Gluten Free Newcomers!

        I have to say that living gf is only getting easier.  All the time I am shocked with new products that are actually ADVERTISED as gluten free! Can you believe it?  There are a few new editions to the family I would like to introduce.

        For those of you that don't know, King Arthur Flour has joined us from the dark side.  Yes, King Arthur Flour now has eight new gluten free mixes.  I think someone at King Arthur headquarters decided that Betty Crocker needed a little competition, and that they too, want a share in the gluten free market.  And that's always good news for celiacs; more competitors = more gluten free foods.

        King Arthur Flour has seven different mixes.  A bread, cookie, brownie, muffin, chocolate cake, pizza crust and pancake mix.  They also have an multipurpose flour.  I have to say that they make one mean brownie mix.  The texture and chocolaty flavor is just great!  As you can see in the photo, it did not come out of the pan in one whole piece... but since when are brownies supposed to be little indestructible bricks like you see on TV?  Naw, brownies should be crunchy/chewy on the outside and awesomely gooey on the inside.  Now I want some brownies... *where are those darn eggs...*

         All of the King Arthur Flour mixes can be found at any major supermarket.

         These items can be found on Amazon.com in a box set of 3 and individual for significantly cheaper.  Click the links below.  Bread 3pk., cookie 3pk., brownie 3pk., muffin 3pk., chocolate cake 3pk., pizza crust, pancake mix and All Purpose Flour. 

        

        Bisquick now also has a gluten free all purpose flour!  If you don't like the multi-grain flavor of Pamela's Baking Mix, then this maybe the perfect gluten free mix for you.  While I have only used it for making pancakes, which turned out great and had a similar texture and flavor to gluten pancakes, I think it will work well for other recipes.  I'm excited to use this as a frying batter!

        Gluten Free Bisquick is available at any major supermarket.

        You can also order it from amazon here (3 pk.).

 

        Have you been watching TV lately?  If you have then you have probably seen the great Gluten Free Chex commercial.  If not, you can watch it below.

        Personally I found this commercial to really capture the essence and difficulty of being a celiac.   Chex now has five gluten free cereal options.  Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex and Cinnamon Chex.  My brother eats Chex every morning and whenever he can gets his hands on it.  I would even dare to say that he could even be addicted... and I can see why, Chex are good!

        Chex can be found at any major supermarket.  

        You can also order them here from amazon.  Rice Chex 7pk, Chocolate Chex 6pk. and Cinnamon Chex 4pk.

         Caution:  The wheat chex and multi-bran chex are NOT gluten free.  Make sure the boxes say "gluten free."

        Just a note about amazon.com.  Since my family uses a lot of Pamela's, we order from Amazon using their "Subscribe and Save" feature.  You can have the products you choose automatically shipped to you every month, week or as often as you specify.  You also save a percentage off of the price for pre-ordering.  This way you don't always have to order one at a time or enough to last a life time.  And you can always change the rate at which they are delivered.

         Well my gluten free friends, hopefully this will make your cooking and shopping experiences a little easier with these new gf conveniences.

Sherry Lynn's Gluten Free Resturant, Cafe and Specialty Store

     Ever since my brother was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, we have been on an eternal search for Gluten Free restaurants.  The Gluten Free Restaurant Guide by Triumph Dining is a great tool but finding it yourself is just as rewarding.  Ever since we found Sherry Lynn's Gluten Free Restaurant, bakery and cafe, our confidence in outsiders making safe and delicious gluten free food has been overwhelmed.  We are always looking for excuses to visit Sherry Lynn's!

     Sitting at a table, set in a Halloween decor just adding to its charm, I experienced something new.  There is some kind of camaraderie here, knowing that every other person there at the restaurant shares the same difficulties when eating out and can now enjoy a perfectly safe and enjoyable meal, because they are all Celiacs! 

     Now for me, being a deadly gluten eater (insert booing here), I get to enjoy sharing food all the time.  At a restaurant I can just slide my plate over for one of my other gluten eater friends to try, without a care in the world.  For Celiacs, and others with food allergies, that is a different story.  Remember when you were young and could not eat the ice cream cake for your friend's birthday?  Remember after that business meeting when all your friends were going out to get a drink and a bite to eat?  If you have food allergies, you know what I'm talking about.  This whole mentality changes in a gluten free restaurant.  You can literally pass your plate to someone else and not have to worry that they are going to use a contaminated fork or spread the gluten cream sauce sauce all over your GF steak.  In a gluten free restaurant you can actually have a plate passed to you, and you can try it!!  This was something that I could experience first hand and I could tell how much it meant to my brother.

