Gluten Free Apricot Upside down Cupcakes

  Apricot season is now here and I am eating them as fast as I can as I they are my favorite fruit. Recently I purchased some from Costco and they were so nice. I did split them with my Granddaughter Alicia as they also are a favorite of hers but still had a few get ripe at the same time and needed to use them. Also had almond flour so I went looking on the internet for recipes using both. 
 There are quite a few of them and I went with a recipe by the blog justalittlebitofbacon.com. (nice blog) and was glad I did. I didn’t have any orange liqueur so went with orange juice and orange peel that I had in the freezer, worked just fine. I had problems slicing the apricots neatly as they were so ripe so just sliced as well as I could and divided them up among the pans, no-one seemed to mind. I was going to try freezing some but they got eaten between sharing and what I kept. 
Apricot Upside Down Cupcakes Gluten Free
Ingredients:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
6 tbsp brown sugar
3 apricots
2 cups (6 oz) almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp orange liqueur
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 12-well standard muffin pin.
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the 4 tbsp butter. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is melted and the butter and sugar are well combined. Divide among the 12 wells of the muffin pan.
Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the apricots and let them boil for just 1 minute. Immediately transfer them to the ice water. Once they are cool, slide off the skins. Carefully cut each apricot in half (THEY ARE SLIPPERY!) and remove the pit, and then slice each half into two round slices. Each apricot will yield 4 slices. Put one slice into the bottom of each muffin cup on top of the melted butter and brown sugar. 
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs vigorously until they are light colored and frothy and full of tiny bubbles. Whisking till light and frothy will help keep the cakes from becoming too dense. Whisk in the jam and zest, then whisk in the orange liqueur or orange juice. Add the dry ingredients and whisk in.
Divide the batter among the muffin wells. Tap the pan sharply a few times to help the batter settle to bottom and remove air pockets around the apricot slice. Bake the cakes for 18-22 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cakes rest for about 10 minutes. Run a knife or spatula around the edge of cake to loosen it from the muffin tin. Then carefully invert the tin onto the cooling rack by putting the cooling rack over the top of the tin and then flipping them both over. Serve cakes as is, or with any combination of orange liqueur, powdered sugar, and vanilla ice cream.

Small Recipes... Lemon Pudding for One

Half of the recipe, as I shared

       Today’s recipe was made for several reason’s. I like that it is for one person. I have tried several recipes from this cookbook (Betty Crocker’s Cooking for One) and have been pleased with the results. 

• I had the ingredients on hand, Lemon juice in the freezer and the rest in my pantry. 
• It is simple to make and while it needs to be chilled it can then be eaten the same day. Cornstarch puddings don’t hold up too well so it really will be best eaten the same day or the next. 
• It is Gluten Free so those who are Celiac or Gluten Sensitive can eat this. I don’t think I would try any more than doubling it, but feel free to try.  
• I did add about ⅛ teaspoon of Lemon Extract from Pensey's Spice Company as I shared this with Sue who likes Lemon pie or pudding if it is tart. 

Lemon Pudding

½ cup sugar

1 slightly rounded tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup water

1 egg slightly beaten (Use fork in a small bowl)

1 Tablespoon
Butter

½ teaspoon lemon peel

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Mix sugar and cornstarch in a 1 gt. saucepan: slowly stir in the ½ cup water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute more.

Slowly stir about half of the hot mixture into the slightly beaten egg yolk. Then stir the egg mixture into the hot mixture left in the saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute till thickened. Keep in mind that you are going to be adding lemon juice so it will loosen up. 

Remove from heat, add butter and when it melts add the lemon juice. Refrigerate until chilled.

