Go gluten-free, still enjoy holidays

Anne Royall is asking for holiday recipes that are wheat-free and gluten-free. "I have celiac disease and this time of year is very difficult for those of us with food allergies."

Celiac disease is a digestive disorder that attacks the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.

Gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye, cannot be tolerated. That forbids more foods than you can imagine, and labels must be read very carefully.

Tricia Hitopoulos of Everyday Gourmet in Mount Pleasant sent an e-mail to share a recipe.

She writes, "Here's a beautiful dish that is popular to eat during the holiday season. The colors are festive and can be enjoyed by all, not only gluten-intolerant diets. The pancakes or blinis themselves can be made also in larger portions and served with just the cream."

Buckwheat, she notes, is a "seed" and therefore totally gluten-free. It should not be confused with the wheat "grain."

P.S. We also hear that Everyday Gourmet offers a delicious Belgian Chocolate Cake that is vegan and gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Spinach Blinis With Cured Salmon and Dill Sauce

Makes about 10 blinis

For pancakes or blinis:

1 cup buckwheat flour (see cook's note)

1 cup buttermilk or yogurt (see cook's note)

3 tablespoons melted butter

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 egg, separated

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup finely chopped frozen spinach, thawed and well-drained

Cured salmon

Herbed Cream (recipe follows)

Cook's note: Tricia prefers using Bob's Red Mill Organic Buckwheat flour and Redwood Hill Farm Goat's Milk Yogurt.

To make the blinis: The night before serving, combine flour, buttermilk or yogurt, melted butter, baking soda, salt and dried dill. Beat well and set in a warm place overnight.

The next morning, beat egg white until it holds a stiff peak.

Stir egg yolk into the flour mixture (from the night before) and add baking powder. Stir in the spinach and fold in the stiffly beaten egg white.

Pour into a container with a spout. Heat a skillet on medium heat, add a little canola oil to grease the pan and pour in as many sand-dollar size pancakes (or blinis) as can fit, leaving room for turning them. Cook until the tops start to form bubbles, then turn and cook another minute.

Serve warm and top blinis with a slice of cured salmon and a dollop of herbed cream (recipe follows).

Herbed Cream

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon powdered ranch dressing

1 teaspoon dried dill

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Carolyn Blue, a local attorney, also has struggled with celiac disease.

But Carolyn is a dedicated baker and so has learned how to adapt well.

She says to remind Anne that with gluten-free substitute flour, she easily can make all her "old" favorites.

"Gluten-Free Pantry (brand) is the best -- I've tried them all," Carolyn advises.

Everybody loves these "scrumptious" cookies, says Carolyn, who substitutes pecans for the walnuts.

Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Makes 60 cookies

Parchment paper

2 1/2 cups walnut (or pecan) halves

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 egg whites

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place walnuts or pecans on a work surface and finely chop. Transfer to a separate large baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 9 minutes. Let cool.

Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Stir in nuts. Add egg whites and vanilla; beat with a fork or electric mixer on medium until batter is just moistened. Do not overbeat batter or it will stiffen. Drop batter by the teaspoonful onto baking sheets in evenly spaced mounds. Bake cookies until tops are lightly cracked and glossy, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

The skinny: 55 calories per cookie, 3.3g fat (0.4 saturated), 6.2g carbs, 0.6g fiber, 1.2g protein.

Here's a praline recipe Carolyn also recommends. "The pralines are very easy but harden quickly so have everything ready, like wax paper rolled out and waiting," she says.

Pralines

4 cups sugar

1 small can (5-ounce) evaporated milk ( 2/3 cup), adding enough water to fill 1 cup

4 tablespoons butter

Pinch of salt

Pinch of baking soda

4 cups pecan halves

Take 3/4 cup sugar and caramelize over low heat until melted and a very light brown. In another pot, mix remainder of sugar, milk, butter, salt and baking soda and bring to a boil. Add caramelized sugar. Cook until the soft ball stage (238 degrees). Add pecans. Drop by tablespoonful onto waxed paper to cool and harden.

