Low Country Contentment

Charleston, South Carolina might be one of my new favorite southern treasurers. I spent the weekend there repaying my friend for visiting Florence last weekend. And I must say, the city exudes charm. The weekend was interrupted by a death in my family, but my friend made sure I still had an enjoyable weekend in the downtown area. If you've never been, there are a few places you absolutely must check out. First on my list is a little place called Five Loaves Cafe. There are two locations, and I only made it to the one on Cannon St, but oh my goodness am I in like with it.

For one thing, they place huge emphasis on fresh, homemade ingredients. This place makes their own mozzarella. For another, they are extremely gluten-free friendly. When I told my waitress that I was gluten intolerant she didn't even flinch and instead pointed out to me that all of their salad dressings and soups were free of gluten. And when I asked if I could, on future visits, bring my own bread for sandwiches, she described one regular who did just that. And most importantly of all, I loved this place because, quite simply, the food is delicious. I had a salad of mixed greens, tomato, asparagus, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella with a walnut and shallot dressing and I also had a bowl of their carrot and ginger soup. The soup was so thick and comforting that I spent the first few mouthfuls with my eyes closed, just taking in the flavors. My friend ordered the tomato, basil, and goat cheese soup, and that too was creamy and comforting. Combine the excellent food and friendly staff with reasonable prices and bright and lively, local artwork, and you get Five Loaves. I plan on spending a great many meals there with new friends.

Another recommendation is the Old City Market. There are a bunch of quaint little shops and restaurants. My friend took me into one of the candy shops where they made pulled taffy and homemade pralines. This is also the section of town that offers horse-drawn tours of the downtown area. Horses make me sneeze and I was with a local, so I can't comment on the quality of the tour, but I imagine it's a fun way to see the city. I much preferred meandering in and out of the little shops and admiring the colonial architecture.

We also stumbled on a lovely little chocolate shop, run by Christophe and Carly Paume. Christophe is in charge of crafting the equally beautiful and tasty chocolates and treats and Carly runs the shop. I didn't get to meet Christophe, but Carly was a delight. She explained to me how Christophe gets his chocolate bunnies and shoes to look velveteen. And she excitedly told me that they are looking to expand into a larger kitchen space soon, so I expect bigger and even more gorgeous things to come from this couple. If you stop in, I highly recommend the lavender caramels.

I plan to spend a good many weekends in Charleston in the future, and I'll keep everyone up to date on my new discoveries, but I think that I did well for my first weekend in town. Check back with me soon for more!

Perfect Weekends

When I was younger, my parents would pack me into the car and we'd go exploring around town. Sometimes there was a specific goal in mind, but more often than not, it was just a matter of driving until something looked interesting. And most of the time, interesting happened downtown at the antique stores. I love antique, vintage, and retro items for one reason: the history. Even if I don't what an item's story is, I know that the story exists and that I become the guardian of that story when I bring it home with me. Those weekends are the ones I remember most fondly and those stories are the ones I cherish most.

This weekend, I had a wonderful opportunity to experience such an idyllic weekend again, this time as an adult. A friend of mine from Charleston came to town to see me. While pulling up directions to my house, he found that there are quite a few pawn shops in the area. He's an amateur historian specializing in WWII firearms, and pawn shops present some good opportunities to find hidden treasures. And because the weather was absolutely perfect (my favorite thing about spring in the south), I decided that we should have an adventure of our own.

He arrived mid-afternoon on Friday and we set out to gather supplies for our adventure and also stuff for dinner. Mum requested that I make my great aunt's pot roast recipe, which is easily the simplest, yet most comforting meal I know how to make. All you need is a nice marbled cut of beef, preferably sirloin or brisket, but any piece of roast will do, and some root vegetables. I like to use carrots, celery, and potatoes. Cut the veggies into big chunks, sear the beef, add everything to a roasting pan with a little oil, diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper to taste. Pop everything into a 400 degree oven and let it cook until the meat is just starting to fall apart. As good as that is the first day, it's even better the next.  And nothing says "welcome" better in my opinion.

