Gluten Free Apple Crispy Crumble Custard

I spent the afternoon cleaning the house due to the so called hurricane and normal hysteria that follows when places more than 50 miles away are being wracked with floods and winds. I headed up stairs to put something away and as I reached the top a horrible stench filled my nostrils. Did the cat pee in the hallway!? No. Sadly the smell intensified as I walked into the bedroom where the cat was peering at me; nestled deep in the covers. She couldn't have peed the bed and be sleeping on it? No, again. I peeked me head into the studio and the smell smacked me straight in the face. Amber was using an iron, doing something to remove color from fabric or so she claimed. I closed the door and backed away. Perhaps a respirator and ventilation was needed.  I was going to open a window but the damp, cold remnants of "hurricane" Sandy  continue to linger ao I opted to combat the smell with apples, cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar.

Mid-week means gluten free. And oat free as the fiber messes with my intestines. I modified two blog based recipes as I like my gluten free desserts to have a variety of textures. Pies, turnovers, and cakes all require white flour the achieve that flaky, light, and airy texture.  But perhaps a crisp with three distinct layers will deceive the palate and provide a suitable alternative. 

The Crumble:

1/2 C. White rice flour

1/4 C. Quinoa flour

1/4 C. Potato starch

1/4 C. Millet and Sorghum flour

Reserve 1/2 C. for Custardy Goodness. Use 3/4 C. for Crumble.

1/4 C. Brown sugar

1/4 C. White sugar

1/2 t.  Salt

1  t.  Cinnamon

1/2 t. Baking powder

1/4 t. Xanthan gum

4-5 T Cold butter. Diced.

Mix with fingers until just right.

The Apples:
6 Apples. Peeled, Cored, Diced. I used three varieties.
1 T. Lemon Juice
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. White Sugar
1/4 C. Heavy Cream
1 t. Cinnamon
Stir everything together.

The Custard Goodness:

1 Egg. Beaten.
1/4 C. Heavy cream
3 T Butter melted
Whip with for.
1/4 C. Brown sugar
1/4 C. White sugar
Stir together.
Add more cream/milk if necessary.

Press crumble into buttered glass pie plate. Pour in apple mixture.  Spread custardy goodness over top. Sprinkle with left over crumble. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes

Remove from oven. Let cool slightly.

 Serve warm with milk, ice cream, creme anglais, or eat straight up.

The bottom is crispy. The apples are juicy and mixed with the custard layer. The top is crumbly. You won't even realize there is no white flour or gluten in the mix.

Hurricane Sandy and 48 Hour Sous Vide Short Ribs

Who needs bread and milk? 

With the threat of hurricane Sandy looming large I opted to get the short ribs into the sous vide machine on Saturday night. Patience, patience, patience. Much like waiting for a hurricane moving at 14 mph. 

Now with the rain pelting the windows and work closing early I had plenty of time to sear the meat, roast some sweet potatoes and blanch some green beans. 

Sous vide is the only way to do short ribs in a hurricane. Or the only way to do short ribs period. 143 degrees for medium doneness. 48 hours to melt the collagen. A quick sear with the torch to crisp the skin. Simmer the juices left over from the ribs. 30 minute meals? I doubt it. And once you've tasted this combination you would too: 

I used a very much modified stock/sauce recipe from David Chang of Momofuku to cook the ribs. Water, soy sauce (gluten free), applesauce, sesame oil, Sriracha , smoked paprika, onion, garlic, radish. Simmer. Cool. Immerse ribs. Cook for 48 hours.

The sweet potatoes were coated with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and dry mustard. Roast for 30 minutes or so at 400.

The green beans were blanched and then tossed in a butter and garlic sauce with some left over liquid from the short ribs.