Apple Salsa

3 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 sweet apples (Golden Delicious) peeled, cored, and chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, minced (1 teaspoon dried)
        

Stir sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add chopped apples, cover pan, and reduce heat; cook gently till apples are very soft.  Mash them with a potato masher until practically smooth.  Stir in oregano.  Refrigerate, serve chilled.  Makes 1 1/2 cups.  Good with sausage.

Gluten Free Cream Puffs

1 1/4 cups white rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk or dairy free milk
1 cup water
6 Tablespoons butter cut into 1-inch pieces
4 large eggs at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Combine the flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, sugar and salt in a medium bowl,  Combine the milk, water, and butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.

Add  the dry ingredients and beat briskly with a wooden spoon until thoroughly incorporated.  Return the saucepan to the stove and reduce heat to low.  The mixture will begin to pull away from the side of the pan.  Stir for 3 to 4 minutes more, letting any moisture evaporate.

Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature about 5 minutes or until cooled slightly.  Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring briskly after each addition until the egg is thoroughly incorporated.

Form the dough into 2-Tablespoon-sized mounds, and drop onto the baking sheets, leaving 1 to 2 inches between puffs.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes longer, rotating the pans halfway through.  Turn off the oven and prop open the oven door slightly.  Let the puffs cool in the oven for an additional 30 minutes.

Remove the puffs from the oven and make a small slit in the side of each puff to allow the steam to escape.  Let cool completely.  Serve filled with whipped cream or ice cream and topped with chocolate or berry sauce.

TIM'S NOTES: Traditional cream puffs are split, doughy filling removed and dried in the oven.  If you wanted to do this, when you leave the oven door open and let them sit for 30 minutes would be a good time to do this.  I didn't do this, and they were okay.  I think you need to do that with bigger puffs.  These are fairly small.  Not sure why you have to make a slit to allow the steam to escape, either.  After sitting 30 minutes in the oven to cool, there didn't seem to be any steam.  I didn't do this.  When you split them to fill, you might want to scoop out the doughy insides.  The recipe calls for sweet fillings, but savory fillings would work as well.