SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

Today is the last day of Fall Festival 2009.  Celebrate the Finer Things of Fall by linking up at Amy’s Finer Things.  She’s giving away fall themed scrapbooking stickers and journaling boxes to one lucky participant.  The Fall Festival give-aways will be open until Sunday at 8pm so if you haven’t had a change to stop by and at least comment, do so now.   You can find links to all of the hosting blogs here.  It’s been so much fun for me to connect with bloggers from all areas – I hope you’ve had a great time too.

Pumpkin is one my favorite flavors – sweet or savory. Freshly baked or out of a can, I don’t seem to tire of it. When thinking about a fun way to celebrate fall and the last day of Fall Festival, I decided that few things say fall better than a scoop of pumpkin pie ice cream sandwiched between two, slightly sweet cornmeal cookies.

These cornmeal cookies are soft which makes them perfect for an ice cream sandwich. I rolled the ice cream sandwiches in toasted, slivered almonds.  To toast the almonds, put one cup of slivered almonds on a lined baking sheet, pop into a 350 degree F oven for 5 – 8 minutes until they begin to lightly brown.  Stir once after a few minutes.  Watch carefully because they go from perfectly toasted to burnt in a minute or so.  After rolling the edges in almonds, place them back in the freezer to set up for about an hour.  Then, wrap individually in saran wrap and place in a freezer safe container or Ziploc bag.

I love the cornmeal & pumpkin combination. I hope you do, too.

By now Joe and I are in Napa Valley for the Build A Better Burger Contest.  I am excited about the opportunity to cook in such a sought-after competition, but most of all I’m grateful for some time away with my husband.  We’ve both been so busy.  This trip is a welcome break.  I’ll let you know how the competition goes after it’s all done – keep your fingers crossed for me!  I am definitely the underdog.

Slightly Indulgent Monday will be up on Sunday at 9 pm as usual.  Come back with any recipe you have that’s fabulous and a little healthier – I’m giving away another favorite cookbook, The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh by Barbara Fairchild, editor of Bon Appetit.  Anyone who links or leaves a comment will be eligible to win.

What are your favorite flavors of fall?  Let’s talk about it.

Printer-friendly recipe

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
makes about 2 quarts

1 (14.5) ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 teaspoons arrowroot flour/starch
3 cups 1% milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 egg yolks
¾ cup agave nectar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves

The night before you make the ice cream mix, line a strainer with a double layer of strong paper towels or cheesecloth.  Place the strainer in a bowl.  Put the pumpkin puree into the strainer and cover with plastic wrap.  Let pumpkin drain in the refrigerator overnight.  Pull the paper towels or cheesecloth together and gently squeeze the pumpkin to remove as much liquid as possible.  This will ensure that your ice cream freezes smoothly without becoming icy.  Place drained pumpkin in a medium bowl.

Place gelatin and arrowroot in small, separate bowls.  Add several tablespoons of milk to each and stir.  Set aside.  Combine milk and cream in a medium, heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat over medium low.  After the gelatin has softened, 2 – 3 minutes, add to sauce pan and stir.  Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks on medium speed for several minutes until they become thick increase in volume.  Add agave nectar and continue to beat for another minute or so, until mixture is thoroughly combined.

Take ½ cup of the warm milk and slowly pour it into the egg mixture while beating to temper them.  Pour tempered eggs into sauce pan while stirring.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and arrowroot mixture.  Stir to combine.  Continue to heat over medium low, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Pour milk mix over pumpkin and mix on low speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on ice cream mix to prevent a skin from forming.  Wrap entire bowl and place in refrigerator overnight.  (Alternatively, you can place the ice cream mix on top of an ice bath to cool it quickly.  The mix should be around 40 degrees F before freezing.)

Ice cream mix will be thick – stir well before placing in ice cream mixer.  Stir freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Printer-friendly recipe

Cornmeal Cookies
makes approximately 20 2 ½ inch cookies
adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini

1 ½ cups almond flour
½ cup gluten-free flour blend
½ cup stone ground cornmeal
2 extra large eggs
1/3 cup agave nectar
½ cup warm water
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift almond flour and gluten-free flour blend into a large bowl.  Add cornmeal and whisk to combine.  Make a well in the middle of dry ingredients.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg, agave nectar, water, and vanilla extract.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

Spray a small cookie scoop with cooking spray.  Scoop cookie batter onto prepared sheet pans about 3 inches apart.  Re-coat cookie scoop as needed.  Using clean, wet fingers spread cookie batter into approximately 2 ½ inch round cookies by going in a circular motion from the middle of each cookie working your way out.

Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until cookies are set and edges are golden brown.  Remove from baking tray and let cool on wire racks.  Store in an airtight container.