Mexican Chocolate Cakes

I’ve had a weird track record with gluten-free brownies. While I’ve made some before with success, the last three have been failures. There was a recipe by David Lebovitz, where he uses corn starch instead of flour, but those came out too thin, too fudgy, too sweet even though I had used 70% chocolate, and they didn’t hold well together (though they tasted good). I wondered whether I should try again by replacing half the corn starch with cocoa powder and doubling the recipe, but decided to abandon it. Then I tried these brownies, which called for all-purpose gluten-free flour – I used Bob’s Red Mill’s mix. The center of the brownies caved in substantially; the edges were rock-hard and inedible, and while the center was chewy and dark and rich without being sweet (delicious, in fact), with a crispy top, the brownies as a whole were a failure. While eating them, I felt like I’d been bad at Christmas and had gotten a lump of coal to eat. And then I tried a recipe from Chatelaine: as commenters had pointed out, these brownies look nothing like the picture that goes with them. The batter was super thick and the brownies were gummy. No good.

It must have been a leap of faith, then, that allowed me to try these gluten-free Mexican chocolate cakes not once, but twice. The first time I made this recipe, from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, I changed the spices a bit and used lactose-free cow’s milk. The unpredictable result was a massive failure, because the little cakes exploded out of their ramekins! What was left in them was good, though, so I decided to make this again with soy milk, as in the original recipe. I’m including a blurry picture because it’s just really funny to see, along with what I salvaged from one of the ramekins.


So the second time, I made them vegan, and used less sugar, too. And now, they’re keepers! I ended up cooking them a bit more the second time, but they were good with some moisture left as well, so it’s totally up to you. You can top them with lactose-free whipped cream or serve them as is.

For the sweet rice flour, what I did was use a spice grinder to pulse sweet rice into flour (I like having sweet rice in the pantry, but did not want to have a third kind of rice flour, so I just make my own). If you do the same, don’t be afraid to really pulse the heck out of it so that it is more powdery than grainy. Note also that for the topping (4 Tbsp. sugar + 2 Tbsp. cocoa), you’ll have too much for the recipe. I think I used about half, and ended up using the rest to make chocolate milk. I wouldn’t hesitate to cut that in half next time.

40 g. sweet rice flour
35 g. teff flour
35 g. sorghum flour
½ cup sugar + ¼ cup sugar
4 Tbsp. + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ancho chile powder (I only had regular chile powder and used ½ tsp.)
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup soy milk (I don’t recommend dairy milk; see above)
¼ cup vegetable oil (I used safflower)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
boiling-hot water in a kettle

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease and flour 6 ramekins (to keep this gluten-free, use more sweet rice flour, or cocoa powder). Put the ramekins on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.

Whisk the sweet rice flour, teff flour and sorghum flour together. Add ½ cup sugar, 4 Tbsp. cocoa powder, baking powder, ancho chile powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk them together.

In a measuring cup, mix the soy milk, oil and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients (don’t worry if the batter feels a little stiff). Spoon the batter into the ramekins, filling them about 2/3 full.

Combine the remaining sugar and cocoa powder and sprinkle it evenly over the tops of the ramekins. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of boiling-hot water into each ramekin – do not stir.

Slide the ramekins into the oven. Bake until the water is fully absorbed and the tops are dry to the touch, about 20 to 30 minutes (my oven is on the strong side, so it took only slightly more than 20 minutes, but each oven is different; keep checking). Pull the ramekins from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.

Multigrain Carrot-Date Muffins

This healthy muffin recipe is from the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. The Engineer and I thought they were delicious! I’ve modified the recipe below to make it lactose-free, but I’ve also put all the dry ingredients first. I find it such a pain to have to wash things like measuring spoons and cups in the middle of a recipe that I’d rather just deal with the dry stuff first, and wipe clean if need be. (I do use dry measuring cups for the flour, but used a liquid one for the almond meal and bran.)

