Sugar-Free Clafoutis

Blueberry Clafoutis

I remember the first time I tried Clafoutis. "Cla - what now?" was my first thought. But one bite and I was a believer!

Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert, a cross between an egg-y pancake and a coffee cake, loaded with lovely fresh fruit. In Limousin, the region of its origin, fresh cherries are used, pits and all. Equally delicious are blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, apricots, pears or plums. Served warm, it is perfect for dessert, breakfast, or afternoon tea, and comes together with ease and speed, and very few dirty dishes.

One day I just had a flash of inspiration - what if I made this (sugar-free, of course!) with coconut flour? Lately I've been experimenting with coconut flour, an ingredient with many possibilities. It is very smooth and fine, super high in fiber, and pleasantly sweet tasting. Being so high in fiber, it absorbs moisture like crazy, so when substituting for wheat flour, you need to use a smaller amount of coconut flour. I played with the proportions, and the first batch was fantastic, right off. (I can't always count on that.)

There's only one problem with this recipe .... it's gone in a flash. My daughter and I ate a whole batch of this, made with blueberries, for breakfast last week. Fortunately, it's so fast and easy, I'll just make another one!

Sugar-Free Clafoutis

1 pound berries, or 1 1/4 pound of other firm fruits, as listed above, pitted and sliced

1/4 cup sugar substitute (I like Swerve)

2 TB coconut sugar (optional, but delicious - very low glycemic)

1 cup whole milk (or coconut, almond or other milk, or substitute 50% of it with heavy cream)

The immersion blender is the perfect tool.

4 large eggs

¼ cup coconut flour + 2 TB

¼ tsp salt

3 TB unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 TB vanilla

1). Pre-heat oven to 400 F

2). Butter shallow 2 quart baking dish or pie pan generously

3). In a blender, food processor, or, if using an immersion blender, a bain Marie, combine eggs, milk, flour, salt, butter, vanilla, and sugar. Blend all ingredients until smooth.

4). Sprinkle the fruit over the bottom of the baking dish, then pour batter over it.

5) . Bake until puffed and golden, 35 to 45 minutes

This batch was made with full cream coconut milk - delicious!

 

Serve warm

New: Sugar-Free Banana Bread

Even after I have created a new recipe and found it delicious, I continue to tweak it; I work on lowering the carbohydrates and raising the deliciousness. And frankly, sometimes I lose confidence in ingredients that I was fond of; soy  - not so thrilled with how it's raised.  These days, I'm pretty excited about working with coconut flour. It is low in carbs, very high in fiber and protein, and has a fine crumb and a lovely sweet base flavor, perfect for cakes and cookies. However, all that fiber tends to suck up the liquid, and creates a strong drying effect. This is where a fruit quick bread is the perfect pairing; the moisture in the fruit binds with the coconut fiber. This, plus the addition of almond meal and additional eggs creates a moist, flavorful loaf. In this case, the new formula is so much more delicious than the old, I decided to do a new posting. One word of warning: the lower the wheat content, the lower the gluten. The lower the gluten, the lower the crown. This recipe is completely delicious, but it has a lower profile than you might be used to!

Group 1
4 small, very ripe bananas, or 3 large, mashed
3 large eggs
1/3 cup erythritol
2 TB xylitol
1/4 tsp stevia extract powder
1 TB coconut palm sugar (optional, but delicious - for flavor)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

OR:
2/3 cup xylitol or Swerve
1 TB coconut palm sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp stevia extract powder

Group 2
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond meal
2 TB flax meal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Group 3
1/2 cup walnuts, broken into medium pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease loaf pan. (Gotta love spray-on coconut oil!)

2. Combine mashed bananas, eggs, sweeteners and vanilla in a large bowl and stir well to combine.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flours, salt and leavening. Whisk to combine, carefully breaking up any lumps of meal or flour. (Coconut flour does have a tendency to lump.)

4.  Stir flour mixture into banana mixture. Stir until all lumps and dry spots are well incorporated.

5. Stir in walnuts until well distributed.

6. Scoop batter into greased loaf pan and smooth top.

7.  Place pan on middle rack of preheated oven. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, around 50 minutes to 1 hour.

8. Cool on rack until cool enough to tip out of pan. Cool completely on rack out of pan.

Sugar-Free Plum Butter

Plum Tree at our Community Garden

 It's early July, and plums are dropping like sticky rain all over Berkeley. From the tiny maroon fruits that blend into the leaves on the street trees, to the teeny bright red ones landing in the back yards, the full-sized purple and deep red ones, everyone with a plum tree has more than they can possibly manage.

Our neighbors Lisa and Brooks put out the call: come pick some plums - please! Naturally I hustled right on over, not having any idea what kind of plums were on offer. If they were large, I was thinking of galette or German pflaumenkuchen, if small, plum butter.  When I arrived, I found tiny ruby fruits covering a gigantic tree in their back yard, plonking all over the patio and grass, squishing under foot. Plum butter, here we come!  Good thing I bought some more canning jars.....

When the fruits are small, there is no need to do anything to them but rinse and drain them, sort out any rotten ones, and put them on the stove to cook with a little lemon juice and some calcium water.  You can filter out the pits and skins later using a food mill. If you don't have a food mill (I don't) a colander and a big pestle, wooden spoon or muddling stick will do just fine.

There are several flavor directions you can go in with plums to enhance their flavor; this recipe uses vanilla, which rounds out the flavor beautifully. I have also seen recipes calling for a piece of cinnamon stick instead, which sounds very good.  I wonder about star anise......

This recipe is completely, utterly delicious. I wonder if Lisa and Brooks have some more plums to spare....

Sugar-Free Plum Butter

6 pounds plums
2 vanilla beans, split OR 2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup lemon juice (I used Meyer variety)
4 TB calcium water
2 TB low-sugar pectin

2 3/4 cups erythritol
1 1/3 cups + 2 TB xylitol
1 tsp stevia extract powder
1 tsp unsalted butter

If the jars are brand new, wash them and the rings and lids to remove any chemicals left from processing. If they have been sitting in the basement, check them for dust, and wash off any you find. Put the jars and rings into a very large stockpot or canning pot and fill with hot water to cover by an inch or two. Put them on the rear burner of the stove over high heat and bring them to a boil. When they come to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and keep them hot and ready.

Following the instructions in your low sugar pectin kit, make calcium water. (I use Pomona brand.)

Prepare the fruit: wash and dry the plums. If large, cut in quarters and remove the pits. If small, put the whole fruits in an 8 quart, heavy stock pot, along with the calcium water and the lemon juice. If using vanilla beans, cut them in half lengthwise and add them to the pot. Put it on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is completely softened, to the point of puree.

While the fruit cooks, measure the sweeteners into a medium-sized bowl.  Add the pectin to the sweeteners and whisk them all well to combine.

