Here is a selection of the many appetizers provided by local vendors for the Harrisburg Gluten Intolerance Group Chef to Plate Kickoff lunch. Starting in the upper left hand corner you have tiramisu, whoopie pie, and, in the cup above the pizza, sticky bun. Then there is the pterodactyl dip and hummus with flat breads, a seared scallop topped with roasted red peppers on an Asiago cheese crisp. Last is a slice of gluten free pizza and chicken saltimbocca with gluten free pasta.
Piazza Sorrento provided the tiramisu and pizza. I couldn’t tell that the tiramisu was gluten free and the pizza was the closest thing I have found to the real thing to far. Thin, very crisp, with a hint of char, it was married to a rich complex sauce that brought all the flavors together with a slightly acidic tomato bite, not sugary and insipid like the sauce you find from the large chains.
Fennici’s chef was cooking the chicken saltimbocca fresh while we waited. This mix of chicken, prosciutto, and provolone was served with a garlic cream sauce over gluten free pasta. My only complaint is that there wasn’t more.
Matthew Hickey, Executive Chef from The Cellar made the seared scallop. I’m not a huge fan of seafood so cannot judge this dish appropriately one way or the other. I will give the crisp two thumbs up. After trying to perfect something very similar to these crisps off and on the past few months, with nothing that could be called a success, a big thank you goes out to Mr. Hickey for an equipment tip to making them well: Silpat baking mats.
The pterodactyl dip and hummus are compliments of Isaac’s, a local sit-down sandwich chain currently with 20 shops in the central and south eastern areas of Pennsylvania. Regretfully, neither of these items are available on the regular menu but are available for catering. was glad to learn however that Isaac’s will serve any of their sandwiches on a gluten free flat bread and they are conscious of the needs of Celiac and Gluten Intolerance patients. This includes employees putting on fresh gloves, covering the work surface with aluminum foil, and prepare your sandwich separate from other ingredients. As can be expected in a sandwich shop with bread everywhere, they cannot guarantee there will be no cross contamination, but they do their best to insure it is so.
Gluten Free Innovations came through with the whoopie pies and sticky buns. The former was rather pedestrian, though I find most whoopie pies are as there is little separating the best from the worst, but the latter were astonishingly good. I had to stop and take a moment. Ok, a few moments. It’s why there isn’t much in the little serving cup in the photo: I stopped at the serving table and took a taste. And another. And another. So good that I put them aside once I took that picture and saved them for last.
Finally, all the flat breads used at Isaac’s and for the lunch at the Kickoff were provided by Amaranth Bakery in Lancaster PA. These were one of the items that impressed me the most at the luncheon because they tasted like whole grain bread, were flexible enough to roll around fillings, and had a good texture. If you’ve read any of my previous posts about baked goods, you know how important this last part is to me.
