Powell River Best Baker Competition

March 24th was the great Powell River Best Baker Contest! What fun it was to have so many people trying samples from professional bakers to mere mortals such as Will and I. 
So many people asked for the recipes for the gluten-free baking on my table, that I will be posting the ones I don't have up yet, and linking to the rest.
Enjoy!

• Gluten-free Butter Tarts 
• Gluten-free Brownies
• Peach Up-side-down Cake
• Snappy Ginger Snaps
• Fruit Cake (recipe to come)
• Best GF Bread ever! Recipe generously shared by the Brooks Secondary School Culinary Program

Best Gluten Free Bread Ever

1 1/3 cups brown rice flour (super-fine grind)
1 1/3 cups tapioca starch
1 1/3 cups corn starch
1 Tbsp potato flour
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup powdered milk
    (or nondairy milk powder substitute)
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3 large eggs
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp cider vinegar
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
2 cups warm water (110 - 115 degrees F)

Grease & flour (or line with parchment paper) two 8-inch bread pans (I used six mini loaf pans)
Mix dry ingreadients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Place eggs, butter, vinegar & honey in the mixing bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Mix ingredients approximately 30 seconds, until blended. The butter will be chunky.
Add half the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix just until blended. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix for approximately 30 seconds, until blended.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add warm water until well absorbed. Turn the mixer to medium high speed and beat for 4 minutes (use a paddle attachment if you have one). Bread dough should resemble cake batter.
Spoon the dough into prepared pans. Set aside in a warm place to rise, about 50 - 60 minutes. While dough rises, preheat oven to 375F.
Place pans in preheated oven on middle rack and bake for 50 - 60 minutes (30 minutes for mini-loafs.  or until bread’s internal temperature reaches 200 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.
Let bread cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then remove loaves from pans and place on rack to cool.

Salmon Supreme

I love barbequed salmon and frequently make more than we can eat, even with a kitchen full of friends, so I am always experimenting, creating different recipes for leftover salmon. This turned out so good, I had to write it down before I forgot how I had done it.

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cut potato flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp curry powder (at least)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 small can coconut milk
2 cups chunks of cooked seasoned salmon
1/2 cup chopped & sauteed chanterelle mushrooms
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Heat oven to 325F and butter a casserole dish with a cover. (if you are making brown rice, start it first)
Melt the butter in a big flat saucepan. Stir in the potato flour, salt & spices. Gradually add the soy milk, Worcestershire and then the coconut milk. Heat, but don't boil. Should get nice and thick.
Stir in the salmon, mushrooms and chopped tomatoes. Heat it up and then put into a buttered casserole dish, cover and put it in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

At this point I put some basmati rice in the cooker, and when that was done, steamed a couple handfuls of chopped kale.

This recipe fed us plus two very hungry young men who had just spent an afternoon helping out on the farm. And that skinny Saskatchewan boy sure could eat!

Cornmeal-Crusted Oysters

oyster shell landscape

Cornmeal-Crusted Oysters with Sweet Pickle Mayonnaise

(Adapted from "Bon Appétit")

3/4 cup aeoli (seasoned mayonnaise)
3 tablespoons home-made capers (or chopped sweet pickles)
24 fresh medium oysters, shucked (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups organic cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup soy milk mixed with 1 tsp cider vinegar to make "buttermilk"
1 egg


Mix the aeoli with chopped capers. Cover and refrigerate (Could make up to one day ahead).

Preheat oven to 450°F. Drain oysters on paper towels or clean dish towel. Brush large nonstick baking sheet with oil. Heat in oven until very hot, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix cornmeal, salt, cayenne and pepper in pie plate. Mix "buttermilk" and egg in a medium bowl. Lightly coat oysters with cornmeal. Shake off excess cornmeal. Dip into buttermilk mix, then coat again with cornmeal; place on a dry platter until they are all ready to put on the hot baking sheet.

Place oysters on hot baking sheet, not touching. Bake until oysters are golden brown on bottoms, abut 8 minutes. Turn oysters over and bake about 8 minutes longer. Serve with caper aeoli for dipping.

These were amazing. I used organic blue cornmeal and it was very very tasty!

Original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Cornmeal-Crusted-Oysters-with-Sweet-Pickle-Mayonnaise-4461#ixzz2KQtf2xgQ

Tourtiere

My dad & I both love to fish. (circa 1974)

my dad turns 80 this year and this is his favourite recipe.
I love you, Dad

Tourtiere

1 medium onion finely chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1 lb ground pork
3/4 c hot water
Sauté onion and celery in shortening. Add meat and  water. Cover bring to a boil then cook at 3 or 4 (just bubbling now and then) for 30 minutes.

3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Add seasonings cover and cook for 5 minutes longer, drain water. Cool.

Make our GF pastry (or use your own!)

Empty into pastry-lined pie-plate and cover with pastry, leaving a vent in the centre for steam. Brush top layer of pastry with sweetened milk. Bake at 450F until crust is golden brown; reduce to 325F and bake for 30 minutes longer.