My antique pestle works great!

When the fruit is ready, turn off the heat and put the whole mixture into a food mill or colander placed over a large bowl or another stock pot.  If using the colander, use a large pestle, muddler, or wooden spoon to force the plum flesh through the holes and leave behind the skin and pits and vanilla beans. Be as thorough as possible, and be sure to scrape off the exterior of the mill or colander to get all the good flesh that is left on it.

Here it is after removing the pits and skin.

Put the filtered puree back in the stock pot and bring it back to a full, rolling boil over medium-high heat.  When it is ready, get a long-handled wooden spoon ready, and gradually add the sweetener mix to the hot fruit, stirring constantly as you pour in the sweeteners. Stir well and frequently to dissolve the pectin and the sweeteners with the fruit and to prevent lumping. Add the vanilla extract and the butter. (The butter is optional, but keeps the foam in check.) Bring it back to a full boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Taste and adjust sweetness as necessary.  Turn off the heat.  Get ready to can. (Don't worry if it isn't as thick as jam; it thickens as it cools.)

Clear a good sized work surface near the stove, and cover it with clean dishtowels (preferably ones you don't care about!)

Turn the heat off under the pot of jars and move it to the front of the stove so you can reach them easily, and move the jam to the back of the stove so you don't get water into it by accident. (Put the lid on the pot of jam if necessary.) Using tongs or a jar lifter in your dominant hand, and a clean dishtowel in your other hand, carefully remove the lids and rings and drain them on the towels on your work surface. Lift each jar out of the hot water, dump the hot water back into the pot, and carefully guide and transport the hot jar over to the work table, using the towel in your non-dominant hand to support the jars until you get it safely to its destination. Turn it upside down to drain out the extra water. Repeat until all of the jars are drained and ready. Scald your best ladle and wide-mouthed funnel in the boiling water and have them ready with your jars.

Turn the heat back on medium high underneath the pot of water and bring it back to a full boil while you jar the jam.

Now, again using your tongs (or a clean towel, oven mitts, or tough hands!) turn the jars right side up, and line them up to be ready to fill. If you have a wide-mouthed jar funnel (which I so highly recommend - available at any good hardware store, Bed Bath and Beyond, well stocked grocery stores, etc., for less than $5) put it on top of one of the jars.

Grab your best ladle, and bring the pot of hot jam over to your work surface. Carefully fill each jar, leaving 1/4" of space at the top. If you have a wide-mouthed funnel, the bottom should come to just the right spot. If you don't, do your best! If necessary, spoon some out to reach the right level. After you have filled all your jars, use a clean, moist towel to wipe the ring area and the top surface of the jars clean. Again, if you have a wide-mouthed funnel, you are much less likely to spill the jam onto the jars and need to clean them. If you have less than a full jar of jam, put that one straight into use and don't bother to can it.

Put the lids on, followed by the screw tops, and screw them down.

When the water bath comes back to a full boil, reduce the heat to low, and again using your tongs, carefully lower the jars back in one at a time. (The shock of the boiling water can break the jar, which is a big messy bummer.) Boil them all for 10 full minutes, then remove them with your tongs, using the same tong/towel technique described above, and let them cool on the toweled work area. If necessary, work in batches.


Notes from Christine:

* Why the range of xylitol quantities?  The fruit varies widely in how sweet it is; if you have sweet fruit, use the lower amount, if tart, use the higher. You can always start with the smaller amount and add more if it needs it, but you can't subtract it once it's in!


"What's with all of these obscure sweeteners?" Erythritol and Xylitol are sugar alcohols; super low-glycemic, super low-calorie, super low-carbohydrate, and good for your teeth.  

Xylitol is low in carbohydrates and is about as sweet as cane sugar.  It has a fairly neutral flavor, but a little bright, almost pepperminty quality. It can be found easily at a well-stocked health food store or really good grocery store.

Erythritol has 0 carbohydrates and is very neutral in flavor - yay! But it is about 60% as sweet as sugar and is very difficult to find in stores, except in individual packets. As it is 60% as sweet as sugar, it takes quite a bit more to reach the right level of sweetness in a recipe, and this makes proportions difficult.  However, its very neutral profile - and 0 carbs! make it a natural for blending with xylitol and stevia, especially since stevia is so highly concentrated.  It's worth tracking it down by mail-order, or you could make a special request to a grocer to order some for you.

Stevia is a natural, calorie-free leaf extract, super concentrated and very sweet, but with a weird, bitter aftertaste and no volume; due to its highly concentrated state, one teeny-tiny scoopful (which comes in its container) is equal to a teaspoon of sugar. It is easily purchased at Trader Joe's or any grocery store.

Be aware that some Xylitol and Erythritol brands in American packaging are actually imported from China and repackaged. That is why I buy all of these directly from Xylitol USA, http://www.xylitolusa.com/ which manufactures them from North American sources.

(Sugar-Free) Fresh Apricot Crostata

Sugar-Free Fresh Apricot Crostata

Apricot feast or apricot famine! Last year - famine.  This year - feast!  I went to the farmer's market and bought seconds; ripe, delicious, and cheaper than firsts. First came multiple batches of jam, then a batch of apricot liqueur. I saved all the pits, smashed them open, and put them into some organic Prairie vodka to make almond extract. (The kernel in the pit is a "bitter almond," poisonous to eat, but what almond extract is made from; it's far more almond-y than almonds are!) I was feeling pretty satisfied, the larder was full and I had enough to weather the next famine; no need for more.  But.....then my friend Kate scored yet another massive batch of organic apricots at the farmer's market; the first time she scored 25 pounds and hustled to use it all, soliciting recipes from all her friends in the longest Facebook exchange I've ever seen.  Then she scored another 36 pounds - yikes!  This time she was ready to share some, so we traded; some Artemesia Organic Blood Orange Liqueur for 10 pounds of apricots.  The ripest ones needed to be used right away, so I just went straight into jam mode.... there went five pounds.  A few more went into the jar of liqueur, with more vodka to cover.  And that left me with about 3 more pounds.  Hmmmm...... Apricot Crostata!

If you notice any similarity between this and my recipe for sugar-free Linzertorte, you are a clever and observant reader.  I changed my recipe for the dough ever so slightly (almond meal only instead of hazelnuts, a little vanilla), and the filling recipe here is essentially a quick jam recipe.  In fact, if you don't have any fresh apricots on hand, you can use some sugar-free apricot jam - preferably home-made. Both commercial varieties of sugar-free apricot jam I tried truly had no discernible flavor at all, so if that's all you have available, I would doctor the jam; see below* for instructions.

The recipe would work perfectly with cherries, using exactly the same proportions (I riffed the filling recipe off of a cherry crostata recipe in the Gourmet Cookbook.)  If you use cherries, eliminate the almond extract.

