Breakfast

I seem to be all cerealed-out recently. I go into phases. Years ago I ate nothing but yogurt for breakfast. I’d have all different kinds and found it quite healthy. A ½ - 1 cup usually kept me full until lunchtime. Before that I’d have toast with jam or peanut butter, or cereal. One of my favourites was Jordan’s Morning Crisp, either with strawberries or mixed berries. It became my favourite shortly after becoming wheat intolerant and I came across it out of the blue one day. I loved it so much a friend of mine in England would send me boxes for my birthday and Christmas, and I’d bring home boxes after visits to England as well. It was hard to find for many years. But of course, I can no longer have it now that I’m gluten intolerant. I have a box mocking me on top of the fridge. I know I should throw it out. But I can’t. The Honey loves cereal so I moved it onto his side of the fridge, next to the Life and Kashi.

This week my breakfast treat is Gluten Free Rhubarb Crisp. Growing up my mom would make this all summer. We had a big patch of rhubarb in our garden and she’d chop a bunch and make this in the microwave. To this day it’s been the best rhubarb crisp I’ve ever had. Over the years, since moving to Ottawa, I would try recipe after recipe and there are only one or two that come close, but never as good. Sadly after many trials I finally asked my mom for the recipe and it has disappeared. Her wonderful rhubarb crisp is only a memory. My sister and I were reminiscing about it as mine was in the oven. She hasn’t found a decent recipe either. I still had rhubarb in the fridge from my last trip to the Market and I wanted to try out some more recipes from the second gluten free cookbook I had picked up. It’s Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts; I haven’t tried many out so I don’t have much to say about it at this time.

This rhubarb crisp is quite nice and isn’t too sweet or tart. If you eat it the same day, the topping is quite soft, but it crunches up the following day. I thought the fruit layer was a little in the skimpy side, so I’d change it from 5 cups to 6 and use less sugar. Roberts uses a flour mix throughout her recipes and the one here is a rice flour mix. It makes a nice breakfast, and it’s rhubarb; of course I’m going to like it. In saying all that, it isn’t my mom’s so the search continues.

Two weeks ago my breakfast treat was Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread. I have purchased some of Bob’s Red Mill gluten free items before and most recently the sorghum flour. Metro had Bob’s Red Mill products on sale so I picked up a package of Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix. They have had the products on sale for a number of weeks now so I may go back and try some others. There were easy directions on the back, along with instructions for bread machines. So I picked it up and thought it would make a nice weekend treat.

Well, one weekend passed, then another, then another. I began to think I wasn’t going to make this bread. Then I decided to make it for the week. To give myself a nice treat to begin a busy day. It was quite thick in the bread machine and I had to scrap the sides and corners. As the baking time came to an end I was hesitant as I looked at the top of the loaf.

It resembled a lunar landscape and didn’t look that good. It looked a little dry. So it sat overnight to cool and in the morning I sliced myself some and popped it in the toaster. I spread a little margarine on it and took a bite.

It was excellent.

Rhubarb Crisp (altered from Summer Fruit Crisp in Gluten-Free Baking Classics by A. Roberts)

(Brown Rice Flour Mix: 2 cups brown rice flour, 2/3 cup corn starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour)

6 cups rhubarb, chopped

1/3 cup sugar
2 tbs corn starch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Topping:
1 cup brown rice flour mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
shake of salt
1/3 cup margarine, softened
In a mixing bowl, toss rhubarb with sugar, cornstarch, and spices until evenly coated. Pour mixture into a 8x8 pan. For the topping, combine all dry ingredients then add the margaraine. Stir until blended. Pour onto rhubarb, spread evenly and pat into place. Bake in the oven for about 40 mins at 375° or until browned.
A variety of fruit could be substituted for the rhubarb.