Tips for Cooking with Cast Iron and a New Autumn Recipe ? Gluten ...

Do you use cast iron cookware?

I absolutely love mine, especially when autumn rolls around.

My 8- and 10-inch iron skillets are used several times each week during the cooler months of the year. Perhaps that?s because the heartier dishes and seasonal ingredients of fall lend themselves to skillet cookery.

Speaking of seasonal foods, dust off your iron skillet because I have a delightful recipe you will love!

I?ve created a gluten free version of a delicious old fashioned favorite.

Growing up, I enjoyed this sticky sweet cake (or some variation of it with in-season fruits) warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a weeknight dessert. (I know, it looks too impressive for a busy weeknight, doesn?t it?!)

Each year when apples begin to come into season and there?s a nip in the air, I think about this cake. After going gluten free five years ago, that first autumn was bittersweet.

The sweet part was my health almost immediately improved, nothing short of a miracle after 25 years of chronic pain and other autoimmune misdiagnoses and issues.

The bitter part was missing treats like this cake, especially during the holidays and at family gatherings. I felt left out and deprived at times.

Of course, that?s all changed for me. It can change for you, too!

If you?re feeling left out when it comes to your favorite foods, or if you?re already dreading the upcoming holidays, not to worry, Honey Bunch! I have lots of experience and information to share about how to make the most of your gluten free holidays without ever feeling deprived.

Let?s start with this outstanding gluten free version of my Iron Skillet Caramel Apple Cake.

Before we get to the recipe, though, let me share this useful information about cooking with and caring for cast iron cookware.

Cooking with Cast Iron Cookware

Cast iron cookware?

• Is considered the original non-stick cookware.
• Is an excellent conductor of heat.
• Allows us to use less fat when cooking.
• Is used in a wide range of cuisine.
• Is extremely versatile, going from stovetop to oven, it can be used for making pancakes, frying chicken, making a stir-fry and even for making cake!

Of course, there are some issues that can arise. Cast iron can?

• Rust
• Pit
• Cause food to stick
• React with acidic food

Fortunately, these bothersome issues can be corrected by ?curing? or ?seasoning? your cast iron cookware.

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware

All cast iron cookware must be ?seasoned? or ?cured? before use.

This means coating the cookware inside and out with oil, shortening or lard, then baked. (Butter substitutes and cooking sprays are not recommended.)

This process seals the pan, filling small pits and pores in the surface. This is how the slick, non-stick surface of cast iron cookware is developed, and if you?ve used cast iron for cooking, you know that surface only improved with time and use.

Properly seasoning our cast iron cookware also prevents water from entering tiny crevices in the surface and creating rust. It also prevents acidic foods from reacting with the iron.

Seasoning cast iron must be repeated periodically in order to maintain the protective coating. How often you need to season your cookware depends on how much use it gets.

You will know it is time to season your pans again when food begins to stick to them.

Now that you know a bit about cooking in and caring for cast iron, let?s get to that recipe!

Gluten Free Iron Skillet Apple Caramel Cake

Free of gluten/wheat, dairy/casein, corn, peanuts, tree nuts, soy.

Ingredients:

2 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/4 cup dairy-free room temperature butter substitute (or real butter if you are not dairy-free)
2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour (See ?Notes? below.)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk (dairy- or plant-based will work)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and have a potholder handy (the skillet handle may get hot while it?s on the stovetop).

2. Slowly melt 1/4 cup butter substitute (or butter) in an 8-inch iron skillet over low heat.

3. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter (resist the urge to stir!); arrange apples, rounded side down, on top of sugar and butter in a circular fashion; allow this mixture to cook, uncovered, over low heat while you prepare the batter. (Be sure to keep the heat low and an eye on the skillet so the sugar doesn?t burn.)

4. For the batter, combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until the mixture is smooth.

5. Remove the skillet from the heat and spread the batter carefully over the apples in the skillet so they remain in place (this insures a pretty finished cake).

6. Using that potholder I mentioned earlier, transfer the iron skillet to the preheated oven; bake approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

7. When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and cool it in the skillet 15 minutes before serving.

8. To serve, carefully run a small spatula or knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Place a heatproof serving plate over the skillet and carefully invert the skillet (again, using that potholder!) to release the cake onto the serving plate. Cut into wedges, as you would a pie.

Notes:

?For the fat in this recipe, I use a dairy-free butter substitute. Coconut oil can be used, but it will not impart a buttery flavor for the caramel topping like a butter substitute or real butter will.

?I use my own gum-free gluten free flour blend. Either make your own all purpose blend (See my suggestions by entering ?flour blends? in the search box on this page.) or use a prepackaged blend.

?If topping sticks to the skillet when you transfer the cake to the serving plate, simply spoon it back in place on the inverted cake.

?Serve with vanilla ice cream (dairy- or plant-based) or frozen vanilla custard.

(P.S. ? Don?t miss the in-depth look at fall baking, in-season nutrition and recipes for the holidays I have for you in my upcoming issue of ?Food Solutions?! The deadline to sign up is in two short days. Subscribe NOW!)

Happy autumn baking!

xo,

Gigi ;)

Source: http://www.glutenfreegigi.com/tips-for-cooking-with-cast-iron-and-a-new-autumn-recipe/

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