Small Recipes...Baked Pineapple Custard for Two

I saw a version of this recipe on Epicurious, and had to try it.  But, of course, I needed a recipe for two.  I cut it down to use an easily available 8 ounce can of pineapple, and I used ultragel to make sure I got some set-up of the custard.   I used a 5 x 5” Le Creuset casserole dish, but any 16 ounce baking dish, like a round Corning ware soufflé dish would be fine.  Check your custard with an instant read thermometer, it should be at least 180-185°.
It took half as long as the original larger recipe to bake and it’s so easy to mix it’s easy to serve anytime you have a ham entrée, like ham steak, ham patties, ham loaf or sliced baked ham.
We loved it…I forgot the vanilla, and we all decided it never needed it.  Myrna enjoyed some too…it is gluten free. 
This a perfect Easter dinner recipe; I listed the large size recipe at the bottom for sharing.                      
                Baked Pineapple Custard for Two
  8         fluid ounces  crushed pineapple -- undrained
  1         tablespoon  cornstarch -- or 1 1/2 tbsp. ultra gel
     3/8  cup  Sugar
  1         large  egg -- beaten
     1/4  cup  Milk
     3/8  teaspoon  Vanilla Extract (optional)
Combine sugar and cornstarch or ultra gel.  Add to beaten egg and milk, add vanilla and stir in pineapple.
Mix together and pour into a greased 2 cup baking dish; sprinkle with cinnamon and cut a few small pieces of butter and place on top.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Chill leftovers.  Warm slightly in the microwave before serving chilled custard with meat.
Serve with ham or ham patties or ham loaf.
For a larger recipe; use:
20 oz. Can   Crushed Pineapple
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
2 Eggs Beaten
1 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Cup of Milk
1 Tsp. of Vanilla Extract
Use a larger 9x9" baking dish and bake one hour.

Gluten Free...Fall Harvest Cake

I am not sure why I hadn’t tried this cake recipe before but it is truly good. As most people who have to eat Gluten Free will tell you, the cakes and breads are seldom good and usually dry and crumbly or so dense they can be hard to cut.

 The authors of the cookbook Gluten Free Made Easy rave about the recipe and now I am going to also. Light, fluffy, great texture and good flavor. It is easy to make and I did make the whole recipe as I shared it with my daughter and her family and froze some individual slices for my self. What a pleasure to eat a cake that tastes like cake.

 Even if you don’t eat Gluten Free I think you would enjoy this cake just because it is good. Pumpkin is good for you and is low in Sodium and fat so you can say “but it is good for me” when you take that second piece.

Fall Harvest Cake

Ingredients

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ginger

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (I used King Arthur GF all purpose flour)

1 large apple peeled and chopped

½ cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour with GF flour a 10 inch fluted tube pan; set aside. In a large bowl mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger. Stir in the pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir in the flour ½ cup at a time.* Fold in apple and pecans and pour into prepared pan.

 Bake for 60 to 70 minutes checking at 60 or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

 Serve with whipped cream or just dust with powdered sugar when cool or both which is what I did. Enjoy

*Be sure to add flour at end and stir in a small amount at a time, this is important when making GF cakes.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Custard

The Gluten Free Made Simple cookbook has many good simple recipes of which today’s is a good example. 

 Pie crust is not a thing any gluten free eaters can have and this recipe for pumpkin custard fills the bill nicely.

  It has a great flavor and texture. The only problem I had with it was that it took longer to bake than the time listed. I might not have had my oven quite hot enough and I did put all the ramekins on a rimmed cookie sheet to make sure they were easy to remove from the oven. The longer baking time didn’t hurt the taste at all, so I would just bake until a cold table knife inserted halfway between rim and center comes out clean.

  I did add a dash of allspice, cloves, and nutmeg as we like it better with these spices added. I will list them as optional in the ingredients. I used some crystalized ginger I had on hand for a garnish on the whipped cream. A good recipe from a good cookbook

Pumpkin Custard

Ingredients

2 large eggs

½ cup sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ ground ginger

⅛ teaspoon each of allspice, nutmeg and cloves (Optional)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 15 oz. Can pumpkin

5 oz. Evaporated milk

Whipped cream and crystallized ginger for garnish (Optional)

Directions

  Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease eight 1 cup ramekins. In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar, spices and salt. Stir in pumpkin and evaporated milk.