Sugar-Free Fresh Apricot Crostata

Time to add the thickener

Dough
I.
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks
Finely grated fresh lemon zest from 1 lemon
1 tsp apple sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla

II.
1/4 cup erythritol
3 TB xylitol
6 tiny scoops stevia extract powder  (the little measuring spoon in the container)

III.

8 oz/2 fairly packed cups of almond meal
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (spoon and sweep measuring*)
1/4 cup + 2 TB soy protein
1/2 tsp salt

Filling
1 3/4 lbs ripe, fresh apricots
3 TB unsalted butter, divided into a few pieces

1/4 cup + 3 TB erythritol
3 TB + 1 1/2 tsp xylitol
6 tiny scoops stevia extract powder

1-2 TB fresh lemon juice (I used Meyer)
2 TB kirsch
1/2 tsp almond extract

3 TB corn or tapioca starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Tools: a 10" tart pan with a removable bottom, a mixer

Dough Instructions:
Using your mixer, beat the butter until fluffy.  Then add the remaining ingredients from group I and beat until well combined.

Measure all of the sweeteners from group II into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add to the butter mixture and beat until well combined.

Next, measure all of the ingredients from group III into a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine.  Add gradually to the butter mixture until it is well mixed.  Form the dough into two equal balls, place each on its own sheet of waxed paper, and squash into large disks. Put them in the fridge to chill for at least 1/2 hour.

While the dough is chilling, make the filling:

 
Filling Instructions

Wash, dry, pit and cut the apricots into quarters. (Save the pits to make  your own almond extract!)

Add the butter to a 12" saute pan and melt over medium low heat. Add the apricots, lemon juice, kirsch and almond extract and stir to combine. While the apricot mixture cooks over medium heat, measure the sweeteners into a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the sweeteners to the apricot mixture and stir well.  Please note: the sweetener amount is calculated for really sweet, ripe apricots (Blenheims are sooooo delicious!) If your apricots are a little tart and under-ripe, up the sweeteners to taste, and go with the lower amount of lemon juice - perhaps even dropping it; it's there to balance the sweetness. Cook until the apricots have softened somewhat, and released their juices, about 8-10 minutes. Stir up the starch/water slurry to recombine and add it to the apricot mixture.  Cook until the whole batch thickens and no longer tastes of corn starch, about 10 minutes more. You will have a delicious, flavorful filling. Let it cool in the pan.

Meanwhile:

Remove the dough from the refrigerator to soften, and pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Put a silpat on a baking sheet, or cover it in foil, and place on the middle rack of the oven to heat.

When the dough is malleable enough to roll, remove one dough disk and set it aside so that you can use both pieces of waxed paper to roll the dough with.  (Of course you can use an additional piece of waxed paper, but I like to use as little disposable stuff as possible.) Placing one disk between two pieces of waxed paper, roll until the dough into a 12" round.  Put it in the tart pan, and press the dough up the sides of the pan. You can trim off the excess dough or fold it over to reinforce the sides of the tart.  Put it back in the refrigerator while you work on the second disk.

Using your two pieces of waxed paper, roll the second disk into another 12" round. Remove the top layer of waxed paper, and cut the round into 10 strips, each one 3/4" -1" wide. Put the whole thing on a baking sheet and put it in the fridge to firm up a bit - this makes it easier to handle - while you do the rest.

Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator, and fill it with the luscious apricot filling. You may have a tablespoon or two left over; don't over-fill the pan - it will overflow and make a sticky mess. This extra filling is the cook's treat while the tart cooks.  Well, of course. you could eat it right now, before you go to the next step; I did.

Take your dough strips out of the refrigerator, and being mindful that the outside pieces are the shortest and you will need to repeat the strips going the other way, lay the strips across the tart, either straight to make squares or on the diagonal to make diamonds.  You may need to use a spatula to remove the dough strips from the paper. Pinch the outer edges of the dough onto the dough rim in the pan and remove any excess.  Repeat going the other way.  You will likely have a few small pieces of dough; again, cook's treat. You can eat it raw, or put it on the cookie sheet to bake; it makes a tasty shortbread-like cookie. Just remember to take it out after about 10-12 minutes, or it will burn. (I've done this twice now; phooey.)

Put the tart on the heated cookie sheet in the middle of the oven, and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the crust is golden-brown and the filling is bubbling.

Cool the crostata for at least an hour and a half so that you can safely remove it from the pan and cut it without it breaking.

*Special instructions for doctoring commercially made jam:  Take 1 1/3 cups apricot jam. In a medium sized sauce pan, melt the butter, then add the jam and thin it by heating it a bit. Add the almond extract, lemon juice and kirsch in the proportions shown above, and heat and stir to combine. Taste it, adjust the flavors, and follow the directions from there.


GLUTEN-FREE VERSION:

To make this recipe gluten-free, simply substitute your favorite gluten-free baking mix for the whole-wheat pasty flour. All set!

Sugar-Free Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Sugar-Free Strawberry Balsamic Jam

This past Christmas, my friend Ondine (the one who is foodier than me) gave us one precious jar of her strawberry balsamic jam. Of course, she uses sugar, so I was only able to dip my pinky into it; but oh MY it was good. My family polished it off in no time flat.

We are now deep into May, and I have wiped out all of my sugar-free strawberry jam. I have been waiting for the strawberries to come into season enough to be consistently ripe and tasty (and for the prices to drop a little.)  This week: jackpot. Organic Swanton berries (local, union picked) were $2.50 a basket at Monterey Market.  Ondine was nice enough to share some guidelines; she used a recipe by Eugenia Bone, but added vanilla.  So I, of course, based my version on Ondine's, but with no added sugar.  Mmm mmm mmm.  The balsamic both balances and enhances the sweetness and acidity of the berries, and the vanilla brings in undercurrents of yum.  The darkness of the vinegar also makes the color of the jam more like a garnet than a ruby.  You will not be disappointed, I promise!

Sugar-Free Strawberry Balsamic Jam

6 pounds of ripe, perfect, organic strawberries (7 green 1 pint baskets)

Lovely Swanton Berries

7 tsp calcium water

7 tsp pectin
2  1/2 cups erythritol
1  2/3 cup xylitol
1 level teaspoon stevia extract powder
1 tsp unsalted butter

1/3 - 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
 2 - 2 1/2 tsp organic vanilla

Makes 6 pint and 4 half pint jars of jam

If the jars are brand new, wash them and the rings and lids to remove any chemicals left from processing. If they have been sitting in the basement, check them for dust, and wash off any you find. Put the jars and rings into a very large stockpot or canning pot and fill with hot water to cover by an inch or two. Put them on the rear burner of the stove over high heat and bring them to a boil. When they come to a boil, turn the heat down and keep them hot and ready.

Following the instructions in your low sugar pectin kit, make calcium water. (I use Pomona brand.)