The next morning, bright and early(ish) our adventure began. First a breakfast of tea and orange-chocolate chip scones (the basic recipe for which is posted in my archives), then out into the sunny, bright day. Most of the pawn shops ended up being a disappointment, but the fun wasn't in finding interesting guns for his collection so much as riding around, getting a little lost, and laughing until our sides hurt at trying to get unlost. During one such instance, we passed a cake supply shop sitting attached to an antique market. If I were a puppy, my ears would have perked up and my tail would have wagged furiously. As it was, I squealed with unrestrained delight at the find and we promptly stopped to explore. The cake shop was fairly nondescript, although the owner is running cake lessons for a reasonable rate.The antique shop, though, was utterly lovely. I made several happy discoveries, including two complete sake sets, one complete tea set, and my favorite find of the day- an enamel tea kettle for a mere $10. It was filthy, but I love enamel kettles, especially ones that don't whistle, so I scooped it up and brought it home. After a good, hard scrub, it looks just like new again and I can't wait to use it. And I'm going back soon to pick up one of the sake sets and possibly the tea set as well.

After the antique shop, we headed across town for lunch. I discovered the existence of a Vietnamese Pho restaurant right here in Florence. It turned out to be pretty much what I expected inside. No real atmosphere, but pleasant enough food at a reasonable price, so I'm certainly going back as much as possible. The barbeque pork over rice noodles was delicious.

When lunch was over, we stopped back at the house to throw a few pieces of fruit and some chai cookies into a bag and headed back out to check out a few trails I knew of in town. The trails run throughout town for about nine miles or so, and consist of a lot of new growth and man made swamps. They're charming enough, but I want to see them ten years from now when the wilderness takes over a bit. The sun was bright, but the weather was a gorgeous low to mid 50 degrees and there was a light breeze to tug at our clothes as we walked. Nibbling on a cookie and walking hand in hand with my friend as we chatted, I thought to myself of the weekends like this that I spent as a child and how wonderful it felt to have one again, just when I needed it most.

Chai Tea Cookies (adapted from kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com)

1 cup butter, room temp

3/4 cup instant chai mix 

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temp

3 1/2 cup flour (I used Pamela's of course)

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling (optional)

Cream together butter, sugar, and chai mix until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, then add the flour slowly ( I did it in thirds). Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drop tsp sized balls onto a greased cookie sheet (and roll in sugar if you're doing that step. I didn't) and bake for 10 minutes. Cool in pan for another 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cookies will come out soft, and a little chewy, with just a hint of chai flavor. The original recipe calls for a full cup of instant chai, so if you want more flavor use that, but I only had 3/4 of a cup and I think they came out fine. 

Take that Teddy Grahams

Store bought graham crackers are out. Homemade ones are in.

Ok, so I'll admit that's partly because I've had one hell of a time finding gluten free graham crackers in any store. All that searching got me so frustrated though, that I decided to make my own. I used Elissa from 17 and Baking's recipe. That girl is way talented and I've been dying to try one of her recipes. I was absolutely not disappointed with this one. I followed it exactly, only switching the 2 1/2 cups of gluten free flour base (Pamela's as always in my kitchen) for regular flour. Because of how sticky the dough was, I probably picked up another 1/4-1/3 cup of flour for dusting the table, the pin, and the dough.

These cookies came out sweet, light, and just like graham crackers should be. I intended to use them for a rose cream cheesecake, but not having access to a spring-form pan put a damper on that plan. Instead, I've been snacking on them as is. They bring back wonderful childhood nostalgia. I think they might be my favorite thing to make so far. Check back with me when I make that cheesecake, though. I have good feelings about it.

Maybe I Am a Southern Girl

Upon a safe arrival in South Carolina, I set about on a mission. It was a big one too. I set out to find readily available gluten free beer in my local grocery stores and/or to find a craft beer shop that would carry it. No dice. And what's a good southern girl without a cold beer in her hand? A thirsty one, that's what. So I ran through my options:

1) Drive to the nearest specialty beer store. And who knows if they even carry gluten free beer. Or where the nearest one may be.

2) Order online. I'm fairly certain SC blue laws prohibit this, but it's worth looking into.

3) Brew my own. Yeah, this sounds like way more fun.

That's right kids. I'm dipping my dainty, polished toe into the world of homebrewing. I took a look at a how-to guide, and oh boy is this going to be an adventure. I get to play chemist again. Stay tuned for my updates on successes and failures and cries for help. I need all the advice on this one I can get.

Lost Horizons and Night Markets

Last Saturday, I had the great privilege of participating in the second Lost Horizon Night Market in Brooklyn. My friend, Laura roped me into the idea of offering decorate your own erotic baked goods. Let the giggling ensue. Have you ever tried to bake dirty cookies with a straight face? Not possible.