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
¾ oat bran (I used wheat bran)
½ cup almond meal
1/3 cup unbleached cake flour
½ cup muscovado sugar (I used brown sugar because I have a surplus)
1/3 cup turbinado sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger (optional)
½ tsp. salt
1 cup lactose-free buttermilk (milk soured with vinegar or lemon juice)
¼ cup margarine
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ cup finely chopped Medjool dates
1 ½ cups loosely packed grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift the dry ingredients together, making sure there are no clumps, and whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the dates and carrots and mix.

Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Let sit for about 5 minutes for the batter to poof just a bit.

Meanwhile, prepare your muffin tins by greasing them (I found that paper liners stuck to the muffins too much). The recipe should make 12 standard-sized muffins, but I got 15. Pour the batter into the tins (I use an ice cream scoop for this and it makes my life infinitely easier). Sprinkle a bit of turbinado sugar on top of each muffin (I forgot). Bake until the tops of the muffins are just browed and a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. When just cool enough to handle, twist each muffin out and turn it on its side to release the steam. Serve warm, or store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Batch of links

- There’s a new app that lets you boycott various products, based on your beliefs. It makes the job easy by showing you exactly which companies are behind them once you scan their barcode. Yet another reason a smartphone would be useful…

- A video game-themed bar and restaurant that I find pretty neat.

- A typography cake with a hidden message! This is adorable!

- Also, if you like pretty cakes (and who doesn’t?), check out Marcella Robin’s cakes!

- Did you hear that Merida, from Brave, got an unnecessary makeover? I was flabbergasted at first, then outraged, but then I read The Blogess’ commentary and I feel better. Not that Disney couldn’t improve its role models, though.

- In the same line of thought, people last week made a big deal out of a comment by the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, who basically said that he refused to make plus-sized clothes because he only caters to the good-looking, cool crowd. I didn’t mention it then, even though I thought this made him a douchebag, but now I have to share what this guy is doing in retaliation, because it is full of awesome.

- I loved this speech on adulthood, which is really about consciously adjusting your attitude.

- Finally, since I’m a fan of the “Hey, girl” meme, this had me in stitches: Ryan Gosling won’t eat his cereal.

Salade de brocoli au poulet

Bon, ça fait un petit bout que mes soupers ne sont pas inspirants, mais là, ça valait la peine. J’ai adapté une recette de Coup de Pouce (que je ne trouve pas sur leur site); il s’agissait à l’origine d’une salade au dindon, mais j’ai pris du poulet. J’ai acheté un poulet rôti du commerce, parce que c’est moins cher que d’acheter un poulet cru et le faire rôtir soi-même (!), il faut juste de dépecer. À part ça, c’est super rapide, parce que j’ai aussi acheté une salade de brocoli du commerce et des carottes râpées du commerce – que voulez-vous, il y a des soirs comme ça. L’Ingénieur et moi avons beaucoup aimé tous les deux, et je ne manquerais pas d’en refaire!

¼ tasse de vinaigre balsamique blanc
2 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
2 c. à thé de sucre
1 pincée de sel
1 pincée de poivre
1 paquet de salade de brocoli
3 tasses de poulet cuit, effiloché
1 ½ tasse de raisins rouges sans pépins, coupés en deux
1 tasse de carottes râpées grossièrement
¼ tasse d’amandes en tranches ou en bâtonnets, grillées (facultatif, j’ai laissé tomber)

Dans un pot en verre muni d’un couvercle, mélanger le vinaigre balsamique, l’huile, le sucre, le sel et le poivre. Fermer le pot hermétiquement et agiter vigoureusement jusqu’à ce que la vinaigrette soit homogène.

Dans un grand bol, mélanger la salade de brocoli, le poulet, les raisins et les carottes. Ajouter la vinaigrette et mélanger pour bien enrober les ingrédients. Parsemer des amandes et servir.

