I am thankful in many ways for the gluten-free diet. Besides the health benefits, it challenged me to become a more adventurous cook.

Without challenges we tend to follow the mental path of least resistance. Creative writers know how imposing internal restrictions on projects can improve creativity and skill.

I always used to follow other people’s recipes, seldom innovating unless I was missing an ingredient. When I switched to a gluten free diet in March 2008, I was at first grieved over losing many favourite recipes, especially since my mother had just died a month before.

Instead of getting stuck in regret, I began learning how to adapt some of those favourites. This success encouraged me to try taking things I liked best about other people’s recipes and incorporate my own preferred ingredients or techniques. I learned basic formulas to build upon. Adaptation led to invention. These adventures in gluten-free baking encouraged me to become more inventive when cooking meat dishes, soups and stews, too. In short, cooking has become a lot more interesting.

This was one of the first new baking recipes I perfected several years ago. It was inspired by my new-found affection for sorghum flour, which is naturally gluten-free. It has a pleasant, wheat-like flavour, not too earthy or nutty, and imparts good texture for cakes and muffins.

In-season barely-ripe local apricots are my favourite fruit, and fruits are among my favourite foods, so you can see where apricots stand. Dried ones are unimpressive, but good enough to provide a wistful reminder of August from the farthest corner of the year.