  Pour into the greased dishes . Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until centers are set.

Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. When ready to eat, garnish with whipped cream and the crystallized ginger. Keep any remaining refrigerated.

King Arthur GF Brownies

  Most baked goods that are Gluten Free are tasteless, dry and crumbly. I have been trying some recipes to see if I can  find one that is not too expensive to make and worth the time and money it costs. Since I seem to have a craving for Chocolate right now, I tried this recipe for brownies from King Arthur flour. 

 I have found that recipes from companies that make the product are usually good. After all they want to sell that product. I have used their Measure for Measure with some success, but it is not cheap and I can’t find locally. 

 Their All purpose Gluten Free flour is less expensive and both of the grocery stores here carry it. That is what is used in this recipe and while I might not know how long they would keep as when my daughter and grandkids stopped most of them walked out the door and I will eat what I have left in a few days. They recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap to keep better.

 They are rich and chocolatey and really don’t need frosting. Would be good as a desert with ice cream or whipped cream or just plain with a cup of coffee for coffee time. I baked mine in my counter top convection oven and baked about 10 minutes longer at 325° instead of 350°.

Gluten Free Brownies
YIELD 16 brownies
1 1/2 cups sugar 
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces) baking cocoa 
3 large eggs
3/4 cup King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips, optional
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
Directions
 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8" square pan or 9" round pan; either should be at least 2" deep.
 Place the sugar, butter, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula until the butter melts and the mixture lightens in color. This step helps melt the sugar, which will give the brownies a shiny crust.
 If you've heated the sugar and butter in a saucepan, transfer the mixture to a bowl; otherwise, just leave the hot ingredients right in their microwave-safe bowl. Blend in the vanilla and cocoa, then add the eggs and mix until shiny.
 Blend in the flour blend and the baking powder. Stir in the chips and/or nuts, if you're using them.
 Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges.
 Bake the brownies for 33 to 38 minutes, until the top is set; and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or nearly so, with perhaps a few wet crumbs, or a tiny touch of chocolate at the tip of the tester.
 Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes before cutting. Once the brownies are cool, cover tightly with plastic.
 Yield: 16 brownies.

For easiest slicing, wait at least 15 minutes before serving. And for prettiest (crumb-free) servings, wait till brownies are completely cool before cutting.

Cornstarch...Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding

Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding

 Sue found a Hershey cookbook on line and as Hershey is the brand I use most often, and like their recipes we both decided to try some. The recipes that are older do not have as clear instructions, (they assumed that people knew how to cook) and so I have tried to give a better set of instructions with this recipe. 

 I like pudding and cornstarch is OK to eat on a GF diet, and also makes for a clearer looking pudding. This is not the pudding you will find in the six pack in the dairy case of your local store or in a box marked instant pudding. Rather it is a rich deep chocolate dessert that even the men in your life will like. Dress it up with some whipped cream and a garnish and it works for a dinner party.

 I added the vanilla called for and a quarter teaspoon of coffee flavoring.

You could use some cold coffee for part of the milk.

 Take your milk out to measure and warm up slightly before adding to melted chocolate so the chocolate doesn’t clump. If it does just keep stirring over warm water till it smooths out. You could also heat the milk slightly in the microwave before adding to chocolate.

CHOCOLATE CORNSTARCH PUDDING

3 ounces Hershey's Baking Chocolate 

3 cups whole milk or ½ and ½

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoonful salt

1 tablespoonful butter

1 teaspoonful vanilla.

 Directions

 Melt baking chocolate in double boiler over simmering

water, and add milk. Stir until well blended. Combine

together the sugar, cornstarch and salt, and add a small

amount to the hot chocolate mixture, stirring vigorously.

Add the rest slowly whisking until blended and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. After it is starting to thicken cook 20 minutes longer or until thick and spoonable 

Add butter and vanilla. Spoon into serving dishes and press waxed paper or plastic wrap directly onto surface of pudding. Cool and chill. 

