I apologize for the long wait here in posts! We’ve been moving- the sister’s been moving on up (sorry, couldn’t resist) to a different apartment and the boyfriend’s been moving in and it’s been a period of flux- meaning that time to post has been fairly limited! That said, I’m now catching up on the backlog :). Here’s the first!:

The first batch of cinnamon roll cupcakes were a great success. As B was joining me for dinner the day after, this led me to wonder- can I make these rolls gluten-free? Being nothing short of a gluten-free expert, I knew it to be possible…. and by that I mean I lack any expertise in gluten-free baking and was doing everything incorrectly. Did I check to see if I was making the right substitutes? No, of course not! And did I think of xantham gum? Nope! At least, not until they were baked and done…. ah. So, if you follow this recipe to a T, you’ll find the dough VERY crumbly and difficult to work with- and you may be a bit frustrated. That said, if you can make some minor adjustments, it’s a nice treat for your gluten-intolerant friends.

The taste was very enjoyable, although I was told that the nutless ones were generally better. Still, I’d make them again! They’re conveniently small, and have a satisfying crunch.

Nutty Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Adapted from Fastest Cinnamon Rolls at Don’t Forget Delicious (from FineCooking.com)

Ingredients:

Bun Dough:

• 3/4 heaping cup low-fat (part skim) ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tblspn soy butter
• 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups organic rice flour
• 1 + 1/3 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 + 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Filling:

• 1 tablespoons soy butter
• 3/4 heaping cup packed light brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/3 cup salted cashews, crushed
• 2 tblspn slivered almonds, crushed
• 1.5 tblspn candied pecans, crushed

Icing:

• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 heaping cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons organic vanilla soy milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line large or small (or combination) cupcake pan(s) with paper liners.
2. Place ricotta cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted soy butter, and vanilla in food processor and process for a few seconds until the mixture is smooth.
3. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and mix together. Add to mixture in the food processor and and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (be sure not to overprocess- this will toughen the dough).
4. Emtpy the dough onto a flour countertop and knead gently into a ball (kneading process should only take about 20-30 seconds) – be careful, the dough will be VERY crumbly and will fall apart easily. Expect holes and tears if you do not add xantham gum
5. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 1/2 cm thick). Take about 1/3 of the melted soy butter from the filling section and brush onto the rectangle, leaving about an inch on all sides untouched.
6. In a small bowl (you can re-use that same one from earlier), and mix together the brown sugar, nuts, spices, and the remaining melted soy butter. Spread the sugar/spice mixture over the dough as evenly as possible.
7. Roll the dough up into a long log, like a jelly roll, and get your pastry cutter ready. There will be holes and tears- do not be alarmed, if it doesn’t have a perfect shape, your icing will hide everything :).
8. Pinch the edges and the side closed, and push the two ends inward to create sharper angles (straight edges).
9. Sharply cut the log into slices that are slightly under 2 inches thick. Place each slice into one of the cupcake liners, swirled side up (as opposed to on the side). Bake for 15 minutes (my oven is hot)- possibly a few minutes more if your oven is cooler.
10. Remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool. The tops should be just golden brown and with a very slight crisp. The sugar mixture should have oozed out over the edges.
11. Prepare the icing: place the mascarpone, vanilla, soy milk, and confectioner’s sugar in the food processor and process for 3-4 seconds, just until smooth and homogenous. Place a baking sheet under the wire rack, take a spoon, and drizzle (if you’re me, quite liberally) the icing over the cupcakes. Feel free to do a second drizzling later when the rolls have cooled a bit.

Mine were definitely on the crumbly side, but delicious nonetheless! I suggest baking these at varied temperatures- I tried starting at 395, then down to 385… but honestly the baking time is up to you, based on how large you make them, how many you make, how hot your oven is, etc etc.

I realize that may be a bit pompous to say, but honestly, this is a rather foolproof delicious pesto. I’ve been rather fed up with the pestos I’ve found as of late. They’re all ‘too’ something: too oil; too yellow; too spiced; too bland; too thin; and so on. Finding a pesto that’s got the proper taste, consistency, and colour is rather difficult, and I’m hard-pressed to find that combination. Sauces and Love has a wonderful pesto but unfortunately it’s quite pricey for a small quantity.

I recently purchased an adorable basil plant- local and organic- at the grocery store for $3 and was very excited about the prospect of my indoor fresh herbs… but the lack of direct sunlight meant this was an unsuccessful attempt. Oh, no! Dying basil plant! Clearly there was only one thing I could do: emergency pesto. Luckily, it turned out completely and utterly delicious. I know this is a recipe I’ll be following again- and soon- because that first batch is almost gone already :). It’s terrific with some plain fresh capellini and a light drizzle of olive oil. Perfecto!

The Perfect Pesto

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup chopped basil (coarse)
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated fresh Reggianito cheese
• 1 heaping tablespoon fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt, sprinkling of pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup salted cashews, coarsely chopped

Process:

• Place all ingredients in food processor
• Process on low until all elements are combined and a thick paste-like consistency is formed; do not overprocess to where all the cheese and nut bits are gone- keep a bit of coarseness!
• Spread onto some freshly toasted ciabatta or mix into hot pasta with a bit of extra olive oil for a yummy, delicious time

So simple! So good! So sure to be making this one again soon! Actually, I’m tempted to get a ton of basil, some cute jars, and jar some of this as christmas or holiday gifts… nice packaging will make this have the perfect touch. Seriously, make some. It’s so much cheaper than buying t at the store, and likely to be more delicious, as well! Pine nuts are the traditional nut for pesto, but I almost like it better this way :).