This week is all about learning what YOUR favorite comfort foods are! Please submit your top 5 comfort foods that you once were able to indulge in before your diagnosis but can no longer touch since becoming gluten free. Nothing gives me more pleasure than the process of creating new gluten free recipes and giving people back their food pride, so please do share your favorite dishes with me so I can set to work to bring them back to life for you…

Here are my top five favorite comfort foods:

1. Homemade Egg Pasta
   
2. Pizza
   
3. Angel Food Cake with Fresh Cream and Berries
   
4. Bread Pudding
   
5. Triple Chocolate Mint Parfait
   

What are yours?

Such Wonderful NEWS!!! At last, it was announced this morning on NPR that “California lawmakers are scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to phase out and ultimately ban plastic grocery bags statewide. But plastic industry trade groups are lobbying hard and spending thousands to defeat the ban.”

For those of you who have been following me over the summer, you will see that this is not only a huge environmental leap, but a step towards eradicating the plastics that are causing our auto-immune disorders.

HERE HERE! Three cheers to everyone who helped make this bill a possibility!!!

For this week’s “Baking” section of the blog, I’d love to hear what your top 5 comfort foods are so I can come up with a real crowd pleaser, so please submit the names of dishes that make your heart feel the fullest. Time is of the essence, so please respond ASAP so I can set to making them a reality over the course of the next few weeks…

My favorite comfort food is homemade pasta, which I tackled last week, so I’d love to hear what everyone else turns to when they need that one dish that makes everything better.

Whenever I had homemade egg pasta growing up as a very small girl, my grandma would always serve it very simply so you could really taste the pasta. This gluten free version tastes just like what nonna used to make, served with a dash of kosher salt, freshly melted butter, and parmesan. It’s absolutely comforting, it’s absolutely easy and it 100% gluten free. Naturally, you can serve it with whatever sauce you like, but I went with a fuss free version to make the focus all about the pasta.

So roll up your sleeves, everyone. Your search for the perfect gluten free egg pasta is right here, but it won’t be for long; it will only be posted for three short days, so enjoy it while you can.

GLUTEN FREE EGG PASTA

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine all the dry ingredients followed by the eggs and oil. Mix on medium low speed. Add the water and increase the speed to medium high and mix until the dough pulls waves from the side of the pan.

Using a plastic pastry scraper, turn the dough onto a very clean counter dusted with additional glutinous rice flour. Knead the dough until no longer tacky. Shape into a smooth cylinder and cover with cello. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut a 2 inch section of the dough then dust with glutinous rice flour. Using a pasta machine, roll out the dough, first on setting one. Cut the sheet of pasta in half horizontally and then pass through the pasta machine on setting two and lastly on setting three. Then pass the sheet through the linguini cutter. Transfer the noodles to a large wire rack, carefully laying flat. Repeat until all the dough has been prepared.

Fill a 4 quart pot with water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Bring to a rolling boil and add the fresh pasta. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Drain the pasta, being sure to reserve a few tablespoons of water. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter to the reserved liquid. Add the pasta and then parmesan and kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

So now that the cookbook is about to come out and I have more free time to get back into my usual workout routine (thank you baby jesus, because my muffin tops were threatening to become veritable loaves). To do so in the healthiest way possible, I’ve been searching for the best fuel to keep my energy levels high so I can endure my 2 hour yoga classes and my three mile runs. I’ve always been very high energy, but when it comes to physical training, everyone needs good fuel so they can build stamina.

Luckily, Bakery on Main has a product that has been fitting nicely into my new exercise regime: their gourmet Extreme Fruit & Nut Granola.

Bursting with non-GMO ingredients including rice bran, sunflower and flax seeds, raisins, sesame seed, coconut, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cranberry sugar, apricot, sea salt and lovely little corn flakes. It’s definitively a nice way to start your morning right-especially after that morning run.

I like to enjoy my granola with organic almond milk, but it’s just as good with cow’s milk. The best part? This granola stays nice and crunchy for over 5 minutes after the milk has been added, so you can take your time enjoying your breakfast rather than inhaling it before it turns to a bowl of slimy soup.

Here is the granola after sitting for 7 minutes and a generous stir to see the contents of the bottom of the bowl.