 Serve with sweetened whipped cream if desired. Sprinkles anyone, or maybe chocolate curls and a cherry on top. Yield: 6 servings.

*It takes awhile to thicken when using a double boiler but it won’t burn.

*Todays chocolate squares are ½ ounce instead of 1 ounce, be sure to check the size on the package chocolate

Cornstarch...GF Brownies

 For a sweet chocolate treat try these Gluten Free Brownies. While I seldom bother to bake Gluten Free just for me, these brownies from Martha Stewart do not call for any expensive special ingredients which is mainly why I don’t bake GF very often. Everything in them you are likely have in your kitchen cabinet. 

 What intrigued me was the use of cornstarch instead of flour. Well I want to tell you that it worked great! They are not a cake type of brownie but a moist, chewy type. I didn’t frost them and neither did Martha, they are just the right amount of chocolate and not so rich that your teeth ache. 

 The original recipe calls for pecans or nuts of your choice which I didn’t use but will try the next time I make them. 

 Do make sure you beat them long enough the batter should pull away from the pan, I did use my mixer but the recipe calls for beating them by hand. Also watch closely near the end of the baking time. I thought mine were not done in the center and baked them a tad longer than I should have. Simple to make and tasty. If you need to eat Gluten Free or just like brownies give these a try.

Gluten-Free Brownies

Ingredients

 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan

 1/3 cup cornstarch (spooned and leveled)

 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

 1/2 teaspoon table salt

 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

 3/4 cup sugar

 1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract

 3 large eggs

 1/2 to 1 cup chopped toasted pecans  (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Whisk together cornstarch, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter and chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. 

2. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Stir in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add cornstarch mixture and stir vigorously until mixture is smooth and begins to pull away from side of bowl, about 2 minutes. Stir in pecans. 

3. Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Using paper overhang, lift cake out of pan and cut into 16 squares. 

Do use the parchment paper or foil as it makes them easy to remove from the pan. Note that they are cooled in the pan and than taken out and cut

Small Recipes... Apple Crisp

 The recipe I am going to give you here is just right for one person and excellent. I used a Braeburn apple which I usually have on hand and it took about 8 minutes to get ready for the oven and baked just right in the time in the recipe which is 20 minutes. 

  The recipe is in the Betty Crocker Cooking for One that Sue has and I am going to try some other recipes from the book. It was just the right amount, used ingredients I always have on hand and no leftovers. Perfect! 

Apple Crisp For One

1 medium sized apple peeled and sliced 

1 tablespoon of all purpose flour or all purpose Gluten Free Flour

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon oatmeal or GF oatmeal

Dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg and a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon soft butter

 Peel and slice apples in ⅛ to ¼ inch thick slices place in unbuttered 10 ounce baking dish or custard cup. 

 Mix the remaining ingredients, sprinkle over the apple slices and bake in a 375° F. oven for 20 minutes. Let cool and eat while still warm with half and half, cream or a small scoop ice cream. if desired.  

Saturday Thoughts...Small Recipe Orange Mousse

Minus One That was Eaten   

Lime Mousse Just as good as the Orange

 One of the few blogs I follow is iambaker.net. I have had success with her recipes and even if I don’t try them I enjoy reading her blog and the food photos are good.

 I tried her recipe for Orange Creamsicle Mousse recently, YUM. If you are counting calories this might not be what you want to fix, but as an indulgence it is really good and simple to make. 

 The cream cheese helps cut down on what might otherwise be an overload on sweet, but the citrus cut back just enough with the cream cheese to save it. I used what I have on hand for citrus. We like the lime best.

  My daughter stopped by when I was getting ready to take photos of mine and ate one of them. She was just going to taste it and ended up eating all of it and taking another one home with her. I tried topping them a little different for each one and we liked the GF shortbread crumbs I make the best.  

 I also make this using a prepared Gluten Free Graham Style Pie crust. I have tried just the GF crumbs you can buy in a box but didn’t have too much luck with them.

