The smell of BBQ sauce teased our palettes as we rode the elevator up to the breathtaking rooftop at the Hudson Terrace. Thrillist’s BBQ & The Blues, which was grilling up great eats on Friday night of the New York City Wine & Food Festival, was hosted by celebrity chef Curtis Stone (you’ve seen him on Masterchef, Iron Chef America, America’s Next Great Restaurant and any other TV shows featuring talented, good looking Australian culinary geniuses).

Pasta and I had the pleasure of meeting Curtis while sampling both classic and nouveau BBQ dishes—from tangy seared tuna to savory pulled pork.  Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, Hudson Hall, SUSHISAMBA and Wildwood Barbecue (to name a few) were dolling out their favorite down-home  plates while the wildly entertaining NYC-based jazz band “Baby Soda” kept the bluesy tunes coming all night.

Check out my latest article posted on the fabulous site, Your Bella Life: Adding Color to Your World. In this article, I discuss my personal journey on how to cruise when you suffer from a food allergy. Please feel free to comment on the website and keep the dialogue going!

http://yourbellalife.com/featured/cruising-with-food-allergies/

The Next Iron Chef Contestants in NYC on Friday

Alton Brown, food historian, scientist and commentator on Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef, addressed the crowd, discussing what every chef dreams about: becoming an Iron Chef. “This will be the finest culinary gymnastics that you could ever hope to witness,” explained Brown.

Brown also let slip that one of the first challenges The Next Iron Chef contestants are put up against is cooking in the wilderness, followed by a painstaking sudden death showdown. Iron Chef alum, Marc Forgione, was also on hand to attest to how difficult competing on the show is.

For all those who are around and kicking in NYC this weekend, stop by The Next Iron Chef Experience where guests can film their best Chairman impersonation and read the show’s opening lines, take photos at the Time Warner Cable and Food Network booth and win prizes.

Emeril Lagasse courtesy of mediabistro.com

Tonight, writer, Erin and I, will be attending Chelsea Market After Dark featuring the Macy’s Lounge hosted by Emeril Lagasse. Being such a huge fan of Chelsea Market and having interviewed Gabriel Ross of Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, we can’t wait to see how this high-end market filled with delicious goodies will transform into an after-hours venue.

Stay updated on all things food & wine on Pasta’s Kitchen. Look for our updates on Twitter and Facebook.

Ciao!

Friends of Pasta’s Kitchen should certainly know the fabulous website, Your Bella Life. Founder Nitika Chopra has crafted a sounding board for people to experience a beautiful life. Your Bella Life also features an In the Kitchen and Healthy Living section that often has informative articles on living gluten-free.

Our good friend, Susan Cohen, most recently penned this article for Your Bella Life. Check it out and spread the word.

Ciao,

Pasta

In July, I’ll be heading to Barcelona for a 12-day Mediterranean cruise that stops in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Malta. We’ll be cruising with Celebrity Cruises which claims to be able to cater to all types of food allergies, particularly gluten. But in the event that something happens or when I’m at a port and can’t speak the language, here are a few tried and true tips I’ve come to follow in any travel situation:

• GF power snacks. When I travel, particularly in airports, I make sure to bring small, manageable gluten-free bars. I tend to like KIND bars, Lara Bars and the newly-released Lara Power Bars (GF). These are small, easy to pack, and can be a meal substitute in a pinch, with a side of fruit. Be sure to bring about half a box with you for week-long trips.
• Call ahead/make reservations. Do you know where you’re going? Become a research geek and look up restaurants in the area you’ll be in and make reservations for those who can cater to those with a GF diet. Reservations can’t ever hurt- and they can always be cancelled. Also, where it may be applicable, see if a restaurant will cook your own GF pasta if you supply it. I did this throughout Italy and it worked wonders. Not to mention, GF pasta is also easy to pack away in your suitcase.
• Travel Cards. If you’re going somewhere where you don’t speak the language, it’s good to carry translation cards with you, so you can hand them to your server when you sit down to dinner. You eliminate the guessing game and the language barrier immediately. Check out Celiebo for dining cards http://www.celiebo.com/ or Celiac Travel http://www.celiactravel.com/cards/.

