5th May, 2010 - Posted by Scott - No Comments
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.
20th April, 2010 - Posted by Scott - 1 Comment
I’ll get right to it. These are good. Real good. The closest thing I’ve tasted to traditional baked goods. I’ve tried the brownies and chocolate chip cookies so far and both were great. I took the cookies to share at my PDC and several people commented on how good they were. The yellow cake and devil’s food cake are on deck to be baked up in the next few weeks and I’ll give you a heads up on whether or not they continue the revelation of tasty oven delights or not. My expectation though is that they will. I also want to see if I can somehow transform the devil’s food mix into a red velvet cake. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
In my local grocery stores these retail for $3.99 a box. That made a 9×9 pan of brownies or 40 2 1/2″ cookies. Compared to the other gluten free mixes on the shelf, it’s a bargain, especially considering how much better these are than some of the other options. The Betty Crocker brand hit one out of the park with this product line, especially considering how pure the ingredients are. There are no long lists of food additives or preservatives, just a blend of flours, sugar, cocoa or chocolate chips (also with a short list of ingredients), and some xanthan gum. Why can’t other boxed mixes be this simple?
Here is a link to the nutritional and ingredient information for the brownies so you can see what I mean:
http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/brands/product_image.aspx?catID=23333&itemID=38507
20th April, 2010 - Posted by Scott - No Comments
The Harrisburg GIG is holding a gluten free luncheon to start the national GIG Chef to Plate and Celiac Awareness Month. The menu will include:
Vegetarian vegetable soup
Buffet Menu Selections:
Shrimp Caesar salad with sundried tomatoes.
Greek chicken salad (olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta, Gorgonzola vinaigrette, lemon marinated grilled chicken).
Assorted “Amaranth Bakery” flat bread wrap sandwiches with chicken salad; tuna salad; or ham, turkey, and roast beef.
Ice Tea and Coffee Beverage Station
Chocolate cream pie with pecan crust for dessert
Price for the dinner is $18.80 per person, which includes tax and gratuity. Deadline to RSVP is Saturday April 24th. Your reservation and payment (by check, which should include your phone number) can be sent to:
GIG of Harrisburg
PO Box 312
Hershey, PA 17033-0312
I hope to see you there!
11th April, 2010 - Posted by shawn - 1 Comment
Today I attended a Gluten Free cooking class at the Kitchen Shoppe in Carlisle, PA. The class was taught by Chef Amber Clay. Jennifer McCahan, RD LDN was also on hand to answer questions.
If you have never taken a cooking class at the Kitchen Shoppe you will definitely be surprised at how it resembles a cooking show on TV. Chef Amber is up front with a mirror above her and two TV screens to show you everything she does. Two sous chefs were on hand to help with the cooking and to hand out the goodies that were on the menu. Chef Amber has a great personality and her sense of humor comes through often making the class an enjoyable experience for the audience despite the product endorsements she makes during the whole class – which are to be expected.
This was not a hands-on class which meant we were observers in Chef Amber’s kitchen but we did get to sample each of the five dishes (plus variations.) Each participant – we had 16 – had a table setting with water, white wine and coffee or tea as offered beverages. Each time Chef Amber created a dish we got to taste the results. Each of us got to take home the recipes of the day plus some handouts from Ms. McCahan. (One of which is about grain milling and includes wheat – I hope that did not confuse anyone. It had no title and did not site the source though she did say in class where it came from.)
The recipes covered today ranged from quesedilas made with corn tortillas to a marble snack cake made with a rice/tapioca flour blend. Chef Amber explained where her ingredients came from and how she had label checked to make sure we were getting gluten free items such as salsa, sauces and vanilla. No one mentioned if the wine was gluten-free, but hopefully it was.
The folks in class included varied backgrounds from those with celiac disease to some with gluten intolerance to those with only an interest in gluten-free cooking. Many of us were cooking for others with conditions. There also seemed to be varying levels of knowledge of methods of basic food preparation. Chef Amber tried to cover the the variances by discussing each technique as if we had never done it before. Those of us familiar with yeast baking got an overly long re-education on it, but others were definitely learning it for the first time.
So what was my impression of the class? I have to say that in all I was disappointed in the class.
As someone who has been researching gluten-free diets for only a few months I was surprised that there was very little new information in this class for me. I was expecting a well-researched class that talked about the variations of gluten-free cooking that I had only heard about but never seen. Unfortunately all of the baked items in the class used the same rice/tapioca flour mix so there was little variation in flour blends. The recipes presented were run of the mill as far as food fare goes and the results we got to sample ranged from not bad (the crepes) to pretty awful (the pasta – it was cold which made it worse.) The snack cake was expectedly sandy as nearly all gluten-free baked goods are though it was a bit moister than most which made me wonder what it would be like tomorrow.
