Gluten-free Gourmand

Imagine traveling to a new city, one you've never been to before.  You go downtown, and you walk into a random coffee shop.  There are loads of pastries in the case, but nothing looks likely to be something you can eat.  You ask anyway, out of habit.  The woman behind the register blandly replies, "We have several things that are gluten-free.  There's a chocolate muffin that's gluten-free, and we have several kinds of friands that are all gluten-free." That is what happened on my first day in Melbourne, Australia.  And it happened almost every day after that.  My mom and I were amazed at how many gluten-free things there are to eat in Australia.  I even found gluten-free treats in several airports, an occurrence that has never happened in the US.  Here is proof that I bought a GF pastry in the airport in Hobart, Tasmania: In honor of the great gluten-free trip I had, I bring you a taste of Australia.  Friands aren't something you f...

Walk to the corner of NE 60th and Glisan and you'll see something that catches your eye: a sign out front of Seven Virtues lets passers-by know that they now serve gluten-free sandwiches.  Upon further investigation, it turn out that they can serve their grilled sandwiches on New Cascadia Traditional flax bread.  I was pretty excited about this turn of events so I had to sample a sandwich right away.  I got the North Tabor which has turkey, pesto and cheese. But first, I asked a few questions.  The man taking my order that day was one of the owners, and he was very helpful.  I asked if they grill the GF sandwiches on a dedicated grill, and he replied that they don't have demand or space for a dedicated grill right now, but they can give the grill a thorough cleaning before they make the gluten-free sandwiches.  They also use a separate cutting board and knife for prepping the GF stuff.  He told me that the sandwich would take a little longer than re...

I have to confess that I'm not very good at following directions.  In fact, I almost never cook anything exactly as instructed, and I am pretty savvy about when and where to skip steps or make substitutions.  When I saw that the King Arthur Gluten-free Bread Mix called for three eggs I was tempted to change the recipe entirely, but I was afraid that if it didn't turn out I wouldn't be able to legitimately review it.  So I started off to make the bread as directed. I threw in the three eggs, warm water, and 4 Tbsp of walnut oil.  I mixed with an electric mixer as instructed.  I added the flour one cup at a time.  Somehow, in the middle of it all, my subconscious took over and I ended up doing things my own way by sheer force of habit.  Sure, I added the three eggs, but I skipped another step entirely.  And it still came out. I've been making a lot of gluten-free bread recently, and I've figured out that you can completely skip the second rise...

I love pumpkin, but for some reason, I've never liked pumpkin pie. I've tried to get into it, but it's been over thirty years now and I have to admit that I've been unsuccessful. I have, however, found a solution: Butternut Squash Pie. I make this pie as more of a custard than your standard pumpkin pie. I go a little light on the seasonings and the sugar. Butternut squash is naturally sweet so you don't have to add a ton of sugar. Butternut Squash Pie Recipe (A clever substitute for Pumpkin pie) Have a (gluten-free) pie crust ready to bake. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. With a cleaver or other dependable knife, remove all the seeds and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes: 1.5 lb butternut squash Roast the squash on a baking sheet or roasting pan until it feels done when poked with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Puree the squash in a food processor. In a large bowl, whisk: 3 large eggs Whisk in: 2 1/2 cups of the butt...

I have found that gluten-free crusts aren't too difficult.  What helps to make them easy is, ironically, their lack of gluten. Wheat-based pie crusts are very finicky.  They have to be rolled out correctly the first time or the gluten is developed and the crust becomes tough.  GF crusts don't have this issue. What makes gluten-free crusts tricky is that they tend to crumble and break apart.  However, you can try rolling them out as many times as you like.  If mine doesn't roll out correctly on the first go I just fold it over onto itself and roll it out again.  You can do this many times for a really flaky, layered pastry.  Or, if all else fails, you can just press it into the pan. The hardest part of making pie crusts for me is the timing and the temperature of the ingredients.  You have to keep the bowl, the ingredients, and the blade cold if you don't want to have your dough turn out like this disaster : Don't. There is a lot of wai...

