It's been a long time since my husband's had any. You can imagine how cranky a man might get having gone that many years without it. It borders on cruelty and it certainly can't be good for his health - mental or physical. I won't even attempt to grapple in the spiritual implications of going that long without that which is so vital to a Norwegian man's very identity.
That's right. The poor man has gone at least five years without so much as a nibble of LEFSE! The horror! The shame! It is a secret we have had to keep from his Minnesota and Wisconsin relatives. We hide it like the Amish romances I poured over while I was in Haiti awaiting the completion of our kids' adoption (Did I just write that out loud?). Oh be still. The Amish are a very romantic people.
Gramma, just before her planned trip out to sew some things for the kids, casually mentioned that she had just made a whole batch of lefse. It would have been a cruel admission had she not thrown in that she'd be happy to bring along the lefse accouterments so that we could attempt a gluten-free, dairy-free version. First, she had to pack them under the dark of night, hiding them beneath blankets, lest any of her Minnesota neighbors learn that she might be attempting to alter the lefse recipe in any manner. I am sure it borders on blasphemy to remove flour and cream, two Minnesota Norwegian staples rivaled only by green Jell-o in their popularity, from the recipe.
But brave Gramma, she who unabashedly consumes spicy food on a regular basis, was ripe for the challenge. She arrived with grill, lefse roller, lefse rolling board and cloth, and those funky lefse flipping thingys. We supplied the potatoes.
Together (and, by "together", I mean that I suggested the cashew cream, vegan butter, type of flour and, with the help of some online recipes, she thought of everything else), we came up with an answer to my gluten-free husband's prayers: Gluten-free, dairy-free LEFSE!
Not having eaten lefse in five years, I could not tell the difference between this recipe and the authentic version. Having eaten lefse just days before, my mother-in-law thought this was a bit different, but still very good. My husband was in heaven and the kids LOVED it. We had it with melted Earth Balance and brown sugar.
If you don't eat it all in one sitting, I suggest storing it in sealed containers and microwaving slightly when ready to eat.
I am not going to attempt to explain how to actually cook the lefse. I am of Irish descent so it would be wrong. Instead, I'll link you to an authentic web site to show you how to do everything after the initial preparation. I will also admit that this recipe is largely for those who have made/had lefse in the past (prior to going gluten-free) and are familiar with the original texture and feel. It's hard to know if you are close to getting it right if you've never done it before. Trust me on this one.
As they say in Norway, Tar dere kredittkort ? (which I believe translates to "Do you take credit cards?" It's the only phrase I could find in a pinch.)
Gluten-free, Dairy-free Lefse
serves between 1 and 20, depending on how much you can eat and how much you are willing to share
5 lbs. of Idaho Russet Potatoes (about 7 cups), riced (that's right, riced -- my mother-in-law had the kids rice it in the meat grinder that was her mother's and was still in the original box with the 1950's housewife on it) or mashed
7 t. xanthan gum (This is vital! It's what keeps the dough together. If you find your dough not sticking when you roll it out, sprinkle in more 1/4 t. at a time)
1/2-3/4 c. cashew cream and a little water (refrigerate 1 c. raw whole cashews just covered with water overnight. Rinse. Just cover with water again and pour in the blender. Blend until very very creamy. Measure out the amount you need. When making the dough, add about 1/4 c. cream and 1 T. water at a time until you get the right feel)
3 c. white rice flour (roughly)
1/2 c. (plus a little more as needed) melted Earth Balance (we used the Soy-free Vegan version)
2 t. salt.
potato flour for rolling (per MIL, a mixture of white rice flour AND potato four)
A few notes:
You will want to put the potatoes, flour, salt, and xanthan gum all together and mix. Add your liquids a little at a time and combine with your hands. You will start to notice it feeling like lefse dough. You can test a small ball by rolling it out in the potato flour and baking on the griddle.
The griddle works best at 475 degrees.
VERY IMPORTANT: This dough works best after you have let it sit a bit. At the beginning of the process, we (and by "we", I mean my husband and his mother) had to make very small lefse, lest they break. After it sat for over an hour, we could roll out large pieces from golf-ball sized pieces of dough.
And now, I take you to a video with a woman who actually knows what she is doing. Just replace her ingredients with the ones listed above and have at it!!
