Gluten Free and Delicious!

By: Kyra Bussanich
 Sweet Cravings

More than ever, people understand that our bodies just weren’t designed to handle the amount of processed flour found in many of today’s food.

Some people with vague, undiagnosed illnesses feel better after cutting out gluten, a protein in flour-based foods. Many Americans, including professional athletes and celebrities such as Zooey Deschanel and men’s tennis leader Djovak Nokovic, say they look and perform better since dropping gluten from their diets.

If you are someone who doubts that gluten free can be delicious, try the following recipe before making your determination final:

Apple Crisp

6 large tart apples (Pippin or Granny Smith)

1/3 cup sugar, or 1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons tapioca starch

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Generous pinch salt

3 tablespoons cold butter

Topping

1/2 cup sweet white rice flour

1/2 cup millet flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 cup packed golden brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five
spice powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup gluten-free oats

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/4-inch slices. Put the apple slices into a large bowl and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Add the tapioca starch, cinnamon, five-spice, ginger and salt and toss together to evenly coat the apple slices. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking pan, dot the top with pieces of the butter and set aside. To make the topping, combine the flours, tapioca starch, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, five-spice and ginger in a mixing bowl. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix in the butter until it is uniformly incorporated into the flour mixture. Stir in the oats and pecans.

Crumble the oat topping evenly over the apples. Bake until the topping is golden brown and set and the apples are warm and bubbly, 55 to 60 minutes.

You can prepare everything ahead of time. Refrigerate the apple filling and keep the topping frozen until ready to assemble and bake. Don’t refrigerate the unbaked topping overnight since the millet flour will interact with the butter and taste and smell cheesy when it’s baked.

Kyra Bussanich is a two-time winner of The Food Network’s hit show, “Cupcake Wars.” She graduated with honors from Le Cordon Bleu and opened her award-winning bakery, Kyra’s Bake Shop (kyrasbakeshop.com), which features gourmet, gluten-free sweets.

Share this article

Comments