Need some gift ideas for a gluten-free person in your life?  Here are some practical suggestions for things to give or read this holiday season. This holiday season, get your friends and loved ones something they can cherish forever: a book.   The Essential Gluten-free Restaurant Guide by TriumphDining . Know someone with a new baby in their life?  Get them the Eco-nomical Baby Guide: down-to Earth Ways to Save Money and the Planet , written by the authors of GreenBabyGuide.com . Not that they need more press in this circle of friends, but this one is on my wish list: Gluten-free Girl and the Chef Have gluten-free friends?  If they are new to the diet, it's likely they will need some new kitchen equipment to help them in their new culinary pursuits.  Here are some things I've always desired: Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer Chantal 8-inch Omelette Pan You can find these and other culinary tools in Portland or online at Kitchen Kaboodle . Or, if...

One of the only things I miss about eating gluten isn't about eating at all: it's about drinking beer.  I'm always on the lookout for new gluten-free beers, which is why I was eager to try St. Peter's. I enjoyed drinking this beer.  It stands out against other gluten-free lagers for being higher quality, hoppier, and cleaner.   The hoppiness plays nicely against the inevitable metallic flavor that sorghum imparts on a beer. The description on the bottle reads: "A clean, crisp beer with a pilsner style lager finish and aromas of citrus and mandarin from American Amarillo hops.  Made from Sorghum, not wheat or barley.  Brewed with skill and patience in Britain's finest small brewery." I've found St Peter's Sorghum Beer at various GF-friendly grocery stores in the Portland area selling for $6.99.  When weighing the price, keep in mind these factors: 1) It's gluten-free. 2) It's imported. 3) It's from the UK.  They not only ma...

If you're like me, you haven't had a chance to do anything with your turkey leftovers yet.  On Black Friday, I worked all day.  I work in retail, so there was no getting around that!  Yesterday I had a family leftover dinner.  However, I still have plenty of leftovers to deal with, so today I'll be making turkey soup. Use this recipe as a template and make it your own.The ingredients you use will depend on what you have leftover.  Typically you will not need to buy anything extra, which makes this dish very cheap to cook.  Most ingredients in this recipe can be substituted out for something else that you have on hand.  The amount of salt you will need will vary greatly depending on how salty the other ingredients in the dish already are.  Making soup is a very easy way to use your leftovers for a new dish, although it does take some time.  Allow about 4 hours to make this recipe.  Here are the basics on how to make turkey soup ...

Gluten-free Gingerbread Cookie Recipe These cookies are easy enough to work with that you can do gingerbread people, plain circles, or other shapes. In a medium bowl, mix together: 1.5 C  Deluxe Pastry Flour 1/2 cup teff flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if your pastry mix doesn't already have it) 1/4 tsp salt 3 tsp ginger 1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cardamon 1/4 tsp ground cloves In a large bowl, beat for 3-3 minutes: 6 tsp softened butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg Add and beat for another minute or two: 1/3 cup molasses 1 tsp vanilla Stir in the dry ingredients a bit at a time until everything is thoroughly blended.  If the dough is very sticky, add a little more pastry flour one tablespoon at a time and beat or knead it in.  The dough should feel manageable at this point.  Divide it in half and wrap the two dough balls in wax paper.  Let them rest for 2-8 hours at room temperature, o...

It's hard to say what you'll remember the most about Andina.  It might be the service, the amazing Peruvian food, the atomosphere, or the stunning presentation.  For me it was the huge gluten-free menu. One of the things that I have liked about going gluten-free has been that it simplifies my dining decisions.  Before going gluten-free, I had always been the person in the party who would mull a bit too long over the many tantalizing options to order.  Now, in most restaurants I simply find the one item on the menu that I think might be easily modified to be gluten-free.  At Andina I didn't have that luxury.  However, at Andina I didn't mind having so many things to choose from. My gluten-free friend and I got the works.  At least, it felt like it.  First of all, they brought us something to snack on instead of bread.  I'm not sure I've ever been to a restaurant that had a gluten-free bread substitute.  It was a delicious fried yucca d...

I've been frequenting New Cascadia Traditional a bit more lately and I've noticed that they have some seasonal pies out.  I've tried their apple pie a few times, and I really like it.  They seem to use the same crust as they do for other pastries such as the sweet gallette. New Cascadia Traditional is a dedicated gluten-free bakery here in Portland.  They take pre-orders on pies for Thanksgiving, or you can stop by and take your chances! Have you tried any of New Cascadia's pies?  What did you think?

