I loved the cookie recipe last week so much that I decided to use it as the basis for a tart. This one is best served cold. I think next time I’d leave the cheese off and just serve with a wedge of cheddar. I think a metal tin is better as well, the bottom was a bit soggy in the glass spring form pan.
Ingredients for Crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
Ingredients for Filling
5 medium granny smith or other tart baking apple
½ cup maple syrup
½ tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon tapioca flour (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Directions
Cream butter, sugar, and cream cheese.
Add vanilla and egg yolk, blend.
Measure flours and combine before adding to mixer.
Mix until combined and chill dough for a couple hours.
In the meantime, peel and grate the apples
Mix maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg, and butter.
Bring filling ingredients to a gentle boil.
Turn down to simmer and stir occasionally for 15 minutes.
Stir in the tapioca paste and continue stirring for about half a minute, until thickened.
Set aside to cool.
When the dough is well chilled, preheat oven to 350.
Press the dough into a tart pan or roll out on a jelly roll pan, leaving a bit of a built up edge.
Spread the filling out on the dough.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until edges are well browned.
If you want to do what I did, grate a couple ounces of very sharp cheddar over the tart while still hot. (I will be just serving it on the side next time.)
My grandmother’s original recipe used strawberry jam and was called a strawberry cream cookie. I wanted to make this gluten free and chose the nutty flours to complement a darker filling, like lekvar or mincemeat.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 ounces cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
½ cup tapioca flour
Powdered sugar
Jam of your choice
Directions
Cream butter, sugar, and cream cheese.
Add vanilla and egg yolk, blend.
Measure flours and combine before adding to mixer.
Mix until combined and chill dough for a couple hours.
Preheat oven to 350.
Shape into 1-inch balls.
Using something rounded on the end, like a measuring spoon, dip in powdered sugar and then press into dough to create a well.
Fill with jam.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet 10 to 12 minutes.
Comfort food at its finest, but without the wheat. Plus, there’s a bumper crop of apples coming on so I wanted to make something that would go well with that. My daughter helped me and we could not resist trying this cake nearly as soon as it came out of the oven. It is rich and heavenly.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup coconut flour
½ cup almond flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
½ cup hot water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and line an 8 x 8 baking tin with parchment paper.
Cream softened butter and maple syrup together.
Add in the molasses.
Beat in the egg.
Add the vanilla.
Combine the dry ingredients and sift into the wet.
Stir in the hot water.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
This is a poem I wrote last Spring during a jazz poetry event while I listened to Duke Ellington playing Satin Doll. I remembered my aunt talking about going to listen to a big band in Binghamton, NY and dance. I don’t know which band so I took some license here.
We have elderberries growing wild around our yard in Upstate New York, mostly planted by birds. I’ve made elderberry jelly over the years many times, and the flavor is dark, rich, and unique. I just love it, but I’m trying to stay away from the sugar. I had the thought to make an elderberry syrup, based on the elderberry jelly recipe, but with maple syrup and minus the pectin. It turned out to be maple syrup with a strong side note of elderberry. I think if I’d used regular sugar it would have tasted more strongly of the elderberry fruit. I’ll probably try something a little different next time but I definitely won’t be throwing this away. We had it on some mascarpone cheese mousse and it was delicious.
Ingredients
½ cup elderberry juice (from about 8 ounces elderberries)
8 ounces maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Stem and rinse the elderberries.
Place in a pot and crush.
Bring to a low boil and turn down to simmer for 15 minutes to release the juice.
Strain.
Measure ½ cup juice into a clean pot with the maple syrup, lemon juice, and butter.
Bring to a boil then turn down to a low boil and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
Use on pancakes, ice cream, or whatever you like a syrup on.
This was adapted from an old South Beach recipe, but I don’t like to use artificial sweeteners much and I ramped up the espresso powder, as well as adding some almond extract for that liqueur flavoring. It makes a great, high protein dessert to follow a salad or other summer meal. The ricotta does give it a slightly grainy texture but it is not off putting, in my opinion.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee powder (decaf works fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons cocoa powder (Ghiradelli is my favorite brand.)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 15-ounce container ricotta (full fat preferred)
Mini chocolate chips to top (optional)
Directions
Measure the espresso powder into a small dish.
Add the extracts and stir to dissolve.
Add the cocoa powder and maple syrup, stir again.
Add the powder/extract/syrup combo to the ricotta and mix thoroughly.