Do you have any good GF travel tips? If so, email them to pastaskitchen.nyc@gmail.com.

Courtesy of Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Check out the article here.

• Joe’s Stone Crab- Take your pick of seafood or meat when chowing down on Joe’s gluten-free menu. I would suggest the stone crabs, the chopped salad and the petite filet.
• Michael Mina- This restaurant has its act together and can make almost any dish GF. I tried the taste of the seas meal which included scallops, veggies and tuna. I paired with a frighteningly delicious foie gras risotto.
• N9Ne Steakhouse- This happening hot spot in the Palms is quite the destination. If you’re a meat eater, go for the bone-in filet. It’s best to share with someone. Pair it with asparagus and a baked potato. Heaven!
• The Bellagio Room Service- If you happen to stay at the Bellagio and you get a hankering for room service, ask the hotel to send you up their extensive GF menu. It comes equipped with an array of GF muffins, breads and pasta. I sampled almost all of their breakfast treats, and I’d say the muffins are a MUST TRY!

Courtesy of http://www.joes.net/las-vegas

 http://www.joes.net/images/website/documents/las-vegas/pdfs/lvgluten-free.pdf

And if you’re wondering what my pick would be? Some stone crabs, the petite filet, with green beans and a baked potato!

If you’re wondering what you can find on Free From Gluten—well—Udi’s bread for one, available at fantastic prices. Some other top items include Lucy’s Chocolate Chip cookies and a host of Schar products.

Ready to enjoy GF items, just a click away? The website breaks down GF products by category, so you can shop for favorites in baking, breads, snacks, breakfast cereal, meals & entrees, pasta & pizza, international, desserts & sweets, condiments, beverages and more.  

And how about 10% off of your first purchase? Exclusively for Pasta’s Kitchen readers, you’ll receive 10% while using this promo code: PASTASKITCHEN.  The offer is  valid until April 30. 

Happy and safe GF eating!

One of our favorite dishes came from Executive Chef of the Fontainebleau, Thomas Connell, who would’ve been shooting nothing but net even without the home court advantage.  His bite of tuna tar tar drizzled with balsamic and topped with greens and truffles, was even more delicious because of his gluten-free friendly attitude.  When Pasta asked for the crostini base to be removed, Chef Connell was more than accommodating.  Pasta told him that in these large settings, chefs have yelled at her when she asked to have the dish altered due to her allergy. He retorted, “Yell back!” and then proceeded to say we deserved a little extra truffle. Thanks to Chef Connell, Burger King isn’t the only place where you can ‘Have it Your Way.’

New York chefs also made an impressive showing at the event, especially Gabe Thompson of L’Artusi, who made a savory lamb ragu sprinkled lightly with cheese.  He did my favorite dish justice…so much so, that I think my plate was gone before Pasta even took her first bite.

From Krug to Pommery, the champagne was bubbling all night.  But that’s not to say we didn’t have our fair share of wines…we certainly did! My sweet tooth clearly picked a favorite after tasting Ontario-based Inniskillin’s ice wine.

Best of the Best didn’t forget to throw in a little dessert to end the event on a sweet note.  Rows of beautifully decorated gluten-free chocolates and macaroons were pleasing not only to the eye, but to the palette as well.  For foodies such as myself and Pasta, this treat was delightful, but failed in comparison to the second event of the night…

Next stop: Let Them Eat Cake!

-Erin Oliveri

http://www.bradsrawchips.com/

Gluten-free, healthy & perfect for cocktail parties? Cheers to you, miniPops - we've got a lot in common!

Pasta’s Kitchen was able to get a sneak peak of the new line from manager Sergio Castillo about all the dessert spot has to offer.

To start things off, I sampled the gianduia gelato miniPop dipped in dark chocolate and hazelnuts and the strawberry sorbet with dark chocolate.

The gianduia gelato dipped in dark chocolate and hazelnuts

Both were extremely satisfying, and just the perfect amount to feel like you had an indulgent treat but didn’t go overboard.

