The Gluten-FREE Zone: October 2011

Flourless Fudge Cookies

2¼ cups confectioners' sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but good

1 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-process (European-style) preferred*

3 large egg whites

2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract

*For darker, richer-looking cookies, substitute ¼ cup black cocoa for ¼ cup of the Dutch-process cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350°

Lightly grease two baking sheets

Or line with parchment, and grease the parchment

Stir together all of the ingredients till smooth

Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir again till smooth

Drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in balls about the size of ping pong balls, about 1½”; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here

Bake the cookies for 8 minutes; they should spread, become somewhat shiny, and develop faintly crackly tops

Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool right on the pan

Yield: 16 large (3") cookies.

Makes 4 cups
5 pounds fresh tomatoes
1½ cups white sugar
1½ cups lemon juice, fresh⅓cup fresh garlic, thinly sliced or chopped⅓ cup fresh ginger, fine julienne or minced
½ teaspoon salt

Peel, seed and dice tomatoes into ½-inch pieces

Place in heavy enamel or stainless steel pan with remaining ingredients - aluminum pans will react with the acidity in this dish

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low heat

This will need to cook for about 1½ to 2 hours

Stir occasionally at first, then check more frequently at end of cooking time to prevent scorching on bottom of pan

When the jam is thick and shiny, and the volume is about 4 cups, it’s done

Let cool in shallow pan

Keep refrigerated

Let come to room temperature

This brilliant jam is fabulous with roast meats or grilled fish.