Buckwheat Pancakes with Warm Apple Compote

A couple Sundays ago, we woke up with just about nothing to eat in the house, but I did have a few gluten free flour varieties, exactly 2 eggs and a tiny bit of rice milk–just enough for a batch of pancakes.

Lately, I’ve been using a flour blend with quinoa flour, but I was almost out of it and it’s a bit expensive; so, I’m trying to use less of it.  Instead, I grabbed a bag of buckwheat flour.  Mmmmm, sweet, nutty buckwheat.

Buckwheat is great because, despite its confusing name, it is NOT related to wheat and is therefore gluten-free.  It is a pseudocereal that is actually grain rather than a grass or true cereal. Buckwheat seems like a sort of exotic thing here in the US, but it used to be incredibly common because it grows well in short seasons and poor soil; however, it became much less common after the invention of nitrogen fertilizer, which it doesn’t like.  This means it has to be grown without it.  This is a good thing for those of us who like to avoid things grown in petroleum-based fertilizers.

Buckwheat also has some helpful medicinal qualities:  in has a lower glycemic index than many other grains/starches which might make it a good choice for diabetics. It is also a higher protein grain and has heart healthy properties that may reduce cholesterol.  And it’s just a plain yummy.  I always think it has a sweet yeast bread taste.  Who doesn’t like that?

Anyhow, I adapted the following recipe from Joy of Cooking:

Buckwheat Pancakes

Combine in large bowl:

1/2 C buckwheat flour

1/2 C sorghum flour

1/2 C Tapioca flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs sugar

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional)

In separate bowl combine:

2 eggs, whisked

3 Tbs vegetable oil

1–1 1/4 C rice milk (milk of your choice)

Add liquid ingredients to dry and combine well.

Cook on medium  heat.  Makes about 12 pancakes.

Dustin gets the credit for coming up with the warm apple compote.  As I said, we did not have much in the house including syrup and when I mentioned this fact, Dustin, from the bedroom yelled, “warm apple compote!” as though startled from sleep.  I had exactly 2 McIntosh apples in the fruit bowl.  Brilliant.

Small confession:  I rarely measure anything when I cook; so, I am going to be a little less precise about how to make the compote, but here’s what I did.

Apple Compote

2-3 Apples, peeled, cored and sliced into medium small pieces

a few Tbs butter/margerine

a handful of brown sugar (maybe 1/4 C-ish)

A couple dashes of cinnamon

(I told you it wouldn’t be precise.)

Melt butter in a small sauce pan, add the apples and saute for a few minutes.

Add the brown sugar and cinnamon.  At this point, I also added about a Tbs of water to thin it out a little.  Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes with the lid on and then it should be good to go!

No exaggeration:  This is shout-out-loud-at-the-table-oh-my-god-GOOD!

Spiced Rustic Apple Cake

Yesterday was Dustin’s birthday!  I was particularly inspired this year.  Last year we sort of just missed it.  I’m thinking this has something to do with the fact that we had newborn in the house–perhaps we were just a wee bit distracted.  But I have no excuses this year and the cool autumn air has arrived, just begging me to get baking.

However, since Dustin doesn’t like birthday cake and I’m gluten free, I had to get creative.   And because we’ve already spent our grocery budget for the week, the other parameter I set for myself was that I had to be able to make his birthday dinner and cake from ingredients I already had on hand.

Dinner was easy thanks to the abundance of farmers market produce still left in the refrigerator.  Unfortunately, the cake proved to be more challenging than I expected because I was out of most of my flour stash.  I did have several farmers market apples; however, and with some creative flour combos, I came up with an amazing dessert.

Spiced Rustic Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 350

Grease 9 inch round pan

• Thinly slice:

3-4 Macintosh apples (or any good baking apple)

• Combine in a large mixing bowl:

1/2 C Almond Flour

1/2 C Tapioca Flour

1/2 C Millet Flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional)

3/4 C brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• In another bowl combine:

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 C olive oil or other vegetable oil

3/4 C rice milk (or any milk should work)

1 tsp vanilla extract

• Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
• Fold apples into the batter.  Tip:  hold on to about 12 slices to lay on top for a decorative look, or go totally rustic and mix them all in.
• Bake about 1 hour (55-65 minutes)

The best part about this cake is that you can change up just about anything and it will still be amazing.  Substitute any type of flour, sugar, milk you have on hand!