A little background on the market: People come together, rent box trucks, decorate the interior, and offer some form of entertainment, services, or goods. Donations are accepted, or people can barter. The location is kept crazy secret to enhance the sense of adventure. Fun abounds.

So late Saturday afternoon, I pack a box of gluten free cookies and cupcakes, a tea pot, and other sundry supplies and head into Manhattan to pick up the box truck with Laura. From there we went on a scavenger hunt in Manhattan for other things we needed, like a grill, and fabric. From there we hit Brooklyn, finish loading the truck, and getting dressed. Finally, it's Market time.

And what fun it was! Lili, another friend of mine, made a range of vegan treats and decorating icings for everyone to use and enjoy. Krista and Laura covered the baked treats for the non-picky eaters, and I supplied the gluten free goods. The market was scheduled to end at 3AM, but we ran out of food around 1AM. That didn't stop anyone from coming by to drink tea and hang out with us. It was gratifying, successful, and enormously entertaining.

As popular as our truck was, there were so many other talented trucks. The smallest circus ever had two great shows that they ran every ten minutes. There was a silent movie truck, decked out with a heavy red curtain and handing out kuzoos and candy cigarettes. Another truck did an Alice in Wonderland tea ceremony. There was a group doing screen printing who were incredibly talented and very nice. With so much devotion and creativity, it was hard to focus.

Finally, the end of the night rolled around and we four packed up our truck and exhaustedly went home. I can't wait to do it again.

Pear Pies and Apricot Poodles

Family holidays are some of my favorite activities. Mum's family is huge and, when we all gather, the noise and laughter fills the room. It's uplifting. It also makes dinner interesting. With about forty people to feed, the choices available are overwhelming. Family holidays are the ultimate potluck dinner. And like with any potluck, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Ever since my diagnosis, I've taken to building a little insurance into the dinners by making my own desserts and at least one side dish. The family's excellent about making sure the main dishes are free of all gluten for me, but the details sometimes get lost. Not because they don't love me and want me to eat, but because it can be too difficult for them to cater to one person's dietary needs or tastes with so many of us eating. I try to take some of that worry away by providing something that I know is gluten free, but also delicious and easy to share. Especially when it comes to dessert, since finding available, pre-made, gluten free options is expensive and not always easy. It's much easier for me to just make something. On the menu this year: pear pie.

I looked over a bunch of crust recipes and filling recipes for weeks. Having never made a pie, gluten free or otherwise, from scratch, I was a bit overwhelmed at first. Thankfully, I found a straightforward crust recipe in my Williams Sonoma Pies and Tarts cookbook. I was only concerned because, as with most recipes without egg, I knew my flour base would turn out crumbly, not tender, if I followed it exactly. The recipe called for the dough to be worked as little as possible so as not to melt the butter and toughen the crust. I ignored this advice. The reason the crust gets tough in regular recipes is because working the dough forms networks of gluten. Not a problem I encounter with my flours. In fact, I actually need the butter pieces to melt through the dough a bit more than usual to counter act the tendency of my dough to crumble rather than flake. I also added two egg yolks to the dough I made for the top of the pie to help hold it together and to assist with browning.

For the filling, I looked to the apple pie filling recipe listed in the cookbook, but I made a few modifications. My pears were sweeter than cooking apples, so I reduced the sugar by half. I added a little orange juice and zest for acid and flavor and a touch of ginger to spice it up. Here's the final recipe:

7 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and sliced thick
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp gluten free flour (like Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix, or your own)
the zest and juice of one orange
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

The final pie was actually kind of pretty, for a first attempt. I forgot to shield it with foil when I saw the edges getting darker, and the crust needs some work and practice, but I was happy just to have something pie-shaped that smelled good to serve.

Ever the obsessive and proud parent of such a creation, I charged mum with the heavy responsibility of wrapping the pie in aluminum foil and putting it in an insulated food bag. I also insisted that the pie ride shotgun in my lap for the entire trip to avoid overturning it or jarring it. In theory, it was a sensible idea. In practice, what actually happened went a little differently. My treasured pie rode happily in my lap for about an hour and a half. Then we stopped for breakfast. I placed to pie on the backseat of the car where, I assumed, it would remain safe until my return. My aunt placed her apricot poodle on the front seat where, I assumed, she would remain until we finished eating. We arrived at the car after breakfast to find my aunt's apricot poodle standing on my pear pie wagging her happy tail. I stood numbly staring at the bag while my aunt scolded the dog and mum opened the bag to check the pie. My face fell to see the hole in the aluminum foil and the crater of mushy crust and pear the dog made in my masterpiece. Right about then, I burst into tears. Weeks of planning, and days of execution literally got stomped on. Later, when I calmed down a bit of course, the situation seemed much funnier. And the pie was still every bit as delicious as I hoped. From now on, the pie rides shotgun on my lap and then gets placed in the trunk during pit stops if I want it to look as fantastic as it tastes.