Lefse Making Tutorial
We enjoyed our lefse with some chips and guacamole on the side, while listening to Haitian music. We are thinking of adding lefse to our New Year's menu of Haitian Soup Joumou. If we also add Irish scones, everyone will be covered.
That's right. The poor man has gone at least five years without so much as a nibble of LEFSE! The horror! The shame! It is a secret we have had to keep from his Minnesota and Wisconsin relatives. We hide it like the Amish romances I poured over while I was in Haiti awaiting the completion of our kids' adoption (Did I just write that out loud?). Oh be still. The Amish are a very romantic people.
Gramma, just before her planned trip out to sew some things for the kids, casually mentioned that she had just made a whole batch of lefse. It would have been a cruel admission had she not thrown in that she'd be happy to bring along the lefse accouterments so that we could attempt a gluten-free, dairy-free version. First, she had to pack them under the dark of night, hiding them beneath blankets, lest any of her Minnesota neighbors learn that she might be attempting to alter the lefse recipe in any manner. I am sure it borders on blasphemy to remove flour and cream, two Minnesota Norwegian staples rivaled only by green Jell-o in their popularity, from the recipe.
But brave Gramma, she who unabashedly consumes spicy food on a regular basis, was ripe for the challenge. She arrived with grill, lefse roller, lefse rolling board and cloth, and those funky lefse flipping thingys. We supplied the potatoes.
Together (and, by "together", I mean that I suggested the cashew cream, vegan butter, type of flour and, with the help of some online recipes, she thought of everything else), we came up with an answer to my gluten-free husband's prayers: Gluten-free, dairy-free LEFSE!
Not having eaten lefse in five years, I could not tell the difference between this recipe and the authentic version. Having eaten lefse just days before, my mother-in-law thought this was a bit different, but still very good. My husband was in heaven and the kids LOVED it. We had it with melted Earth Balance and brown sugar.
If you don't eat it all in one sitting, I suggest storing it in sealed containers and microwaving slightly when ready to eat.
I am not going to attempt to explain how to actually cook the lefse. I am of Irish descent so it would be wrong. Instead, I'll link you to an authentic web site to show you how to do everything after the initial preparation. I will also admit that this recipe is largely for those who have made/had lefse in the past (prior to going gluten-free) and are familiar with the original texture and feel. It's hard to know if you are close to getting it right if you've never done it before. Trust me on this one.
As they say in Norway, Tar dere kredittkort ? (which I believe translates to "Do you take credit cards?" It's the only phrase I could find in a pinch.)
Gluten-free, Dairy-free Lefse
serves between 1 and 20, depending on how much you can eat and how much you are willing to share
5 lbs. of Idaho Russet Potatoes (about 7 cups), riced (that's right, riced -- my mother-in-law had the kids rice it in the meat grinder that was her mother's and was still in the original box with the 1950's housewife on it) or mashed
7 t. xanthan gum (This is vital! It's what keeps the dough together. If you find your dough not sticking when you roll it out, sprinkle in more 1/4 t. at a time)
1/2-3/4 c. cashew cream and a little water (refrigerate 1 c. raw whole cashews just covered with water overnight. Rinse. Just cover with water again and pour in the blender. Blend until very very creamy. Measure out the amount you need. When making the dough, add about 1/4 c. cream and 1 T. water at a time until you get the right feel)
3 c. white rice flour (roughly)
1/2 c. (plus a little more as needed) melted Earth Balance (we used the Soy-free Vegan version)
2 t. salt.
potato flour for rolling (per MIL, a mixture of white rice flour AND potato four)
A few notes:
You will want to put the potatoes, flour, salt, and xanthan gum all together and mix. Add your liquids a little at a time and combine with your hands. You will start to notice it feeling like lefse dough. You can test a small ball by rolling it out in the potato flour and baking on the griddle.
The griddle works best at 475 degrees.
VERY IMPORTANT: This dough works best after you have let it sit a bit. At the beginning of the process, we (and by "we", I mean my husband and his mother) had to make very small lefse, lest they break. After it sat for over an hour, we could roll out large pieces from golf-ball sized pieces of dough.
And now, I take you to a video with a woman who actually knows what she is doing. Just replace her ingredients with the ones listed above and have at it!!
Lefse Making Tutorial
We enjoyed our lefse with some chips and guacamole on the side, while listening to Haitian music. We are thinking of adding lefse to our New Year's menu of Haitian Soup Joumou. If we also add Irish scones, everyone will be covered.
- Lefse!
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