GfCf Southern Fried Green Tomatoes

3 firm green tomatoes
salt
1/2 cup gluten-free rice flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
3 Tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice added to 1/2 cup almond milk
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying


Slice the green tomatoes 1/4 inch thick and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
Salt the tomatoes on both sides and let sit for 10 minutes. Do not skip this step, it helps draw the extra water out of the tomatoes.
Pour the milk with vinegar into a pie pan or shallow dish. Add tomatoes to the buttermilk.
Heat oil in a large pan.
Combine the gluten-free flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, Old Bay seasoning and seasoned salt to a pie pan or shallow dish. Mix until fully combined.
Dip milk covered tomatoes into the gluten-free cornmeal-flour mixture. Cover both sides of the tomatoes with the mixture.
Drop the tomatoes into the hot oil. Fry until golden.
Remove from pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve while still hot.

Modified slightly from the recipe at Mama Knows Gluten Free

Pots de Creme

12 ounces, weight Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
4 whole Eggs, Room Temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (or Cognac, Grand Marnier, Etc.)
1 pinch Salt
8 ounces, fluid Strong Hot Coffee

First thing to do is to take your eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time and let them come to room temperature before starting.

When eggs are at room temperature you can begin by placing the chocolate chips into a blender. Follow this with the eggs and the vanilla (or liqueur). Add a pinch of salt. Turn on the blender.

While it is blending, remove the circular disk from the blender lid and very slowly pour in 8 ounces of strong, VERY HOT coffee. It is essential that your coffee be extremely hot in order for the final product to be the right consistency and texture.

Blend for a minute or so until mixture is smooth and fairly free of visible bits of chocolate.

Pour the mixture into your serving glasses or little demitasse cups, leaving plenty of room to add a heap of whipped cream later.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 hours so the mixture has a chance to set.

Garnish with whipped cream and maybe a chocolate curl or two and you have an easy, delicious and yes, elegant, dessert!

source: The Pioneer Woman

3-ingredient Creme Brulee

source: Tasty

Preheat the oven to 325˚F (160˚C).
Scoop the ice cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the ice cream for 30 to 40 seconds or until completely melted. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the egg yolk (or whole egg) into the melted ice cream and whisk well.
Pour the mixture into a ramekin. Place the ramekin in a pan. Pour hot water into the pan to come roughly halfway up the sides of the ramekin.
Bake for 40-50 minutes. The crème brûlée should be set, but still a little jiggly in the middle. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan, allow to cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days.
Remove the crème brûlée from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before browning the sugar on top.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar on top of each crème brûlée. Using a torch, melt the sugar to for a crispy top. If you don’t have a torch, you can broil the crème brûlée to melt the sugar. Keep an eye on it, to make sure you don’t over cook it. Allow the crème brûlée to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

source: Tasty

Sam's Orange Cream Cake

Orange Cream Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) box orange Jello
orange juice
1 tea. orange extract

Make the white cake mix using the directions on the back of the box, substituting orange juice for the water. Add the Jello and orange extract. Bake according to the cake mix package directions. Let cool and then frost.

Cream/Orange Cream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
8 oz, cream cheese, softened
2 tea, vanilla extract
2-5 cups of confectioner's sugar

1 Tab. orange zest
1 tea. orange extract


Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla extract. Add confectioner's sugar, 1 cup at a time until you get the desired consistency.
Frost the bottom layer of the cake and put the top layer on, to create a filling layer in between.

Add to the rest of the frosting the orange zest and orange extract. Add additional sugar, if necessary.
Frost the outside of the cake with this frosting.

Easy Caramel Pie

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tub whipped topping
1 candy bar such as Skor or Heath
1 graham cracker or shortbread crust, store-bought or homemade

Pour condensed milk into a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup. Cover tightly with aluminium foil. Put in a slow cooker. Pour hot water slowly around the measuring cup until it reaches the level of the milk in the cup. Cook on low for 9 hours.
Pour into crust and let cool thoroughly.
Top with whipped topping. Cut Skor bar into small bits. Sprinkle over the whipped topping. Serve.

Source: Southern Living cookbook

Orange Italian Cream Cake

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Fresh Orange Curd (recipe below)
3 cups Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted (optional)
Glazed Pecan Halves (optional)

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until blended.
Combine flour and soda; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 cup flaked coconut.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Fresh Orange Curd
Yield: Makes about 3 cups

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups fresh orange juice (about 4 pounds navel oranges)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a 3-quart saucepan; gradually whisk in fresh orange juice. Whisk in lightly beaten eggs. Bring to a boil (5 to 6 minutes) over medium heat, whisking constantly.
Cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture reaches a pudding-like thickness. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter and grated orange rind. Cover, placing plastic wrap directly on curd, and chill 8 hours.
Spread 3/4 cup chilled Fresh Orange Curd between layers; spread remaining Fresh Orange Curd on top of cake. (The Fresh Orange Curd layer on top of cake will be very thick.) If desired, loosely cover cake, and chill 8 hours. (Cake may be frosted with Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting immediately after adding the Fresh Orange Curd, but the cake layers will not be as steady. Chilling the cake with the curd between the layers helps keep the layers in place and makes it much easier to spread the frosting.) Spread 3 cups Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting on sides of cake, reserving remaining frosting for another use. Sprinkle 1/2 cup toasted coconut over top of cake, if desired. Arrange Glazed Pecan Halves around top edge of cake, if desired. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Arrange Boxwood Garland around bottom edge of cake before serving, if desired.


Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: Makes about 4 cups

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed until smooth; stir in pecans.

source: Sugar and Spice by Celeste

Steven's Chocolate Cake

Cake
2 cups flour
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 cups sugar
4 oz. Unsweetened chocolate
6 T butter
1 t vanilla
2 Eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 cake pans. Line bottom with waxed paper.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Add chocolate and butter and then let it sit, stirring occasionally, until melted and slightly cooled. Stir in vanilla. Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot chocolate mixture into the eggs. Beat until blended. Add the tempered eggs to the rest of the chocolate mixture and beat at medium speed until combined. Add dry ingredients all at once and beat at medium speed until smooth. Divide batter evenly into pans and bake for 25 minutes. Invert onto a rack to cool.

Icing
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 Tab butter
1 1/2 tea vanilla
Pinch salt

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally about 6 minutes or until liquid reduces.
Pour mixture into a medium bowl and add chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt. Let stand, stirring occasionally until chocolate and butter are melted.
Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice water.  Using a mixer. beat frosting on medium speed about 5 minutes or until the icing is thick and glossy. You may need to scrape down the sides occasionally. Use at once.

Hot Artichoke Parmesan Dip

2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 14oz. cans artichoke hearts
2 cups mayonnaise
salt, pepper to taste

Drain, rinse and chop artichokes into smaller pieces. Combine all ingredients including a little salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cheese for the top. Bake in an oven safe dish at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers or thinly sliced baguettes.

source: Hip to Save