Orange Mousse

3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

12 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice of 1 orange, about 1/4 cup

1 teaspoon orange extract

pinch kosher salt

1 cup whipped topping, plus more for garnish (8oz tub of Cool Whip is three cups) 

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.

Add in the powdered sugar, orange juice, orange extract, and salt and beat until everything is combined.

Gently fold in the whipped topping.

Equally divide orange mousse into cups and refrigerate uncovered until thickened, (about 1 hour up 24 hours). Garnish if you would like just before serving.

*I used 8 ounce dishes and got 4 servings. Larger dishes might have worked better as 8 ounce were quite full. 

Gluten Free Pie Crust

 I decided to try a Gluten Free pie crust for a pumpkin pie. I have been making a regular crust and then baking 2 custard cups without crust for my daughter and myself. After looking at several recipes I went with the recipe from King Arthur Flour that is on their web site. 

 We were pleased with it. The crust rolled out well but I was concerned about putting it in the pie pan. I ended up turning the pie pan upside down on the dough, slid a rimless cookie sheet under the plastic wrap and holding on to both tipped them over and the crust fell nicely into the pie pan.

Cover the edges of the crust while baking as crusts with an egg burn easier.
Gluten-free Pie Crust

One 9" single-crust pie

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups All Purpose GF Flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

3/8 cup (6 Tablespoons) cold butter

1 large egg

2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar

Instruction
Lightly grease a 9" pie pan.
Whisk together the GF all purpose flour, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt.
Cut the cold butter into pats, then work the pats into the flour mixture until it is crumbly with a few peas-sized chunks of butter remaining.
Whisk the egg and vinegar or lemon juice together until very foamy. Mix into the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture holds together adding 1 to 3 additional tablespoons cold water if necessary.
Shape into a ball and chill for an hour, or up to overnight.
Allow the dough to rest at room temperature fo 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.
Roll out on a piece of plastic wrap, or on a silicone rolling mat heavily sprinkled with GF flour. Invert the crust into the prepared pie pan
Filled and bake as your pie recipe directs.
Tips
For an egg-free crust, substitute 4 tablespoons cold water for the egg and lemon juice (or vinegar). If necessary, stir in additional cold water, a teaspoon at a time, until the dough holds together

To pre-bake without filling, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the bottom with pie weights, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the weights, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is a light golden brown.

Pears Baked With Maple Syrup

 I enjoy pears just about any way there is to fix them. I had not tried just baking them though and when I saw several recipes for them I decided to see how I would like them. These are very good and really not a lot of fussing. I had two pears so fixed both and ate one warm for lunch with some heavy cream and saved the second one for tomorrow. 

 I combined two recipes and used them for the timing and basic ingredients. I did use pure Maple syrup but honey would make a good substitute. I wouldn’t use pancake syrup syrup even the maple flavored as it is quite sweet. 

 Do line the rimmed baking sheet you are using with some foil or you will have to let it soak to get out the syrup that is stuck to the pan. I used parchment paper but the foil would have worked better. Sometimes a nice simple warm dessert just is the best.

Baked Pears with Maple Syrup

Ingredients

4 pears Bartlett or Anjou hold their shape well

⅓ cup pure Maple syrup

¼ teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional) I did not use

Directions

 Preheat oven to 375° Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and set aside.   Peel the pears and cut in half. With a spoon gently remove the core and seeds. place on baking sheet cut side up. If you need to, cut a small slice from bottom of the pear half so it stays in place. 

 Measure out syrup, add vanilla and butter and heat just till warm. Pour over pears saving back some for use when they are baked.

 Bake 25 minutes or until a sharp knife  goes into the pear easily.

 Serve plain, pouring some reserved syrup over or with cream or ice cream using some of the reserved syrup. 

* They will keep in the refrigerator for a few days warming them in the oven or microwave just until warm. Save some syrup to warm with them if you are going to reheat some of them.

