, tasty dessert to bring to holiday get togethers.And one that is gluten free, so I can enjoy it too. This is a decadent chocolate dessert, that is quick, easy, delicious and no one will guess it’s gluten free!  My original recipe called for chocolate cake and was pre -gluten free, so I tweeked it using gluten free ingredients.There are a lot of different versions of it, some with chocolate cake, some with brownies. I make mine with gluten free brownie mix (you can of course use your favorite brownie recipe from scratch). You can make it a day ahead or put it together right before your party-it’s that easy. I hardly ever eat a chocolate dessert, I’m just not a chocolate lover, but I make an exception with this one-I love it!

Make this in a pretty glass bowl or trifle dish so you can see all the layers. If I’m taking this to a party, I pick up a clear plastic bowl at the Dollar store so I don’t need to get it back.

“Chocolate Layer Dessert"  Printable Recipe

1 package gluten free Brownie mix (or your own from scratch recipe)

1-16oz. container chocolate pudding (I use Kozy Shack, which is gluten free)

1 -10 oz container Cool Whip, thawed (There is a new one out called “Tru Whip” , that has no high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils and is gluten free, I tried it and will definitely use it again)

Crushed Butterfinger candy bars  

Prepare the brownies according to the instructions on the box. Cool completely. Break up into small pieces.  Place half of the crumpled brownies in bottom of bowl.

Spread half of the pudding over the brownies. Spread half of the whipped topping over the pudding. Sprinkle crushed Butterfingers over the whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Done! 

Gluten Free Birthday Cake

My favorite birthday cake has always been vanilla cake with strawberry banana filling and whipped cream frosting. When a gluten free bakery opened in town several years ago, I was very excited to get my birthday cake there. It looked beautiful but the cake was very disappointing, dry and dense.

This year I decided to bake my own.  With the "1 to 1" gluten free baking flourblends available, baking gluten free is much easier now. You don't have to buy all the different flours and mix them, it's already done for you.  I have used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1and Pillsbury 1 to 1, with great results. My husband never went back for seconds when I baked gluten free in the past, now he can't tell the difference and politely leaves me the last piece.

Since I prefer vanilla over chocolate any time, I made a basic yellow cake,(simple layer cake from Martha Stewart), filled it with fresh strawberries, bananas and whipped cream. It tasted just like I remember cake should taste :)

Vanilla Cake    Printable Recipe
(Makes 2-8" round layers)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups gluten free flour 1 to 1 blend (Bob's Red Mill or Pillsbury)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla

Filling
Fresh strawberries, sliced
1 Banana, sliced

Frosting
1 pint Heavy cream
2 tbsps powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 -8 inch round cake pans. Whisk together four, baking powder, salt. Beat butter and sugar with mixer on medium speed until combined. Add eggs and beat well. Reduce speed and gradually add flour until combined. Add milk and vanilla and beat until combined. Divide batter between 2 pans. Bake until golden 33 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high until thickened and forms soft peaks.

Assembly:
Mix sliced strawberries and bananas into 1 cup of whipped cream, spread on 1 cake layer. Place 2nd cake layer on top. Frost top and sides with remaining whipped cream.

Gluten Free Lemon Loaf

If you knew me, you would know that I don't like chocolate. I know, who doesn't like chocolate! I'll gladly pass on anything chocolate for something vanilla or lemon. Cake, ice cream, drinks...anything. And if I'm going to use calories, it has to be worth it. I don't do alot of baking mostly because I don't need the extra calories, but once in awhile, I have a sweet tooth and crave a dessert. Most processed, ready to eat gluten free cakes and cookies have way too much sugar in them and frankly are not that good. Not worth the calories! So I was looking for an easy cake recipe that wasn't chocolate and came across dozens of recipes for Lemon Loaf that were trying to recreate the popular Starbucks Lemon Loaf. I must confess that I never tried the Starbucks Lemon Loaf before I was gluten free. But it sounded like something I would like- light, fluffy, lemony cake topped with a lemon glaze. The recipes were all very similar, but this one (from www.averie cooks.com) caught my eye because it included sour cream which I though would add to the moistness and it was very easy, you don't even need a mixer. My only substitution was to use gluten free flour instead of regular flour. I have been having great success with Pillsbury gluten free flour blend. It already contains xanthan gum and can be substituted one-for-one in a recipe.

