One of my best friends - Mrs Burger - gave me the most wonderful gift of the cookery book Silver Spoon - an encyclopedic collection of Italian recipes, with stacks of naturally gluten free recipes. Out of over 2,000 recipes I was pleasantly surprised to find a wealth of naturally gluten free cakes and puddings - Almond Pudding, Easy Ring Cake (using potato flour), Chestnut cake (using chestnut flour) and a Splendid Maria-Cake... to name a few.
So first of all I am off to track down some unusual flours, then its tea and cake all round.
15 Oct 2008
Gluten Free Cooking on "This Morning"
Here is a small segment of the piece I was on for This Morning talking about my experience living gluten free. It was the most fun I have had in ages and a great opportunity to publicise the condition and raise awareness.
I have not yet found a replay of the whole segment, but here is some tape of Phil Vickery cooking gluten free recipes. He has researched suitable recipes extensively and demonstrated onion bahjis and apple crumble on the show.
Here is the video of Phil cooking these recipes with a very special taster...
I have not yet found a replay of the whole segment, but here is some tape of Phil Vickery cooking gluten free recipes. He has researched suitable recipes extensively and demonstrated onion bahjis and apple crumble on the show.
Here is the video of Phil cooking these recipes with a very special taster...
14 Oct 2008
Great gluten free foods
The Californian neighbourhood food shop is none other than Wholefoods and the nerd in me was quietly pleased to have some time alone to wander the aisles. Despite having our first outpost of the organic superstore in London, the ranges vary hugely and I found many of the products often raved about by US bloggers, such as Bobs Red Mill Flours.
The most exciting and inspiring thing for me was the variety of gluten free ingredients and products, even in a small town store such as Sebastapool. Each product, including the loose ingredients to buy in bulk were highlighted with a Gluten Free label on the shelf, all mixed in with the "normal"products.
To me this was great, as when I go food shopping I think about what I am going to eat and therefore when I want to buy biscuits, I go to the biscuit section. The Wholefoods approach to product placement - and this may be only my interpretation - is integrated without shouting "special needs" and risks people without the need to eat gluten free picking them up.
And it is a risk - In the UK a large proportion of the large scale manufactured gluten free ingredients would not be eaten by those who do not have to - with exceptions of course. However in the US, I was consistently suprised at the quality, variety, taste and ingredients of the majority of GF foods. (It has to be noted here that I acknowledge Wholefoods is a more expensive food shop, but for me is the benchmark for what our supermarkets should aspire to).
Fortunatley I had enough room in my luggage for a handful of ingredients to try at home including:
Quinoa pasta - a much more robust pasta than rice, that had a less noodle-y texture, but no distinctive taste like the fresh chickpea pasta from Sainsburys.
Crackers - made from rice flour they reminded me of the ritz crackers without the cheesey flavour and only a hint of rice flour aftertaste.
Blue Corn Tortilla Chips - Wholefoods own label with a hint of lime without flavourings so you could taste the corn.
Marys Gone Crackers - Mini crackers made from seeds which are crunchy and tasty whilst all natural.
Teff flour / Amaranth flour / Differnt ground cornmeals
Almond meal - sold as a great alternative base to pastry, made from locally grown almonds great for puddings.
Gluten free wraps - made from ground corn
Gluten free macaroons - just one of the many baked goods made in the inhouse bakery
Japanese crackers - light crackers made with rice flour
Gluten free cereal bars - a great on the go snack that doesn't taste of cardboard.
and these are just the ones I found in a half hour wander...oh for WholeFoods to expand in the UK... at least there was lots of inspiriation for cooking.
The most exciting and inspiring thing for me was the variety of gluten free ingredients and products, even in a small town store such as Sebastapool. Each product, including the loose ingredients to buy in bulk were highlighted with a Gluten Free label on the shelf, all mixed in with the "normal"products.
To me this was great, as when I go food shopping I think about what I am going to eat and therefore when I want to buy biscuits, I go to the biscuit section. The Wholefoods approach to product placement - and this may be only my interpretation - is integrated without shouting "special needs" and risks people without the need to eat gluten free picking them up.
And it is a risk - In the UK a large proportion of the large scale manufactured gluten free ingredients would not be eaten by those who do not have to - with exceptions of course. However in the US, I was consistently suprised at the quality, variety, taste and ingredients of the majority of GF foods. (It has to be noted here that I acknowledge Wholefoods is a more expensive food shop, but for me is the benchmark for what our supermarkets should aspire to).
