3 egg whites (room temp)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
1 cup sugar
Filling: (see below)
2 ½ cups sliced fresh berries (I use strawberries)

Draw a 10-inch circle on plain brown paper or parchment and place on cookie sheet. Combine egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tarter. Beat until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until very stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves. Spread meringue mixture on paper; build sides up taller than center to form a shell. Bake at 300F for 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let meringue dry at least 1 hour (do not open oven door). Remove from oven and carefully lift meringue off of paper; transfer to 12 inch pie plate or similar. Set aside.

Filling:
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoon corn starch
1/3 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks beaten
1 cup whipping cream

In a saucepan combine sugar, corn starch, water and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and gradually stir in eggs and return to heat, cook and stir 2 min more. Remove from heat and let cool, then, cover and chill. To chilled filling add the following: 1-cup whipping cream beaten to soft peaks. Fold into lemon filling and chill before adding to meringue shell. Spoon filling into shell and top with berries.

This recipe comes to us from Harold Wolofsky.

1 Cup of gluten-free flour mix*
1 Cup of sugar
½ teaspoon of xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Cups fresh cranberries (could use Frozen)
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup melted butter or margarine
2 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon almond extract

• In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt and xanthan gum.
• Add cranberries and nuts; toss to coat.
• Stir in the butter, eggs and extract.
• Spread into a greased 9 inch pie plate. If the mixture is too loose add a little more flour.
• Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center come out clean.

Good as is or serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream for that special dessert.

* Bette Hagmans Four Flour Mix (from The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread).
Garfava Bean Flour 2/3 part
Sorghum Flour 1/3 part
Cornstarch 1 part
Tapioca Flour 1 part

7 Granny Smith Apples
½ box/bag yellow or white gluten-free cake mix
grated or chopped nuts
1 stick butter/margarine
½ cup cinnamon/sugar mixture

Peel, core, slice apples. Place apples in 9x13 baker. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture and dry cake mix over apples. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over the top. Add grated or chopped nuts on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

After a lot of trial and error I developed the following Apple Crisp recipe.

7 large granny smith apples
1 cup gluten-free flour
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans
½ teaspoon nutmeg (I use whole nutmeg and grind it)
1 stick butter, melted

Mix together dry ingredients and add melted butter; mix well.

Peel and slice apples and put in a 9 x 9 buttered pan. Spread flour mixture evenly over apples and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Increase heat to 375 and bake until bubbly.

Pie Pastry:

1 ½ cup sifted gluten-free flour *
½ cup soy flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
¼ - ½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Crisco or other shortening
5-7 tablespoons COLD water (I use 7)

Sift flours, xanthan and salt; cut in shortening until likeness of cornmeal; sprinkle in water and mix with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half, rolling each half between sheets of wax paper until dough is about the thickness of 1/8 inch. Place into pie plate, fill with favorite gluten-free filling (fresh currants are not that easy to find) and bake as directed.

* gluten-free flour 6 parts rice flour
2 parts potato starch flour
1 part tapioca starch flour

Fresh Black Currant Filling:
3 Cups fresh Currants (heaping), crush ½ cup.

Mix the crushed berries with 1 ½ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook and stir until bubbly; Cook 2 minutes more. Add remaining whole berries, stir in ½ to 1 teaspoon of grated orange peel and ½-2/3 cup of broken walnuts. Fill pastry with the filling and dot with 2 tablespoons of butter, cover with top pastry making slits for steam to escape. Bake at 400 for about 35 minutes.

1 ½ cups cashews: grind in blender
1 cup water: add to cashew mix, and blend until creamy
1 cup oil: add in a very slow stream, with blender running
¼ cup maple syrup or honey: add
½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (gluten-free brand): add

A very rich whipped topping results. Taste test the topping this way and with the following additional ingredient, to come up with your preferred blend.

1 pkg. soft Nori-Mu tofu: blend with other ingredients (My family prefers this topping with the tofu added, and another benefit is that it goes a little further this way.)

Keeps well in the fridge for a week, anyhow, weve never had it hang about any longer than that! Good on pumpkin pie, or fresh fruit, or on top of a cake. (Totally delicious eaten alone, in the wee hours of the night!)

Active Work Time: 30 minutes
Total Preparation Time: 1 ½ hours plus 2 hours cooling

Grind instant coffee granules in the food processor to make powdered
instant coffee.

½ pound semisweet chocolate chips
12 eggs, separated
½ pound gluten-free powdered sugar
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
1 heaping tablespoon powdered instant coffee
½ pound almonds, finely ground (about 1 ¼ cups)
Butter, for greasing
gluten-free Flour, for preparing pan

Melt chocolate in pan in 250-degree oven or in top of double boiler set over, but not touching, simmering water. Allow to cool.

Place egg yolks and powdered sugar in mixer bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture becomes very light in color and light and creamy in texture, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, cooled chocolate and coffee powder and mix thoroughly. Mix in almonds.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add a little of egg whites to chocolate mixture to lighten it, mixing with mixer at low speed. When mixture is light, pour it over remaining egg whites and fold in.

