Baking with Gluten-Free Flour

During the shelter in place order I did a lot of baking.
As I looked for new recipes I also looked into using different kinds of flours such as oat flour, spelt flour or chickpea flour.

One of them was gluten-free flour.

It usually consists of almond flour, rice flour, potato starch, etc..., depending on the producer. 
I assume this flour was developed for people with gluten allergy but I thought that I could probably use this for recipes which I wanted to avoid developing gluten.

To compare with regular flour I chose to make Cornish pasties which I’d been making often recently.

The flour I used is King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour.

With this flour I made the shortcrust pastry dough with flour (mixed the gluten-free flour and pastry flour with 3:1 ratio), butter, salt and cold water.

The dough was hard to come together so I had to mix a lot. I didn’t need to worry about developing gluten but still tried to work quick because I didn’t want the butter to melt.

Folding the dough into the Cornish pasties shape was the hardest part.

The dough was very crumbly and kept breaking every time I tried to fold.

I somehow managed to shape them and finished baking.

From the look it was just like the Cornish pastry I usually make.
And the flavor was like my usual Cornish pasties, too.
The texture was flaky, also almost same as the dough made with regular flour, maybe with a little bit of powdery feel.

The pastry stayed flaky even after I kneaded longer than for regular pastry dough and tasted good. 

It was just so crumbly that I don't know if I want to use this for the pastry dough again.


After working hard, I needed to treat myself with nice pairing with wine.

Bodegas Vegalfaro La Grava 2018
Spanish red wine made with 85% Bobal and 15% Macabeo.

Ripe red fruits of wine and sweetness of pork were good together.


I used this flour for other baking to experiment further.
It didn’t make good sablé (shortbread cookies). The texture was wrong - it was almost mushy.
But I found the satisfying result with granola cookies and cake salé.

Wines from the Mediterranean region

As COVID-19 vaccinations progress things are gradually going back to normal and wine tasting events start to be seen here and there.

There was a tasting of wines from Mediterranean countries in San Francisco. 

The wines are from Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Spain.

The area facing the Mediterranean sea has the Mediterranean climate which means that the climate is relatively mild with low temperature difference throughout the year and the dry growing season. 

Although there is a risk of drought, the dry summer lowers the incidence of vine diseases and the warm temperature and sun can contribute to ripe fruits and full bodied wine.

Domaine Spiropoulos Ode de Panos Sparkling Brut 2019

Organic sparkling wine from Peloponnese, Greece.

Floral aromas of dried red and white flowers, spice, incense and stone fruits. 

Soft mouthfeel with sweetness and bitterness of citrus in aftertaste. 

Pikasi Pinela 2019

This is my first time to try a wine from Slovenia. Exciting!

Pikasi makes naturally fermented wine with indigenous grape varieties and Pinela is one of them.

Texture is rich and the citrus zest-like aftertaste gives crispness.

Zlatan Pošip 2018

Zlatan Otok is a winery in Croatia by the Adriatic Sea. 

Pošip is a white indigenous grape variety of Croatia.

Easy to drink, likable wine with aromas and flavors of citrus and stone fruits 

Jean Diot NV Rose

Jean Diot is a Champagne producer with very small production.

Complex aromas and flavors of mushroom, strawberry and cherry with long pleasant finish.

Cascina delle Rose

This is a family-owned winery in Barbaresco.

Their Nebbiolo vines are grown on the steep hillside vineyards and tended carefully by hand. Wines are fermented with natural yeast and aged in botti (large oak barrels).

 

Langhe Nebbiolo 2016

Beautiful aromas of dried flowers. High, powdery tannin. 

Barbaresco Tre Stelle 2015

Concentrated aromas of tea and dried flowers which is balanced with high tannin.

Barbaresco Rio Sordo 2017

Elegant wine with aromas and flavors of dried flowers and red and black cherries which are ripe but not overripe.

Thymiopoulos Vineyards Earth & Sky

Thymiopoulos is the first certified biodynamic winery in Naoussa, Greece.

Beautiful Xinomavro (indigenous red grape variety from Greece) with a good structure. 

Tannin is high but balanced with ripe concentrated red fruits, which makes this wine approachable and very enjoyable.

Anatolikos Vineyards Natural Orange 2019

Anatolikos is an organic wine producer in Thrace, Greece. 

Their wines are not only organic, also vegan.

Uplifting aromas of orange, orange flowers and marshmallow. 

The wine finishes with tiny bitterness.

Danielle Conterno is the fourth generation of the wine producing family from Piemonte, Italy.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2019

Grapes are from younger vines but wine has a good structure, which is balanced with ripe red fruits.

Barolo 2016

Rich aromas of red fruits, flowers and spices.

Powerful wine with high but soft tannin. 

Barolo Panerole 2016

Ripe tannin is balanced with the presence of delicate yet lively red flower, fruits, herb and tea.

Wine with power and elegance.

These are only few of the wines I tried at the tasting.

Most of the wines I had there were enjoyable with vibrant fruits and ripe tannin.

I especially enjoyed wines from Croatia and Slovenia.

They are still hard to find but definitely worth to try!

Cristom Vineyards

When I first met JC we both liked wine but were poor students.

His go-to wine country was Livermore Valley (relatively affordable wine) and my go-to wine was whatever cheapest on the store shelf.

One summer, on the way back from attending his friend’s wedding in Washington state, we decided to drive through the Willamette valley in Oregon and visit as many wineries as possible.

Weather was beautiful, scenery was gorgeous and people were great. We enjoyed all wineries: their stories, their hospitality and of course their wines.
Especially two wineries, Cristom and Bethel Heights, stood out among them.

At the wineries they explained how terroir would affect wine as we tasted wines from different vineyards and I was really impressed by the fact that the same grape variety from the same producer could end up in wines with such different styles.
It was so impressive that I bought bottles of wine which costed more than $40.00 for the first time in my life.

Recently I had a chance to taste Cristom again when JC brought home these three bottles.

Cristom Vineyards is a family owned winery in Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon.
Eola-Amity Hills is a sub AVA of Willamette Valley AVA, on the west bank of the Willamette river. There, cooling influence from the Pacific Ocean and sites sheltered by hills provide varied conditions for wine making, and Cristom doesn't waste this advantage.



Eola-Amity Hills  Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2019
Fresh aromas of herbs, citrus, stone fruits, subtle nuts and caramel.

Round texture.

Clean bitterness of citrus zest stays in aftertaste


Eola-Amity Hills Willamette Valley Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
Eileen vineyard experiences the cooling Pacific Ocean wind which prolongs the growing season. This helps to develop flavor while retaining freshness in fruits.

Decadence of ripe dark cherry, plum, coffee, red flowers and candied rose petals. Rich aromas and flavors are balanced with acidity.

Smooth texture with fine tannin. 

Long pleasant finish.


Eola-Amity Hills Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée 2019
Mt. Jefferson Cuvée is a blend of grapes from their own vineyards and neighboring vineyards who partner with Cristom.

Preserved strawberry which is ripe but not jammy. Black cherry, spice and cedar box.
Good structure with powdery tannin. Full body.


It was more than ten years ago when I first tasted their wine as a wine novice. Since then I had opportunities to try great wines from all over the world.
When JC brought home bottles of Cristom I was a little afraid that I might not have found the spark which intrigued me years ago but that concern was needless. 

Their wines are still impressive.