Meanwhile, prepare the fruit: wash it, dry it, remove the hulls, and cut it in half (if small) in quarters (if medium sized) or into eighths (if very large) and put it in an 8 quart, heavy stock pot, along with the calcium water. Put it on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a full boil.

While the fruit cooks, measure the sweeteners and the pectin into a medium sized bowl and whisk them all well to combine.

When the fruit comes to a full boil, get a long-handled wooden spoon ready, and gradually add the sweetener mix to the hot fruit, stirring constantly as you pour in the sweeteners. Stir well and frequently to dissolve the pectin and the sweeteners with the fruit and to prevent lumping. Add the butter. (The butter is optional, but keeps the foam in check.) Bring it back to a full boil. Turn off the heat, then add 1/3 cup vinegar and vanilla and stir well to combine.  Taste it, and if needed, add more vinegar, vanilla, or sweetener.* see notes below.    Get ready to can. (Don't worry if it isn't as thick as jam; it thickens as it cools.)


Clear a good sized work surface near the stove, and cover it with clean dishtowels (preferably ones you don't care about!)

Turn the heat off under the pot of jars and move it to the front of the stove so you can reach them easily, and move the jam to the back of the stove so you don't get water into it by accident. (Put the lid on the pot of jam if necessary.) Using tongs or a jar lifter in your dominant hand, and a clean dishtowel in your other hand, carefully remove the lids and rings and drain them on the towels. Lift each jar out of the hot water, dump the hot water back into the pot, and carefully guide and transport the hot jar over to the towels. Turn it upside down to drain out the extra water. Repeat until all of the jars are drained and ready. Scald your best ladle and wide-mouthed funnel in the boiling water and have them ready with your jars.

Turn the heat back on medium high underneath the pot of water and bring it back to a full boil while you jar the jam.

Now, again using your tongs (or a clean towel, oven mitts, or tough hands!) turn the jars right side up, and line them up to be ready to fill. If you have a wide-mouthed jar funnel (which I so highly recommend - available at any good hardware store, Bed Bath and Beyond, well stocked grocery stores, etc., for less than $5) put it on top of one of the jars.

Grab your best ladle, and bring the pot of hot jam over to your work surface. Carefully fill each jar, leaving 1/4" of space at the top. If you have a wide-mouthed funnel, the bottom should come to just the right spot. If you don't, do your best! If necessary, spoon some out to reach the right level. After you have filled all your jars, use a clean, moist towel to wipe the ring area and the top surface of the jars clean. Again, if you have a wide-mouthed funnel, you are much less likely to spill the jam and need to clean the jars. If you have less than a full jar of jam, put that one straight into use and don't bother to can it.

Put the lids on, followed by the screw tops, and screw them down.

When the water bath comes back to a full boil, reduce the heat to medium, and again using your tongs, carefully lower the jars back in one at a time. (High heat might break the jar - bummer.) Boil them all for 10 full minutes, then remove them with your tongs, using the same tong/towel technique described above, and let them cool on the toweled work area. If necessary, work in batches.

Notes from Christine:

Why organic strawberries?  If you can't afford much organic food in your budget, strawberries are a must (as are bananas, red peppers and apples.) The way conventional strawberries are raised leave tons of poison on the berry, releases gases into the environment, and endangers farm workers.

Balsamic Vinegar:  What kind should I use, and how much? I used Bariani, which is local, concentrated and delicious, but not very expensive. Ondine said she used the cheapest stuff from Trader Joe's.  I used 1/3 of a cup in my first batch - yum, then I added another 1/4 cup to my second batch (plus another 1/2 tsp vanilla) - even more yum; if you use cheaper stuff, you may want to add more to achieve the same level of flavor. I'll let you in on a little secret shared with me by the former head chef of a well-regarded local restaurant; balsamic vinegar concentrates through evaporation as it ages. The oldest, sweetest, and most syrupy stuff is quite expensive.  You can mimic this by taking some cheap stuff and cooking it down in a non-reactive sauce pan.

* Deciding how much vinegar and vanilla to add can be a little tricky; jam doesn't taste the same hot as it does cold. When the jam is hot, the flavors are amplified. On my first batch, I added 1/3 cup of flavorful, concentrated vinegar, and 2 tsp of good vanilla. It was awesome when it was hot, but the flavors had toned down when it cooled. On the next batch, I decided to pump up the flavor, so I added an additional 1/4 cup of vinegar. When I tasted it, I got nervous... the flavor was intense - ack! I thought I'd added too much.  I added another 1/2 tsp of vanilla to balance it....  Still intense... I was a little nervous about the outcome, but I went ahead and canned it - and it was awesome when it cooled off!  So, be brave.

"What's with all of these obscure sweeteners?" Erythritol and Xylitol are sugar alcohols; super low-glycemic, super low-calorie, super low-carbohydrate, and good for your teeth.  

Xylitol is about as sweet as cane sugar, has a fairly neutral flavor with a little bright, almost pepperminty quality, and can be found easily at a well-stocked health food store or really good grocery store.

Erythritol, very neutral in flavor, is about 60% as sweet as sugar, and is very difficult to find in stores, except in individual packets. As it is 60% as sweet as sugar, it takes quite a bit more to reach the right level of sweetness in a recipe, and this makes proportions difficult.  However, its very neutral profile makes it a natural for blending with xylitol and stevia, especially since stevia is so highly concentrated.  It's worth tracking it down by mail-order, or you could make a special request to a grocer to order some for you.

Stevia is a natural, calorie-free leaf extract, super concentrated and very sweet, but with a weird, bitter aftertaste and no volume; due to its highly concentrated state, one teeny-tiny scoopful (which comes in its container) is equal to a teaspoon of sugar. It is easily purchased at Trader Joe's or any grocery store.

Be aware that some Xylitol and Erythritol brands in American packaging are actually imported from China and repackaged. That is why I buy all of these directly from Xylitol USA, http://www.xylitolusa.com/ which manufactures them from North American sources.

Sugar-Free (Low-Carb) Linzertorte

Sugar-Free Linzertorte

Mmmm.... Linzertorte. I can't think of anything tastier just now. But perhaps you are wondering what it is? Linzertorte is a classic Viennese pastry; a rich, buttery dough with lots of toasted ground hazelnuts, pressed into a tart pan, topped with raspberry jam, and then criss-crossed with a lattice of more of the dough. The rich dough balances the sweetness of the jam, the tart sweetness of the jam does the same for the dough.  This recipe calls for lemon zest in the dough, which adds yet another layer of contrast and brightness.  Oh my.

Another beauty of Linzertorte is that it is very easy to make, but looks and tastes like you had to go to culinary academy to master it.  Love it! Make this the next time you really want to impress your guests.... or when you just want a really good treat.