Though if you do want to go overboard, be our guest! PopBar's got more than enough miniPops to satisfy your sweet tooth...

Then I tried the hot cocoa:

Rich and delicious!

For those who don’t want to brave a frozen treat in the middle of the winter, the hot cocoa is a great pick – and involves an unusually hands-on process.

Looks good, right? And it tastes even better...

popbar offers chocolate on a stick to warm the body and soul. It’s primarily a piece of dark chocolate or chocolate caramel on a stick infused with warm steamed milk. Truly, an instant hot chocolate!

To round things out, popbar also carries a line of GF biscotti, cookies and brownies that will brighten those taste buds up.

The gluten-free biscotti on display

Have you visited popbar yet? Stop by our Facebook or tweet us to let us know what flavor’s your fav – and what miniPop pairs best with a nice pinot noir…

popbar

5 Carmine St at 6th Avenue

http://www.pop-bar.com

DIY Peppermint Patties: just one in the list of gluten-free treats the kitchn's whipped up for you this holiday season.

Now I don’t normally send my fantastic loyal readers out to other blogs, but, really, the kitchn‘s coverage here is pretty darn impressive. From DIY Peppermint Patties to Brown Butter Ice Cream, Ginger Cinnamon Caramels to Chocolate Whiskey Pot de Creme, you’ll feel you’ve got all the presents you need before the giving even begins.

Enjoy!

This stealthy photo hardly shows the whole shebang of allergy-safe offerings, but you get the idea: this isn’t just another no-gluten-in-your-pizza-dough spot.

If you go, let me know! Post a comment about what you ordered, what you thought and whether you’d go back. I’m hoping to make a few more trips there myself before the holidays, so chat me up here, on Facebook or on Twitter and let’s compare notes.

No gluten, all delicious.

Owner Angelo Pappalardo has now debuted his gluten-free menu, hoping to serve the gluten-free community and bring traditional Italian fare to a group of people who are dying for a yummy slice. And let’s just make something clear - it’s not just pizza and pasta:

NYC's First Gluten-Free Chicken Parm? It just may be...

On Rubirosa’s extensive new gluten-free menu, there are many appetizers ranging from gluten-free fried calamari dredged in cornstarch and fried in a separate fryer, gluten-free meatballs made with gluten-free breadcrumbs, gluten-free rice balls and mozzarella sticks with gluten-free breadcrumbs and several grilled seafood dishes.

Rubirosa's golden, gluten-free rice balls

For entrees, Pappalardo mastered a gluten-free chicken parmigiana (which I have yet to see being done in any New York restaurant) served with gluten-free spaghetti, chicken under a brick and a grilled fish entrée.

Gluten-free fried mozzarella sticks... Life is good.

And for the main event, there’s the pizza and pasta. There are three particular gluten-free (rice-based) pastas including a spaghetti, a penne and a rotini. There are different sauces to choose from like vodka, sausage ragu and a traditional marinara. The gluten-free pizzas are available in small or large and come in several different varieties, but you can also customize your own and pick your favorite toppings.

Meatballs like you've never seen, you gourmet glutinista, you.

Pappalardo understands the importance of keeping the kitchen in order in an attempt to prevent cross contamination for gluten-free dishes. Gluten-free items are created and cooked in their separate cookware, not prepared in the same stations as gluten-filled plates and the chefs use separate fryers. He’s currently working on a dessert menu that may include some Italian cookies to pair with an espresso or cappuccino.

If you get parched while visiting Rubirosa, the wine list is easy to navigate and reasonably priced.  The restaurant offers a menu of creative cocktails, dessert wines and after-dinner drinks.

It’s certainly a place where gluten-free folks can feel at home without having to go to a designated gluten-free restaurant. And isn’t that what it’s all about? To be part of the crowd again without having to feel ostracized because of a food allergy? At Rubirosa, you’ll be just another hungry patron ready to chow down on good food. And believe me, they’ll take good care of you.

Pasta’s Menu Picks:

• Rotini with sausage ragu
• Chicken parmigiana
• Meatballs
• Grilled calamari salad
• Vodka pie

Rubirosa

235 Mulberry Street between Prince and Spring Streets

212-965-0500

This photo was taken by nyctheblog back in July - today, the place is nearly open for business. My, how time flies in the NYC food world!

