This may be MORE than a challenge because the flours don't substitute in equal amounts. The coconut flour rule-of-thumb is use 1 whole egg per ounce of coconut flour or 6-eggs per 1/2 c. coconut flour. I'd suggest doing a search on-line for cake recipes using coconut flour or you may end up with a lot of wasted ingredients and time. I realize this recipe has little in common with the recipe you are trying to make, but it will give you an idea of the ratio of eggs to coconut flour for a 9" square cake. I've never made it (due to the number of eggs needed). WILLIAMSBURG ORANGE CAKE (source: Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife, N.D.) 1/2 c. butter, melted 12 eggs 3/4 c. sugar 1 t. salt 1 t. vanilla 1 c. SIFTED coconut flour 1 t. baking powder 1/2 c. golden raisins, cut up 1/2 c. nuts, finely chopped 1 T. grated orange peel Blend together butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk into batter until there are no lumps. Fold in raisins, nuts, and orange peel. Pour batter equally into 2 greased 8 or 9x1-1/2-inch layer cake pans or one 9x9x2-inch pan. Bake at 350-degrees for 30-35 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool. Cover with Williamsburg Butter Frosting. WILLIAMSBURG BUTTER FROSTING 1/2 c. butter, softened 4-1/2 c. powdered sugar 4-5 T. orange flavored liqueur or orange juice 1 T. grated orange peel Combine all ingredients and beat with an electric beater until smooth. REDUCED SUGAR WILLIAMSBURG BUTTER CAKE Make Williamsburg Butter Cake as directed but reduce sugar to 1/4 to 1/2 c. depending on desired sweetness, add 3 T. powdered or liquid stevia, and 1/3 c. coconut milk. If using liquid stevia, add it to the wet ingredients. If using powdered stevia, combine it with the coconut flour before mixing into the wet ingredients. Bake at 350-degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

A combination of things has put an end to my bechamel days. First, the attempt to eat lower fat and calories, but also I have become increasingly sensitive to lactose, or something or other in what passes for milk these days. I was never a milk drinker and just don't use it enough to warrant getting raw milk, which I'm sure would help with the flavor and lactose issues. The last couple of times I have tried to make it I just wasn't satisfied and I think it has to do with the shelf stable milk I used, which is what I have on hand nowdays. I read the alternative recipes posted here with great interest. I find that mostly these days I just use a reduced liquid for my sauces, even pasta. Or just top with evoo and parm. or feta cheese.

As usual, I find Rachelellen's post full of wisdom. It gives me some of the guidance I want. Cooking the same cuisine (not the same dishes) for one week straight would be no hardship at all for me. When I returned from a one week trip to Italy I cooked nothing but northern Italian food for at least three weeks. There was nothing monotonous about it. That experience has faded. I need another trip to Italy for a refresher course. I don't see the need to limit the experiment to a single cookbook, although that could be an effective way to do it, given the right book. Books I would recommend are: Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kuo Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy These books are similar in approach and format although about different cuisines and by different authors. They provide a solid foundation for cooking each cuisine. Again, I say that switching to another ethnic cuisine for an extended period of time is a fine idea. Those for whom that is their native cuisine eat it daily year after year don't they? Jim

Ironically, I was using coconut flour (and also nut flours) long before I went gluten-free as a way to reduce high-glycemic foods in our diet. When it comes to sorghum flour, I suggest milling your own, but I suggest that with all the whole grains because "fresh is best" - for the flavor as well as the nutrition. Sorghum is soft enough you can mill it in small batches in a coffee/spice mill. Sorghum flour tends to be gritty, so try to use it with a mixture of other textures, like oatmeal, unsweetened coconut.... Using the "soaked flour" method also helps; and when you make cookies, chill the dough overnight and that will help eliminate the grittiness. --Add 1/2 to 1 T. of cornstarch to every cup of sorghum flour to improve the smoothness and moisture retention. Arrowroot or tapioca flour can also be used measure-for-measure for cornstarch, or you can use 2 T. of Ultra Gel for every T. of cornstarch. --Use xanthan gum as a binder and for moisture retention. Add 1/2 t. of xanthan gum per cup of sorghum flour for cookies and cakes; or 1 t. per cup for breads. --Add a little extra oil or solid fat if you think your recipes are too dry. --Make small cakes, large cakes can dry out quickly. --Add an extra egg or egg white for improved smoothness and crumb structure. --Add a little extra baking powder and/or soda to boost rising properties. --Interestingly enough, you may find mixing doughs and batters longer than what you think would be necessary also helps the end results. --Sorghum flour works well combined with other grain/seed/bean flours. When working with bean flour, mill small white beans because they have the least amount of "beany" flavor. Sorghum flour, in combination with bean flour, helps cut the bitterness of bean flour. --You can also help "mask" some of the strong flavors of these gluten-free flours by choosing brown sugar, or even better, coconut palm sugar, or maple sugar, over white sugar. --Many gluten-free products and recipes use flour/starch mixtures that tend to be very low in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, and are high-glycemic, which can raise the blood sugar of diabetics. I tend to side on healthier ingredients and milling my own grains/seeds/beans for improved nutrition from the commercial all-purpose flour mixtures. Even though these commercial all-purpose flour mixtures are gluten-free, they are not healthy options, in my opinion, so I wouldn't use them frequently. You are potentially trading one health issue - gluten - for another. --Adding legume flours, ground flax, ground chia seeds, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, and flour milled from corn (especially high-nutrient blue corn), are going to add a wider variety of nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. Nut flours add protein to keep the glycemic impact lower. --Potato starch is often used in combination with other gluten-free flours, but you can also add dried potato flakes to baked goods, which will aid in holding moisture. --Benefits of using sorghum flour. Sorghum is high in insoluble fiber, with relatively small amounts of soluble fiber. The protein and starch in sorghum endosperm are more slowly digested than many other cereal grains. The slower rate of digestibility of sorghum products may be beneficial to diabetics over using high-glycemic flours and starches. --Sorghum flour tastes similar to wheat flour and is mild-flavored. --Sorghum flour mixes well with corn flour in tortillas. -Grainlady