Food Fascination

It was 8:30 am, and I woke up with a lump in my throat and fear in my heart. I had to leave in 1/2 an hour, and I was charged with bringing something for a potluck! Oh no! The place I would be going had few cooking facilities other than a grill, and as I would be busy swordfighting and weaving, there would be no time for cooking. So, with what was in my cupboard, this is what got thrown together, and believe it or not it actually worked well and went over.
It was transported and cooked in one of the dollar-store aluminum pans - both because it was disposable and the thin layer of aluminum would allow it to cook more easily on the indirect heat of a grill (although you could also bake it quite easily.)

Filling:
3 cans of peaches with their juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping:
2 1/2 cups oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon nutmeg
3/4 cup melted butter

In a small bowl, whisk together a few tablespoons of the peach juice and the cornstarch. Dump the peaches and juice into a 9 x 11 pan, then stir in the brown sugar and cornstarch/juice mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, sugar, and spices. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir.

Spread the topping over the filling and cover with foil. “Bake” on a grill or over a fire (use indirect heat - turn half the grill on and set the pan in the other half) for 20-30ish minutes, or in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes, until it’s bubbling and hot.

Easy, quick, and tasty - if you don’t have peaches, try canned cherries or apples. Try adding 1/2 cup chopped nuts to the topping if you’d like - play around! This recipe is a good “basic” that is quick to throw together - but can be as fancy as you care to make it.

OK, I know you think that this would be impossible. But I promise, it’s not! I was challenged to make this cake for a friend’s baby shower, and all things considered, I think it turned out well.

When you’re cooking with a particular (or several) dietary restrictions in mind, it is important to be mindful of even the things you’re not used to noticing. For example, I was about to spray my pan with canola oil when I noticed there was also soy in the spray. You can pick up specialty ingredients in most “natural” food stores or bulk shops - in the Northwest, Fred Meyer actually has a great selection of organic and “unusual” ingredients for fairly inexpensively.

This is one of those recipes where a stand or hand mixer is incredibly helpful - if you don’t have one, then buckle down for some true elbow-grease work

You’ll need:
12 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups sugar, separated into 2 3/4 cup bowls
2 Tablespoons vanilla, French vanilla, or almond extract
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt

Start by separating the eggs. There are several ways to go about this - my preferred is to carefully crack the egg and pass the yolk back and forth between the two halves of the shell, letting the white drip off into a bowl. However, you can also have someone hold a slotted spoon over a bowl, and gently crack the egg into that. There are also little contraptions, such as this one that you can set over the bowl. However you choose to do it, you’ll need a dozen egg whites. By separating them, you’re keeping the structural components of the egg whites without the richness and heaviness of the yolks.

Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites, and use the whip attachment on your mixer (or your hand whisk) and beat the living daylights out of the egg whites. Once they’re starting to stand up on their own (they will increase in volume by several times), slowly add in the first 3/4 cup of sugar and flavor extract. Continue to whip/whisk until the foam stands up on its own and has a definite structure.

In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the sugar, rice flour, cornstarch, and salt. (The rice flour provides the bulk and drying properties of wheat flour, while the cornstarch provides the structure that holds everything together - what gluten usually does in wheat-flour baked goods. There are thousands of different gluten-free flour mixes out there - this is one of the simpler mixes, but is also not as expensive and easier to put together.) Sprinkle the mixture over the egg whites and using a flat rubber scraper, gently fold the mixture in. Starting from one edge, gently scrape down towards the bottom of the bowl, then up and over the flour. Continue this until it is combined.

Pour the batter into a non-stick pan or a lightly greased pan that has been dusted with rice flour. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool until it’s still warm, but you can safely handle the pan. Run a knife around the edges, and turn over onto a wire rack to cool completely. This is best left unfrosted and served with whipped topping - or combine a bit of orange juice with powdered sugar to make a glaze to drip over the cake while it’s still warm.