PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN
I love the simple joy of having so many friends gather together around our table for our annual Harvest Gathering. Each person represents a unique perspective, diverse creativity and offers amazing gifts to the world. 
As it turns out, my circle of friends makes me feel somewhat more “normal” when it comes to having food allergies and sensitivities. I have a lot of them, but try not to let them take centre stage in my life or in entertaining. I truly believe that being and eating healthy shouldn’t have to be a neurotic chore. So this year – in favour of my new gluten-free adventure as well as others around the table who cannot eat gluten – I reached out to the lovely people at Cup 4 Cup to see if they would allow me to experiment with their amazing gluten-free flour in my little kitchen. They most graciously obliged, and today’s recipe is the result of that loveliness.
The flour is just as it sounds: a true cup-for-cup substitute for regular flour. All I can say is, we were amazed. Truly, gratefully amazed. This flour works and tastes just like regular flour, and the end result was very satisfying. I’ve already gone to Williams Sonoma to restock and am delighted to have such an amazing alternative now in my culinary arsenal. 
Here’s my take on a Harvest dessert that will please any of the friends and family gathered around your table, even the non-gluten-free variety. 
I CHOSE BABY FOOD FOR THE APRICOT PUR´EE – INEXPENSIVE + JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT!
OK, it’s Tuesday Confession Time {TCT}. My maple butter icing was a bit of a fail. The flavours were bang on, and it was the perfect match for the Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake. That wasn’t the fail. It’s just that it was my first time making Maple Butter, and as it turns out it’s a bit of a finicky little number. It’s so truly Canadian that I had to try it {not to mention that I felt giddy at the thought of large quantities of the gorgeous, creamy confection in my fridge}, but my first batch was not my best batch. The truth is I’m not terrible bothered, as these kinds of culinary mishaps simply invite the opportunity to try again!
The secret {as I learned from the sweet maple farmer who sells his maple butter at The St. Lawrence Market on Saturdays} is to freeze the maple syrup overnight after you’ve boiled it before you whip it into the final butter. I merely cooled mine, so it was lacking the structure I expected from it and as such totally absorbed into the cake. Make no mistake, it tasted amazing! But it was not the look I was after.
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN
Needless to say, I am not a maple-butter-making expert quite yet, but I plan to attempt another batch very soon and will offer you my perfected recipe as soon as I have one! In the meantime, I suggest buying a tub of maple butter from the lovely farmer who has it on offer Saturday mornings at The St. Lawrence Market, OR you can join me in my quest and use this recipe as your jumping off point in search of maple butter perfection! Be sure to share all your tips and tricks in the comments below so we can all enjoy the glorious goodness of this truly Canadian treat!
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN
PHOTO BY GABRIELA HANSEN

My most sincere thanks once again to Gabriela Hansen for sharing her delightful photos with us today. Wishing you all a warm + happy Tuesday!
xo
s.