Debbie Hodge of Manning, formerly of Mount Pleasant, sent a "wonderful" recipe for wheat- and gluten-free rolls. The recipe is from "The Gluten-Free Kitchen by Roben Ryberg," which Debbie says is an excellent cookbook for people with celiac disease.

"These rolls are fashioned after traditional white dinner rolls," the author writes. "Because they are baked in a muffin tin, they look a lot like popovers. They are mild, very light, and will probably surprise you because they are so good. Let them cool a minute or two after taking them from the oven."

Rolls

Makes 9 rolls

4 tablespoons shortening

3 tablespoons honey

2 eggs

1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup potato starch

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Mix well to remove all lumps.

The dough will be quite wet. Wet hands to handle dough. Take about 1/4 cup of dough and shape into a ball. Drop into greased baking tin. Repeat until all dough is used.

Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted in middle tests clean.

Peri Chapar of Mount Pleasant passes along a recipe from the December/January issue of "Taste of Home" magazine.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Makes 4 dozen

1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter

1 egg

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

48 milk chocolate kisses

In a large bowl, cream the shortening, brown sugar and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, applesauce and vanilla (mixture will appear curdled). Combine the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until slightly cracked.

Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Party food

Sharon Cook of Charleston recently took this dish to a party.

"As a transplanted Midwesterner, my family always called it roast beef salad; at the party, it was dubbed 'Roast Beef Pate.' It is a great way to stretch the food dollars and is a unique party dish.

"I guarantee it will be an original party dish and there won't be any leftovers!"

Sharon adds that this makes a great dip for crackers as well as a sandwich spread. And if you don't cook roast, you can buy one of the precooked pot roast entrees from the meat section of the grocery store and use it instead. She does not recommend using deli sliced roast beef; it is not flavorful enough. You also can make this with leftover ham, turkey or chicken.

Roast Beef Pate

6 cups ground roast beef

1/2 cup finely diced celery

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

4 to 6 tablespoons mayonnaise

Grind roast beef (leftover Sunday pot roast is great) and celery in the food processor using the knife blade and the pulse button. When ground to desired consistency, add pickle relish and mayonnaise. Add just enough mayonnaise to moisten and hold the mixture together. You can adjust the amount of mayonnaise up or down depending on how juicy the roast beef is. ("I usually add the minimum, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, and then adjust the mayonnaise as necessary," Sharon says.)

Who's got the recipe?

--From Stuart L. Tessler, Isle of Palms: "I have been searching for the recipe for Joe Frogger cookies that appeared in Gourmet Magazine. I believe it was January 1976, but I have not been able to find it. There are numerous recipes online but they do not seem to have the same result for this large, chewy, spicy, molasses cookie that is great at this time of the year. Any help you can provide is appreciated."

--Nancy Bierfischer, who works at The Post and Courier, asked if I had ever seen a recipe for butter bean or lima bean cake. No, I haven't even heard of it. But Nancy says her late cousin made it many years ago, and "my sister wants to make it again. ... It made a pretty Christmas cake, color wise. Had small baby limas in it and it tasted great."

Still looking:

--A West Ashley reader wants recipes for caramel pie, something she has eaten out but not made at home. The pie would have whipped cream on top and perhaps a drizzling of chocolate.

--Mary Ponds had and lost a beef stew recipe. She's looking for one with the standards -- celery, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, beef broth. Also, the beef chunks are floured and browned before stewing.

--Louann Parker writes, "I am looking for a recipe for ribs. They were made with a dry rub. They were served daily at Mr. Motts Red and White on Redbank Road in Goose Creek. They were cooked there in the deli. My sisters and I worked in the area and ate there at least four times a week. They were a little on the salty side but we loved them! This was in the '80s. I hope someone can help me find out how they were made! Would love to have them again."

Looking for a recipe or have one to share? Reach Teresa Taylor at 937-4886, food@postandcourier.com or The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.