Spice Cake Gluten Free

I ran across this recipe for a good looking frosting and decided I wanted to try it. Of course you have to have something to put frosting on and as a Celiac I don’t eat cake. There are GF cake mixes on the market but they are very expensive and seldom good. I have been very pleased with the Chain store Aldi’s GF products and my daughter Amy who is also Celiac had tried one of the cake mixes and thought it was good. 

 With that recommendation I went with their yellow cake mix. The box says yellow baking mix but it is a cake mix. The only problem came from the fact that I wanted to make a spice cake as the frosting was Caramel Buttercream. I didn’t find a spice mix so went with the yellow and turned it into a spice cake by using it as the base and using the spice additions from a 1964 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook where they were giving directions on changing a yellow cake to a spice cake though of course their cake was from scratch. 

 The cake turned out quite well so here is what I did and you could do it with any cake mix GF or regular.

 Spice Cake Gluten Free

1 box of GF yellow cake mix

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon molasses

 Directions

Following the mixing directions on your cake mix add the spices to the dry ingredients.

Pour the molasses in the measuring cup before measuring the liquid ingredients for your cake mix. If you don’t have allspice on hand or don’t like it substitute nutmeg or just omit it.

 Bake as directed by the cake mix you are using.

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

My rhubarb patch is so nice this year, lots of rain and now warm weather and so I am trying out rhubarb recipes. This recipe from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook How Easy is That was a winner at our house. The strawberries and orange juice in the recipe won over my daughter and Sue who do not like rhubarb and the rest just thought it was good. 
Not a lot of prep work and while I had to bake it longer than the recipe called for my oven tends to bake a little slow. If you want something new to do with your rhubarb and you like the combo of rhubarb and strawberries this is worth trying. 
I did make it Gluten Free using King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour and GF Oatmeal. The fruit has cornstarch in it so check the label if you need GF. 

Without topping added and before baking

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

4 cups fresh rhubarb, 1-inch diced (4 to 5 stalks)

4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved, if large

1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided

1½ teaspoons grated orange zest

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

½ teaspoon kosher salt (use less if using table salt)

1 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

For the fruit, toss the rhubarb, strawberries, ¾ cup granulated sugar, and the orange zest together in a large bowl. In a measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice and then mix it into the fruit. Pour the mixture into an 8 × 11-inch baking dish and place it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

For the topping, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, salt, and oatmeal. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and mix until the dry ingredients are moist and the mixture is in crumbles. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit covering it completely, and bake for 1 hour, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream.

Eggnog Custard

This has a spoonful of topping removed so you can see the custard.

To me the Holidays always mean Eggnog. I made my own for several years, now I buy the commercial. Here in our area of Iowa I buy Anderson Erickson Eggnog, but It is only available through the Holiday Season so now is the time to make use of it in recipes as well as drinking it.

 Since we all like custard and eggnog, this recipe was perfect for us. Custards are easy to make either the unbaked like this or the baked in a water bath. You will find these are a festive touch for a party or just for you and your family during the Holiday Season.
Eggnog Custard with Raspberry Jam
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
½ cup cold water
2 ½ teaspoons powdered gelatin (plain like Knox Gelatin)
2 cups eggnog
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional) (I used Marsala)
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup seedless raspberry jam
Directions
 Place the cold water in a small heat-safe bowl and sprinkl the gelatin on top. Let it sit for 5 minutes (to bloom)
Melt the bloomed gelatin in the microwave, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir to make sure it is fully dissolved.
 Pour the eggnog into a large bowl, then whisk the melted gelatin into the eggnog. Add the bourbon, if using and whisk to combine.
 With a electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar and vanila extract to medium peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the eggnog mixture, mixing gently just to combine.
 Pour the custard into 6 small bowls, or custard cups, leaving at least 1.2 inch of space at the top of the containers. Transfer the custards to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight,
 To serve using the back of a spoon dollop 1 tablespoon of jam onto each dish and smooth it to the edges. Serve chilled. 
 *You can pour finished custard into a large serving bowl increasing the chilling time to two hours.