Julia and Julieta - Gluten Free Cooking Video Blog

Gluten Free Wok: Butternut Squash Rice with Tofu

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:04:17 PDT

Gluten Free Wok: Butternut Squash Rice with Tofu from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Ingredients for two or three people:

Uncooked brown rice: 3/4 cup
Super firm tofu: 10 oz (280 gr)
Butternut squash (only the neck)
Leeks: 1 or 2
Sesame seeds: to taste
Tamari sauce
Ground Cayenne Pepper to season the tofu
Fresh ginger

The actual cooking has to be super fast so we need to have all the ingredients prepared as well as the condiments. That's why we previously cook the tofu and the butternut squash.

Preparation:

Tofu: If you want it firmer, before cutting it you can wrap it in paper towels and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to drain any excess moisture. We cut it into 1 inch squares and season with red ground cayenne pepper. We heat oil in a nonstick pan and when it is hot we stir fry the tofu until evenly brown. Once cooked we let it rest over paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

Rice: The secret is to use cold rice. If you cook the wok with warm rice, it will be very mushy and sticky. The rice should always be chill before cooking it in a wok and it is better to use rice that's been in the fridge for at least a day. This way the grains will separate. If you don't have time to let the rice in the fridge for one day, let it cool on a plate in the freezer.
You can use the rice of your preference but brown rice has more nutritional value than white rice and you avoid the unnecessary loss of nutrients that occurs with the processing of white rice.

Leeks: chop very finely.

Butternut squash: cut it into two. We are only using the neck. Peel it with a knife or vegetable peeler. Cut it into 1/2 inches slices and then cut the slices into six pieces. Steam the rectangles for approximately 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the size of your steamer, the amount of steam, the temperature, etc.). It should be cooked but firm. You don't want to overcook it because it will soften too much and you won't have rectangles or they will mushy when you cook them in the wok. You can cool the cooked butternut squash in the fridge to stop the cooking process.

You can stir-fry the tofu and steam the butternut squash several hours ahead and have them already prepared.

Mise en place:
Once you have all the four ingredients prepared you will also need to have at hand tamari sauce, ginger and a grater.

Cooking:
Heat a large nonstick skillet or iron wok over high heat. Once hot add the oil, turn the heat to medium-high and add the leeks.

After we place the leeks in the wok, let them cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften, we immediately put the rest of the ingredients stirring all the time. Then the tamari sauce and finally the grated ginger. It will be ready to serve as soon as we stir everything together and everything is hot.

Once served sprinkle some sesame seeds and it's ready to eat.

Gluten free Milanesas with Brussels Sprouts

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:00:17 PDT

Milanesas is one of the most traditional argentinian recipes. Today we're showing you the gluten-free version, using gluten-free bread crumbs and a delicious side of brussels sprouts. Check the step by step recipe in our video:

Gluten Free Milanesas with Brussels Sprouts from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Ingredients for 4 people:

4 pieces of thinly sliced beef (it needs to be a good tender cut)
2 eggs (you can add some milk to the mix if the eggs are smallish)
oregano
parsley
garlic
salt and pepper
gluten free bread crumbs

For the side:

brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of water
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper

A few tips:

you can either fry or bake your milanesas. We choose to bake them, for a lighter version.
experiment adding different spices to your egg mix!
bake them for about 20 minutes
when cooking the brussels sprouts, make sure you give them a nice brown before adding the water, for better taste
you can replace the lime with lemon or with a little bit of vinegar

We hope you try it!

Potato leek soup - Gluten Free

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:59:56 PDT

One of our favorite soups: Potato leek soup! Warm, delicious and naturally gluten-free.
Really easy to make and only takes a few simple ingredients.
What really makes the difference in our version is the home-mate chicken stock. It's so easy and delicious you won't go back to packaged stock after learning how to make yours! Whenever you roast a whole chicken in the oven, simple take all the bones, some nice fresh herbs, place it in a big casserole, cover it with water and boil for a couple of hours. Drain it , save it in the freezer in jars and have it ready for soups, risottos and other delicious preparations.

Potato and leek soup from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 leeks
1 tablespoon of butter
home made chicken or vegetable stock
fresh thyme
4 mashed potatoes
salt and pepper

Depending on how you like the consistency of your soup, you can either leave it rustic, as we did, or you can use a blender to make it look smoother and creamier.

Serve each dish garnished with fresh thyme for a little touch of goodness :)

Remember that potatoes are not supposed to be frozen or saved in the fridge - they really only last for 24 hours before going bad. Make your soup fresh, in the moment and enjoy!

