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. 

Ad Hoc Carrot Cupcakes

Since I had success with his rendition of white cupcakes I decided to try another one of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc At Home cupcake recipes.  This time it was carrot cake and once again I wasn't disappointed.  

These cupcakes are really moist and absolutely delicious.   Just between us...by the time I finished writing this post I had eaten four unfrosted ones!

Instead of frosting them with the recipe included in the cookbook I opted for a cream cheese version of miracle frosting.  The milk-based frosting is so light and fluffy and the addition of cream cheese really sets it apart from the rest.  It tastes just like cream cheese flavored whipped cream...yum!

This batch of cupcakes is in honor of Silja, a fellow avid baker who's been looking for a great carrot cake recipe.   Happy baking my friend!

Ad Hoc White Cupcakes

I bought Thomas Keller's cookbook, Ad Hoc At Home, a few years ago with every intention of recreating their famous buttermilk fried chicken.  Well, I never got around to making it.  The thought of deep frying in my small kitchen was a bit too daunting (and messy!) for me.   Fortunately there are plenty of other delicious recipes in the cookbook to try.  

My goddaughter's christening is this spring and, just as I did for her mother's baby shower, I'm going to assemble a dessert table for the party.  The color theme is white - so clean and crisp and  perfect for such a special occasion.  

One treat I definitely want to serve are white cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.  I've found some great recipes for homemade chocolate cupcakes but I haven't had much luck with white ones.  Unfortunately my favorite high ratio yellow butter cake doesn't translate well to cupcakes....I've tried a few times without any success.

So I turned to Ad Hoc At Home for inspiration.  White cupcakes are one of three cupcake recipes found in the cookbook; the other two are devil's food and carrot cake.  Anything from Thomas Keller has to be good and these cupcakes don't disappoint.   The cake is moist and delicious and they hold their shape really well.  I actually prefer them unfrosted but I dare not omit the buttercream for fear of a riot.

Fried chicken so good it would make the Colonel weep...

This blog is primarily dedicated to all things baking, because that's my passion, but every now and then I must digress.  And this is one of those times.  I'm talking chicken....fried chicken....the ne plus ultra fried chicken....I'm talking Ad Hoc fried chicken.  I've eaten enough fried chicken in my lifetime (can we say KFC's 2-piece & a biscuit or Chicken N' Corn Tuesdays?) to know that Ad Hoc's rendition is the stuff of legends. Served every other Monday  at the restaurant in Yountville.  Quite possibly the best fried chicken in the universe, well, this planet at least.  I've only had it once thus far because driving an hour each way from SF is a bit of a trek for a weekday, but it was unforgettable and keeps me yearning for more.  Moist and juicy, seasoned perfectly and with the most delicious crunchy crust.  Absolute bliss! 

      

So why am I waxing poetic about this quintessential American comfort food?  Because I just bought Thomas Keller's latest cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home.  I'll be honest, I bought the book because I wanted to know the secret to this damn good chicken.  The recipe is there, plus a ton of other great looking ones that I can't wait to try.  So what's the secret to the chicken you might ask?  They soak the bird in a lemon and herb infused brine for 12 hours (yikes!) before dredging it in seasoned flour, buttermilk and more seasoned flour.  If you've tasted the end product you know it's all worth it.  I'm planning on attempting the recipe in the next few weeks.  If it doesn't turn out so great that's ok....I know I can always find it every other Monday at 6476 Washington St. off Hwy 29.