Saturday, July 28, 2012

Gluten Free Birthdays - Chicken Adobo and Peach Pie

It is amazing how many gluten-filled food traditions are tied to birthdays.  I have found that it helps to think outside of the birthday-cake-box and come up with new desserts to help celebrate.

GFF's Ma turned 58 this week and we had her over to the little twin house for dinner. Dinner was Chicken Adobo, a delicious new recipe from my mother-in-law.  The original recipe calls for bone-in chicken thighs, but I followed her advice and used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which I find much easier to work with on the stove-top.

Gluten Free Chicken Adobo 

Gluten Free Chicken Adobo - adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/3 cup gluten free soy sauce
1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk
3/4 cup cider vinegar
8 garlic cloves peeled
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons black pepper
Thinly sliced scallions

1.  Toss chicken with soy sauce in large bowl.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

2.  Remove chicken from soy sauce, allowing excess to drip back into bowl.  Transfer chicken to 12-inch nonstick skillet, set aside soy sauce.

3.  Place skillet over medium-high heat and brown thighs.  While chicken is browning, whisk coconut milk, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper into soy sauce.

4.  Transfer chicken to plate and discard fat in skillet.  Return chicken to skillet, add coconut milk mixture, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for approximately 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chicken thighs).  Flip chicken and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes (again, this timing is approximate, depending on the thickness of the thighs.) Transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

5.  Remove bay leaves and skim any fat off surface of sauce.  Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with scallions, and serve with short grain brown rice.

~

It is hard to describe just how delicious this dish is, especially when you follow it with a yummy peach pie, made with local peaches from the Lancaster County Farmer's Market in Wayne.  Making gluten free pie gets easier every time.  Unlike normal pie crust, I have found that gluten free pie dough is much easier to work with if you only refrigerate it for 20 minutes, because it rolls out a lot better.  You also have to work quickly when you flip it into the pie dish or it will fall apart on you really fast!  I also think it is better to make a smaller pie (or a few smaller pies) instead of a big pie, because you have more control over the crust.  Be prepared to patch your dough and refer to it as "rustic" as much as you can.  That makes the rough appearance look intentional!

Gluten Free Birthday Peach Pie 


Gluten Free Pie Crust

6 Tbsp. Butter
6 Tbsp. Vegetable Shortening
1/2 cup cold water

1.  Place all the ingredients except the water in food processor and blend until fine crumbs are formed.
2.  Add the water a little at a time until the dough is sufficiently moist to form into a ball.
3.  Cut the dough in half, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 
4.  Roll the top and bottom crusts separately


Gluten Free Peach Pie Filling

5-6 peeled and sliced peaches
2/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Mix sugar, flour, cornstarch and cinnamon in a large bowl.  
3.  Stir in peaches and lemon juice. 
4. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate.
5.  Cover with top pastry and patch any cracks in the dough.  Smile - you love baking gluten free pie, no matter how difficult the dough is!
6.  Seal the edges with a fork.
7.  Poke holes in the top to let steam out
8.   Cover edge with 2 - 3 inch strip of aluminum foil.  Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.
9.  Bake about 45 minutes or until crust is golden-brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in the crust.  Cool on a wire rack.


Happy Birthday, Ma!



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