Even though the pie wasn't pretty, it was gluten free, and very good, so I'll call this attempt a draw. One failure, one success, but at least I had dessert. And it went perfectly with the laughter and noise of the holidays.

A Beer Girl's Request

I love beer. Well, I loved beer before I had to give it up for my health. See here's the thing, sure there are gluten free beers on the market, and sure they're delicious, but I want more. The thing I loved about beer was the variety. I loved walking into a specialty beer shop and picking out a few to try. There's a beer to go with any meal just like there's a wine for any food. But now, I'm limited to a handful of choices, most of which are hard to find. This makes me a very sad girl, indeed.

So I have a challenge for those of you who brew beer. Play around with the gluten free grains, please? Sorghum's a good place to start, but there's a bunch of them out there. Experiment. I will happily try anything you make, and I'm sure I'm not alone. I'd love to see a bigger selection out there. Yes, there are meads and ciders, but it's just not the same. There's something about a cold beer that just can't be replicated from fruit and honey. Grain is the way to go. Please make a beer girl happy. Please

Apple Scones

My uncle came home with 4 pounds of apples the other day. Apparently, they were on sale. So I was left with the task of figuring out what to do with them.

Normally, I'm not much of a breakfast person. A bowl of cereal or a danish here or there was all I usually wanted. After my diagnosis, finding gluten free pastries, danishes, and other breakfast-y type foods got sort of difficult. So I started making my own, but you already know that story.

I especially love gluten-free scones. Scones are by nature more dense and crumbly than other types of pastry, more of a biscuit really. So the lack of gluten isn't as noticable in them. It's a marriage made in heaven. And it's that marriage that lead to my breakfast today. That and 4 pounds of apples.

Apple Scones:

2 1/3 cups gluten free flour mix

1/3 cup of granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup apple, grated or finely diced

1/4 cup un salted butter, room temperature

1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, the dry ingredients and the sugar. Cut in the butter until flour just begins to stick to itself and get crumbly. Squeeze excess liquid from apple pieces and add to the flour along with the egg. Slowly add milk to the flour mixture until moist. Do not add too much liquid. Drop batter onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Chocolate Cookies

I've been using a chocolate cookie recipe from Delish.com for a few months now. But it's always bothered me how much to cookies spread out. Lace cookies are awesome, don't get me wrong, but that's not what I'm after here. I modified the recipe a little, enough to get me a triple batch of good chocolate orange cookies for an order placed this week. But I still wanted a better dough. Something I could rely on to come out consitently well and something that wasn't overpoweringly chocolate. The first question I had to address was why the dough spreads so much in the oven.

The answer's a simple one and I can't believe it took me this long to get there. Gluten free flour contains little to no protein. Protein is what binds things together. Normally, I don't have this problem because my cookie recipes have eggs in them, so spreading isn't an issue because the egg protein compensates for the lack of gluten (which is, as you may or may not have guessed, a protein). The recipe I've been using didn't have egg in it, so there was nothing holding the batter together as it cooked. Thus the spreading and frustration. So I took the recipe, deconstructed it, and rebuilt it to suit my needs. Here it is:

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour such as Pamela's baking mix or your own recipe
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg
1 tsp orange zest (optional)

Cream together butter and both sugars until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. Add the flour, cocoa, salt, egg, and extract (and zest) and beat until a dough forms. Round into a ball and wrap with plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Drop 1 tsp sized balls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 6-8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Remove from oven and cool on pan for an additional three minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

The result is a moist, chewy cookie that's fudgy but not too much. I like them slightly warm from the pan, but adding raspberry preserves of whipped cream wouldn't hurt. Enjoy!

Giorgio's of Gramercy

Sometimes you walk into a restaurant and immediately feel at home. That's how I feel about Giorgio’s of Gramercy at 27 E.21st between Park Ave. and Broadway.