Hey everyone! Check out my lovely interview with Tango Diva about how to travel gluten free, from Italy to France or just to the Big Apple, without the worry. It’s filled with simple tips that will fill your vacations or business trips with pleasure rather than an upset stomach.

While I was at Wanderlust a few weeks back handing out my treats at the Uncorked wine tasting, I met a lovley woman named Mitzi Andros. When I told her the biscotti were gluten free, she immediately beamed and said, “No way! My son is gluten free!”

Naturally, we struck up a conversation, discussing everything from the difficulties of transitioning to the gluten free lifestyle to the joyousness of both being working mothers. When I asked her what her line of work was, she casually replied, “I am a rep for the Swiss makeup line, Arbonne.”

My face nearly melted off when she told me, because while I was working in France, Arbonne was a highly respected skin care line because it is all natural, literally. Arbonne derives their ingredients from the purest botanicals and is certified vegan.

“Do you have any gluten free products as well,” I immediately asked?

“Oh yeah, we have over 200 gluten free products,” she smiled.

Floored with excitement, I told her we absolutely had to stay in touch and extended my business card.

As she fished a card from her purse, I asked her if there was any baking recipe that she was really missing and was unable to make since becoming a gluten free household. She smiled her big, beautiful grin and said, “You know what, that is so funny that you should ask, because I do! I have this pound cake recipe from the 1800’s that I’ve been really missing.”

I smiled a calm yet jubilant reply, “How perfect. I’ll send you my pound cake recipe when I get home.”

Upon my return home, I did just that and she sent me some gluten free samples, and ladies, let me tell you! Arbonne is sublimly beautiful both inside and out.

They have some serious bragging rights, I mean, check this out: Arbonne is formulated WITHOUT ANY animal products or by-products, formaldehyde-donating preservatives (yes, they believe in preserving the living, not the nearly dead), petroleum-based ingredients including benzene, mineral oil, petroleum, phthalates, toluene and PABA.

Most of their cosmetics containers and shipping materials are made from recycled plastic and paper.

(In the back of my mind, I could here the auctioneer on the loud speaker exclaim, “SOLD!!! To the Gluten Free Baker from Texasssss!!!!”)

My favorite products? The RE9 Intensive Renewal Serum, RE Corrective Eye Creme, RE9 Night Repair Creme, the Bronzer, The Lip Shine, and the Purifying Sea Soak.

The RE9 was so effective, I noticed, and I’m shocked to report, visible results after only one day of use. The especially delicate skin around my eyes was visibly smoother and more plump, the beginnings of a few blemishes in my T-Zone were on their way out and the skin on my neck looked, well, smoother. I’m almost pinching myself as I write this, but it is the actual truth and I’m just as surprised as I am relieved.

The Bronzer is fabulous for highlighting your cheekbones and the other areas you are looking to enhance without looking like you walked out of a tranny convention.

The Lip Shine is not sticky at all (thanks to the omission of rendered animal fat that is used in most other lip glosses) and really hydrates your kisser the whole day through. Every time I walked past a mirror, I was like, Mississippi goddamn, your lips are looking good!

The Sea Soak is an experience in detox heaven. I tried it after an intense Vinyasa yoga class last night and I had a very zen moment of relaxation. As I stepped out of the bath, my skin and body felt like I’d emerged from a mineral rich hot spring and when I woke up this morning, I wasn’t the least bit sore. Need I say more?

As a naturalist, I believe in letting makeup enhance what you already have and Arbonne does just that. I don’t feel like I have a lick of makeup on, but I look perfectly polished, thanks to my glowingly renewed skin. Because let’s face it, ladies. Great makeup looks even greater on flawless skin and no matter how old you are, it always seems to be a challenge to simultaneously achieve both with a single brand.

Good thing you can kill two birds with one stone by eliminating all that running around by experiencing this amazing gluten free beauty source for yourself.

To place your order today, contact the lovely Mitzi Andros at 707.337.6868 or mitzical5@gmail.com

Attention all gluten free peeps! Come on out for the Cupcake Smackdown 2.0 this Saturday, August 21, 2010 for a very rare chance to sample some Blackbird Bakery mastery. We are very honored to be the ONLY gluten free vendor at the event and hope to see you there!

