Strawberry Shortcake

C and E came over for dinner recently so we could all catch up on the latest news (and gossip!).   Dinner was light fare by my standards, chicken tortilla soup, but dessert called for something more substantial.   As soon as I saw the ripe, juicy strawberries at the market I knew I had to make shortcakes for the girls. 

Strawberry shortcake is so simple to make and so delicious.  All you need are flaky, tender biscuits, sliced strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream - what could be easier?

C is gluten-intolerant so I made the biscuits with C4C flour and, as expected, they came out fantastic.  I've waxed poetic about this product before and I stand by my original testimony - I'm telling you, the stuff is truly amazing!  Instead of topping the strawberries with plain whipped cream I like to make it with cream cheese.  The slight tang of the cheese perfectly counterbalances any heaviness in the dessert.

When strawberry season is in full force you have to make these strawberry shortcakes.  You won't regret it!

Raspberry-Almond Financiers

Financiers are little French cakes traditionally baked in rectangular molds to resemble gold bars.  You'd think that since my day job is in corporate finance I would have been motivated to make them before, but I never did.  That all changed when I finally bought a financier mold.  Had I known what I was missing it wouldn't have taken me so long.

These financiers are really, really good; I ate two of them minutes after they came out of the oven.  What sets them apart is the beurre noisette (a fancy name for brown butter) that's used in the batter.  I also made them gluten-free by substituting C4C flour in place of all-purpose flour - I swear you can't even tell the difference.  

Before they went in the oven I sprinkled a few fresh raspberries and sliced blanched almonds on top; such a delicious flavor combination.  The burst of tart, juicy fruit and toasted nuts were fantastic in the moist, buttery cake.

Cup 4 Cup Gluten-Free Flour

Notice anything different about these walnut snowballs?  They look like my favorite Christmas cookies, they taste like my favorite Christmas cookies, but there's something else.  Can you guess?  Alright, I'll tell you.  They're 100% gluten-free...yes way!  

Gluten-free baking can definitely be a challenge; I speak from experience.  But I wanted to share a recent discovery that I think is going to change all that.  There's a new gluten-free flour on the market that I just tested that is pretty amazing. *  

Cup 4 Cup (C4C) Gluten-Free Flour was created by Lena Kwak, a chef at the venerable French Laundry restaurant in Napa, CA.  I first heard about it when Thomas Keller made an appearance on The Martha Stewart Show.  With Chef Keller behind it you know it's gotta be good.  So I headed to my nearest Williams-Sonoma to pick up a bag.

I've tested other brands of gluten-free flour before and I have to say none have come as close to all-purpose wheat flour in taste and texture as C4C.  And the best part is the ease with which you use it.  As the name says, it's "cup for cup" - simply substitute C4C for the exact amount of all-purpose flour in the recipe.

The gluten-free walnut snowballs I made taste exactly like the regular ones.  I couldn't believe it myself and nor will my gluten-free friends and family! 

*  This is my own product review.  In no way have I been compensated for endorsing this product.