I was first introduced to Giorgio's about a month ago by my friend, Michael. He's a regular at the place, so naturally, we were treated like family. He pretty much is. Of course, I let the maitre d', Sean, know about my gluten troubles. "No problem, I can point out what's safe, but Chef would be happy to make something just for you." Right then, I was smitten. A specially crafted meal catering to my needs is something I don't come by often. The result was a gorgeous piece of swordfish served with brussel sprouts sautéed in butter. I went from smitten to downright charmed. This was a place with some serious potential.

And I wasn't disappointed. Last night, I was supposed to meet Michael there again for dinner. I showed up first and settled myself somewhat shyly at the bar. I needn't have been shy. After calling Sean over to ask about the menu, he responded with, "Sure, I can show you what's gluten-free, but Chef would be happy to make you something again." Done. This time is was red snapper on heirloom tomato and steamed vegetables in fish broth. The food was, of course, delicious. I was even able to steal a taste (ok, I ended up eating a better part of it) of Michael's curried cauliflower. And when I told Sean to let Alex (Chef) know how much I appreciated the food, I mentioned the brussel sprouts from my first visit. He came back with a bowl of them for me. Did I mention I'm smitten?

Not only that, but Michael, Brian (the bartender), and I had some fun inventing drinks with a variety of bitters and spirits. Between the business of managing the restaurant, Sean came over to chat from time to time. He even offered to circulate my resume and keep an ear out for any restaurants that were hiring after I mentioned that I was looking for work. And before leaving for the evening, Alex stopped by to say goodnight. Of course I had to thank him again for the food.

Last week, I ran a piece about rudeness in restaurants, and Giorgio's is the antithesis of those places. They have a steady stream of regulars to attest to their hospitality. It's a place where you can walk in and instantly feel like you've come home. And I think I might have found a love that will last. With Giorgio’s of Gramercy.

(Photo courtesy of Shane Strassberg and Giorgio's of Gramercy's Facebook Page)

The Rumor Mill

Tiffany Jakubowski is fast becoming one of my favorite food bloggers. She's a member of the gluten free community just like me, and her articles are concise and insightful. Especially the latest one, The Gluten Free Rumor Mill . It's full of great advice on how to stay safe, despite the wealth of bad information about celiac and gluten free living available online. The best advice? Do your research and know your sources. There's a whole global community of people online who are gluten free. The standards for what can and can't be called gluten free and for testing such things are different from country to country, so information is different for those living in England versus say, Thailand. Not to mention that just because someone doesn't eat gluten, or says that they don't, does not make them an expert on the subject. Talk to your doctor, look for articles from trusted sources, like researchers or celiac advocate groups. It's those people's job to know the facts and to pass them along. Go check out Tiffany's article for more information. She's a lady that knows her stuff. but don't take my word for it. After all, I'm just a person. Celiac.com published her though, and their word is worth more than mine. Enjoy and be safe.

Orange and Apricot Biscotti

As promised, a weekly recipe to support NYC Goes Orange and Food Bank for NYC. This week is Orange and Apricot Biscotti.

The recipe:

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 extra large egg and 1 egg white

1 3/4 cup GF flour (I prefer Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix, but use what you have on hand)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dried diced apricots

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the extract, juice, cinnamon, and eggs. Fold in the flour. Turn out dough onto floured plastic wrap. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Form dough into large log, leaving two inches from sides of baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, lower heat to 300 degrees F. When the roll is cooled, cut into slices and lay on their sides on the pan. Replace in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes more.

A few things to note:

When I made this dough, it was incredibly sticky. If yours comes out this way, flour it and your counter heavily. I probably used an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of flour just for that. Mine came out dark because I was using a new oven for the first time and a new recipe, so I haven't quite figured out the nuances yet. Keep in mind that oven temperatures vary, so the baking time might be more or less when you try it. Finally, if you prefer, you can use any flavor extract, dried fruit, or nuts you like for this recipe. Have fun and enjoy. And remember to show your support for hunger action by going orange now through December.

Lucky Find

The best part about having a best friend who lives out of town is the excuse to explore the city with someone. I get to show her around my new home and familiarize myself with it in the process. Sometimes this leads me to new and delicious discoveries, like it did on Saturday.