Sugar-Free (Low-Carb) Linzertorte

Toasted Hazelnuts

6 1/2 ounces of hazelnuts
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp apple sauce
1 TB finely grated lemon zest

1/4 cup erythritol
2 1/2 TB xylitol
4 scoops stevia

Dough Strips

1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pasty flour
1/4 cup + 2 TB almond meal
1/4 cup + 2 TB soy protein

1 1/3 cups sugar-free raspberry jam

Equipment: a 9" tart pan (or springform)
A food processor or grinder for the nuts
A mixer

1. Toast and skin the hazelnuts.  (Spread them on a baking sheet in a pre-heated, 350 F oven. Toast for about 10 minutes, until they are golden and aromatic. Cool them. A few handfuls at a time, put them in a tea towel and rub them together to rub off the skins.)  Discard the skins.

2. In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts until they are a fine meal - but be careful not to turn them into nut butter.

3. In a small bowl, combine the sweeteners and whisk to combine well.

4. Measure the various flours, nut meals and salt into a medium bowl; use the "spoon and sweep" method to measure the whole wheat pastry flour (spoon the flour into the dry measuring cup, sweep off the excess with the back of a knife. This ensures that you don't accidentally use compacted flour, which throws off the proportions.)  Whisk to combine.

5. Using your mixer, cream the butter and sweeteners together at high speed until light and fluffy.  Add the applesauce, then add one egg yolk at a time and beat just to combine. Add zest and beat until just combined.

6. Beat in the flour/nut meal mixture until well combined. The dough will be stiff.

7. Take the dough out of the bowl and divide into two even balls. Wrap them in waxed paper and press into disks. Refrigerate for about 1/2 hour; if much longer, you will need to soften the dough up a bit to work it. (You can make the recipe up to this point a day in advance; just allow enough time for the dough to soften.)

8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

9. Place one disk of dough in the bottom of the 9" tart pan.  Using your fingers (and perhaps the back of a wooden spoon) press the dough evenly all over the base of the pan and all the way up the sides. Add the jam and smooth it over the bottom.

10. Take the second disc of dough and place it between two sheets of wax paper. Roll it into an even circle that is slightly bigger than the 9" pan.  Slice the circle into strips 1/2" wide. Transfer half of the strips one at a time to the top of the tart, arranging the strips 1" apart from each other, and pinching the ends onto the sides of the bottom dough. (This takes a little planning; remember that you will need the longest strip for the center, and that you will need to match it going the other way - don't use up the long ones on the short sections!) Turn the tart sideways and repeat going the other way, making a simple cross lattice.  Pinch all of the ends, or use a fork, to attach the strips to the sides of the dough.

Finished tart before it goes in the oven

11.  Place the tart on a baking sheet and put it in the lower center of the pre-heated oven.  Bake until quite golden, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven, cool on a rack for an hour  or more, then carefully push the bottom plate up through the center ring to remove the side ring of the pan. Place the tart on a large plate.

12. Slice in very small pieces, as this is very rich.  Lovely with coffee, delicious for dessert, afternoon tea, or even breakfast. (Yum.)

Notes: Jam - you can make your own sugar-free raspberry jam, as I did.  Or, you can buy a pretty good xylitol sweetened jam made by Nature's Hollow, which I found at our local natural foods store.  Xylitol USA also offers a decent version, also sweetened with xylitol, and sold through their website.

Individual (Sugar-Free) Chocolate Lava Cake

Oops - we ate half of it before I remembered to photograph it!

So I was reading Sunset Magazine while on the cross-trainer at the Y when I came across this delicious sounding recipe from another food blogger, Joy Wilson.  Of course, I immediately started thinking about how to make a sugar-free version.... and then a gluten-free version... and then a sugar-free, gluten-free version. Sadly, my dear friend Nina is gone now (if you think you may have a gluten allergy, please please PLEASE get it checked out) but I still dabble a bit in gluten free recipes, as there is such a demand for them.

This recipe is an immediate, delicious, sure-fire winner.  As written, it makes one cake, but it can easily be adapted to make as many as you like.  While testing the recipe I made them two at a time, in different versions so I could speed up my recipe testing.

Individual Chocolate Lava Peanut Butter Cake
adapted from Joy the Baker

I.
 1/2 tsp butter
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

II.
1 TB unsalted butter
1 1/4 oz sugar-free, sweetened chocolate, broken into chunks (the best quality you can find)
1-2 TB smooth, salted, sugar-free "natural" peanut butter OR 1 TB bourbon

chocolate, butter and peanut butter

III.
3 tsp erythritol
1 tsp xylitol
3 tiny scoops stevia extract powder
1 generous pinch salt

IV.
1 large egg
1 tsp flour, OR 1 tsp gluten-free mix OR 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder


1.  Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Grease a 3/4 cup capacity ramekin with the 1/2 tsp of butter - feel free to use your fingers.  Sprinkle in the tsp of cocoa powder and shake it around to coat all of the surfaces.

2.  In a small heat-proof bowl, place the 1 TB butter and 1 1/4 ounces sweetened, sugar-free chocolate.  Put the bowl in a microwave, blast for a few seconds, check the contents. If it's beginning to melt, stir it up, and continue to blast, check, and stir until it is all melted. Stir until well combined.  Now stir in the peanut butter or bourbon.  You get to choose how peanut-buttery you want it to be.

3.  In another small bowl, combine all of the sweeteners and stir well to blend.  Add the sweeteners to the melted chocolate mix and stir well to combine.

4.  In the small bowl you just used, whisk the egg until well-combined.  Add the egg, tsp of flour/cocoa/gluten-free mix and pinch of salt to the melted chocolate mix. Stir well to combine.

5. Using a small spatula, scrape the mix into the buttered ramekin and smooth the surface.  Bake the cake on a baking sheet for about 12 minutes, until the rim is cake-y and the center is pudding-y.

6.  Cool for a couple of minutes, then run a knife around the edges to dislodge it from the ramekin onto your plate.  (Or just eat it out of the ramekin - why not?)  Eat it right away, while it's still all melt-y and good!

Batter ready for the oven.....

Pumpkin Bread (High protein, sugar-free, low-carb)

I grew a nice big crop of butternut squash last year. Unfortunately, the seedlings got such a late start that by the time the squashes were ripe, it was so late in the season that they didn't cure properly before I had to harvest them.  So there I was, mid-winter, looking at all of my beautiful squashes, which were growing a thatch of furry white mold on their crowns. Phooey.  I had to cut off the bad parts and rescue the good parts, but NOW.

Little known fact: most canned "pumpkin" in the store is actually butternut squash.  Another little known fact: there are special eating pumpkins, like Sugar Pie Pumpkin, and then there are jack-o-lantern pumpkins.  Eating pumpkins are sweet and tender. Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are tough and fibrous, not intended for eating at all.