The Italian restaurant will serve a variety of pastas, salads, classic Italian appetizers like fried calamari, seafood salad and mozzarella sticks— but above all—it’s  keeping the same delicious pizza that Joe & Pat’s has become famous for.

Now if you’re wondering why a gluten-free girl like myself is so excited about this place, it’s that Pappalardo is in the midst of creating a gluten free menu complete with flourless fried calamari, pasta, pizza and more.

I was lucky enough to sample some tastes at Rubrisoa’s Friends & Family night this week. So please stay tuned on Pasta’s Kitchen for an exclusive first peak at the gluten free menu, snaps of the location and commentary from Pappalardo himself on his new venture. Buon appetito!

For my daughter, Haley, latent celiac disease caused years of seemingly unrelated illnesses. When  persistent joint pain lingered in spite of multiple doctor’s visits, and caused Haley–a talented athlete and prize winning sprinter– to drop track and field, a red flag sounded in my head. Yet, the orthopedic specialist felt it was a benign condition she’d grow out of with some exercises.

Rashes appeared on her legs, blister-like and horribly itchy. We mistook these for flea bites from our cat’s forays or perhaps allergies to skin-care products and began using a wide variety of hypoallergenic items instead. It never occurred to us this was in fact a gluten reaction called dermatitis herpetiformis. 

Once in a while, she’d have some tingling or problems with an arm or leg, but the doctors found nothing abnormal in visits. There were canker sores occasionally. My once sunny and cheerful daughter became anxiety-ridden and irritable. She was 17, and we attributed this to the emotional nature of teenagers- certainly not to wheat proteins.

Then it was off and on again “stomach flu” — but no one else in the family contracted these bouts of “flu.” We determined this was perhaps related to milk and switched to lactose-free milk, which offered some relief, but never cured the situation. About the time I was ready to take her to a doctor for a full workup and evaluation for the gut problems, she became weak, light-headed, confused, short of breath during even limited exertion.

Given her symptoms, the doctors first investigated parasites, thinking our old drinking well had been a source of contamination. A blood draw had shown a very high level of eosinophils and basophils- types of white cells related to parasites or allergic responses.  We didn’t know that some very credible sources, including  the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center,  had linked elevated eosinophils to celiac disease as well as parasites and allergies. And of course, after two more weeks of testing, there were no parasites.

But Haley worsened, deteriorating before my eyes each day. Another blood test showed a very low ferratin (stored iron) level…dangerously low in fact, for a teenager.  For a kid who took a daily multi-vitamin with iron and ate a very balanced diet, she was horribly anemic with no apparent cause. 

At last, celiac disease was found to be the issue.  The day the doc scrawled the words, “gluten-free” on a paper and told me to “Google” it and start Haley on this diet  immediately and permanently. It was hard for me to believe this disorder could be connected to all these symptoms. Could ingested wheat be causing joint pain or blisters on her legs?

It took months of weekly hemoglobin interveneous treatments to bring her iron levels up to even low normal levels–and a gluten-free diet– to change all her symptoms. Gone were the joint pain, the rashes, the irritability and mental confusion, canker sores, odd neurological symptoms and the stomach complaints.

Through all of her illness, she never lost weight, failed to “thrive” or presented with classic symptoms of celiac disease. Even her bouts of nausea and diarrhea were very intermittent until the last month prior to her diagnosis, when she completely bottomed out and became very ill.  Gluten can and does cause many severe reactions in individuals– even without classic symptoms. In Haley’s case, she’d been sick for years, the doctors conjectured, to have iron levels as low as they were.

Mark Hyman, who is a medical doctor and a blogger with the Huffington Post, best summarized  the link between gluten and a range of disorders. Below is a brief from his excellent post.

“A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be caused by eating gluten.  These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other autoimmune diseases. Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric  and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression,  schizophrenia,  dementia,  migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage).  It has also been linked to autism.

