by Donna Cain
We have been innkeepers now for over 11 years , and I remember in the beginning being so scared when we had guests visit us with gluten allergies. We had one particular guests that came with her mom who was severely allergic. Back then the markets did not have the wonderful products that are available today. This particular guest was a teenager and I felt so bad that such a young person was limited in what she could eat. So with her mom’s guidance I started baking yummy breakfasts and desserts for her. I was especially careful not to have any flour products out at the same time and always lined our toaster with tin foil to ensure no cross contamination. Since then I have taken advantage of thew many new products available to make wonderful muffins, pancakes, waffles, cookies, brownies and tarts for our gluten free guests.
We make many tarts over the summer season and landed on this great recipe that includes strawberries, blueberries and almonds.
Gluten free Strawberry Tart
6 eggs, separated at room temperature
1 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 pints strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
1/2 cup blueberries
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds
Serves 8. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a removable bottom tart pan. In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of water on high speed until thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes. Fold in the Almond flour and thyme into the yolks. In a clean bowl whip the egg whites and sugar until medium peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Add a large tablespoon of the whites into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it and fold the remaining egg whites into the mixture and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tart pan. Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 5-8 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on a rack to cool. Melt the marmalade in the microwave until it is runny and brush the top of the tart with half of the mixture. Lay the strawberries on the glaze in a circle starting on the outside and ending with a mound in the middle. Fill gap with blueberries. Glaze the fruit with the remaining warm marmalade. Sprinkle with almonds and garnish with thyme sprig.
Yum…..just sorry I did not take a picture the last time we made this.
We have gotten in the habit of leaving a new gluten free baked good in our guest’s room every afternoon. Always love to hear their happy comments in the morning.
Here’s to all of our gluten free guest’s loving their food while staying at the Captain Freeman Inn.