So, anyway.  I cleaned up the squashes, throwing the bad stuff into the compost heap and peeling and chopping the good parts.  I put the cubes of squash into a ceramic bowl, covered them in water, put a plate on top and cooked them in the microwave.  Then I mashed them up well. And now:  it's "Pumpkin" Bread time.

I decided to go for a little more decadence than I normally do in my quick breads; there's melted butter built-in to this luscious bread. Rich, dark, a little spicy with caramel notes; it is excellent for breakfast, or for an afternoon pick-me-up with tea or coffee.  It's wonderful on its own, but toasted, with a little whipped cream cheese smeared on top, or even a little more butter (!)  - heaven!  After I made the first loaf, here's what I wrote on the recipe draft: "Wow! Delicious."

A word about the optional coconut palm sugar; this super low glycemic sugar is the new darling of the low glycemic/diabetic crowd.  Even Dr. Oz did a segment on it on his show, recommending it as a way to lose weight by preventing sugar crashes. It has delectable caramel notes that echo the vanilla in the bread.  The bread is wonderful without it, but if you have a chance to add it, it brings a surprising amount to the party.



Pumpkin Bread

I. 
1 cup pureed pumpkin or butternut squash
1/2 cup melted butter or oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup water

II.
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/3 cup erythritol
2 TB xylitol
5 tiny scoops stevia extract powder
1 TB coconut palm sugar (optional, but delicious)

III.
3 TB flax meal
3 TB soy protein
3 TB almond meal
3 TB unflavored, unsweetened whey powder
3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

IV.
1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.  Grease a loaf pan.

2.  In a large bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients from section I and mix well.

3. In a small to medium bowl, combine all of the sweeteners and whisk them to mix well.  Add them to the wet ingredients and stir to combine well.

4.  In a medium bowl (perhaps the one you just used to mix the sweeteners), combine all of the dry ingredients from section III and whisk well to combine.

5.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just enough to combine well.

6.  Stir in the chopped walnuts.

7.  Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula.

8.  Bake for about 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then tilt out of the pan onto a cooling rack to complete cooling.

Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein, Low Carb!) Brownies

Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein!) Brownies

 I have yet to meet anyone who dislikes brownies.  Chocolate and butter barely held together with flour; what on earth is there to dislike? In the course of my brownie research, I read a quote that there were as many brownie recipes as daisies in the field.  So true; there is infinite variety, from the amount of chocolate and butter, to the number of eggs and the amount of flour, to the size of the pan.

There are those who like them cake-y, and those who like them fudge-y.  I'm a fudge-y person, myself.  If I want cake, I'll make a cake!  Back in the day when I used to use brownie mixes (which really aren't bad) I used to half-bake them to get them the way I like them; downright goopy in the middle!

When I am inventing a new sugar-free recipe, sometimes it takes a few tries to get the recipe right.  You know, one where nobody knows it's sugar-free but the baker.  This one is spot-on.  Fudge-y, dense, rich goodness.  Oh yeah.  You're going to like this one!

Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein, Low Carb!) Brownies

5 oz sugar-free, sweetened dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 oz unsweetened (bakers') chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick (8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces

1/2 cup erythritol
1/3 cup xylitol
7 tiny scoops stevia extract powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs
2 TB unsweetened applesauce

2 TB whole wheat pastry flour
2 TB soy protein
2 TB unsweetened, plain whey powder
1 TB almond meal


1 cup walnut meats - optional


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and put rack in the lower third of the oven.


2. Line a 9" square baking pan with foil, letting the ends of the foil run up the sides and hang over the edges of the pan.  Do not butter or flour the pan.

3. If using walnuts, spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, 7-10 minutes.  Cool them and chop coarsely.

4. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the chocolates and butter and melt over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

5. When melted, remove mixture from the heat, and stir in the sweeteners, vanilla, and salt, until well-combined.

6. Stir in the applesauce, then stir in one egg at a time until well-combined.

7. In a small bowl, combine the flours and whisk to combine.  Stir them into the chocolate mixture until well-combined.

8. Add the walnuts, (if desired) and stir well.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, on top of the foil, using a spatula to scrape all of it out of the pot and into the pan.  Spread evenly in the pan.

10. Put pan on a rack in the lower third of the oven and bake until the surface is glossy and smooth, and a toothpick comes out fairly clean from the center, about 40 minutes.  (A few crumbs may stick to it; that's okay.)

11. Cool brownies in the pan, on a rack.  Use the foil to remove the whole batch from the pan when cool.  Cut into squares of the size you desire (keeping in mind that these are rich.)

Brownies will keep in an air-tight container for several days.  Well, theoretically.  

Notes:  You can get pretty darned good sugar-free dark chocolate at Trader Joe's, sweetened with maltitol.  This has become my go-to baking bar, because the price is very good for decent chocolate.  Bob's Red Mill makes all of the other flours, and you can buy them in a well-stocked health food store.  (We can buy them in bulk at Berkeley Bowl or Berkeley Natural Grocer.)  If you want to, you can substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour instead.

Sweeteners:  Erythritol and xylitol are sugar alcohols; low-glycemic, low-calorie, sweeteners suitable for use by diabetics or those with metabolic disorders.  You can easily buy xylitol  at a well-stocked grocery or health-food store.  Erythritol is more readily available on-line.  Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from the stevia leaf.  It is readily available at grocery stores, including at Trader Joe's.

Sugar-Free Fresh Fig Jam with Bourbon and Vanilla

Sugar-Free Fig Jam with Low-Carb Bread

Perhaps you are wondering; does this woman know that she's spoiled rotten? The answer is why yes; yes I do. I live in easy walking distance of world-renowned grocery stores, three weekly farmers' markets, greengrocers, bakers, and charcuterers. My BFF Kim and her partner Michael grow unbelievably good organic coffee on their 5 acre parcel in Costa Rica, http://www.riocoyote.com/ and they roast it to order in their backyard 4 blocks from here and deliver it to me when they walk the dog. I try not to take it for granted. Growing up in Massachusetts, I never laid eyes on a fresh apricot or fig; apricots came in a can in heavy syrup, and figs came dried in our Christmas stocking. So, yeah, I have a pretty good idea that I'm spoiled.

This week I went into our local, medium-sized, family run greengrocers, Monterey Market. Their size and turnover, and very good buyers, mean that they can buy up a farmer's whole crop. This means unbelievable selection, and fantastic prices. So I walk in, and they have fresh, local, organic Black Mission figs for $2.49 a pound. Sure looks like jam time to me!

I wound up making two different batches, one with a simple flavor profile, one, based on ideas given to me by a neighbor, more complex. Both were delicious, and now I will have summer in a jar all winter long.

A few notes about proportions; although I used 6 1/2 pounds of figs (about 13 cups, once cut, cleaned and mashed) you can make a batch using any amount; the important thing is to use the right proportions of ingredients. Be sure to follow the instructions included in your pectin box. I use Pomona low-sugar pectin; if you use a different brand, be sure to follow their instructions.

