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Carol's Culinary Cues - February, 2006
(c) Carol Fenster, Ph.D. - President, Savory
Palate, Inc.
8174 South Holly St., #404, Centennial, CO
80122
800.741.5418
ISSN 14244
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The fat content
remains roughly the same and of course, the calorie content won't change that
much either. However, I feel better knowing that when I choose to indulge in pie, I'm
controlling the type of fat that goes into it. Of course, you control the amount
fat by how much pie you eat, but that's another story. You can find my no-fail
pie crust recipe in Gluten-Free 101 and Wheat-Free Recipes & Menus
(white cover).
Preheat Those
Ovens
I always thought
that preheating an oven until it "beeped" was enough. But some ovens may need
much longer than that because---while the temperature indicator may show it
reached the desired temperature--- the heat may not yet be distributed evenly
throughout the oven space. So, to be on the safe side, experts recommend
preheating your oven at least 20 minutes or more. And, it wouldn't hurt to purchase
an oven thermometer (about $5) to make sure your oven temperature indicator is
correct.
Silicone Baking
Pans
You may have
received a silicone baking pan as a gift over the holidays or even bought one
for yourself. They come in different sizes for different purposes, but I decided
to test a muffin pan and wasn't impressed. First, there's the problem of how to
handle this floppy, non-rigid muffin pan. It has to rest on a baking sheet to
steady it. Then I noticed that my muffins didn't rise as high. Finally, the
muffins didn't brown much and looked rather anemic. I decided that I was much
happier with my gray, nonstick muffin pan and donated the silicone pan to
charity. These silicone pans may work just fine for regular baking, but they are
not the best choice for our gluten-free food.
Tortilla Hints
One of the foods I missed
the most on a gluten-free
diet was tortillas. So, when
Food for Life introduced
their brown rice tortillas,
I was delighted. Since they
have to be refrigerated or
frozen to preserve
freshness, they're rather
hard when they come out of
the package. I have
experimented a lot with them
over the last year to find
the best ways to soften
them.
First, I tried placing a
tortilla flat between two
damp paper towels and
microwaving them on low
power for about 30 seconds
(microwaves vary, so yours
may take longer). Fill them
with your chosen filling
right away before they start
to cool, then roll up
burrito-style. This works
fairly well, but if you
overheat them they become
quite crisp. So, if you want
flour tortilla chips, cut
each tortilla into quarters
or sixths (depending on how
big you want the chips) and
microwave until they become
crisp. They may curl only
slightly, so they won't
always look like the
store-bought chips.
If you want a hard, flat
chip do this: Cut the
tortilla into quarters and
slip a quarter into a
plastic, toaster-bag
(available at
www.allergygrocers.com)
and put it in your toaster
until it browns slightly.
You now have a perfectly
crisp base for sandwich
fillings.
For softer, more pliable
tortillas try this. Fill a
skillet with 1-2 inches of
water and bring to a boil,
then turn heat down to a
simmer. Place a
bacon-splatter guard on top
of the skillet. Put a
tortilla on the splatter
guard and over that place a
lid larger enough to cover
the entire tortilla. Leave the
tortilla there just long
enough to soften it (times
will vary on whether the
tortilla is room
temperature, chilled, or
frozen). Remove from heat,
add filling, and roll
immediately. In my
experiments, this technique
produced the softest, most
pliable, and most
easily eaten tortilla of
all.
One technique I use for
airplane travel: Soften the
tortilla with any of the
above methods, then
immediately roll up
burrito-style and seal in
aluminum foil (twisting the
ends to secure). Place
sandwich fillings in
resealable plastic bag and
have little packets of
mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup
etc. with you. Once on the
plane, gently place the
foil-wrapped burrito between
your legs (yes, I'm not
kidding) to let your
body temperature warm it
slightly so it won't break
when you fill it. Gently
unroll it enough to add
sandwich fillings and
re-roll gently. This also
provides great entertainment
for your seatmates and a
great way to start a
conversation! Of course, you
can add the tortilla
fillings before you leave
home, but you run the risk
of a very soggy tortilla if
the fillings are wet or
mushy.
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Food for Thought
According to a 2004 survey by Crisco® and American Pie Council, one out of four
Americans prefer apple pie, followed by pumpkin or sweet potato (17 percent),
anything chocolate (14 percent), lemon meringue (11 percent) and cherry (10
percent). Nearly twice as many people prefer their pie unadorned as those who
like it 'a la mode,' with either ice cream or whipped cream topping. Source:
www.foodreference.com
Where in the
World is Carol?
No business travel in February, but I want to thank
the hardy souls who came to my Whole Foods Market book signing on February 17 in
sub-zero weather. For those in Denver, I know this store at Belmar in Lakewood
has all of my books so you can buy them there.
Some of you
wondered about my recent dining experiences in Las Vegas which now boasts many
world-class chefs. In the MGM Grand, it was easy to eat at Emeril's (they even
suggested the flourless chocolate cake before I could look at the dessert menu)
and we had fantastic seafood at Seablue .At Mandalay Bay, we dined at
Border Grill (home of the cookbook Two Hot Tamales) and Fleur de Lys, San
Francisco Chef Hubert Keller's restaurant. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesar's
Palace served wonderful southwestern foods. I had a great breakfast at Thomas
Keller's Bouchon bistro at the Venetian. The menus have certainly changed since
I dined at these restaurants a few months ago so you may have different
experiences, but I found that if I explained what I could eat in simple terms
the staff was aware of food sensitivities and eager to meet my needs. Of course,
a dining card always helps. Whenever I was in doubt, I ordered fresh salads and
plain, grilled fish with lemon slices.
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