After some wandering around Madison Square Park, I saw a large sign that read, "Gluten Free" below what appeared to be an Italian eatery. Mozzarelli's Catering Company, located at 38 E. 23rd St. served gluten free pizza, pasta, and desserts alongside regular artisan pizzas. They use dedicated equipment and pans for the gluten free, but there is some risk of cross contamination. I'm really sensitive to such things, and had no trouble, though, so I'm certain the risk is a small one. The artichoke and alfredo gluten free slice I had was both delicious and reasonably priced. At $4.95 a slice for the specialty gf pies, you can't really go wrong. And there was a nice selection of toppings. They also serve whole pies, and 5 varieties of gf pasta. When you first enter there's a wall of cookies, all of which are gluten free. And on the other wall is a refrigerator with more gf desserts, including the largest and most tempting strawberry shortcake roll I've ever seen. They offer samples of the cookies, so you can try without committing. I recommend the banana sandwich cookies. When it was all said and done, Cheryl and I both ate for around $17. Definitely a lucky find.

Let's Do...

...Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones. I did today. Picked them up at Whole Foods when I made my run. I'm a bit of an ice cream junkie, but I missed the joy of an ice cream cone. So for the first time in over a year I had two scoops of ice cream in a cone. Bliss. The brand is actually called Let's Do...Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones, catchy right? They're a cake style cone and to my mind there was no difference in texture or taste to the regular cake cones from my childhood. Cake cones bring back all the nostalgia of being a kid again. The race to finish the ice cream before it melted and got sticky on my hands and wrists. I'll be enjoying another several scoops thanks to Let's Do brand. Next on the agenda, finding or making gluten free waffle cones. Anyone got any recommendations?

Against the Grain

Went to Whole Foods in Madison, NJ today. Picked up a selection of gluten free products to try. Typically, I believe making my own breads and cookies yields better results, but sometimes I miss the convenience of prepared foods. That drives me to experimenting with the gluten free products on the market, like bagels. I miss bagels, but really dislike most of the brands I've tried. Today though, on a whim, I picked up Against the Grain's Sesame Bagels.

I was pretty skeptical at first. I defrosted one in the microwave for 15 seconds, sliced it open, and popped it in the toaster. Smelled awful. Thinking I was in for a terrible letdown, I spread the cream cheese and took my first bite. Delicious. Crunchy on the outside and chewy in the center just like a real bagel should be. Not too dense, unlike most of its counterparts. My only complaint (aside from the terrible smell while it was toasting) was that there weren't enough sesame seeds. Only three or four on each side of the bagel. Otherwise it was a satisfying experience to a craving I've had for months. If you haven't tried Against the Grain, I would highly recommend it.

Gnocchi FAIL

I attempted to make gluten-free gnocchi today. Attempted being the key word. The just didn't hold up the way regular gonocchi does. It's one of the few times I actually did need a chemical stabilizer like xantham gum. I usually don't need it, so I don't keep it in the house, but it looks as though I found a use for it. The up side is that the flavors were delicious. Used some parmasean cheese and nutmeg to round out the taste of the gnocchi and made a quick and dirty homemade marinara sauce using leftover roasted chicken. Simple and tasty. And when I get a hold of xantham gum, gnocchi round 2 will commence.

Is the gluten-free diet a fad?

Slate recently ran an article questioning whether following the gluten free diet has become a fad. Tiffany Jakubowski, Denver's Gluten Free Food Examiner, wrote a wonderful response: Is the gluten-free diet a fad?

As for me, I have to agree with Tiffany's point about Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book The G-Free Diet. While I can appreciate Ms. Hasselbeck's desire to share her experiences with others, she is creating a great deal of misinformation about the diet that is detrimental to the newly diagnosed and annoying to those of us who know better. A gluten free diet is not about losing weight, and in fact I hate referring to it as a diet at all. The fact is, gluten free is a lifestyle and not one to be undertaken lightly. If you must remove gluten from your diet, be prepared to commit fully and for life. For those of us living it, it is a commitment to our health.

I also think that what seems to be a fad to Slate is really what we in the science industry call critical mass. The number of people living the lifestyle is finally reaching large enough numbers for food companies to pay attention to us. Gluten intolerance or sensitivity, and celiac disease are receiving more attention from doctors, researchers, and the media. It's not that gluten free is becoming a fad, it's that the information about gluten free living is more readily available than it used to be which is in turn driving the sales for gluten free products. That's good news for those of us who consume those products. We're driving the market, not the other way around.