The resulting cake was amazing! It was moist, light, not oily, and refreshingly lemony! Definitely a cake I would serve to guests and not tell them it was gluten free!


Lemon Loaf
Makes 1-9x5 loaf
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon extract (not lemon juice, you find this in the baking section where you find vanilla, this gives the cake the intense lemon flavor)
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon Glaze
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice (here you use fresh lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add the oil, lemon zest, lemon extract, mix until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before glazing.
To make the glaze, slowly drizzle the lemon juice into the powdered sugar until it is combined and thin enough to spread on the cake.

Italian Ricotta Pie-Gluten Free Version

My Aunt Nora was the baker in the family. She was always whipping up a cake or a new cookie recipe. She made beautiful trays of cookies for special occasions, baking for days. When she passed, I found her “recipe book”, a small notepad where she handwrote all of her recipes, half in English and half in Italian. I look through the book and try to decipher not only the handwriting, but also which recipe it is. Her description of the recipe would be something like "Biscotti di Maria" (Maria's cookie) or "Biscotti bianco con le noce" (white cookie with nuts)

At Easter time, she would always bake sweet yeast bread with confectioner sugar icing and ricotta pie. The ricotta pie was lighter than cheesecake and was crustless.  She would bake it in either an 11x13 or a round glass pyrex baking dish, greased and “dusted” with crushed graham crackers. But, as best as I can remember, all the filling ingredients were gluten free!  This would be a perfect gluten free dessert. I looked for the ricotta pie recipe in her recipe book but it wasn’t there.  Then it occurred to me, it was so simple, she had the recipe memorized no need to write it down!   I remember watching her make it when I was a child, and tasting the batter before it was cooked, it was so good! I remember a whole dozen eggs (yes 12!) a large container of Ricotta cheese, sugar, a shot glass of whiskey, grated chocolate, and grated citron. Simple. The baking dishes were greased with butter, then finely crushed graham crackers were spread around the sides and bottom, but only enough that would stick, similar to dusting a pan with flour. This dusting was so light that I knew I could eliminate it and the cake would be fine.  I decided to use vanilla instead of the whiskey, and as far as looking for citron, (I used to pick it out anyway), I used orange zest instead. It was as good as I remember, and it was a huge hit with the family! The texture is lighter than a traditional cheesecake and the orange zest and chocolate perfectly complement each other! This is a great, simple gluten free dessert that everyone will love.

Italian Ricotta Pie  
Printable Recipe

12 eggs
3 lbs whole milk ricotta
2 cups sugar
2 tsps vanilla
2 tsps orange zest
1/2 cup grated milk chocolate

Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a mixer, add the ricotta, sugar, vanilla and orange zest, beat until smooth. Stir in the chocolate. Pour into a greased 11x13 glass baking dish (or 2 round ones) and bake at 350 degrees for  1 hour.  Cool.

Gluten Free Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki)

One of my favorite things about Greek Easter is the Greek Easter Bread, Tsoureki. It is a sweet bread with a citrusy flavor that is absolutely wonderful toasted! The interesting flavor of the bread comes from Mahlepi, an unusual Greek spice with a  distinctive, fruity taste. The finely ground powder is made from the inner kernels of fruit pits of a native Persian cherry tree.The sweet smell fills the house as the bread is baking! 

There are gluten free substitutes for many foods, but not for this bread. So since I have been gluten free, all I could do was enjoy the amazing smell of the bread at Easter dinner. This year I decided to try to make a gluten free version. I knew the texture wouldn't be the same, but if the taste and smell were the same, I would be happy.

Since I don't have much experience converting baking recipes to gluten free, especially not breads, I searched for a recipe that was already converted. Not many to be found. But I came across this one from poorandglutenfree.blogspot.com. It looked like the bread I craved and the recipe seemed easy enough.  However, the magic spice was missing, easy enough to add it! I found the Mahlepi easily on Amazon. You can probably find it in a Greek specialty store by the baking ingredients. It makes all the difference in this bread!

The preparation was easy enough.

The dough is very sticky to work with. It wasn't easy rolling it into ropes to make the braid. I was afraid to add too much flour while I was shaping it because I didn't want it to be heavy. So my braid isn't very neat! I thought it would rise more, maybe I needed to let it rise a little longer before I baked it.