Fig Jam Bubbling Away....

Sugar-Free Fig Jam with Bourbon and Vanilla
Yield: about 8 pints

I.
6 1/2 pounds ripe figs
14 tsp calcium water (1/4 cup + 2 tsp)
1/2-1 cup fresh lemon juice (I used one cup of Meyer lemon juice - Meyers are very sweet)
1/2 cup water
3 sticks of cinnamon bark/canela

II.
10 1/2 tsp Pomona pectin (3 TB + 1 1/2 tsp)
2 1/2 cups erythritol
1 2/3 cups xylitol
35 tiny scoops stevia extract powder

III.
1/2 cup dark rum or bourbon, or a combination
1-2 tsp vanilla extract


If you are using new canning jars, wash them and their lids thoroughly. Place enough clean jam jars and their rings and lids to house the whole batch in a very large stock pot or canning pot. Fill with enough clean water to cover the jars completely, cover the pot, and set it on the stove over a medium flame. Bring it to the boil, then lower heat to a simmer and let them simmer while you complete the jam. Be sure to scald the ladle and wide-mouthed funnel you will use.

While the jars heat, wash and drain the fresh figs. Using a paring knife, trim off the stem ends and any excess white, pithy inner skin. If the figs are ripe enough to have become a bit moldy, just scrape off any offending bits of skin and wipe if off the knife onto a clean paper towel. Set a large stock pot nearby, and cut the figs into small pieces, about 4 - 6 per fig, directly into the pot. Using a potato masher, mash the figs in the pot.

Add the lemon juice, calcium water, water and cinnamon sticks to the pan. Stir well, then set the pot over a medium flame. Stir frequently, and adjust the flame as necessary to prevent scorching.

While the jam cooks, measure all of the sweeteners and pectin into a medium bowl, and whisk well to combine.

When the figs are well-cooked, add the bourbon or rum and the vanilla and stir in.

When the jam has reached the desired state, remove the cinnamon sticks. Stir in the sweetener/pectin mix and stir vigorously to dissolve. Stirring frequently, bring the jam back to the boil. When it has come to a full boil, turn off the flame. (The jam will thicken as it cools.)

Using a "jar grabber" or tongs, carefully remove the jars and lids from the pot of hot water, and place them upside-down on the towels. (I use tongs and a dry towel in my other hand to make sure I don't drop the jars or spill boiling water all over my feet.)

If you haven't yet scalded your wide-mouthed funnel (optional, but totally worth it!) and your ladle, do so now. Put the lid back on the pot of water, raise the flame, and bring it back to a full boil while you put the jam in the jars.

Put the jars right side up on the cloths. Clear a space right next to the jars for the jam pot. Using your funnel and the ladle, fill the jars to 1/4" below the top (a vacuum requires air to operate.) When all are full, add the lids and rings and screw them on fairly tightly.

When the water has returned to the boil, repeat the method with tongs/jar grabber and towel, and return the jars to the pan. You will need to be more careful with full jars than with empty. Also, you may need to remove some water from the pan, as full jars displace more water than empty ones.

Bring back to the boil, reduce temperature as needed to keep at a gentle boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Using the tongs/jar grabber, remove the jars and put them back on the toweled area to cool.

Notes from Christine:

"What's with all of these obscure sweeteners?" Erythritol and Xylitol are sugar alcohols; super low-glycemic, super low-calorie, super low-carbohydrate, and good for your teeth.  

Xylitol is a little sweeter than cane sugar, has a fairly neutral flavor with a little bright, almost pepperminty quality, and can be found easily at a well-stocked health food store or really good grocery store.

Erythritol, very neutral in flavor, is about 60% as sweet as sugar, and is very difficult to find in stores, except in individual packets. As it is 60% as sweet as sugar, it takes quite a bit more to reach the right level of sweetness in a recipe, and this makes proportions difficult.  However, its very neutral profile makes it a natural for blending with xylitol and stevia, especially since stevia is so highly concentrated.  It's worth tracking it down by mail-order, or you could make a special request to a grocer to order some for you.

Stevia is a natural, calorie-free leaf extract, super concentrated and very sweet, but with a weird, bitter aftertaste and no volume; due to its highly concentrated state, one teeny-tiny scoopful (which comes in its container) is equal to a teaspoon of sugar. It is easily purchased at Trader Joe's or any grocery store.

Be aware that some Xylitol and Erythritol brands in American packaging are actually imported from China and repackaged. That is why I buy all of these directly from Xylitol USA, http://www.xylitolusa.com/ which manufactures them from North American sources.

High-Protein (Low-Carb) Focaccia Bread

Fresh baguettes and rich, herb-y focaccia; chewy and crispy on the outside, tender and chewy on the inside. Tear a piece off, wipe up the last delicious bits of vinaigrette and fresh tomatoes. Mmmm.... doesn't that sound delicious? And here I am, able to pick up a fresh loaf of either one, so good you can close your eyes and pretend you're in Paris or Italy. Lucky me!

Except, of course, NOT ANY MORE.

Life was looking up - way up - after I invented a high-protein, low-carbohydrate bread recipe. I am now baking a fresh loaf a few times a week, for toast and sandwiches - yummy. However, even that new treat cannot take the place of the way a simple piece of good, chewy bread behaves with pesto slathered on it.

Yes, folks, it was time to do something about it! This recipe I've devised for low-carb focaccia fits the bill; chewy, rich, great alone, used to soak up sauce or as a platform for cheese, Italian cold-cuts, or pesto. It's fantastic fresh out of the oven, and if you have leftovers, you can restore them to close to their fresh-baked consistency with a visit to the oven or toaster-oven.

High-Protein (Low-Carb) Focaccia

Special Equipment: A bread machine - but directions follow at the end if you don't have one.

Dough
1 TB regular (fast-acting, not instant) yeast
1 tsp salt
1 cup vital wheat gluten
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup soy protein
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup plain whey powder
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups water

Topping
3 TB olive oil
1 TB finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Bring all of the ingredients to room temperature, and add them into the loaf pan of a bread machine. Set the machine for "White," "Large," and "Dough." Start the machine, let it run through the mixing and kneading cycles. Check the dough as it comes together; it should be very elastic and almost spongy, without sticking to the sides of the pan. If the machine is complaining, or the dough seems dry, add a little more water. If it is too moist, add a teaspoon of flour or gluten. Repeat as necessary until it is the right consistency. Let the machine run through all of the cycles of kneading and rising.

When the dough has gone through its final rise phase, get out a baking sheet with sides, and put a coating of olive oil all over it. I like to use a small silicone pastry brush; works like a charm, and can be thoroughly cleaned - no more rancid oil in my pastry brush!

Take the dough out of the loaf pan, and, using your hands, coax, smash, stretch, and smear the dough out to cover as much of the pan as possible. Using your finger tips, leave dimples and impressions in the dough to hold the olive oil.

