DCGluties.com

Update 4/15/10: The FDA has closed the gluten free labeling survey as it claims that the survey has met quota. Keep your eyes on this space for more news as the FDA formalizes the gluten free labeling process.

Movement has begun at the FDA in the agency’s efforts to introduce standardized gluten free labeling. Take the survey at the Gluten Free Living blog and help determine how gluten free labels are presented. It takes around 20 minutes to complete, but if you’re concerned about cross-contamination and hidden gluten in products like I am, it’s worth the time.

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Tags:   celiac · Celiac disease · FDA · food labeling · gf · gluten · gluten free47 Comments

In 2002, Real Simple released a recipe for Belgian beef stew and for five years straight, we made an absolutely huge pot of it every winter. Then, when I went gluten-free, it just kind of fell off our radar – especially given that two of its stand-out ingredients are beer and bread.

It has such a unique flavor, nothing like the crockpot tomato paste disaster I had (and frankly, always loathed) at friend’s houses growing up. No tomato here, no carrots, no peas – just hearty beefy flavor that derives its tongue-pleasing acidity from grainy mustard and red wine vinegar.

We dusted off the recipe last week during the storm of the century and created a gluten-free version that was just as satisfying as I remembered and dead-on in terms of flavor replication. Now, to be fair, I should tell you that my mother-in-law sends us these mail-order filet mignon cuts so, in place of the chuck, we cubed the filets and threw them in there – elevating the flavor and richness dramatically. It also gave us a chance to break out our beautiful red Le Creuset Dutch oven.

In place of the Guiness and country bread, we used one whole bottle of Green’s Endeavor double dark beer (b0ught at Whole Foods) and some split Foods by George English muffins (from Whole Foods or Wegmans) slathered in mustard. This stew is so starchy we don’t even serve it over noodles or potatoes, it’s delicious just the way it is. Sure, we were housebound and anything would have tasted good, but I can assure you that as far as recipes go, dit is perfectie, as they would say in Belgium.

Here’s what you’ll need.

Jump over to the recipe at www.realsimple.com to read about the preparation.

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Snowmageddon may have made most of us a little stir crazy, but it also gave us plenty of time in the kitchen to try new recipes. I found this recipe for brownies on the back of Meister’s Gluten Free Mixtures and swirled in some strawberry sundae topping for a little flare. Even though the snow is melting, I recommend giving these brownies a try the next time you’re in the need of a sugar fix.

Ingredients

1 cup of unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1/1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups Meister’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (or another gluten free flour blend that includes xanthan gum)

1/2 cup strawberry sundae topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9×13″ pan. Melt butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. Stir in sugar and reheat for approximately 5 minutes until the mixture is soft, but not bubbling. Stir in cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, and then add flour, stirring until smooth. Spoon batter into pan. Using a spatula, swirl in strawberry topping. Bake for 50 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean.

Enjoy!

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January and August bring a treat to DC foodies on a budget: DC’s famed Restaurant Week. The gluties try to make the rounds to new restaurants each time Restaurant Week comes to town. It’s a great opportunity to truly test a restaurant’s gluten free sensitivity. When limited menus are the rule during Restaurant Week, some joints go out of their way to make sure you’re well fed, even if a few substitutions are required. Others deliver nothing more than a blank stare. That said, here’s what went well and what didn’t during the 16th Washington, DC Restaurant Week.

Bobby Van’s Steakhouse

My first stop during Restaurant Week was to Bobby Van’s Steakhouse on New York Ave. When we sat down, we were pleasantly surprised by the wine specials that accompanied the dinner specials. A limited selection was featured at $25/bottle and $5/glass. Not their top shelf, but it was nice to have a decent price on wine to accompany the prix fixe menu. The waiter seemed well informed about gluten free dining, and was amenable to my requests, but I’m pretty sure it was lip service. Nothing communicated at the table made its way to the kitchen, and every course had to go back. Croutons on the Caesar salad, jous (which I was told was not safe, even though it often is) on the steak, and cookies in my mousse. After all of my dishes were remade without gluten, the end result was yummy … but not enough to warrant a return visit from me. I wouldn’t put it on the top of my list for gluten free dining, either. 

BlackSalt Fish Market

BlackSalt was divine. No questions about it. The happy hour is worth checking out – the bar features great wine and beer (for your gluten loving date) specials, house oysters and other finger foods. The only real option on the happy hour for gluties are the oysters, but for me, that was just right. The menu is quite flexible, and the waitstaff is eager to let you know. I started with the naturally gluten free heirloom beet salad, followed by the Spanish mussels, which the kitchen doctored to accomodate my needs. Even though the restaurant wasn’t participating in Restaurant Week during dinner, it was a great night out and a restaurant I’ll visit again. Two thumbs up for gluten free awareness.

Zengo

Zengo in Gallery Place was a mixed bag. The restaurant has a loud, fast paced, slinging-hash kind of atmosphere, yet it’s gluten free menu is leather bound and official. The food is yummy, but their approach to dining is based on an “everyone shares” mentality, which doesn’t work well for us gluties. They bring out dishes when they’re ready … not by table. When you’re dining with gluten-loving friends, and can’t share, it means you’re staring at your empty plate. Not quite the best way to spend a night out. When it was our turn for sharing, Brooke and I noshed on duck tacos (wrapped in a pickled radish shell), arepas, chicken tandoori, beef tenderloin palomilla, and dulce de leche pudding. I would recommend the food, but maybe choosing a quieter night to visit.

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Just in time for the holidays …

The snowy weekend inspired me to warm up in front of the oven and do some baking. I always turn to Carol Fenster’s recipes for my gluten free pies, but since we’ve already headed north to Massachusetts to spend time with family, I was without my trusted cook books. Instead, I turned to Google for a new gluten free pie crust for the spiced peach pie I’m bringing to Christmas dinner.

What I found may be my new “go to” recipe. Cherie Funderburg’s “Beyond the Wheat”blog has a simple flaky pie crust recipe that yields a dough that’s easy to handle. I used Meister’s Gluten Free Mixtures! all purpose flour blend. Their products are a little pricy but worth the cost. You can buy the flours online at www.meistersgf.com.

Here’s a link to the recipe that makes two 9″ pie crusts. Fill with your favorite flavors. If you’re like me and have a freezer full of fruit saved from the warmer months, this peach pie from Epicurious.com might inspire you. The spices scream winter with a little touch of summer.

Happy holidays!

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Tags:   carol fenster · Epicurious · gluten free · holiday · peach pie · pie crustNo Comments.