Frank Picchione

Mini Blueberry Crisps

Mixed Berry Crumble

Gluten-free flours lend themselves well to crisps and crumbles. For this recipe I combined all purpose gluten-free flour with oats, Truvia, cinnamon and shortening. I zested a lemon into the berries and sweetened them with a bit of Truvia as well.

Coconut-Chocolate Chip Blondies (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Once again, this raw vegan cookie dough was hard to resist. When baked, the cookies' texture was slightly crunchy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. The gluten free flour I used gave them an almost peanut butter-like flavor. I used a bit of brown sugar, but most of the sweetness comes from Truvia and the chips.

Walnut Mousse Pâté with Oven Dried Rosemary

I am calling this a mousse because it was so unbelievably soft and smooth. I had run out of rejuvelac over the weekend, but I wanted to serve an elegant nut cheese with my crusty gluten-free bread. So I soaked walnuts for a change of pace from the usual cashews, and pureed them in the Vitamix with plain water instead of the probiotic-filled rejuvelac. Then, rather than culturing it for several days, I merely let it set up over night. I oven-dried rosemary because I think it's so much better than dried rosemary from the store, and stirred it into the mousse. Rosemary and walnuts are a great combination, and the added texture was welcome. I think next time I will add cognac-soaked currents more more depth of flavor, and the acidity will compliment the pâté's richness.

Double Chocolate Chip Biscotti

One nice thing about vegan baked goods is that you can safely eat the raw cookie doughs and cake batters... and this one was delicious! Unlike regular biscotti, which uses only white, all purpose flour, this recipe contains equal amounts of buckwheat, brown rice, sorghum and tapioca flours. I know, that sounds way too healthy to be any good. But the truth is, combined with cocoa powder, espresso and chocolate chips, these are even more yummy than my traditional recipe.

Below you can see the super moist batter right after mixing. The bottom photo shows the two pre-cooked logs, which I partially baked for 15 minutes before cutting them into individual biscotti and returning them to the oven to crisp up.

Chocolate-Glazed Vanilla Donuts

I just got myself a donut pan so I can make homemade donuts. These are gluten free and vegan, obviously. I made two dozen, and they were so good I could have eaten all 24 at once. I found the easiest way to load the batter was with a piping bag. The creative possibilites for donuts are endless. I dipped this batch in melted chocolate to which I had added a touch of coconut oil so they'd be glossy when dry.

Gluten-Free, Vegan Pizza

Working with gluten free pizza dough was a bit of a challenge at first. There is no stretch to it, so it tears apart easily. I had to use a rolling pin to flatten it between parchement paper and plastic wrap, and then slide it onto a pizza stone using a peel. I made six small pies, and by the end I had become quite efficient. The hot stone produced a flavorful, crispy crust.

Tonight's vegetable topping, which I combined in different ways, were heirloom tomatoes, Japanese eggplants and grilled baby artichokes. The tiny artichokes were a cinch to clean and prep compared to the giant globes, and would make an excellent side dish with lemon and chopped mint. I also added dollops fresh cashew mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, a chiffonade of basil, and plenty of sea salt and pepper.

For added protein I sauteed tempeh in a roasted red pepper-tomato sauce with smoked paprika.

Gluten-Free Bread

This was my first attempt at baking a crusty loaf of gluten-free bread. I wanted it to be a rustic, country style boule to serve alongside my first vegan cheese, a cashew chèvre, which I will blog about later this week. Years ago I baked a lot of bread - many different kinds, with many different flours. I had even cultured my own sourdough starter, and kept it for months so I could whip up an artisan loaf whenever I wanted.

I was sceptical about using glutenless flours because to me the joy of bread comes from the stretch and pull and chew of the activated gluten protein. For this bread I used a combination of three flours - brown rice, sorghum and tapioca. The dough was wet and broke apart easily, but I quickly go the hang of it. And unlike wheat doughs this one mixed up quickly, without much kneading.

I baked it in a hot, 500 degree oven inside my cast iron Dutch oven, which I had pre-heated on a pizza stone. Halfway through baking I removed the lid, and the resulting bread had a very crispy crust. The interior was soft and chewy, with small holes created by the activated yeast. A sharp bread knife easily produced thin slices that were perfect for spreading the cheese. I think this bread had such a good flavor and texture that I am going to try rolling it out thin into a pizza crust, which I will bake directly on the stone. Above is the dough right after mixing. Below is the risen dough after shaping and scoring. On the bottom is the loaf hot out of the oven, before slicing.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Tea Cake with Blueberry Compote

I sweetened this gluten-free, vegan tea cake with agave and incorporated coconut oil for added richness.