Now, cover the pan and let it go through one more rising. I like to just put another baking sheet over the first, as I hate to waste anything. Let the dough rise until it is doubled again, for about an hour. If it hasn't risen much more, don't worry about it. It will rise some more in the oven.

Meanwhile, finely chop the rosemary and mix it with the olive oil in a very small bowl. Preheat the oven to 425 F. When the dough has risen, and the oven is hot, spread the olive oil/rosemary mixture all over the bread, letting the oil pool slightly in the dimples. If your coarse sea salt is VERY coarse, you can crush it slightly with a mortar and pestle, or with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the bread.

Put the pan in the oven and bake it until it is gorgeously golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove, and eat it - preferably right away! Store any leftovers in an airtight container. As I said earlier, heat up the leftovers in a toaster oven or oven, and they will be restored to almost fresh-baked goodness for as much as a week later.

If you don't have a bread machine: Put the yeast in a large bowl. Heat the water until it is lukewarm (105-115 degrees F), and whisk it into the water until it dissolves. Let the yeast wake up for a few minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together all of the dry ingredients in another large bowl. When the yeast/water mixture is a little foamy, add the olive oil, and then the rest of the dry ingredients. If you are using a stand mixer, use your paddle attachment to combine them well, and then switch to the dough hook and knead the bread for about ten minutes. If you are using your hands, do the same with your hands and a spoon, and knead it until it is quite elastic. Follow directions above for reaching the right consistency. Cover the bowl with a clean dishcloth, and let it rise until it is doubled in size, about an hour and a half. Follow all of the rest of the directions above from there.

Sugar-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

I confess; when my friend Mimi (who's also living a low-carb life) told me that she and her friends had made 75 jars of strawberry jam for a fundraiser at our elementary school, I wound up feeling a teeny bit sorry for myself. You see, I love that jam. There's just nothing like homemade jam, and homemade strawberry jam - well, you know. And since I'm living a sugar-free life, I just couldn't see myself eating any of that lovely jam, or even making jam again. Sniff. Apricot. Sniff. Plum Butter. Sniff. Strawberry Rhubarb. Sniff, sniff.

And then I thought - ha! Of course - I can make my own jam! I've seen ads for sugar-free jam, but the commercial products just sound so.... fake. And unappetizing. But every sugar-free thing I've made so far has been, well, FABULOUS. (My Mama told me never to brag, but well, you know - "no brag, just fact."

So, I went out and bought 7 quarts of gorgeous organic Swanton Berry Farm fruits, a big bunch of fresh rhubarb, looked at recipes, decided what my ratio of sweeteners ought to be, and set to work. I admit, I was nervous. What if it was lousy, and I'd wasted all that lovely fruit? I made one batch, using about half of the strawberries and all of the rhubarb. OMG, it was amazing, it was so good. So as soon as I canned it, I plowed back in and made an all-strawberry batch. The whole thing took hardly any time at all, and afterwards, I felt like I had a treasure-trove of rubies. Ahhh.

Now I just have to figure out how to make low-carbohydrate bread to go with it....



Sugar-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

You will need:

11-12 8 oz (half pint) canning jars, lids and rings
8 quart heavy stockpot for the jam
Another 8 quart (or larger)stockpot for sterilizing jars
1 box pectin for low-sugar jams (I use Pomona brand)
wide-mouthed funnel (optional, but super useful)

4 cups rhubarb, (app. 2 lbs) washed, dried, cut crosswise into 1/2" slices
6 cups strawberries, (app. 3-4 pint baskets) washed, dried, hulled, and cut into quarters
3 TB lemon juice
5 tsp calcium water (from pectin kit - or follow instructions from package)

2 cups erythritol
1 1/3 cups xylitol
28 tiny scoops stevia
5 tsp low sugar pectin (or follow instructions from package)



If the jars are brand new, wash them and the rings and lids to remove any chemicals left from processing. If they have been sitting in the basement, check them for dust, and wash off any you find. Put the jars and rings into a very large stockpot or canning pot and fill with hot water to cover by an inch or two. Put them on the rear burner of the stove over high heat and bring them to a boil. When they come to a boil, turn the heat down and keep them hot and ready.

Following the instructions in your low sugar pectin kit, make calcium water. (I use Pomona brand.)

Prepare the fruit: wash it, dry it, cut it up (1/2 if small, 1/4 if medium, 1/8 if large) and put it in an 8 quart, heavy stock pot, along with the lemon juice and calcium water. Put it on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a full boil and the fruit is softened. (The rhubarb will take longer than the strawberries.)

Meanwhile, measure the sweeteners and the pectin into a medium sized bowl and whisk them all well to combine.

When the fruit is ready, get a long-handled wooden spoon ready, and gradually add the sweetener mix to the hot fruit, stirring constantly as you pour in the sweeteners. Stir well and frequently to combine the pectin with the fruit and prevent lumping. Bring it back to a full boil. When it looks lovely and thick, turn off the heat and get ready to can. (Don't worry if it isn't as thick as jam; it thickens as it cools.)

Clear a good sized work surface near the stove, and cover it with clean dishtowels (preferably ones you don't care about!)

Turn the heat off under the pot of jars and move it to the front of the stove so you can reach them easily, and move the jam to the back of the stove so you don't get water into it by accident. (Put the lid on the pot if necessary.) Using tongs or a jar lifter in your dominant hand, and a clean dishtowel in your other hand, carefully remove the lids and rings and drain them on the towels. Lift each jar out of the hot water, dump the hot water back into the pot, and carefully guide and transport the hot jar over to the towels. Turn it upside down to drain out the extra water. Repeat until all of the jars are drained and ready.

Turn the heat back on high underneath the pot that the jars came out of, and bring it back to a full boil while you can.

Now, again using your tongs (or a clean towel, oven mitts, or tough hands!) turn the jars right side up, and line them up to be ready to fill. If you have a wide-mouthed jar funnel (which I so highly recommend - available at any good hardware store, Bed Bath and Beyond, well stocked grocery stores, etc., for less than $5) put it on top of one of the jars.

Grab your best ladle, and bring the pot of hot jam over to your work surface. Carefully fill each jar, leaving 1/4" of space at the top. If you have a wide-mouthed funnel, the bottom should come to just the right spot. If you don't, do your best! If necessary, spoon some out to reach the right level. After you have filled all your jars, use a clean, moist towel to wipe the ring area and the top surface of the jars clean. If you have less than a full jar of jam, put that one straight into use and don't bother to can it.

Put the lids on, followed by the screw tops, and screw them down.

When the water bath comes back to a full boil, and again using your tongs, carefully lower the jars back in one at a time. Boil them all for 10 full minutes, then remove them with your tongs and let them cool on the toweled work area. If necessary, work in batches.