Muhammara et crêpes de pois chiche au cumin

Voici un genre de deux-en-un, dont les goûts me rappellent ceux du Petit Alep à Montréal. Un muhammara tiré de Bon Appétit, servi avec des crêpes de pois chiche au cumin de Chocolate & Zucchini. Pour servir, j’ai coupé quelques crêpes en pointes, que j’aurais aussi pu faire rôtir au four pour les rendre croustillantes, et j’ai utilisé un petit couteau à pâté pour étendre le muhammara sur les crêpes. La recette fera davantage de crêpes qu’il n’en faut pour accompagner le muhammara; j’en ai obtenu 11 en tout (même si la recette dit 20, j’en ai toujours moins) et j’en ai utilisé une dans la recette même du muhammara. Le reste des crêpes peut être réchauffé et servi roulé avec une tartinade de votre choix, ou encore trempé dans un cari. Elles étaient très bonnes, et j’ai aussi beaucoup aimé le muhammara, qui goûtait presque comme celui du restaurant!

Pour les crêpes de pois chiche au cumin
300 g. de farine de pois chiche
2 c. à thé de sel (j’en ai mis juste 1 c. à thé)
2 c. à thé de cumin en poudre
2 tasses d’eau

Dans un bol, mélanger la farine, le sel et le cumin. Ajouter l’eau petit à petit, en fouettant bien pour éviter les grumeaux. Couvrir et laisser reposer au frais 2 heures.

Faire cuire dans une poêle huilée comme des crêpes classiques. Si une crêpe résiste au moment de la décoller pour la retourner, lui donner simplement quelques secondes de cuisson supplémentaire.

Garder au chaud dans un four à 140 °F.

Pour le muhammara
¼ tasse de morceaux de pain (comme du pain pita ou lavash; j’ai pris une crêpe)
1 tasse de morceaux de noix
2 c. à soupe de jus de citron
2 c. à soupe de pâte de tomate
1 c. à soupe de piment d’Alep, OU 1 ½ c. à thé de flocons de piment rouge plus 1 ½ c. à thé de paprika (moi, j’ai pris 1 c. à thé de paprika et 1 c. à thé de piment coréen)
1 c. à soupe de harissa (je l’ai omis, c’est trop piquant pour moi)
2 c. à thé de mélasse de grenade (ou un peu plus, au goût)
2 c. à thé de sucre
1 c. à thé de cumin
2 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
sel, poivre
persil haché

Mettre le pain avec ¼ tasse d’eau dans un petit bol; laisser reposer jusqu’à ce que le pain devienne mou, 2 ou 3 minutes. Transférer le mélange dans un robot culinaire. Ajouter les noix et les sept ingrédients suivants; mélanger jusqu’à l’obtention d’une consistance lisse, ajoutant de l’eau une cuillère à soupe à la fois si le mélange est trop épais. Avec le robot en marche, ajouter 2 c. à soupe d’huile. Assaisonner de sel et de poivre; garnir de persil et, si désiré, de quelques morceaux de noix et d’un filet d’huile. Servir avec les crêpes de pois chiche au cumin, du pain pita ou des crudités.

Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

This bread pudding recipe is from the Herbivoracious cookbook, by Michael Natkin, though here’s a link to it on the author’s blog. It is so good! It is soft and chewy (“moelleux” is the word I’m thinking of), not too sweet, and just the perfect dessert. It is rather homely-looking, though, so perhaps only serve it to family and don’t try to impress guests with it! The Engineer agreed it was delicious, warm or cold.

When I made it, I wondered whether the dish called for in the book (9”x13”) was a little too big, and I thought I would try it in a smaller dish next time. Lo and behold, a smaller dish (8”x12”) is what is called for in the blog post! So I’d say either dish is fine, depending on what you have on hand and on how thick you want your pudding. Also, the original recipe called for 7 oz. of chocolate, but I say go ahead and use all 8 oz. you probably have in the package, you won’t regret it.

4 large eggs
2 cups lactose-free whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of kosher salt
14 oz. challah or brioche, preferably slightly stale, most of the crust removed and cut into ¾” cubes
8 oz. high quality bittersweet chocolate, in the 70% range, cut into good sized chunks (not a whole mouthful, but a lot bigger than a chocolate chip)

Preheat your oven to 375 °F.

Butter a large shallow baking dish, around 8″ x 12″ (9”x13” will do too).

