I’m a firm believer in making the most of what you have, and using up the little odds and ends before they can go bad. This week that meant part of a jar of Dole peaches in the fridge, half a package of peaches in the freezer, and a tiny bit of raspberries. I swear there was a peach melba ice cream when I was a kid and it was fantastic. Peach and raspberry is a match made in heaven.
Filling Ingredients
16 ounces peach slices (defrost if frozen)
¼ cup (or more) raspberries
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon tapioca flour plus 1 tablespoon water
Crust Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or other sweetener)
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups almond flour (about 160 grams)
Directions
Dice or chop the peaches and combine with raspberries and maple syrup in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil or a medium heat.
Reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the tapioca flour mixed with water and stir well for about 30 seconds to thicken.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350.
Melt the butter.
Mix with maple syrup and salt.
Add almond flour and combine.
Press into a tart pan or square tin and up the sides a little.
Bake for 8 minutes.
Fill and bake for another 22 minutes.
Cool and enjoy. (Vanilla ice cream is a perfect complement.)
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.
Melora Johnson's Muse 