Caramel (corn-free!)

Having a corn allergy sucks. No more salsa & chips and coke for me… or a billion other things.  It’s in EVERYTHING… mostly labeled “maltodextrin” or “food starch”. I miss an easy night out at the taco joint but the one thing I’ve missed the most is caramel. It is one of my favorite things and would be in every dessert if I could make it so.

All caramels at the store have corn syrup. 99% of caramel recipes start with corn syrup.

Are you reading this Corn Syrup??? I RAISE MY FIST AT YOU IN ANGER!

I have made corn-free caramels that I posted here but sometimes you just don’t want to put a days work into it. BUT… can I show you something really exciting?

TADA!

Source: store.somebodysmothers.com via Josie on Pinterest

My husband found Somebody’s Mother’s Caramel Sauce (probably after a night of hearing me complain about how much I missed it) and I am so happy!  Besides knowing how crazy amazing my husband is…. this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me! This isn’t some  weird tasting substitute caramel for corn-free freaks.  It is the real deal. It is probably the best caramel sauce I’ve ever tasted.  It is more than we would like to spend ($10/jar! Try not to spray out that water you just sipped on) but it is worth it for that yummy treat for those of us who are so restricted!

Corn-free, Dairy-free Caramels

One of my favorite things in this little life of mine is dessert.  It has always been that way. I kid you not, almost every childhood memory I have is somehow centered around the making and/or eating of something sweet.  My sister called me out on it, while I was telling some story and I laughed it off and thought No way is that true.  Well, time (and several delicious stories later) proved otherwise.

Then we laughed so hard when I found a picture from when I was in kindergarten. The scene:  In the kitchen, early 80s decor, folding table, mother in tube-top and over-sized glasses placing tray of cookies on said table.  Where was I?  Oh, just leaning over the tray of cookies looking like a wolf approaching a vulnerable flock. How I wish I could find that picture now!  We’d all have a good laugh.  Trust me.

Anyway, my love for dessert is undying, but these days I have to be careful because of some food allergies/intolerances I have developed as I’ve gotten older and the kids have some as well.  Yes, it sucks, but what these allergies don’t know is that I am incredibly stubborn and have promised myself that I will figure out my all-time favorites.

I know there are a ton of you out there with allergies in the family, too. (Believe me, you’re not the only one!)  So I thought I’d pass on this adapted caramel recipe of Ina Garten’s – Fleur De Sel Caramels!  Because, um.  Yum!

The caramels above are gluten, corn and dairy free!  Aren’t they cute?!  It was my first time making them and didn’t get the temperature just right, so they’re a little too soft, but really good!

You can follow the instructions here, but I’ll tell you the ingredients I changed to make them allergy-friendly below:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup – I changed to Lundberg Brown Rice Syrup
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream – I changed to Coconut Milk
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter – I changed to Earth Balance Vegan Butter Sticks
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Next time I make these I will try a different heavy cream option because I found the hint of coconut flavor distracting.  But let me tell you, my husband and son didn’t think I should change a thing and were ooh-ing and aah-ing over them for days.  Such a delicious treat for everyone… those with and without allergies!

I can’t wait to make these again.  Ah, sweet caramel.  How I’ve missed you….

I originally posted this on heylittlebirdie.com

Allergy Friendly French Silk Pie = A.mazing

Hi.  I’m about to be your favorite person, like ever.

I was scrambling to find an easy, decadent, allergy-friendly dessert for Easter. The allergies I was trying to cover included corn, wheat, dairy, eggs, orange, and yeast.  This seemed an impossible task to meet my criteria (easy, decadent, allergy-friendly) since I might hit 1 or 2, but never all three… that is until the Macaroon French Silk Pie entered my life.

I found it flipping through last year’s Living Without Magazine. The recipe seemed to meet everything I needed! The crust does have eggs in the macaroons, but to accomodate I poured some of the chocolate mixture into a single ramekin for my niece who needed it egg-free.

It seriously turned out GREAT and is one of the richest, tastiest allergy-friendly desserts I’ve tried. And I’ve tried more than my fair share. *ahem*

The recipe is as follows, in case you want to try it out yourself.  It is so easy, you should try making it at least once! It is a also a Passover-friendly dish, so I will leave those details in for those of you who celebrate.

Macaroon French Silk Pie

• Preparation: 25 minutes + Chilling Time
• Serves: 8

Garnish pie with a dollop of dairy-free whipped cream and sliced strawberries.  If you’re not observing Passover, use any gluten-free macaroons for the crust.

• 1 cup coconut milk (not low fat) or Kosher for Passover dairy-free creamer
• 1 lb Kosher for Passover plain macaroons (about 4 cups), crumbled
• 10 oz Kosher for Passover dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate, chopped

~Whipped Coconut Milk or dairy-free whipped topping & Fresh Strawberries, sliced, optional

Lightly grease a 9-inch round tart pan. (We just used a disposable cake pan and it worked great… ’cause we’re fancy like that.)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring coconut milk to a boil.
2. Place chocolate pieces in a medium-size, heat-proof bowl.  Pour hot coconut milk over the chocolate.  Whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted.
3. Press macaroon crumbs into and up the sides of a prepared pan.  Set on baking sheet for easier handling.  Pour chocolate mixture into crust.  Refrigerate until filling firms, about 30-60 minutes or overnight.  Top with dairy-free whipped topping and sliced strawberries or crumbled macaroons.  Cut into slices and serve.

Each serving contains 456 calories, 38g total fat, 17g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 12 mg sodium, 43g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, 7g protein

Did you catch that?  It can help with your fiber intake!!