Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Farewell Sweet, Sweets


So I found out that I can’t eat wheat or gluten-y things anymore. I will admit that I spent a day or two mourning the loss of glazed old-fashioned doughnuts and pie and pie and pie. Though once I realized how many ways of rotten I felt when I ate the stuff, not eating those lovely dough wads and their glutinous brethren was easy, if only because the alternative was so rough.

I’m an all right cook but my thing has always been baking. I know the whole nature of my baking deal is going to be changing. It will be different and feel kind of weird and I will miss my old recipes as I get new ones from sites like Karina’s Kitchen and troll the aisles at Whole Foods doing price comparisons on bean flour.

However, I do not go gentle into that buckwheat and millet.

Here is my favorite wheat packed super easy cobbler recipe that's been a part of my summers for the last 20 years. You can make it with berries or cherries but I love(d) it with peaches. It is an odd assembly that feels and looks wrong when you’re doing it but is pretty impossible to mess up. Batter on the bottom of the pan, then fruit, then pour water over the top of the whole thing. I know. Strange. Sometimes they use this same method in buckle recipes. As it bakes, the batter rises up over the fruit and the whole thing becomes a golden brown juicy layer of goodness with a light syrup on the bottom. The original recipe came from Applehood and Motherpie, Handpicked Recipes From Upstate New York (Junior League of Rochester, 1981).

Make it. Have some. For me.

This watery mess...

...becomes this-oh-how-I-love-this.

Easy Fruit Cobbler
6 – 8 Servings

Biscuit Batter
¼ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup milk

Fruit Filling
2 cups berries, pitted cherries or peeled and quartered peaches
¼ -½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ cups water

Biscuit Batter
Cream butter and sugar together. Mix together flour, salt and baking powder. Add to butter alternately with milk. Pour into shallow greased 2-quart baking dish.

Fruit Filling
Spoon 2 cups fruit over Biscuit Batter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cover with water. Bake at 375 degrees until set and light brown on top, 45 – 50 minutes. Fruit will sink.

And like everything in life, this is good with ice cream.


You Capture is a weekly photo challenge at a mama blog I like:
I Should Be Folding Laundry
This week's challenge was a choice: Food or 4th of July (I guess you can tell which one I chose.)

19 comments:

  1. Oh, I totally sympathise. It does get easier, I promise. You'll discover the joys of the hazelnut meal chocolate torte (I am planning to load the recipe on my blog soon!).

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  2. this looks great! Sorry to hear about the new diet, I feel like more and more people are finding they have problems with gluten.

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  3. As a recovering food addict (; I had to give up baking. I feel your pain! Christmas 2004, I baked at least a dozen plates of cookies and I think three made out the door to friends.

    There was a time when I didn't eat sugar or flour, at all. I do so moderately now, but baking at home is still dicey. I did make a fruit crisp and take to a friends last month. I ate my moderate portion, and everyone ate the rest.

    I am interested in gluten-free baking. If you find any good recipes, please post!

    Cara

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  4. There's a whole gluten free section at Whole Foods that is really quite naughty. Check it out.
    XO

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  5. That looks yummy! Good shooting! I'm a baker like you, and I can only imagine how challenging it will be to bake without gluten. In fact, for the 4th, we had someone over who is on a gluten-free. I baked a flourless chocolate cake for her. It was delicious...just a different way of thinking as you bake! Good luck! Glad you found a way to feel better!

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  6. Delicious photos and thanks for the recipe!

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  7. I eat a lot of non-gluten things. They're not so bad. :o) You'll get it all figured out!

    Great shots!

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  8. Yum! I know you didn't ask, but www.5dollardinners.com often has gluten free recipes that look good!

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  9. Oh man! Now I am very hungry!

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  10. You are the BEST! Not only are your pictures wonderful but you included the recipe! THANK YOU!

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  11. Perhaps I shouldn't have read visited tonight - I didn't eat dinner. :) This looks yummy!!! I might have to make it for Husband!

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  12. Booooo to giving up foods you love. I am lactose intolerant so I totally know how you feel (I love cheese). It does get easier though, and you'll feel so much better. You'll be surprised what food is available for you once you start looking.

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  13. My mouth is watering as I look at those shots! And good luck on the new food regime. I love to bake as well, so it would be tough for me! But there are TONS of things that are gluten-free now, and you'll be feeling so much better, too!

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  14. made it last night. It was yummy!

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  15. THat looks great. Glad you found a solution.

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  16. Looks like a great recipe! Thanks for sharing.

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  17. The photos are great and the recipe sounds really, really yummy!

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  18. Great photos! Just so you know, the brownies that Annabelle and I made were gluten free; I found a yummy baking mix at Whole Foods. If you have any other questions let me know.

    Btw, I've been reading through your blog and am loving it. I need to stop in over here more often, :-)

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