And on a final note, if gluten free is a fad, it's an expensive one. Most people I know still assume that gluten free products are inferior in taste and texture to "normal" food (I'm trying to change this). I can't think of anyone who would pay twice as much for what they perceive to be lower quality food unless they believed it was medically necessary.

Whether you believe it's a fad or not, the gluten free lifestyle is here and that's good news for this girl.

Posted using ShareThis

The Sweetness

I have a sweet tooth. A hollow sweet tooth. Mostly for cookies. So when I found Food2's recipe for homemade Oreo cookies, my sweet tooth started singin'. You better believe this was something I was going to try to adapt for gluten-free eating. The recipe below is super easy to follow and worked beautifully with my Pamela's Pancake and Baking mix as a flour substitute. Delicious, sweet success.

Recipe (courtesy of food2.com):
1 1/4 cup flour (all purpose or gluten-free)
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter plus additional 2 tbsp
1 large egg

In a large bowl or food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. Add butter and egg and continue to combine until mixture comes together in a mass.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Drop rounded teaspoon sized portions onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9 minutes. Allow to cool and make sandwiches with filling (recipe below), whipped cream, or your favorite fruit jelly.

Filling recipe (also courtesy of food2.com):

1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 vegetable shortening

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine butter and shortening. Beat in sugar and vanilla at low-medium speed until light and fluffy.

I baked a few cookies the day I made the dough and refrigerated the rest for later. The refrigerated dough seemed to bake up better, so if you're making a gluten-free variety, I recommend doing so for at least an hour. If you have a hollow sweet tooth like me, I promise this will fill it up.

Family Affair

Summertime in my family means lots of picnics and barbeques because there are so many of us and because we all love to eat and be together. Saturday, it was my cousin Saul's turn to host the festivities. His annual barbeque goes something like this: he supplies homemade barbeque chicken, beef, and pork and the rest of us supply side dishes and drinks to share. This year, I made a side and a dessert. Cucumber salad at Dawn's request and fruit pizza:




Recipe for cucumber salad:
3 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced in half moon shapes
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 vidalia onion, also sliced in half moons
8 0z. ciligiene mozzarella
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dill
coarse salt (sea or kosher is fine) and pepper to taste

Finely chop the garlic and sprinkle with salt. Using flat edge of knife blade, grind into a paste. Add to a bowl with lemon juice, pepper, and dill. Whisk in olive oil to emulsify. Pour over mixture of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and mozzarella. Toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving (I made it the day before and left it overnight).

Recipe for fruit pizza*:
1 package of gluten-free sugar cookie mix (I used Namaste's cookie mix, but choose what you like best)
2- 8 oz packages of mascarpone cheese
1- 8 oz package of extra creamy CoolWhip
1 pint each of blueberries, raspberries, and black berries
12 oz. canned peaches packed in juice
16 oz. cherry preserves
1/4 cup sugar

Make cookie mix according to package directions and press into a standard sized cake pan. Bake until light brown on top (with Namaste mix that was about 28 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool fully. In the meantime mix the mascarpone cheese, CoolWhip, and sugar and wash and prep berries. Warm preserves until slightly runny ( 2- 30 rounds in the microwave on med-high heat worked for me). Once the cookie base is completely cool to the touch, spread the cheese mixture over it. Assemble the fruit on top. Drizzle preserves over the top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving (again, I made it the night before and let it set overnight).

*This recipe can also be used with a variety of fruit, preserves, using cream cheese, or with any cookie base you'd like to try, so have fun and improvise.

The rest of the food there was amazing. Even better was the chance to catch up with family members I only get to see once in a while. That's what I call success.

Picnic Food

My friends, Rob and Karen are having a big cookout this weekend. In the spirit of the event, I made some gluten-free pasta salad. It's my first attempt at the recipe, but I think it turned out well:

24 oz. gluten free pasta (I used two 12 oz bags of my favorite brand. You do the same)
4 oz. canned mushrooms

1/2 onion chopped

1 qt. frozen broccoli

1 1/2 cups orange juice

3 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tsp cornstarch

3 tsp dried sage

3 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to package directions or until al dente, drain and set aside, covered to keep warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, cornstarch, sage, thyme, mustard, and salt and pepper . Heat a medium saute pan and add enough oil to coat the bottom thoroughly. Saute the onions until soft and translucent. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and heat through. Salt and pepper the vegetables to taste. Add the orange juice mixture and allow to simmer for 2-4 minutes. Mix together with the pasta and refrigerate. Serve cold.