It was pretty clear to several of us in class that Chef Amber hasn’t had much experience with gluten-free cooking beyond reading and trying a few recipes to put this class on. She also did not seem to understand one of the main reasons many of us were there – to make a better product. She made one remark that I felt summed up her role in the experience. She was discussing the toppings for the pizza she was making – carmelized onions, prosciutto, sauteed mushrooms – and said something to the effect of if you can’t have a great crust, at least the toppings will be good. Something similar was said about the cake and frosting – implying that a not-so good cake can be made better by a good frosting.
This was a huge let down. What I wanted most from the class was a way to make a great tasting product with a normal texture. Any of us can open a mix to get so-so results, what we want is great food with or without the toppings!
It was also disappointing that Ms. McCahan was not better prepared. One question that several of us wanted an answer to was ”is there a difference between potato flour and potato starch.” Both Ms. McCahan and Chef Amber said they thought nutritionally they weren’t different, but neither seemed particularly sure if they were interchangeable. So we all left with that unanswered question. I did look it up when I got home and they are not nutritionally the same nor are they interchangeable. Seems that potato starch only contains the starch of the potato and potato flour contains the whole potato so nutritionally they are different and they would also act differently in recipes. Potato starch and potato starch flour ARE the same thing. These are the types of questions we had hoped to have answered. My hope is that both Chef Amber and Ms. McCahan look this one up before their NEXT gluten-free class so they have the correct answer next time.
OK, that all sounds pretty negative I guess, but do I think I wasted my $49? Absolutely not.
Though the class was not what I had hoped for, the experience of the class was very positive. The tastes of various foods, the beverages, the learning environment – all of this was enjoyable.
But by far the most valuable aspect of this class, and something I wish could be carried forward in a food club of some kind, was meeting other local people who were also out there reading labels, trying restaurants and cooking some really good food. I learned about what some local vendors were selling and that the local GF store in Dillsburg unfortunately closed two weeks ago. We discussed failed recipes and our tips for storing all that flour in our freezers. There was lots of “Did you know…” “Have you tried…” “And I saw the other day…” sharing.
The knowledge in this class definitely was with the students, not the teachers, and it felt good to be among a group all fighting the same battles. That part of the experience was definitely worth the price of admission and then some.
If the Kitchen Shoppe wanted to improve this class, what could they do? The best thing would be for Chef Amber to work with some real people who cook gluten-free on a daily basis who make good tasting, good textured food – better than what most of us do on a daily basis or can get from a box. She could show different flour blends and which are best for what situation since they are not all created equal. She and her attending nutritionist could do some additional research and be ready for the common gluten-free questions. And they could offer some really good food instead of the same old “not bad but not great” fare most people are familiar with.
Again, this class is worth taking to meet people with similar food issues and to enjoy an afternoon out, but unless you are very new to the gluten-free club you will not learn anything from the actual course.
6th April, 2010 - Posted by Scott - No Comments
After months and months and of trying to get to Arepa City, I finally made it. Including the iced tea I bought on the way in so I had change for the meter, the meter, and food, it was $14. I was able to park on the street about a 1/4 block away and wheel my children down in their stroller. Someone working in the downtown Harrisburg area could probably be there in 10 minutes, eat and be back to the office in under an hour for $10.
Before I get too far into this, I should define an arepa for those of you, like I was, who are unfamiliar with them. An arepa is a corn bun that is a staple of Venezuelan cooking. It is made with a corn flour, grilled, and then either stuffed with a filling, or topped with ingredients.
I got a queso arepa with queso fresco and a pernil arepa (slow roasted pork) with spicy slaw (I asked to have that added). Both were awesome but I was a bit fearful when I opened the box and was greeted by them. The presentation didn’t say anything and they didn’t look impressive at all. The wonderful taste more than made up for my reservations.
The prices for the arepas are all a dollar or two higher than when I first looked at the menu way back when, but versus the pictures I originally saw it looks like they are much larger than before. They originally looked like a 3-4″ bun, similar to a basic fast food hamburger. They are actually in the 5-6″ range, more like a sit down restaurant burger.
The queso was tasty and let me really enjoy the bun, which is familiar but different. The first bite was generic corn bread, but that impression quickly passed as each bite drew me further towards the center. It was nicely toasted on the outside that gave a nice resistance which was chewy in the mouth with the nutty flavor that corn can have coming through. The the center underneath this crust was soft and warm and with a flavor like plain fresh popcorn. A very odd mix and much better than the first impression.