Fruit Smoothies - Delicious combinations!

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 06:43:45 PDT

Hi friends!

After a little hiatus (you'll see the little change in Julieta!) we're back :)

We had a beautiful sunny day in San Francisco, so we decided to embrace the Spring time with delicious smoothies. Why not starting the day with savory fruits loaded with vitamins and fiber?
Smoothies are also a great way of incorporating greens to our diet. Add a bunch of spinach, for example, for an extra iron and fiber boost. You will only taste the fruit, we promise.

Fruit Smoothies from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

So here are the two combinations we used in the video:

Mango
Pineapple
Blueberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Water

And:

Papaya
Kiwi
Rasperries
Water

The first one tasted sweeter and the last one more citric. Both really delicious and fresh! Try not to add sugars, you don't really need them.

Another fun idea is to make these smoothies and store them in ice cubes in the freezer. Then just get creative and make cocktails with them ;-)

Enjoy!

Delicious Mushroom Risotto Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:08:31 PST

Risotto is very quick and easy to prepare. It allows so many options that you almost always will have all the ingredients you need at at home.

Today we are preparing a mushrooms risotto. Of course the principal ingredient is the mushrooms. We are using dry porcini mushrooms, so we are going to hydrate them with hot water for approximately half an hour. While the mushrooms are hydrating we are going to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

We will also use:
- white arborio rice;
- butter (2 tbsp)
- one red onion finely chopped;
- a dash of saffron;
- salt and pepper to taste;
- hot chicken broth (the amount will depend on the amount of rice);
- two tablespoons of sour cream or mascarpone cheese;
- Parmesan cheese;
- One cup of white wine

First we place the chicken stock in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
We start by cooking the onions in the butter on a heavy saucepan until transparent for approximately 5 minutes. While the onion is cooking we'll add the saffron. Once the onion is transparent we add the rice and we make sure that all the grains are covered by the butter and we cook it until they began to crackle. They should be bright and shinny.

After all the rice grains are shinny and separated we add the wine and we stir occasionally until it has been absorbed.

Now it's the moment to start adding the broth. We add one cup at a time. It has to just covered the rice. Stir often and when it has been absorbed add another cup and continue like this until the rice is tender. It should be creamy but a little tough on the middle. In the middle of this process add the mushrooms previously drained.

When the rice is tender add the sour cream or the mascarpone cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Stir it and serve it hot.

Gluten-Free Fruit Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 08:35:25 PST

This gluten-free fruit pie is delicious and easy. It doesn't take more than 35 minutes and the filling doesn't even need cooking- how about that for easy and home made! :)

Fuit Pie from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Here's the list of ingredients:

For the gluten-free pie dough:

2 cups of gluten-free four mix
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
pinch of salt
2 sticks of cold butter
1/4 cup of cold water

Try to work the dough very quickly, ideally using a food processor. Let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling.

For the fruit filling:

Try the fruits that you have in season! We found peaches and plums and the farmers market, but this pie is also great with berries of all kind.
Mix the fruit with the juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons of corn starch and 1/4 cup of organic sugar

We hope you try it on a cold afternoon!

Flan: One of our favorite desserts!

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 08:28:37 PST

Our special guest Marisa helped us prepare one of our favorite desserts: flan.
Flan is a traditional Spanish dish, also very popular en Argentina.
It is surprisingly easy: it only takes time to cook and needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours before serving, so plan ahead!

Flan: one of our favorite desserts! from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Here's what you need:

5 eggs
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of milk
1 vanilla bean or vanilla extract

For the caramel:

3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water

Please be careful when making caramel... it gets really hot!

Special thanks to our lovely friend Marisa for stopping by :)

Gluten Free Pastafrola (Sweet Quince Pie)

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 06:51:28 PST

Fall afternoons are perfect for baking this traditional Argentinean treat: Pastafrola (or Pasta Frola), made with Sweet Quince.
The filling is made of Quince Paste, that we buy in latino markets. If you have trouble finding quince paste, try it with Raspberry Marmalade, or other fruit preserves you can make at home.

Gluten Free Pasta Frola (Sweet Quince Pie) from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Ingredients for the Gluten Free Pie dough:

2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons of sugar
1 and 1/2 stick of cold butter

Try to make this dough in a food processor, as quickly as you can. If you make it by hand, try not to touch the ingredients to much to avoid warming the butter. Place it immediately in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

The filling takes 2 cups of Quince Paste (400 grams, or 3/4 of the can we find here in San Francisco) and 1 cup of hot boiling water.