Click on the link above for all the event details. A nice big thanks to Jenni and Sarah for the love and support.

Can’t wait to get my babycakes in the cupcake cannon!

And since I can’t seem to decide what flavors of cupcakes to make, I’d like for you all to do it for me. Submit your suggestions in the comment box below…

As tempting as it was to create a gelato recipe to highlight one of the key culinary experiences Mrs. Gilbert had during her travels in Italy, I decided, as always, to take the path less traveled and create a recipe out of pure wonder. In the first third of the book, she talks about her time in Italy, wandering the streets, spending afternoons “drinking cappuccinos and eating pastries,” but the reader is never told what those pastries were. Inspired, I wanted to create something that was made for walking and that paired beautifully with grappa and espresso. In Italy, cafes sell grappa right alongside their espressos, where the Italians are famous for imbibing in a shot of both after lunch for what I call the “Italian speed ball,” which is not only deliciously strong, but highly motivational.

To fit this particular bill, I came up with a gluten free version of the classic Italian pastry, the ricotta turnover. These gorgeous half moon pastries are filled with whole milk ricotta that has been passed through a sieve, making the consistency simultaneously frothy and creamy. Lemon zest, golden raisins, and fresh mint are added for a bright finish.

All I can say is no matter what your cultural background may be, if you wrap a couple of these babies in parchment and walk to your favorite barista and take a bite of these in public, be prepared to blush because you will be making noises of the bedroom variety.

People will watch you Eat. They will Pray to know you. If you share, they will Love you.

Ricotta Turnovers

For the Pastry:

8 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/3 cup arrowroot
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 tablespoons guar gum
2 teaspoons vanilla powder
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
pinch of kosher salt
4 medium organic eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together all the dry ingredients until amalgamated. Add the diced butter and mix on medium low speed until you can no longer see any clumps of butter. Add the egg yolks and the vanilla extract. Mix until the flour forms pearls. Add the egg whites and mix on high until the dough folds in on itself into a smooth ball.

Wrap your dough in a sheet of Formaticum bio cellophane and leave on the coolest part of your counter until you have made the filling.

Ricotta Filling:

1-15 oz. container of whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup sugar
heaping 1/3 cup golden raisins
2 organic egg yolks
zest of 1 + 1/2 organic lemons
1 tablespoon organic fresh mint, finely chopped
2 organic egg whites + 2 teaspoons water, whisked for a wash
white sanding sugar for garnish

Pass the ricotta through a sieve and then stir in the remaining ingredients until smooth. Rinse the sieve and dry it well. The addition of the sugar to the ricotta will cause it to “sweat,” whereby water will be pulled from the cheese, so transfer the the filling back to the sieve, placed over a glass bowl to pull this excess liquid from the filling.

Lightly dust the counter with glutinous rice flour and roll out your dough until thin. Using a 4 inch round cutter, cut out your rounds. Fill a small bowl with water. Wet one side of the cut rounds with water, fill the center with a dollop of the ricotta and fold the dough over and seal tightly. Crimp with a fork or a ravioli cutter. Brush the top of the half moon with the egg white wash and then sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Repeat until all your dough is used.

Store any extra filling in a glass container and enjoy on its own a little later.

Makes 16 turnovers.

Best enjoyed slightly warm.

Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days tops.

George Braque, 1882-1963
Birds, 1953
The Central Panel from Henri II’s Room
French Fauvist & Cubist Painter

Since today is the premier of the movie adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s inspiring memoir about how she found her true self and because it also happens to be Friday the 13th, may this be my homage not only to Mrs. Gilbert’s lovely work, but to the notion that every day is a chance for us to allow the outmoded part of ourselves die off so the green thing can grow.

In tarot cards, the thirteenth card is the death card, the universal symbol for literal and metaphysical change. I was born on September 13th, so I am keenly familiar with change as a constant factor of life; rather than shy away from change, I have always embraced it with open arms because deep down, I’ve always known that what comes next is better than what came before.

Toshiko Okanoue, b. 1928
Illision, 1952, From Drop of Dreams,2000.
Collage of black and white clippings 28.9 x 26.3
Japanese Housewife cum Artist