The pork with spicy slaw I will certainly want to get again. The slaw had little in common with the American counterpart other than the cabbage and was hot enough to start my nose running. Very refreshing and opened the palate to enjoy the flavor of the pork, which was incredibly savory. It was also among the most tender pieces of pork I’ve ever encountered.
All in all a good experience, even a delay in getting home to eat it. Arepa City has earned a spot on my gluten free dining list. Go out and give it a try.
You can view the full menu and see pictures of the inside of the restaurant here:
http://arepacity.com/Arepa-City-Harrisburg-Venezuela-Restaurant-Menu.php
24th March, 2010 - Posted by Scott - No Comments
Chipotle is a restaurant that I used to frequent regularly in my pre-Celiac days. The quality of the food was always top notch and, though more expensive than fast food, offered a good value for the money for a lower price than a sit down chain restaurant. As Spring dawns and we are spending more time out with the children, has sent me looking for more food options other than packing my own.
I was delighted to find out how many options they have for someone who has any allergies. Information found elsewhere says they are very understanding about people with dietary issues and will gladly change gloves to minimize the risk of cross contamination. For Celiacs and folks on gluten-free diets, everything but the flour burritos are safe. We have a pretty fair run of the menu.
Here is a direct link to the allergen card, which will open in a new window. You will need a PDF reader to view it.
www.chipotle.com/Chipotle_Allergen_Card.pdf
14th March, 2010 - Posted by Scott - 3 Comments
Samuel Adams was my go to beer for years before my Celiac diagnosis. Wanting to enjoy those unique flavors, I wrote to the folks at the Boston Beer Company to see if they had anything in the pipeline. Here is the response:
Thank you for getting in touch with us about making a Samuel Adams gluten-free beer. We are sorry to hear about your condition and that it prevents you from enjoying so many foods, especially Samuel Adams.
Right now, we make only traditional brewed beers, which naturally contain gluten. We have asked our brewers to look into gluten-free beer and see whether this is something that would make sense for us to pursue.
Thank you again for letting us know about the need for gluten-free beers.
Cheers,
Todd Bellomy
Consumer Relations Representative
The Boston Beer Company
www.samueladams.com
If you have an interest in seeing a Gluten-Free Sam Adams on the market, contact them and let them know there is an interest.
8th March, 2010 - Posted by Scott - No Comments
is the title of the article in the April 1, 2010 edition of Family Circle magazine containing an assortment of gluten free recipes. There are cook-from-scratch and product options.
Each of the recipes below are available on the Family Circle website, but you will need to register to see them. Registration is free.
The recipes in the article include:
4th March, 2010 - Posted by Scott - 1 Comment
The title says it all. King Arthur Flour has introduced a line of gluten free baking products. As a big fan of the rest of their line I am glad to see this addition. Baking was once one of my mainstays but I have not had a lot of success so far with gluten-free mixes or from scratch recipes.
King Arthur’s Gluten Free Line
2nd March, 2010 - Posted by Scott - No Comments
After trying some of the commercial gluten free beer options, none of them were very satisfying. For my adult beverage choices I’m not much of a liquor or cocktail fan. That leaves wine or cider as the main, commercially available, choices. As much as I like both, beer was a mainstay.
That left me searching for a homebrew option. Thankfully, for Christmas, my wife was nice enough to give me a collection of vinting, brewing, and meadmaking books. One of those was Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, by Stephen Buhner. In one of the appendices he references using 8oz of brown sugar and 12oz of molasses per gallon of base beer. That lead me to put together the following recipe based on my previous experiences.
It went together in a few hours and the first signs of life are appearing in the airlock. Initial gravity was 1.052.
I’ll let you know my results as the experiment continues. If anyone has experience with something like this, or tries experimenting with it, let me know. Gluten free brewing is a new world.
This is for a 1 gallon batch:
12oz Blackstrap (full flavor) Molasses
8oz Light Brown Sugar
1/5oz U.K. Fuggles pelletized hops
1/5oz U.K. Kent Golding pelletized hops
2g Safale S-04 yeast.
Enough water to equal one gallon.
Combine the molasses, sugar, and water in an 8 quart, or larger, pot.
Bring to a boil and add the Fuggles hops.
Boil for 50 minutes and then add the Golding.
Boil for 10 more minutes, remove from heat, and cool quickly to 70 degrees.
Pour into your primary fermenter, filtering off the hops in the process.
Add enough water to make sure you have a gallon.
Double check the temp. If it is around 70 degrees, pitch the yeast, attach lid and airlock.
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