The familiar sweet smell filled the house as it was baking and I hoped it would be edible!!! I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it and it did taste like the bread I remember! Of course the texture was more cakey but it was very light.  Can't wait to try it toasted!

Gluten Free Greek Easter Bread    

Makes 1 large loaf

1 cup warm milk (about 110-115F)

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

3/4 cup sorghum flour

1 cup white rice flour

1 1/4 cup tapioca starch

Add'l tapioca starch for kneading

2 tsp xanthum gum

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp to 1 tsp Mahlepi powder

2 eggs at room temp

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup melted butter

  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (See below for alternate method)

In a bowl or 2 cup glass measuring cup, warm the milk, check temp. Mix in the yeast and sugar. Set aside to proof for 5-7 minutes.

Whisk together flours, starch, xanthum gum, salt, zest and Mahlepi in a large bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs, vinegar, vanilla and butter. Remove 2 tbsp, add 2 tbsp. water, this will be the egg wash for the top.

Add egg mix and yeast mix to the flour mix. Beat 2-3 minutes until smooth. Dough will be sticky. Divide the dough into 3 parts. Dust a flat surface with tapioca starch and knead each piece 3-4 times to make it less sticky. Don't over knead or add more flour, this will make the dough heavy. Roll each piece into a rope the length of your baking sheet. Place the pieces next to each other on the baking sheet, pinch the ends and braid.

Cover with a clean dish cloth and set in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top with the egg wash. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

2017 update!

I found these silicon Challah pans on Amazon. No need to braid the dough. Just fill and bake. The recipe makes 2 loaves. Beautiful braids!

Gluten Free Pastitsio

Next week is Greek Orthodox Easter.  Having married into a Greek family, I celebrate Greek Easter each year.  The date is different from Catholic Easter because the Greeks base theirs on the Julian calendar.  Over the years I have enjoyed many of the traditional Greek dishes at our Easter celebrations. Now that I am gluten free, I am looking for ways to convert these recipes so that I can enjoy them too.  This year I am making gluten free Pastitsio and attempting for the first time, gluten free Greek Easter Bread (check back next week!)

Pastitsio is simply Greek lasagna. It is a pasta layer, a meat layer, topped with Bechamel sauce. Every Greek has their own favorite recipe, each one a little different. My source of Greek recipes has always been from a cookbook given to me when I was first married, Foods of Greece, which was put together many years ago by the Greek Ladies Philoptochos of Middletown NY (thank you Aunt Helen , Sandy and Lea). It is a collection of all the Yia Yia's classic Greek recipes handed down from generation to generation. It's a great place to get the basic recipe and build from there.

There are only 2 ingredients in the original recipe that are not gluten free, flour in the bechamel sauce, and the pasta . So, you can use your own favorite recipe, just substitute cornstarch for the flour in the Bechamel sauce and use gluten free pasta.

This is an easy recipe, but because you're making three different layers, you will use a lot of pots! The Bechamel is the most intimidating part, but don't let it keep you from making this, it's well worth the effort. Remember to keep stirring over low heat to keep it smooth, and slowly add the egg yolks, whisking the whole time, so you don't get scramble eggs!

Gluten Free Pastitsio   Printable Recipe

Meat sauce layer
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 lbs ground beef
1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1- 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp cinnamon ( trust me, you'll love the flavor it gives the sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onions and  garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Add the meat and sauté until browned. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for  30 minutes.

Pasta layer
1 lb gluten free ziti, penne or rigatoni
2 tbsp butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 egg whites, beaten (use the yolks for the béchamel)

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, do not over cook, as it is going to further cook in the oven. Drain, return to the pot, add the butter cheese and the egg whites. Set aside.

Béchamel Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 cups hot milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt/pepper to taste
3 egg yolks

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the cornstarch and whisk until smooth, don't let it brown. Turn the heat to simmer and slowly add the hot milk, stirring constantly, cook until thickened and smooth. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Temper the egg yolks with a little bit of the sauce, and slowly stir into the sauce until completely
blended.

To assemble:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a deep lasagna pan (approx 9 x13) with cooking spray. Spread the pasta mixture on the bottom of the pan. Next, spread the meat mixture on top of the pasta. Cover with the Bechamel Sauce. Bake for 30 minutes until browned on top. Allow to sit before serving.