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Broccoli Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:07:23 PDT

Here's another great option for a gluten-free savory pie. Great for freezing and for taking with you for lunch at the office or for the kids at school. In this case we will use broccoli (tons of vitamin C!). The recipe for the dough is very easy and it's the same that we've done for the Zucchini Pie. You can check the recipe and the video here.

For the filing you will need:

Broccoli
Shallots: 2
Green Onions: 1 bunch
Red Bell Pepper: 1
Olive Oil: 2 tbsp
Garlic: 2 cloves
Heavy Whipping Cream or Greek Yogurt: 1 cup
Eggs: 2
Salt and Pepper to taste
Ham: 2 thin slices cut into 1 inches squares (or bacon if you prefer- although not as healthy!)
Mozzarella cut into small pieces: according to taste

Broccoli filing for a gluten free Pie from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Some tips:
- Steam the broccoli for about 3 to 5 minutes and transfer it immediately to a bowl with cold water to stop it from getting overcooked. If you overcook the broccoli it becomes soft and mushy.
- Steaming is the healthiest way to cook broccoli, because the broccoli does not come into contact with water and therefore the nutrient loss is reduced.
- If you want less fat in your pie, replace the heavy whipping cream with low fat plain Greek yogurt.
- If you are following a low cholesterol diet you can replace the two eggs with three white eggs.
- According to taste you can replace the ham with bacon and the mozzarella with the cheese of your preference (try provolone or Swiss for a deeper flavor!).
- Try to use a pie pan with removable bottom. This will allow you to take it from the pan immediately and place it on a wooden surface. The wooden surface will absorb the excess of liquids, making a way better pie dough!

We hope you enjoy it!

Spaguetti squash with tomato sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:21:04 PDT

If you like squash you would love this plate. It is a delicious gluten free and vegan dish with a nice pasta resemblance.

We start piercing the squash with a fork. We place it on an oven sheet for about 50 minutes, rotating it every 20 minutes so it cooks throughout.
After 50 minutes, make a vertical cut from the center of the stem down to the bottom and let it cool for at least 1 hour.
While we wait, we prepare a nice tomato sauce.

To peel our tomatoes, we make a cross with a knife where the stem was. We place them in a pot with hot water for only 30 seconds and immediately under cold water.
Once the tomatoes are cold it will be super easy to peel them, just using your hands. Cut the tomatoes in four pieces and remove the seeds.

We place them in a blender or food processor (if you use a blender try to use the "ice crusher" function - it gets the best texture out of our tomatoes).
After that we remove the excess of water with a drainer. This will make an excellent tomato juice! Enjoy it while you prepare the rest of the diss :)

We chop an onion, while heating up a sauce pan with olive oil. Once hot, we cook the onions until they are transparent. Then we add garlic and stir together until fragant (between 30 seconds and one minute).

Add the tomato puree and keep stirring constantly during the first couple of minutes. Season with salt an pepper to taste and add a tablespoon of brown sugar to balance acidity. If you like, you can add a half cup of a good red wine.

We add 1 or 2 bay leaves, we reduce the heat to medium low and we let it cook uncovered for about 25 minutes until thick.

While we wait for the sauce, we make our vegetable "spaghetti". Using a fork we first remove the seeds and discard. We then separate the strands of squash. Place them on an oven pan and mix them with the tomato sauce.

To finish, cover them with our tomato sauce and shredded parmesan and orégano. Place it in the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese melts.

Enjoy!

Chimichurri sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 22:04:33 PDT

A must-have for any respectable BBQ! This traditional Argentinian sauce is also perfect on grilled vegetables and any roasted meats. Save it in your fridge and have it ready for any occasion :-)
The best part: of course it's gluten-free!

Chimichurri from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Ingredients:

water
vinager
vegetable oil
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes
oregano
garlic
parsley

Gluten Free Meatloaf

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:22:28 PDT

This very healthy version of meatloaf is loaded with good stuff: quinoa, spinach and ground beef. With a small amount of ground beef you can make a bigger meal that can be saved in the freezer and take to the office for lunch time. It's also perfect for kids, as we're hiding tons of veggies inside :-)

Gluten Free Meatloaf from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Here's the list of ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 bunch of spinach, raw and finely chopped (or pureed in a food processor)
1/2 cup quinoa flakes, cooked in 1 cup of chicken broth (it can be vegetable broth or beef. We always make our own... the processed ones usually have too much sodium)
2 eggs
salt and pepper
Optional: shredded cheese

For the sauce:

Mix in a small bowl ketchup with hot sauce and brown sugar. Make sure you use gluten-free ketchup and hot sauce (if they don't state that they are gluten-free, assume they have gluten)

Place the meatloaf mix in an oven dish and cook it for approximately 1 hour in a 350 oven. Serve with fresh vegetables or save in the freezer, cut in pieces.

