Rice Flour

RICE FLOUR

Rice flour is actually a relatively new ingredient to me as a cook.  I just recently used it for the first time when experimenting with making a ‘flourless’ chocolate cake for people who desire gluten free foods.  The cake turned out really nice and this intrigued me to learn and experiment more with this versatile ingredient.  Rice flour is used heavily in Asia and India, which is really no surprise considering they are the biggest producers of rice in the world.  It is high in protein and fiber, two essential things for a healthy and well balanced diet.  Both protein and fiber help one to not feel ‘hungry’ all the time and leaves you with a feeling of satisfaction and so called ‘fullness’ after a meal. 

I’ve developed and listed below a seared tuna recipe and a pancake recipe using brown rice flour.  The recipe for the seared tuna is a little involved and will take some time, but it will be well worth it, enjoy!

Rice Flour Crusted Seared Tuna with Brussel Sprout Puree, Red Wine Poached Baby Carrots and Soy Agave Reduction

1 lb fresh tuna steaks

1 cup brown rice flour

1/8 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/8 cup toasted flax seeds

Salt & Pepper to taste

Olive Oil

10 oz bag brussel sprouts

¼ cup heavy cream

½ cup water

juice of 1 lemon

1-2 cloves garlic, rough chopped (depending on it’s strength)

1/2 chopped shallot

2 Tbs honey

1 Tbs salt

2 cups baby carrots

1 cup red wine

¼ cup cider vinegar

½ cup water, or enough to barely cover carrots

1/8 cup brown sugar

½ tsp salt

1/8 cup agave nectar

¼ cup soy sauce

Brussel Sprout Puree

- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add brussel sprouts, cook until tender (Approximately 8 minutes), strain.

- Meanwhile sauté your shallot and garlic in a sauté pan with a little oil until soft.

- In a blender or food processor combine brussel sprouts, water, cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper, honey, garlic and shallot.  Blend until smooth (if needed add more liquid to get to consistency).  Season as necessary, strain through a mesh strainer.

Note: As a general consensus I feel like people don’t like brussel sprouts.  If prepared correctly they can be delicious and I think this puree is a fun way to eat them without really even realizing it!

Glazed Baby Carrots

In a shallow sauté pan combine carrots, wine, brown sugar, vinegar salt and water (should barely cover carrots), bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until carrots are tender and liquid has thickened (About 35 minutes).

Agave Soy Glaze

Combine Agave and soy sauce, reduce until a syrupy consistency is reached (10-15 minutes)

Seared Tuna

- Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat with olive oil.

- Combine rice flour, salt, pepper and toasted seeds in a shallow pan

- Salt tuna filets; roll filets in rice mixture so all sides are covered.

- Once pan is hot (oil should be slightly smoking) add tuna to the pan, sear on each    

   side for 30 seconds or until crust is golden brown.

To assemble:

Spoon puree on the bottom of the plate, slice tuna into thin slices and lay on top of puree.  Add a spoonful of carrots and drizzle soy reduction over the top.

Pumpkin Rice Flour Pancakes with Honey Butter

3 eggs

2 egg whites, whipped until light and fluffy

1 cup brown rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup yellow cake mix (optional, just gives it a little sweetness)

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ cup pumpkin puree, fresh or canned

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean

1 tbs honey or agave

pinch of salt

- Pre-heat skillet or griddle to low-meduim low    heat

- Beat egg whites with a hand or standing mixer, set aside

- Whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon nutmeg an salt

- Combine whole eggs, vanilla, pumpkin and honey

- Combine wet and dry ingredients

- Gently fold in egg whites

- Laddle batter onto pan, flip when bubbles form around the edges or when golden brown

Notes:

- Adding fluffy beaten egg whites will help to lighten the batter.  Rice flour is a denser texture than all-purpose flour and it can have a tougher bite to it.  The egg whites help to soften that bite just a touch.

- You can substitute mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin for another fun fall spin on this recipe!

Honey Butter

¼ cup honey

1 stick butter

Combine honey room temperature butter either by hand or with a stand or hand mixer, chill and serve over pancakes.