     We started out our dining experience with warm fresh mozzarella sticks with red marinara sauce and French Toast Sticks with maple butter syrup.  Got to try a bit of everything especially since everything is Gluten Free!!  I have to apologize for the poor picture quality, these photos were taken with my phone.

 

     I have to say that I was greatly impressed with both appetizers.  The breading on the mozzarella was crispy and flavorful while still retaining its shape, which for something that is gluten free is surprising.  And that warm stringy cheese inside mmm...! The French Toast Sticks were fried and crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  I have to say that Aunt Jemima's Butter Rich Syrup is just one of my vices, so to have it with the French Toast Sticks, there was no way I wouldn't like them!

     For the main course my brother ordered a Phillie Cheese Steak on a gluten free bun.  I ordered a Ham and Swiss Cheese Panini with mustard and our mom got the Turkey Panini with American Cheese.

     I have suddenly had a great palate revolution and now I crave foods that have mustard or even better, horseradish! So I was plenty happy with my Panini.  The bread seared well on the Panini press but was not like a rock and had good texture.  My brother greatly enjoyed his Philly Cheese Steak, especially since it was the first time he had ever had one.  In a past visit, I got one and I remember that the onions and steak were cooked perfectly together with two big slabs of American Cheese (my favorite, Craft Singles all the way! Just another of my vices.) all on two fluffy, flavorful GF buns.  Yum.  My Mom also enjoyed her Turkey Panini which was much like mine, except the mustard.

     Conclusion: Sherry Lynn's has good Gluten Free food that everyone enjoyed, including the gluten eaters!  For more information about Sherry Lynn's Gluten Free Restaurant, menus, directions and more, visit their website here.

Day Four - At The Kitchen Table with Julie Gale

This is Day Three of my Practicum
To read the Introduction to my Practicum click here.
To read Day One click here.
To read Day Two click here.
To read Day Three click here.

    Today, the last day, we moved to a more Indian style of food.  We made Bisteeya with shredded chicken, cinnimon, sugar and phyllo/fillo dough, Tamales with grilled zucchini and Masa Harina Masa, Carrot Pudding or Gajar Halva with carrots, cream and molasses and lastly, Green Beans with coconut and red pepper flakes.

  The Bisteeya were fun to make since we used a few ingredients I had never used before.  Ghee I learned is butter that has the proteins and other by products taken out so that the mixture does not have to be refrigerated and can stay in room temperature indefinitely.  I don’t remember if I have ever worked with phyllo dough before.  I was amazed at the paper thin quality and delicacy of the dough.  It has to be worked with quickly but gently; if left out for a matter or minutes it will become dry and be unusable.  The Bisteeya are made in muffin tins to create their shape, and are filled with a layer of phyllo dough.  Then poached chicken, marinated in many spices and herbs, is put into the muffin tin, along with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.  This was one of my favorite meals we made, the combination of the spices, chicken and cinnamon sugar was out of this world. 
 

 

   Tamales are made from a special corn meal flour specifically made for making Masa Harina Masa.  The Masa Harina Masa and the grilled zucchini are placed into a dried corn husk that has been re-hydrated in hot water.  There are many different folding techniques, some more intricate than others; we opted for a simple one.  They are then steamed until the Masa Harina Masa pulls away from the corn husk when unwrapped.

    The Carrot Pudding was by far the best thing we made during the whole week.  Grated carrots, milk and cream cook for one hour, until soft and the dairy has thickened.  Then spices, molasses and brown sugar are added and it is all cooked until it pulls together and becomes thick.  The mush like texture, spices and creaminess all blend together for an amazing dessert.  Julie and I both agreed that this was the best dish we had made, and was one we would be making again in the future.

      
    The Green Beans with coconut is a new way to prepare green beans.  Green beans and coconut are separately pulsed in the food processor, and then are combine in a frying pan with spices and red pepper flakes for a kick.  The green beans had good flavor but I think that they could have used more coconut to complete the dish.


Conclusion:
    The practicum was a great experience.  I learned many things about Asian and Indian flavors plus new cooking techniques and ingredients, all things I will use in the future.  It was great to work with Julie.  She was helpful, knowledgeable and fun to be around.  We shared similarities in our palates, enjoying certain flavors more than others.  As I have always known, cooking and food is a big part of my life and even if I choose not to follow it as a career, I know I will still cook and bake throughout the rest of my life.  Thanks Julie for everything!