We used to think that gluten problems or celiac disease were confined to children who had diarrhea, weight loss, and failure to thrive. Now we know you can be old, fat, and constipated and still have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Gluten sensitivity is actually an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation throughout the body, with wide-ranging effects across all organ systems including your brain, heart, joints, digestive tract, and more. It can be the single cause behind many different “diseases.” To correct these diseases, you need to treat the cause–which is often gluten sensitivity–not just the symptoms.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that ALL cases of depression or autoimmune disease or any of these other problems are caused by gluten in everyone–but it is important to look for it if you have any chronic illness.”

Lisa Cowden: Food Network Cupcake Wars Winner: Survival of the Fittest: Air Date July 09, 2010

She’s affable, humble and unabashedly open. At 28, Lisa Cowden has already discovered that fame is sweet icing on the cake “cupcake” of preparation and hard work. As winner of the Food Network’s acclaimed “Cupcake Wars,” this Scottsdale, Arizona woman wowed tough judges, beat out her competitors (one of whom was a previous Food Network contestant) and kept her cool, while wading deftly in high heels through puddles of buttercream frosting- crafting for the final episode a stunning display and 1,000 scrumptious cupcakes.  

 She’s a girl after my own heart and clearly a woman of many skills. Her baking masterpiece- a delectable Rich Chocolate Carmel Cupcake- made of all-natural ingredients, that sings of decadence- even and most especially for gluten-free folks.  

Yeah, that’s right.  

Lisa, an accomplished pastry chef and baker for the renowned and allergen friendly haven – Gluten-Free Creations Bakery in Scottsdale – understands food intolerance on a personal basis. And while her cupcakes won with all natural ingredients but traditional flour- they readily translate into equally natural, yummy gluten-free confections- as do most of Lisa Cowden’s culinary treats- providing proof that gluten-free can be both delicious and upscale.   

Wheat and dairy intolerant, Cowden’s been in the trenches pioneering tasty wheat and dairy-free foods from her preteen years. It’s no surprise that she found her niche at Gluten-Free Creations – with their prolific and tasty offerings of over 150 gluten-free treats. When Lisa won, she’d been working at LuLu’s Cupcakes in Scottsdale- an all natural bakery- which was sold to LynnRae Ries and reopened as the second of Ries successful Phoenix area GF bakeries recently.  

Forgetting the time difference, I caught up with Lisa in the midst of her frantic baking schedule. Cowden, with her characteristic good humor took the call in spite of my poor planning. Says Cowden of her Cupcake Wars experience, “We geared up our brains to come up with the most creative things we could.” An easy laugh follows, “And then the pressure hit and…it’s all kind of a blur.” On auto-pilot through the tense competition, Lisa- a 2008 graduate of Scottsdale Culinary Institute Le Cordon Bleu- drew on her training and passion for natural foods, as well as a profound love for the fine art of cupcake crafting to edge out competitors.  

Lisa, shares a common vision with LynnRae Ries, the owner of Gluten-Free Café and Gluten-Free Creations Bakery, to make gluten-free and allergen friendly foods that taste as good as or better than traditional fare. “It’s a really good fit for me,” notes Cowden about working at GFC.  

Ries, who has celiac disease and is a noted author, chef, national leader for gluten-free awareness and specialty diet educator, is collaborating with Cowden on an upcoming cookbook. (Given the delectable creations that pour forth from GFC, we in the gluten-free community should wait upon this project with fork in hand.) (I’ll keep you posted)  

In addition to coming away from our conversation uplifted and encouraged, I also gleaned her prize winning recipe in the gluten-free version and gained expert pastry chef tips on converting various items into dairy and gluten-free variations, which are linked in these two posts- here and here.  

(You can view her original recipe here on the food network, if you’d like.)  

Lisa's Rich Chocolate Carmel Cupcake

When I lamented the typical plight of bland, boring or just “wrong” gluten-free treats, most of which taste far too “healthy” to be considered a delicacy, Cowden said of bakery confections,“You want a treat to taste like a treat- not like health food.” But Cowden, who uses all natural ingredients to foster her culinary delights, magically makes healthy food taste like treats- a commodity sorely lacking in most GF diets.  

