Gluten Free Almond Danish

This is one that I tried before I got my final diagnosis, and before I started pondering a gluten-free blog.  I think in the future I'll try to take pictures of the process, but this time all you get is the final product!

The development of this recipe came from the recollection that the dough resembled that of cream puffs.  I whipped out my trusty search engine and began looking for a gluten free cream puff recipe.  I knew that the best gluten free flour mixes contain 1 part flour and 1 part starch.  I also knew that ready made gluten free "all purpose" mixes really didn't do the trick.  Why?!?  No GF flour mix is truly "all purpose" because every type of flour has a different property.  The goal is to find the right balance between these properties for the type of dough you are creating.  A cream puff dough has a different consistency than a bread dough or a muffin dough, and so on.  Once I found a combination that seemed about right, I substituted it into a pre-existing recipe from Taste of Home.  (link further down)  And voila!  I burnt those toasted almonds a little...  too much multi-tasking in the kitchen for me!

Gluten Free Almond Danish

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup cold water, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 eggs

Frosting

• 1-1/2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 4 teaspoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch. Mix well.
• In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour mixture and salt; cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons cold water; stir with a fork until blended. Shape dough into a ball; divide in half. Place on separate ungreased baking sheets.  Roll into 12" by 3" sheets, using white rice flour to prevent sticking.  The edges won't be perfectly smooth, but aim for a thin, evenly spread dough.
• In a large saucepan, bring remaining butter and water to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in extract and remaining flour until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.
• Spread over rectangles.  This worked best when I wet my fingertips and used them to spread the mixture.  Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire racks.
• For frosting, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, water and extract; beat until smooth. Spread over pastries; sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 2 pastries 

Adapted from Taste of Home.