Enjoy!

Fresh watermelon salad with feta cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:51:04 PDT

This watermelon salad is easy, fresh and super tasty. It's great for warm days, when you don't feel like turning on the oven.
It's also perfect for outdoor dining, or pic-nics!

Greek watermelon salad from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Here's the list of ingredients:

watermelon
roasted pine nuts
fresh basil
feta cheese (or goat cheese)
dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Enjoy!

Hash Browns, Over Easy Eggs and Sausage: Gluten-Free Breakfast!

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:46:22 PDT

One of the meals that can be more difficult to replace when we start a gluten-free diet is the Breakfast. We grew up having toasts and pastries, or cereals, but only when we moved to America we got to experience Sunday Brunch. What a delight!
One of our ultimate favorites: hash browns. And what better combination than over easy eggs and sausage...!

Hash Browns, Over Easy Eggs and Sausage: Gluten-Free Breakfast! from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

You won't need a recipe today, but a couple of tips:

If you're making a big amount of potatoes, peel them and place them in a bucket with cold water until you're ready to shred them.
It's way easier if you have a food processor...! But you can always use a manual shredder.
Make sure you pat dry the potatoes very well. Otherwise you won't get a nice crust.
We like making our over-easy eggs with butter. But you can always use vegetable oil if you prefer.
When you cook the sausage, make a few holes with a fork, so they release some of the fat.

What's your favorite breakfast?

BBQ Time! Grilled veggies and skewers - step by step video

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 22:12:21 PDT

One of our favorite spots in the Bay Area is Lake Lagunitas, near Fairfax, CA. What a treat to go on a weekday and have the park almost to ourselves!
We made skewers, a classic provoleta (with a spin), grilled vegetables and even dessert. Dive in!

Barbecue day at Lake Lagunitas, CA from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

There's almost no recipe for today, but as a quick check list we are including all the ingredients we used in our Barbecue day.

Skewers:

We used chicken, steak, red and green peppers, onions and mushrooms.

Grilled Vegetables:

We used zucchinis, portobellos and corn. Straight on the grill.

Caramelized Cherry Tomatoes:

We placed cherry tomatoes on foil, added garlic and olive oil.

Provoleta:

Provoleta is a classic treat you'll find at all argentinean parrillas (BBQ!). Typically we use provolone cheese, but today we used a delicious greek cheese - halloumi cheese- that doesn't melt. We added oregano, red pepper flakes and olive oil. If you don't have a small cast iron skillet, you can just use foil.

Egg filled Peppers:

We used red and green peppers, cut them in half to form a basket and place an egg in the middle. Finish with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and straight to the grill.

BBQ Figs:

We cut figs in half, place them on foil and cover them with honey.

We grilled all together and came out ready at the same time. Good times!

Gluten Free Zucchini Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 06:15:35 PDT

This very easy (and gluten free!) zucchini pie is tasty, healthy, and can make a quick lunch or dinner. It freezes very well, so you can make a big one, cut it in individual portions and save it in the freezer to take to work.
We've been making this dough for a while now and it comes out very well. It doesn't require much work, and can be easily done on a food processor if you find it faster.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Pie from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Ingredients:

Gluten free savory pie dough:
(these proportions will make 2 discs -you'll see that in the video we only did half, and use cheese instead of a dough top to cover it)

2 cups of gluten-free flour mix
1 teaspoon xantan ghum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup boiling water
salt and pepper

Zucchini filling:

zucchinis: depending on their size, approximately 4 to 6 zucchinis for a regular sized pie
1 onion or a bunch of green onions
1 or 2 shallots
2 eggs
mozzarella cheese
half cup Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper

Some additional tips:

It's better to steam the zucchinis rather than boiling them, as they tend to produce a lot of water and the dough can get soggy.
If you can, try to take the pie out of the pan right after you take it out of the oven and place it on a wooden tray. It will prevent the dough from getting soggy and it really makes a difference! (But only try it if you have pie pans with removable bottom)
If you want a richer pie, replace the Greek yogurt with heavy cream or cream cheese.

