cook like james

Gluten-Free Banana Almond Flour Muffins

Even if you don’t follow a gluten-free diet, this recipe is worth trying and is guaranteed to satisfy. Tender and moist, the muffins have a slightly tropical flavor thanks to coconut sugar and flour.

Download Gluten-Free Banana Almond Flour Muffins recipe

Makes 12 muffins

2 eggs

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup maple syrup (or honey)

¼ cup coconut sugar (or sucanat)

3 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla or plain almond milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups almond flour

½ cup King Arthur Gluten Free Flour

¼ cup Arrowhead Mills coconut or oat flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

Optional toppings: chopped nuts, rolled oats, or coarse sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and adjust rack to middle position. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar, almond milk and vanilla.
4. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Gently stir together to combine ingredients, don't overmix. Stir in nuts.
5. Using ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly into muffin tin. Sprinkle with a topping, if desired. Bake 20-24 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted in muffin center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack, serve warm or room temperature.

There are hundreds of recipes for chocolate chip cookies – thin, thick, crisp, chewy, with nuts and without – but this happens to be one of my favorites. Years ago my friend Scott took me to Kathleen’s Bake Shop in Southampton, now known as Tate’s, where I became a fan of the thin and crisp chocolate chip cookie. You can find her recipe for chocolate chip cookies in Kathleen’s Bakeshop Cookbook, but this one from Alton Brown really delivers the thin and crisp chocolate chip that I love.

Download My Favorite Thin Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup toasted chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Combine the egg, milk, and vanilla and bring to room temperature in another bowl.
2. Cream the butter in the mixer’s work bowl, starting on low speed to soften the butter. Add the sugars. Increase the speed, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg mixture slowly. Increase the speed and mix until well combined.
3. Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, and nuts if using. Using a #20 ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Cookies will be dark brown. Rotate the baking sheet for more even browning.
4. Remove the cookies from the pans immediately. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.

“Impossible Pie” was a recipe most often found on the back of Bisquick boxes. I don’t think I ever made one, but the idea intrigued me. I stumbled on a recipe in Cooks Country Magazine (February/March 2013 issue) which, as usual, they had improved greatly. Their version uses chopped deli ham, but since I often have vegetarian guests, I substituted chopped roasted red bell pepper for the ham. This makes a great brunch dish, and can be served warm or at room temperature.

Download Impossible Veggie Pie Parmesan Crust

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (2 cups)

4 ounces roasted red bell pepper (or thickly sliced deli ham), chopped

4 scallions, minced

½ cup (2½ ounces) all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup half-and-half

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg       

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch pie plate with softened butter, then coat plate evenly with Parmesan.
2. Combine Gruyère, red bell pepper, and scallions in bowl. Sprinkle cheese-and-ham mixture evenly in bottom of prepared pie dish. Combine flour, baking powder, pepper, cayenne and salt in now-empty bowl. Whisk in half-and-half, eggs, melted butter, mustard, and nutmeg until smooth. Slowly pour batter over cheese-and-ham mixture in pie dish.
3. Bake until pie is light golden brown and filling is set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Slice into wedges. Serve warm.

*To serve our “Impossible” Pie as an hors d’oeuvre at your next party, forgo the pie plate and instead bake it in an 8-inch square baking dish. Slice it into 1-inch squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Sprinke cheese over entire pie plate, pressing gently into butter pie dish

This recipe from Cook's Illustrated Complete Vegetarian Cookbook is fast to throw together and makes a great summer menu side dish. 

Download Best Broccoli Salad with Raisins and Toasted Nuts recipe

1 1/2 lbs broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1/2 cup dried cranberries, golden raisins, or currants

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

1 large shallot, minced

Directions

1. Combine four cups water and four cups ice in large bowl, set aside. Bring three quarts water to boil in a large pot. Remove 1/2 cup boiling water and combine with dried fruit in small bowl; cover, let sit five minutes, and then drain.
2. Meanwhile, add broccoli stalks to boiling water and cook one minute. Add florets and cook until slightly tender, about one more minute. Drain broccoli and place in ice water to cool. Drain again, transfer to salad spinner, and spin to remove excess moisture.
3. Whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Transfer broccoli, dried fruit, nuts, and shallot to bowl with mayonnaise mixture, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve or refrigerate for up to 6 hours

These are wonderful little cookies to serve with tea, or as an after dinner treat with a nice wine. I found the recipe in America’s Test Kitchen’s new Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook and thought they sounded easy and original. Use high quality olive oil here, it lends a welcomed peppery taste to the slightly sweet cornmeal, and the fragrant fresh rosemary adds yet another depth of flavor. Superfast to make with a handful of ingredients, the result is a surprisingly complex and delectable dessert cookie.

Download Cornmeal Olive Oil Cookies recipe

Makes 12 Cookies

¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces) flour

¼ cup (1 ¼ ounces) cornmeal

½ tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/3 cup olive oil

¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar

1 egg

½ tsp. minced fresh rosemary

1/3 cup powdered sugar, plus more as needed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and adjust rack to middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl, set aside.
3. Whisk olive oil with sugar until combined; whisk in egg and rosemary. Fold in flour mixture to form soft dough.
4. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden and centers puff and split, about 13 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool slightly on sheet, then roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Store cookies at room temperature for up to 3 days)