All of us at Easy Eats have pulled together our favorite Thanksgiving table recipes, from fuss-free gravy to creamy pumpkin pie. This time of year, family memories take over our senses. For us, family is wherever you call home. Whether you’re heading back to your childhood house or your next-door neighbor’s apartment, here’s a taste of gluten-free (and dairy-free!) Thanksgiving recipes from our Holiday Issue.
(New to Easy Eats? Get a sneak peek at our September issue.)
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The Gravy
For many, the turkey and dressing is the main event. For others, those stars quickly lose their luster if not for the unsung hero, the gravy. Our mustard pan gravy elevates the normal players with a rich, fuss-free base that pairs well with the traditional meal.
Gluten-Free Mustard Pan Gravy
Recipe by Tracey Seaman from the November/December 2011 issue of Easy Eats magazine.
Makes: About 3 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
2 cups chicken broth
3½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon coarse mustard
Pepper
1. Transfer the roasted turkey to a platter and tent loosely with foil. Place the roasting pan on the stove. Skim the fat from the pan drippings and discard.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the broth, ½ cup water and the cornstarch. Add to the roasting pan with the drippings and cook over medium-high heat, whisking, until it comes to a boil. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until desired thickness, up to 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard and season with pepper.
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The Pie
This gluten-free pumpkin pie just happens to be dairy free, too—but you’d never know it. Its silkiness comes from coconut milk and its super flaky crust satisfies everyone at the table.
Kate McDermott’s Pumpkin Pie
You can make this creamy, dairy-free pie one day before serving. Recipe by Kate McDermott from the November/December 2011 issue of Easy Eats magazine.
Makes: One single-crusted 9-inch pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
2 cups canned pumpkin puree
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup light coconut milk
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch cloves
Sweet rice flour, for dusting
1 disk Art of the Pie Crust dough (see below)
1. In a medium bowl, mix the pumpkin, eggs, coconut milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves until well blended.
2. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a clean work surface and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of sweet rice flour. Place the dough disk on top, sprinkle with more flour and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10-inch circle. Remove the plastic wrap on top of the dough. Flip the dough into a 9-inch pie pan and remove the other piece of plastic. Fit the dough to the pan shape.
3. Pour the custard into the pie crust. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
4. About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 425°. Once the oven has heated, lower the temperature to 375° and bake the pie until the filling is nearly set, but not runny, about 50 minutes.
Art of the Pie Crust
Makes: 2 crusts
Prep time: 10 min
3½ cups Kate’s Art of the Pie Gluten-Free Flour Blend (or your favorite blend)
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons shortening, chilled and cut into 8 pieces
8 tablespoons buttery sticks, such as Earth Balance, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1. Chill the work bowl and blade of a food processor. In the food processor, combine the flour blend, xanthan gum (if using), salt, shortening and buttery sticks. Pulse 15 to 20 times.
2. Add the beaten eggs and vinegar and pulse about 15 times more. Remove the dough from the work bowl and quickly gather it all together into a ball.
3. Divide the dough into two disks and cover each with plastic wrap. Use immediately.
Kate’s Art of the Pie Gluten-Free Flour Blend
Prep time: 8 min
2¼ cups brown rice flour
1 cup gluten-free oat flour
1 cup millet flour
¾
cup sweet rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
¼
cup potato starch
1. Sift each ingredient, then place into the bowl of a standing mixer;
mix on low speed until completely incorporated.
2. Sift again into an airtight container, date and freeze.
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The Other Dessert
For a spin on tradition, this dessert has the goodness of apple pie without the fussy crust, so it’s easy to make in a pinch or ahead of time.
Upside-Down Apple-Granola Crunch
Recipe by Tracey Seaman from the November/December 2011 issue of Easy Eats magazine.
7 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
Salt
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
10 gala apples—peeled, cored and halved
1. Heat a 8- or 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil, the oats and a large pinch salt. Cook, stirring and spreading the oats occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in 1½ more tablespoons oil and the maple syrup and cook, stirring and spreading the oats until golden-brown, about 20 minutes. Scrape the oats out onto a parchment-lined plate and let cool. Set the skillet aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. In the skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 3½ tablespoons oil, then sprinkle evenly with ½ cup sugar. Arrange the apple halves upright, all in the same direction, in a tight ring around the bottom of the skillet, then fill in with the remaining rings. Increase the heat slightly until simmering but not boiling. Do not stir. Cook until the liquid in the pan is caramelized, about 25 minutes. Transfer to the oven and roast until apples are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Let the apples cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle the granola on top. Invert a round dessert platter on top of the pan, and, using 2 towels or potholders, carefully invert unto the platter. If any apples stick to the pan, just remove them and put them in place.
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