Delicious Guacamole recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:31:00 PDT

What a beautiful day... to cook at the beach!
We made this easy and delicious guacamole just a few miles South of San Francisco, near Half Moon Bay.

Guacamole is the perfect snack for entertaining. Everybody loves it and it's very easy to make. Be sure to pick good avocados: they should be pretty black and slightly mushy. Stay away from green and firm avocados - they are not quite ready yet!

Delicious Guacamole Recipe from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Here's the list of ingredients:

avocados
tomatoes
fresh cilantro
green or white onions
jalapeños
lime juice
salt & pepper

Just to give you an idea of proportions: for every 3 avocados, 1 tomato, half jalapeño, half onion or 2 or 3 green onions. It's not exact, but we find it quite nicely balanced done this way.

The key to a nice guacamole is to chop the ingredients very small (concassé). Start with the onions, follow with tomatoes and jalapeños. Mash the avocados with a fork and sprinkle with lime juice right away, so they don't get black. Finish with fresh cilantro, salt and pepper.

Now go get some tortilla chips and dig in!

Raspberry Marmalade

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:05:02 PDT

As we leave the summer in San Francisco, the weather gets sunnier and warmer (yes, big contradiction!) so we decided to take a few trips and use state parks and beaches as our sets.
We made this delicious and ultra-easy raspberry marmalade at Lake Lagunitas, a few miles north of San Francisco, near Fairfax. It's a beautiful hidden place, usually very quiet and great for hikes and barbecue.

Raspberry Marmalade from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Ingredients:

1 box of raspberries (we just made a small amount, that should last approximately one week)
1/4 cup of raw cane sugar
A few drops of lime or lemon juice

Place the raspberries on a small casserole and mash them gently, without breaking the fruit too much - just enough for the juice to come out-. Then add the sugar, drops of lime and cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
If you want to save this marmalade for a long time, then weight your fruit and add the same weight of sugar. Boil your jar for a few minutes and close the top immediately after filling the jar with hot marmalade.
Otherwise, if you're going to consume it during the week, you can use less sugar and there's no need to sterilize your jar.

The same recipe works fantastic with strawberries, blueberries, peaches and other similar fruits.

Late Summer in San Francisco!

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:41:36 PDT

It's been so warm and sunny these days in San Francisco (very unusual!) that today we decided to take our kitchen to the beach!

We drove just a few miles south, near Half Moon Bay and found this amazing beach, with pic-nic tables. The perfect setting for outdoor cooking.

While we finish the video editing, enjoy a few pics:

Our beautiful set - just a few minutes South of Half Moon Bay, CA

Summer salad!

Beef Empanadas Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:09:18 PDT

Empanadas filling from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Beef Empanadas Filling

Beef empanadas are the most traditional variation. Depending on the area, you can find some recipes with raisins, potatoes, tomatoes, with ground beef or with hand cut beef.
A few tips:

Make sure you don’t overcook the beef. It can get dry.
Always let the filling chill in the fridge before assembling. Otherwise it’ll melt your dough and have too much juice (that you’ll end up eliminating, making very dry empanadas as a result).
Cumin and oregano are essential! You won’t get the traditional delicious taste if you don’t use them.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef or sirloin or skirt steak (or any tender cut - it needs to be good)
3 medium onions
4 green onions
½ red pepper
2 to 4 cloves of garlic
2 hard boiled eggs
Olives
Raisins
Cumin
Fresh oregano
Salt and pepper
Red pepper flakes

Preparation:

We recommend start prepping first, getting a nice mice-en-place before starting to cook. It makes things easier and cleaner.
Chop the onions, garlic, pepper, and beef if you’re doing it by hand.
Boil the 2 eggs in the meantime.
Start with the onions, pepper and garlic, then add the beef and the spices.
Try to use a very large pan, so as to make sure that you cook the beef quickly and thoroughly.
Once it’s ¾ cooked, turn off the heat and add the chopped eggs and olives. Make sure you seasoned accordingly, and take it to the fridge for at least an hour before assembling.

Learn here how to make gluten free empanadas dough and how to shape them!

Gluten Free Empanadas Dough

noreply@blogger.com (Julieta) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:09:57 PDT

Empanadas dough from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Empanadas are a traditional dish from Argentina. They are also big in other countries in South America, with slightly variations.
Today we’ll show you how to make traditional beef empanadas, with gluten free dough (quite an adventure…!).
Now, we tested a few recipes, and not all of them worked out great. So here goes the one that worked best. In the video you’ll learn proper preparation, but we think that the following recipe makes a better dough (the one in the video came out a little dry).

