Bug Pie (Gremlin-Free Sweet Potato Pie Filling)

Left: Pumpkin Pie ~ Right: Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh mashed sweet potatoes or yams

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

½ cup almond milk

¼ cup rice flour

Blend it well in a blender (not a food processor). Put it into your unbaked pie crust and cook. I cook the tart size (4”) pies for 30-35 minutes in a 400° toaster oven. 

Gluten Free Pie Crust

Fair warning: this is a fragile crust. Don’t roll it as thin as you usually do, and do handle it extremely carefully.

Ingredients:

½ cup vegetable shortening (Crisco, or alternative)

1 or 2 TBSP very cold water

2 standard ice cubes

1¼ cups All Purpose Gluten Flour Blend

1 teaspoon salt, or 1½ tsp chicken bouillon paste

2 TBSP sugar

IMPORTANT: Refrigerate shortening and water!

Directions:  grind ice into “shave ice” in food processor. Before it melts, add dry ingredients and shortening & pulse several times to combine. With the processor running, add the water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture just barely starts to clump together.

Grease the pie pan generously with vegetable shortening. 

Roll flat on cutting board dusted with more Flour Blend or rice flour. Use a large spatula to place the piecrust in the pie pan. Frankly, this works better for the small tart pans I use (4” diameter). 

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

Makes 3 personal pies (each serves one guy or two dieters)

Ingredients:

½ can pumpkin pie filling

1 cup Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 TBSP honey

½ cup cream (or half & half) whipped

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp chicken bouillon

1 pre-prepared pie crust

Line 3 personal size pie pans with pie crust. Set aside. Do not bake.

Mix all other ingredients. Whisk together aggressively. Pour mixture into pie pans. Bake (in toaster oven?) at 425° for 35 minutes, or until browned on top and a knife comes out clean.

Pretty good! 

Pork Chops in Applesauce, with Bourbon & Clementines

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 each pork loin chops, ½” thick

½ large sweet onion, sliced

1 quart home-made applesauce

1 ounce good bourbon (substitution: ⅓ cup white wine, but the bourbon is better!)

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 large sprig fresh rosemary (2 – 3 TBSP, chopped)

2 Clementine oranges (or mandarins), divided into sections,

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 fully-loaded black pepper grinder.

Generously season pork loin chops with fresh ground pepper. In a large cast iron pan brown pork loin chops and onion in canola oil. Sear chops well on both sides.

When the chops are almost cooked through add applesauce, bourbon, cinnamon, nutmeg, a rosemary and Clementine orange slices.

Continue to heat for 20 minutes or so cooking down the applesauce, adjusting seasoning to taste. In the last 5 minutes add dried cranberries and finish cooking. We serve this in the cast iron pan.

Serve with freshly baked acorn squash; covering the squash with the applesauce gravy. Yumm! 

Sweet-Potato Cheese Bread

 Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tsp active dry yeast

½ cup milk

3 TBSP butter, room temperature

1½ tsp honey

1 large egg

1½ tsp low sodium chicken bouillon

¼ tsp black pepper

1½ cups all−purpose flour

¾ cup mashed sweet potatoes, room temperature

½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese (plus extra for topping)

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp each dried rosemary and thyme

Method (mixer method)

§         Heat milk in a pan until warm, but not hot. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let dissolve. Add the butter, egg, salt, pepper and 1 cup of flour; beat until smooth

§         Stir in the remaining 2 cups flour, sweet-potatoes and Cheddar until well blended.

Method (bread machine method)

§         Put ingredients into bread machine, starting with 

Method (mixer method)

§         Scrape the dough in the prepared casserole, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 40 minutes)

§         Grease small loaf pans. Set aside.

§         Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

§         Sprinkle Parmesan, rosemary, thyme and cheddar cheese over top of the proofed dough. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

§         Transfer bread to wire rack; cool and then cut into slices.

Mashed sweet potatoes

Serves 3 or 4

Ingredients:

3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed aggressively, but not peeled, cubed

¼ cup powdered milk

1 TBSP powdered buttermilk

1 tsp chicken bouillon paste

1 TBSP butter

Salt & pepper to taste.

Boil potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain well. While they’re still too hot to handle, add butter & bouillon paste and mash briefly, until both have melted. Add remaining ingredients, and mash well. 

Bacon Cheese Biscuits

1 cup unbleached flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp honey

1 tsp beef bouillon paste

2 tsp fresh garlic powder

2 tsp fresh onion powder

½ cup freshly cooked bacon, drained & crumbled

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried savory

2 ½ TBSP cold butter, cut into ¼” cubes (or smaller)

½ cup refrigerated milk, or a little less.

2 TBSP re-hydrated dried tomatoes (hint: consider re-hydrating in wine), diced.

½ - ¾ cup shredded cheese. Bold flavor is an asset. (eg. Parmesan, Raclette, sharp cheddar, Irish cheddar…)

Heat your oven or toaster oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Mix dry ingredients. Add butter, honey & bouillon paste, and mix with a pastry cutter. Add milk and continue to mix until even. Add diced, re-hydrated tomatoes and mix until even.

Turn onto a floured board or countertop, knead by pressing flat and folding 4 or 5 times. Continue pressing flat and folding in half, adding a portion of cheese and bacon each layer, until cheese is gone.

Press into ½” thick rectangle. Cut 2” circles (I used a jam jar) without twisting the cutter. Arrange biscuits (nearly touching is fine) on baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until nicely brown on top.

Serve with fresh butter and a glass of milk.

Mushroom Cheese Biscuits

Small Batch (7 or 8 biscuits). Feel free to double the recipe. 

1 cup unbleached flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp honey

1 tsp bouillon paste (use beef paste with yellow or darker cheeses; chicken paste with white cheeses)

2½ TBSP cold butter, cut into ¼” cubes (or smaller)

½ cup refrigerated milk

1½ TBSP re-hydrated dried mushrooms (hint: consider re-hydrating in wine), diced.

½ - ¾ cup shredded cheese. Bold flavor is an asset. (eg. Parmesan, sharp cheddar, Irish cheddar…)

Heat your oven or toaster oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Mix flower & baking powder. Add butter, honey & bouillon paste, and mix with a pastry cutter. Add milk and continue to mix until even. Add diced, re-hydrated mushrooms and mix until even.

Turn onto a floured board or countertop, knead by pressing flat and folding 4 or 5 times. Continue pressing flat and folding in half, adding a portion of cheese each layer, until cheese is gone.

Press into ½” thick rectangle. Cut 2” circles (I used a jam jar) without twisting the cutter. Arrange biscuits (nearly touching is fine) on baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until nicely brown on top.