Eating Around the World (From Home....And Gluten Free...): United States

Welcome to the United States! Land that I love! We thought that it was fitting to do this country on July 4, and had several friends and family members over to share the meal. Did you know that the United States is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas? How about that the United States is the only country that has all of Earth's five climate zones: tropical, dry, temperate, continental, and polar? There are so many national parks and amazing things to see and do in the United States. According to Google, the population is 331.89 million people and the capital is Washington DC. The national dish is...

Hamburgers, Brownies, and Apple Pie!

That's right! I was a little surprised. I thought perhaps hot dogs or Thanksgiving turkey meal. Turns out, this national dish is the perfect 4th of July meal as well! Personally, I think these things are best when eaten outside on the deck or patio with a group of people, but I digress. It was a busy day of cooking; here's what I did:

HAMBURGERS

1 lb ground beef

1 tbsp hamburger seasoning (recipe here)

1 egg

3 tbsp butter, grated

Preheat your grill.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Careful not to squeeze or over mix. This will make the burger tough.
Separate into 1/3 or 1/4 lb sections.
Shape each section into a disc, with the center being thinner than the edges.
Grill, flipping once or twice, until the burger is your level of doneness.
Serve with toppings of your choice (buns, lettuce, tomato, dill pickle, ketchup, mustard, mayo, BBQ sauce, bacon, onions, grilled jalapenos, cheese, etc.)

(Source: Laurie!)

BROWNIES

3/4 C plus 2 tbsp gluten free flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthum gum

7 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

8 tbsp butter, cut into pieces

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 C sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Make a foil sling for an 8-inch baking pan and spray with vegetable oil.
Whisk flour, salt, and xanthum gum together in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate, butter and cocoa in a bowl at 50% power, stirring often until melted and smooth.
In a separate large bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla together.
Whisk chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
Stir in the flour mixture into the chocolate egg mixture, using a rubber spatula, until combined.
Scrape batter into baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the brownies cool completely - these are not super when warm. Don't skip this step!
Cut into squares and serve!

(Source: America's Test Kitchen "How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook")

APPLE PIE

Pie Crust - Double Crust

5 tbsp ice water

3 tbsp sour cream

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 3/4 C plus 2 tbsp gluten free flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthum gum

16 tbsp butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and placed in freezer for 15 minutes

Combine ice water, sour cream, and vinegar together in a bowl.
Process flour, sugar, salt, and xanthum gum together in a food processor until combined.
Scatter the butter over top and pulse mixture until butter is size of large peas, about 10 pulses.
Pour half of sour cream mixture over the flour mixture and pulse until incorporated.
Pour remaining sour cream mixture over flour mixture and pulse until dough just comes together.
Divide dough into 2 even pieces.
Turn each piece of dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a 5-inch disc.
Wrap each piece tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Before rolling out the dough, let dough sit on the counter to soften slightly, about 15 minutes.

Apple Pie - Deep Dish

2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 1/2 pounds Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 C plus 1 tsp sugar

1/4 C packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Toss apples, 1/2 C sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cinnamon together in a pot.
Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes, or until apples are tender when poked with a fork. (Apples and juices should be gently simmering.)
Transfer the apples and juices to a rimmed baking sheet and let them cool to room temp, about 30 minutes.
Drain apples thoroughly in a colander.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and set a lined baking sheet on bottom rack.
Roll one pie crust disc into a 12-inch circle between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap.
Remove the top plastic, and gently invert dough over a 9-inch pie plate.
Remove the remaining plastic, and press dough to the plate.
Spread apples into the dough-lined pie plate, mounding slightly in the middle.
Roll the other pie crust disc into a 12-inch circle between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap.
Gently invert the top crust over the filling and remove the plastic.
Pinch edges together around the rim of the pie plate.
Cut 4 2-inch slits in the top (or use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes).
Brush the top of the pie with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon sugar.
Place the pie on the preheated baking dish and cook until crust is dark brown, about 55 minutes.
Let cool to room temperature, and serve!

(Source: America's Test Kitchen "How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook")

The verdict? How can you go wrong?! We enjoyed the burgers so much that I didn't get a picture. I didn't get a picture of the toppings either. But really. You can do so much with burgers! Personally, I did a lettuce wrap instead of a bun, cheese, and BBQ sauce. I did add a grilled jalapeno - yowza! That gave it a nice kick! Handsome Husband put a little bit of everything on his...The brownies were very cakey and fudgy - just like a brownie should be! The littles that were running around loved them, so I guess they were good! I had never made an apple pie before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it was slightly dry, but the texture was good. One of our friends requested to take the rest home, so it couldn't have been that bad! We cooked for 15 people, so I did double the brownies, made two pies, and used 9 pounds of ground beef, but I figured for purposes of this blog, the "normal" quantities would suffice. It was a long day of cooking (HH note: quite an understatement!), but so worth it in the end!