gf-cf and other food fun

is there anyone left who can eat absolutely anything? besides me, i mean. my sister is vegan, my son is allergic to oats, my husband is allergic to oats and eggplants.

a kid in our neighbourhood just started a gf-cf diet after being diagnosed on the autistic spectrum, so i've been thinking about recipes he could enjoy (almond milk ice cream springs instantly to mind) and yesterday was a co-worker's birthday, so i got to try one of them out. she's not gf-cf, but has food sensitivities including cows' milk, wheat/gluten, tree nuts, citrus fruits, and other things i can't remember right now.

this lovely chocolate cake is rich and moist and flourless, and shockingly easy to make. the original recipe calls for butter, but i made it with earth balance vegan margarine and it worked perfectly and tasted delish! i also threw in a pinch of vanilla salt - salt is an essential addition to most things made with vegan margarine, because it doesn't have the saltiness of butter or margarine with whey. and salt intensifies flavours wonderfully.

there is a story behind this recipe that i don't properly remember - something about a fishmonger in a small french village that was also renowned for selling this cake, and then had an extramarital affair with someone, and the cuckolded spouse got revenge by giving the recipe to all in the town so no one needed to go to the fishmonger for cake anymore. or something.

gateau au chocolat a la ocean

8 oz bittersweet chocolate
8 oz butter or margarine
6 eggs
3 oz white sugar

melt together the chocolate and fat. allow to cool.

beat the eggs with the sugar until very fluffy (n.b. i made this once or twice before whisking by hand, and doing so is utterly deadly. last night i used the kitchen aid whisk, and beat the eggs to four times their quantity with no effort at all! it did take a longish while to get there, though)

fold the melted chocolate gently into the eggs.

pour into a 9" springform pan lined with waxed paper, bake at 325F or 350F for 30 or 40 minutes (the original recipe said 35 for 20 minutes, but that has never worked for me! it also didn't specify what size springform pan, maybe 350F for 20 minutes works for a larger size?) until the top looks a little dry and it is no longer super wiggly.

the cake starts out high, but sinks as it cools into a dense, rich cake.