Gluten Free Empanada Dough:

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten free flour mix
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup of water

Preparation:
The best way to make a perfect dough is to use a food processor and work as fast as you can. You want to avoid the butter to get warm and to change the texture of your dough. If you work the dough and get your butter warm, your dough will get greasy and shapeless. A big disaster!
But very easy to avoid.

Make sure you keep the butter in the fridge until the very last minute. Get iced cold water.
Place gluten free flour mix, 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum, the water, the butter cut in cubes and salt in the food processor. Make it work until it takes the shape of a ball. Or until you see that a big ball of dough gets rounded and spins as a ball all together. Stop in immediately, get it out of the machine, cover it with film and to the fridge for at least 30 minutes - better if you wait 1 hour.

Once your dough is well rested and cold, sprinkle some gluten free flour on your kitchen table and work it a little bit. Don’t work it too much.
Now you have 2 options: either you use a rolling pan, get it thin and cut perfect discs with a mold (a tea plate or dessert plate will help), or you get balls and make them into circles with the rolling pan. We find the latest the easiest. But maybe you like your food to look pretty and perfect… so you have the option.

To make the empanadas, place a disc on your left hand, and moist your index finger with water. Wet half of the border of your disc. Then place the filling in the middle. Close it, press the border, and pinch it to close it better and give it the nice empanada shape. You’ll see us doing it on the video, it’s actually not difficult at all, but it takes practice.

Cook them on a 350 degree preheated oven for about 30 minutes.

In Argentina you typically find tons of different fillings and flavors. We even make sweet ones for dessert or for the afternoon mate, with quince paste or sweet potato paste.
Some of the most traditional fillings you’ll find are beef, ham and cheese, corn, spinach, tomato cheese and basil, tuna, and chicken.
Check here our recipe for beef empanadas.
There’s an empanada store almost in any block! And they all offer about 20 to 30 different fillings. Ordering empanadas on the phone is the easiest and most common thing to do in Argentina whenever you have friends over, or are just tired after work and want something easy and tasty. We definitely miss them!

Creme Brulee

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:10:19 PDT

Creme Brulee from Julia and Julieta on Vimeo.

Crème brulée is nothing but a crème anglaise made with cream and half the amount of sugar. While you learn to make crème brulée, you may as well learn how to make Floating Island (ile flottante) so you don’t waste egg whites.
What makes the crème brulee special is definitely the butano torch. They are very inexpensive, and totally worth having. We bought ours at Amazon.com, and we love it. You can also use it for lemon pie, onion soup, huevos rancheros, and plenty of other preparations.
You’ll get the best flavor if you use real vanilla bean (it’s way better… no joking). But if you don’t have it, or you find it very expensive, just make sure you add vanilla essence after you cooked the crème brulée (otherwise you’ll lose flavor while cooking).

Our Creme Brulee!

Ingredients
1 cup and 2/3 heavy cream
4 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, or vanilla essence.

Preparation
You can do it by hand, but it’s pretty easy to do it with an electric mixer.
First make a cut on the vanilla bean. Place it with the cream on a (sauce?) pan over medium heat.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until white. You’ll know they’re ready when you can draw letter’s or a “ribbon” with it.
Once the cream is hot, pour it slowly onto the egg mix, while beating. Once you integrated the mix, place everything back to the pan.
Over very low heat, stir it with a wooden spoon until the mix thickens. Now, the final consistency you’re looking for on a crème bruleé will come after you let it cool in the fridge for an hour or two, so make sure you don’t overcook it!
Place it on nice pots, cover them with film (to avoid other flavors from your fridge to get into the crème bruleé!) and wait an hour or two.
Once you’re ready to serve (you had 2 hours to make dinner, cooked, ate and ready for dessert!) sprinkle some sugar and burn it with the torch.

We hope you enjoy it!

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Jules) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:08:01 PDT

We're super excited that our fun cooking project is coming to life!
It all started with our passion for cooking and experimenting new things. So why not... a video blog?

The idea is to cook with seasonal ingredients, to experiment new recipes, to bring good guests and also interview some interesting characters. We try to get most of our produce from our nearest Farmer's Market here in San Francisco, and we hope to inspire you to eat healthy, to cook more and eat less processed food.

We're both home-cookers, and we won't be making anything complicated or use expensive or exotic ingredients.

So here it is, we hope you enjoy it!

Julia & Julieta