Grease 9-inch spring form pan and dust with flour. Pour batter into pan.

Bake at 325 degrees until torte starts to shrink slightly from sides of pan and springs back when touched at center, about 1 hour. A cake tester can also be used.

Cool torte in pan about 2 hours. To remove, gently run thin knife along inside edges of pan. Gently release spring and remove sides. Serve torte on spring form bottom, or carefully run large knife blade underneath and gently lift off and onto cake platter.

Frosting:

1 (12-ounce) bag gluten-free semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup whipping cream

Place chocolate chips in 1-quart glass measuring cup and set in 250-degree oven until melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir once or twice while melting.

Pour whipping cream into saucepan and heat until barely simmering. When chocolate is completely melted, add hot cream and immediately start beating on medium high speed until it is thick and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Chill 20 minutes.

Frost torte sides first, then pour remaining frosting on top and spread slightly, but do not overwork. Frosting will spread smoothly.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 605 calories; 88 mg sodium; 288 mg cholesterol; 47 grams fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 1.44 grams fiber.

Heres a great recipe for a lemon meringue pie thats upside down with the meringue as the crust. You could use this same crust for chocolate pudding pie, mud pie or ice cream pie. Its not low calorie, but is very tasty.

Meringue Crust:
Beat until stiff 4 egg whites and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar.
Add gradually ¾ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Spread on well greased 9 pie pan and bake 300 degrees for 1 hour. Cool.

Lemon Filling:
Beat well 4 egg yolks. Add ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind. Cook over low heat until thick, cool in pan. Spread over crust. It doesnt make very much filling, so spread it thin.

Whipped Cream Topping:
Whip 1 plus ½ pint whipping cream, spread over filling, serve.
Store pie in refrigerator up to 24 hours.

Filling:

6-7 medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 can (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce (ocean spray)
¾ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons gluten-free flour mix

Topping:
¼ cup nuts, chopped
1 cup almond flakes (crush by hand)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup gluten-free flour mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
Vanilla ice cream or whipped topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. For filling place apples in 9x13 baker. Combine cranberry sauce, sugar and gluten-free flour: mix well. Pour cranberry mixture over apples, toss to coat evenly. For topping, combine nuts, almonds, brown sugar, gluten-free flour and cinnamon. Add melted butter to ingredients, mix well. Sprinkle topping over fruit mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes or until fruit is tender. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping if desired.

This recipe came from the Sprue-nik Press, which is published by the Tri-County Celiac Sprue Support Group (TCCSSG), a local chapter of CSA/USA located in southeast Michigan.

1/3 cup brown or white rice flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup (5 Tablespoon) butter
1-½ Tablespoon corn starch
1 egg, beaten
1/3 teaspoon salt
½ to 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Have eggs and butter cold for best results. Combine flours, starches, salt, xanthan gum, and sugar into a mixing bowl. Cut cold butter into slices and then work it into the flour mixture with hands or a pastry cutter until the dough feels slightly moist and begins to hold together.

Add the beaten egg and vinegar to the flour mixture and stir with a spoon or fork until it begins to stiffen. The dough will be quite soft at first but will firm up. Is it firms up, form it into a ball and work it a little with your hands. Use a little tapioca flour if necessary to keep your hands from getting sticky.

Roll the dough out between two pieces of wax paper, turning and peeling off paper as necessary to smooth out wrinkles. Leave the paper on the pie dough to turn it. When it is ready for a pie pan, peel the top layer of paper off, hold the lightly greased pan over the dough, and slip your other hand under the bottom paper and dough. Lift it into the pan as you flip it all over.

Smooth the dough into the pan before removing the wax paper. Again peel it off; dont lift it off. Crimp edges as desired. Prick with a fork if a baked pie shell is desired and bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

Double the ingredients for a two-crust pie. Dont attempt to fold the top pie crust. A two-crust pie will bake one hour or a bit longer.

This recipe comes from Lifeline, Summer 1996, pg. 5. It is Lily Mae Pattens recipe.

Blend rice flour, salt, and shortening in bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, with mixer on low speed, gradually add potato flour to water--or use a small whisk. Pour the potato flour mixture over the rice flour mixture and work in with spoon. Then knead into a ball with as few strokes as possible. Either press across bottom and upside of your pan or roll between 2 pieces of wax paper that is dusted with rice flour. (I thought it worked better to pat it in the pan or between wax papers with fingers.) Flute edges and use for un-baked crust or bake and then fill with filling.

The following recipe comes to us from Oliver.

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 unbaked pastry shell (10 inches)

Gluten-Free Filling:
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
1 ½ cups half-and-half cream
Additional chopped pecans, optional

Combine the pecans, sugar and butter; press into the bottom of pie shell. Prick sides of pastry with a fork. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes; cool for 5 minutes. Combine first eight filling ingredients; stir in pumpkin. Gradually add cream. Pour into pie shell. If desired, sprinkle chopped pecans on top.

Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 8-10 servings.