Beat the eggs. Whisk in the milk, starting with just a little at a time, until the eggs are well distributed. Whisk in the vanilla extract, sugar, and salt.

Place the cubed bread in the pan. Pour the custard evenly over the bread and toss lightly, trying to get it to absorb without squashing the bread too much.

Add the chocolate chunks and again toss gently to distribute.

Cover the pan with tin foil and cook until it reaches an internal temperature in the center of 185 °F, about 45 minutes for a 9”x13” dish, perhaps up to half-an-hour longer for an 8”x12” dish. (You can also check for doneness with a fork, and as it gets close, by taking a bite. You want it to be well set, but not overcooked and rubbery.)

Let rest ten minutes and serve it forth. A bit of (lactose-free, in all cases) whipped cream, a drizzle of heavy cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream are all very welcome.

Batch of links

- A Mark Bittman article on a new positive approach to cooking targeted at kids, but involving the whole family. I really like the idea!

- Michael Pollan on kosher pork, or the values we associate with our food.

- Anthony Bourdain on getting foodfucked in Quebec (in the best possible way, of course).

- As you may have heard, Montreal finally raised the ban on food trucks earlier this year. However, the new rules put in place are a symbolic fuck you to poor people and immigrants. I don’t know who in government thought this would be a good idea, but they sure didn’t get my vote.

- 7 food practices that are banned in Europe but not in the States, a.k.a. 7 more reasons I wish the FDA and USDA would get their act together.

- You know how The Smoking Gun has published various artists’ tour rider, so we can make fun of their requests? Well, someone has now taken pictures of the objects in various of these riders, which makes for some interesting still lifes.

- Another article on gun control, or more specifically, the Second Amendment. While I’m not arguing it should be repealed, I would like to point out how it’s been twisted from its original purpose. This article, however, explains that no rights are absolute, and that since there are restrictions on all the other amendments, it would only make sense to impose some common-sense restrictions on the Second one, too.

- Photographer uses his iPhone to capture one photo a day of a lonely bur oak, and some are phenomenal (full gallery here).

- Why it’s awesome to be a nerd, by Wil Wheaton.

- Portaits derived from DNA from cigarette butts and gum left in public places. I find this both creepy and cool.

- Here’s one of Derren Brown’s experiements. This Brit is known mostly as a magician/mentalist, but it turns out that he actually conducts elaborate social experiments. In the link above, he examines the effect of perceived luck on behavior, which I found very interesting.

- Have some time to waste? Trust me, you’ll find time for this.

Honey Mustard Broccoli Salad

This salad recipe is from The Sprouted Kitchen, though here’s a link to it on The Washington Post. I didn’t feel like julienning the broccoli stems, so I omitted them altogether, and I forgot the parsley. It was really good, though! I used a Lady Alice apple, and was surprised to see that it did not get oxidized overnight. I also would use 2 Tbsp. of Dijon mustard next time instead of 3 Tbsp., but that’s a matter of personal preference. I ended up with about 3 servings, but if you use the broccoli stems, it would probably yield 4 servings.

2 bunches broccoli with stems (about 1 lb. total)
½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted
1 apple, such as Gala, Fuji or Honeycrisp, cored and cut into small dice (I used Lady Alice)
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard (I would use 2 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. honey (or agave, for a vegan version)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
coarse salt (preferably Himalayan pink salt, though I used freshly cracked plain sea salt)
freshly ground black pepper

Cut the stems from the broccoli and set aside. Cut the florets into bite-size pieces. Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large, lidded pot and steam the florets in a steamer insert for about 1 minute, just long enough to take off the raw edge. Transfer the florets to a colander and let them cool. Meanwhile, use a julienne peeler, mandoline or V-slicer to cut the broccoli stems into matchstick-size pieces (julienne).

Whisk together the mustard, honey, olive oil and vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Season with a pinch or two of salt and a generous amount of pepper. Add the broccoli florets, broccoli stems, sunflower seeds, apple and parsley to the bowl, and toss to coat.

Cover the bowl loosely and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes or until chilled. Serve cold.