Fortunatley I had enough room in my luggage for a handful of ingredients to try at home including:
Quinoa pasta - a much more robust pasta than rice, that had a less noodle-y texture, but no distinctive taste like the fresh chickpea pasta from Sainsburys.
Crackers - made from rice flour they reminded me of the ritz crackers without the cheesey flavour and only a hint of rice flour aftertaste.
Blue Corn Tortilla Chips - Wholefoods own label with a hint of lime without flavourings so you could taste the corn.
Marys Gone Crackers - Mini crackers made from seeds which are crunchy and tasty whilst all natural.
Teff flour / Amaranth flour / Differnt ground cornmeals
Almond meal - sold as a great alternative base to pastry, made from locally grown almonds great for puddings.
Gluten free wraps - made from ground corn
Gluten free macaroons - just one of the many baked goods made in the inhouse bakery
Japanese crackers - light crackers made with rice flour
Gluten free cereal bars - a great on the go snack that doesn't taste of cardboard.
and these are just the ones I found in a half hour wander...oh for WholeFoods to expand in the UK... at least there was lots of inspiriation for cooking.
"This Morning" Coeliac Disease Feature!
Everyones favourite presenters Fern and Phil are doing a feature on Coeliac Disease with Dr Chris and I have been asked by the Coeliac Assoication to be interviewed as a Case Study. The show airs on Wednesday 15th Ocotber at around 11.45am - but I will try and get something from ITV - at the very least I will get pictures.
Apparantly, Chef and supporter of Coeliacs Phil Vickery will be cooking some (naturally GF)onion bahjis and Crumble with rice flour.
Watch this space...
13 Oct 2008
Tried and Tested Gluten Free California, USA
The State of California is renowned for special diets,- seafood diet, low carb, no carb, lettuce only diet or even something comparably normal like gluten free. Over two weeks of eating out in San Francisco and the Bay area has generated a hefty list of recommendations for gluten free eating below - and these are only the ones I am pleased to recommend. Special places where the service or menu surprised and delighted may warrant some extra attention later one, but while the memories of handmade corn chips, succulent grilled meats and heavenly seafood are still fresh in my mind, here's a list to tempt you over the pond:
Mosaic - Forestville, Sonoma County
East West Cafe - Sebastapool, Sonoma County
Willi's Seafood - Healdsburg, Sonoma County
Chez Panisse - Berkley, San Francisco
Taylor's Automatic Refresher -St Helena, Napa Valley
Underwood Bar and Bistro - NG_ERROR_11>Graton, NG_ERROR_12>Sonoma County
Rose's Cafe - Cow Hollow, San Francisco
Passion Fish - Pacific Grove
The Red House Cafe - Pacific Grove
Mountain Rooms - Yosemite National Park
Jack Falstaff - San Fransisco
Just looking at this list makes me hungry, and knowing how well they dealt with my requirement - and I can assure you I am no risk taker when it comes to health on holiday - I can tell you I was relaxed and thrilled at every meal here.
Mosaic - Forestville, Sonoma County
East West Cafe - Sebastapool, Sonoma County
Willi's Seafood - Healdsburg, Sonoma County
Chez Panisse - Berkley, San Francisco
Taylor's Automatic Refresher -St Helena, Napa Valley
Underwood Bar and Bistro - NG_ERROR_11>Graton, NG_ERROR_12>Sonoma County
Rose's Cafe - Cow Hollow, San Francisco
Passion Fish - Pacific Grove
The Red House Cafe - Pacific Grove
Mountain Rooms - Yosemite National Park
Jack Falstaff - San Fransisco
Just looking at this list makes me hungry, and knowing how well they dealt with my requirement - and I can assure you I am no risk taker when it comes to health on holiday - I can tell you I was relaxed and thrilled at every meal here.
Gluten free eating in california - coming soon...
Sunny California is the place for anyone with a dietarty requirement. During a two week trip to San Franscisco and the Bay area I entrusted my health (and my holiday) to B&B's owners or restaurant and cafe chefs and I was perfectly healthy the whole trip. Not one incedence of being "gluten-ised" in more than two weeks of eating every meal out. So, over the next few days I will be sharing my reccomendations and experiences, plus a few stunning vistas of San Fransisco and the Bay area.
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