News! News! News! ...And Apple Pie

Having a blog, a fully functioning blog, requires a lot of work. And updates. And promoting. And cross promoting. And...and...It's enough to make a girl curl up on her couch with a cup of coffee and a gluten free cookie, hiding from her laptop by watching endless marathons of House. 

But hard work pays off, in the kitchen and on the Internet. So I'm pleased to announce the following:

1) Some how the good, good people at foodbuzz.com got a hold of my lowly domain and decided to invite me to be a featured publisher. I'm honored. Foodbuzz is this really awesome clearinghouse of the best food blogs on the web. Whether you're looking for great pictures, searching for food events and restaurants in your area, or trying to find a great recipe, foodbuzz.com is where you need to be. And the fact that being a foodbuzz publisher will give me the opportunity to have my gluten free adventures featured on their front page at times or included in their newsletters is really, really cool. So check the website out, buzz Dana is Gluten Free In Cleveland, be my friend, vote for the this website...and really do checkout the rest of the site, though it's best viewed on a full stomach, lest you get intense cravings for gourmet cuisine. 

2) In addition to the new layout (new banner, new lefty layout, like it? hate it? let me know), you may have noticed the email subscription button. That's right, you can now get updates on all the Gluten Free goings on of Cleveland straight in your inbox. It's never been so easy to stay up to date. 

3) The North East Ohio Celiac Support Group has finalized a date for their Holiday Cookie Exchange. It will be November 30th from 2-4 PM, with the location still TBA. But do pencil it in to your datebook, I know I am. 

Okay, new business aside, I promised Apple Pie and gosh darn it, I will deliver. 

As far as the pie crust goes, I used Gluten Free Pantry's Perfect Pie Crust mix. I really like it. Flakey and light, it's got just the right pie crust texture. Each box makes enough dough for two pies, and the unused dough freezer really well. Not only do I recommend it, I have pumpkin pie plans in my future. 

There are two downsides to the mix. The first is it doesn't quite brown well. It tastes great, but it might not reach that golden brown pie glow. Secondly, it requires a lot of shortening. ...To be fair though, almost all pie crust requires shortening. If you're a trans-fat-a-phobe, like me...and like anyone with heart should be, shortening is not a word you want to hear. Enter the good people at Beyond Organic's Jungle Product's, Inc. and their Jungle Shortening (not listed anywhere one the website, but available in Whole Foods, I swear). Jungle Shortening is non hydrogenated palm oil and, though still fat, is a far, far better option for you and your pie. 

If you don't want to use a mix (and you don't want to buy a premade one from Whole Foods), there's been lots of buzz on gluten free pie crusts in the gluten-free-blogosphere and I encourage you to check it out. Find your favorite completely from scratch pie crust recipe or get inspired and make your own! Ginger Lemon Girl's looks particularly yummy, I must say. 

A final note about the pie. I don't say this a lot, but this is the BEST apple pie filling I have ever made in my life. My taste testers agreed. The. Best. 

Double Crust Amaretto Apple Pie

2 balls of GF pie dough, or a pre made gluten free pie (though, unless you have pie dough lying around, this means you'll end up with a single crust pie) 

6 apples, peeled and sliced - I used three MacIntosh and three JonaMacs

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1/3rd cup of white sugar

1/3rd cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of vanilla

2 tablespoons of amaretto liquor 

2 tablespoons of all purpose GF flour

1 teaspoon of cinnamon 

1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon of cream (or half and half or milk)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Roll out one of the balls of pie dough and evenly cover an 8 or 9 inch pie pan with it. 

Combine apples with all of the above ingredients and mix well until all apples are covered in a sticky, cinnamon-y, sugary syrup. Transfer the apple mixture to the pie pan. Roll out the the second ball of pie dough and cover the apples with the dough, pinching the two crusts together where they meet along the edge. 

Beat the egg yolk with the cream and brush (or pour and use your fingers) the mixture over the top pie crust. Vent the top by slitting the top crust in several places. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. 

Final note, though when I took the pie out of the oven, and cut into it's apple goodness, I discovered there was about an inch of sugary liquid sitting at the bottom. I don't know why, I don't know how, but it was there. I ended up using a ladle to get some of the liquid out before very carefully pouring some of it out over the sink. And as frustrating as it was, it meant that the cinnamon, amaretto, and sugar soaked through to the bottom crust, making it particularly delicious.