Daring Bakers Challenge: Nanaimo!

This month's challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. She challenged us to go gluten-free this month by making gluten-free graham crackers and then she instructed us to make the most divine bar cookie ever - Nanaimo Bars! First, to the crackers.

The instructions were fairly easy on this one. The hardest part was locating the flours, but since I live near a brand spanking new Whole Foods this was not too hard. All the ingredients were blitzed in the food processor and refrigerated. Here's were things got a little, er, shall we say, softer? My dough never really firmed up. But I rolled it out anyway. On a sheet of parchment paper liberally sprinkled with rice flour. Each time I used the rolling pin I sprinkled the top of the dough again with rice flour to avoid any sticking. Once the dough was thin enough I scored and pricked the dough. Then I just slid it onto a baking sheet and popped them into the oven. The graham crackers smelled so yummy and vanilla-y as they baked. When I pulled them out they were crisp and dark and rich looking. But I must say I didn't care for the way they tasted. Despite all the butter and sugar in them they still had a "healthy" taste. I guess I should be happy I don't have to deal with Celiac disease! My husband thought they were rather tasty, though, and he kept nibbling at them for a few days.

All was not lost, though, because these crackers became one of many ingredients in the next concoction . . . Nanaimo Bars! I cannot say enough about these decadent creations. They hail from Canada and are just one more reason I'm thinking of defecting there. The graham crackers got mixed with coconut, almonds, and chocolate to make a base for the bar. The middle layer was basically a butter cream frosting. Yum! And the top was a simple mixture of chocolate and butter. I made these twice! The first time I shared them with my husband's colleagues. He said the room went silent as they ate them. The second time I carried them to dinner at a friend's house. Again, they were received with enthusiasm. I really must stop making these but I can't help myself. They are so very good!

If you are interested knowing more about Lauren, this month's host, or getting the recipes check out The Daring Kitchen.

Martha Monday: Maple Granola

Mary Ann from Stirring It Up With Meg chose this week's project - maple granola from the February issue of Living. I often make my own granola and really like Alton Brown's version. This is very similar (oats, nuts, coconut, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, raisins) with a few changes like adding sesame seeds and extra-virgin olive oil. Also this recipe calls for extra-virgin olive oil. I was wary of using this oil because it has such a strong flavor, a flavor I don't usually associate with breakfast. But, in true Martha Monday spirit, I followed the recipe. The only change I made was to use dried cranberries in place of the raisins. I absolutely abhor raisins! This was really easy to make. Just stir the ingredients together and bake for 50 minutes, adding the dried fruit at the end for another 10 minutes of baking. My granola stuck to the pan a bit but I pried it off with a metal spatula.

My husband commented that the granola was a bit salty. But I ate this granola with vanilla yogurt and was really impressed. The extra-virgin olive oil was not overpowering and the ingredients all seemed to complement each other. I was glad I'd used unsweetened coconut because otherwise it would have been too sweet. And I really liked the sesame and seeds and cranberries too. Thanks, Mary Ann, for a great pick!

Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast

For a few years now I've been tempted to make this pork roast from Giada de Laurentiis' cookbook but always set it aside as either not traditional enough for a holiday meal or too much to serve a family of four. Finally, this Christmas I set about making it. It was really easy to chop the herbs and garlic with salt, pepper and olive oil. This was smeared all over the roast. Then the pancetta was draped on. I tied it in place because I wasn't sure the pancetta would stay on the roast while it was cooking. After roasting it in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour it was perfectly done and looked festive enough for a Christmas dinner. Taste? It was good. The meat was tender and juicy. The flavor of the herbs and pancetta were great with the pork. I only wished there were more of it. Because the flavors were only smeared on the outside there was a large portion of the meat that wasn't flavored at all and just tasted of pork.

Rosemary and Butternut Squash Pizza

The other night I had the BEST pizza and, guess what, I made it! I used my favorite pizza dough recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I made a big "normal" pizza for the rest of my family with all the usual toppings - sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers. Then I made a personal-sized pizza for myself.

Earlier I had roasted the toppings in the oven at 400 degrees. 1/4 of a butternut squash thinly sliced. One onion sliced. Two sprigs of rosemary minced. All drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and tossed to coat. I roasted these for about 20 minutes until everything was tender. There were lovely spotted brown bits on the onion and squash. I could've just eaten the topping alone. But instead I dumped it on the dough and sprinkled some freshly grated asiago and mozzarella cheeses on top. This went in the oven on the pizza stone for about 10 minutes.

It was sooooooo good. I couldn't stop eating and I wish I'd made more. It was creamy, spicy, herby, sweet all at once. The only thing I'd do different next time is roast some garlic cloves next time along with the rest of the veggies. You must try it!

Martha Monday: Pear Pancakes

This Monday's recipe, Silver Dollar Pear Pancakes, was chosen by Pru of Perfecting Pru. Thanks Pru! The recipe was really simple, so simple in fact that I didn't actually follow it. First, I didn't have any buttermilk so I just whipped up a batch of regular plain old pancakes. Second, I knew my kids would eschew any pancakes with fruit cooked into them AND my husband had already gone to work. So I cored one pear, cut off three thin slices, marinated them in a teaspoon of maple syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon, and served the rest of the RAW pear to my children. Once the plain pancakes were served to the kids, I plopped my three pear rings into my pan and let them cook for about two minutes. Then I carefully ladled the pancake batter on top. Once the pancaked seemed cooked on the bottom, I flipped and cooked the other side. They came out beautifully! I drizzled the cinnamon syrup that was left in the marinating bowl on top and dug in. They were very yummy. I loved the pear. It was pretty and tasty. The only complaint was that they were a bit sweet. I think if I had used buttermilk in the pancakes the tang would have countered the sweetness a bit. So, if you are planning on making these make sure to pick up a jug of buttermilk!