Recently I've been obsessed with gluten-free bread.  How does it work?  How do I make it rise?  How do I give it a bread-like flavor?  I've been experimenting with creating my own recipe lately and I've learned a lot.  There are still some things that are a mystery to me, however.  That's why I decided to make Fire and Salt's Gluten Free French Bread for the November Adopt-a-Gluten-free-Blogger event hosted by The Book of Yum . I started with the intention of making the recipe as true to the original as possible.  That being said, I have a hard time restraining myself from putting my own stamp on things, and I love making modifications.  I am also known to be a little haphazard and ill-prepared, so while I double-checked that I had the list of ingredients I forgot to get a French bread pan as Brian (Fire and Salt's blogger extraordinaire) strongly suggests in his blog post.  I even tried to swing by a kitchen store before heading home, but ...

I thought I'd compile a helpful list of gluten-free pancake recipes for your Sunday enjoyment.  Here are two of my recipes: Gluten-free Quinoa Pancakes Gluten-free Buckwheat Pancakes For a vegan recipe, check out I Am Gluten Free's Perfect Gluten-free Pancakes .  Linda at The Gluten-free Homemaker has a Gluten-free Pancakes Recipe that looks pretty good too. Have you tried any new gluten-free pancake recipes?  What is your favorite?  Feel free to post a link or a recipe in the comments!

New Cascadia Traditional has a new vegan vanilla cupcake.  I haven't liked all of their vegan pastries, but I've been avoiding dairy so the last time I was there I thought I'd give the new one a try.  I noticed that this one is soy-free, unlike many of their vegan fare, so I suspected they may have tried something new with this recipe.  I got halfway through it before I realized: it's amazing!  So amazing I need to take a picture! It's nice and moist on the inside, with a really delectable crumb.  The frosting is topped with coconut.  Need I say more?

Good news!  There are now more gluten-free options in select Portland Whole Foods.  Petunia's Pies and Pastries will be available in the Pearl, Hollywood, Fremont and Laurelhurst locations.  I went to visit the Petunia's booth at the PSU Farmers Market yesterday and picked up a slice of the Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap crust.  This is a gluten-free and vegan dessert like almost all of Petunia's offerings.  I loved the crust, and the "cheese" portion was nice and pumpkiny.  This one was a little on the sweet side for me, but I was not disappointed as far as flavor went.  Petunia's never ceases to surprise me with what can be created without dairy, eggs, or wheat.  Check out my other review of Petunia's here .   I'm really excited to be able to get some beautiful gluten-free desserts right in my local Whole Foods!

"I had given up on finding gluten-free Italian food in a restaurant," my dining companion said as we both perused the menu at Iorio's.  The server had just finished explaining the gluten-free options, which was practically everything on the menu.  They serve gluten-free pasta as well as gnocchi, and most of their battered dishes were GF as well.  (I apologize for not thinking to ask whether the frier is shared with gluten-containing foods).  It was difficult to choose from the menu.  I'm more accustomed to having only one option per restaurant!  We ended up splitting some dishes so we could try more things. The calamari appetizer was excellent.  It was cooked just right - still tender inside - and the GF breading was nice and crispy.  I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan, which was also breaded with a different crispy breading.  While my pride will not let me say that it was better than my own recipe for the dish, I thought it was good.  M...

I consider this one of my all-time best recipes.  It's gluten-free and dairy-free, and I could eat it all the time. Recipe for Lamb Pot Roast with Gluten-free Gravy: In a large heavy pot, heat: 2-3 Tbsp oil When oil is heated, brown in the pan: 1/2 lb carrots 1 lb potatoes 1 small onion, halved Remove these to a plate and set aside.  Add more oil to the pan if needed.  Add:   2 lbs lamb shanks, legs, or blade steaks Brown the lamb on all sides.  Add:   2 tsp coriander (preferably whole) 2 tsp cumin (preferably whole) 2 tsp black peppercorns Toast the spices for a moment, then add: 1 cup wine 2 cups chicken stock salt half the potatoes that you've browned Add water or more chicken stock if needed to bring the level of liquid up to an inch or so.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for several hours, covered, turning the meat and potatoes occasionally to cook both sides.  When the meat is fork tende...