She stated in a recent interview with Fox News, “People call up and say, thank God I found you, you make my life so much better… most bakeries can’t say that about what they do. Absolutely no one can tell that they are gluten free or maybe even dairy free or casein free or vegan. We service all the top 8 food allergens so everyone still loves them.” The national attention that resulted from winning the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars has brought greater media focus to food intolerance and celiac disease- as well as her mission with Ries at Gluten Free Creations. “You can’t make everything yourself, ” Cowden said, my utter agreement, “It’s nice for people to have options.”  

To me, Cowden represents the future of gluten-free living. She’s joyous, inventive and creative and able to impart flavor in living healthy while coping with-and even overcoming food intolerances. And I’m thrilled my daughter has a stake in a GF future led by women like Lisa Cowden.  

Congratulations, Lisa!  

Lisa Cowden: Pastry Chef and Winner Cupcake Wars

Who says we can’t have gourmet fare on a gluten-free diet? Certainly not the Food Network Cupcake Wars winner, Lisa Cowden. In a recent interview, Lisa discussed her own food intolerance and shared a bit of her extensive pastry chef expertise with me. Cowden who crafts yummy treats daily at Gluten-Free Creations in Scottsdale, Arizona- where all 8 top allergens are catered to- understands both personally and professionally the need for GF food that isn’t “second best.”  While her Food Network recipe won with traditional flour, it’s easily created into gluten-free (and casein free as well) -without losing flavor.  Added perks that Cowden attributes to winning, are the natural ingredients that make these cupcakes prize worthy in your kitchen as well.    

Here’s what Lisa says, “You’ll want to substitute a gluten-free mix for the flour. A good mix should be able to substitute cup for cup for the traditional wheat flour.” Her suggestions for GF mixes include using ones that contain sorghum flour- a component used in the Gluten-Free  Creations Bakery for such items as cakes, cookies and other sweet fare. Gluten-Free Creations also has a mix you can buy that’s well worth considering, as it contains not only the exact proportions for baking, but also added vitamins that we – in the gluten-free community- often lack.    

 Below you’ll find further “tweaking” for making the Chocolate Carmel Cupcakes casein-free as well,  based on Lisa’s expert advice. Since about a third of those who have celiac disease have issues with casein or lactose (including my daughter) making items such as ganache - which is heavy on cream- requires further adaptations. Lisa offered two suggestions for casein-free, gluten-free ganache. You’ll find the second ganache option in this earlier post.    

 I was thrilled to find these cupcakes, while somewhat labor intensive for mere kitchen slobs such as me, turned out to be some of the most tasty and delicious items I’d made in the history of my home culinary events- or as Lisa said, “drool-worthy.” And you’d never know they are gluten-free. (seriously). In a spirit of adventure and kitchen mass destruction- we made both this recipe and the original winning recipe on the same day. I wasn’t disappointed in either variety. This one below, given to me by Lisa Cowden, was by far the easiest and was truly stand alone delicious. The original winning recipe  ”Rich Chocolate Carmel Cupcake” as it appeared on Food Network, I tweaked for gluten/casein free diets again using Lisa’s tips. It was a bit more work, but the creme filling was well worth the added steps- you can find it here in this post.    

Chocolate Carmel Cupcakes from Lisa Cowden  

Gluten Free Baking Flour Mix (See link below for recipes)     1 ¾ cups  

Zanthan or Guar gum (if not included in your gluten-free flour mix) 1/2 tsp  

Sugar 1 ¾ cups  

Cocoa powder ¾ cups  

Baking powder 1 ½ tsp.  

Baking soda 1 ½ tsp.  

Salt ¼ tsp.  

Buttermilk 1 ¼ cups (If casein intolerant, substitute lactose free milk ,soy milk, or almond milk mixed with 1 tsp cider vinegar- but be sure to add the vinegar for chemical reaction with baking soda)  

Whole eggs 2  

Vegetable oil 4 Tbsp.  

GF Vanilla 1 tsp.  

Hot water 1 cup  

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Mix. Add the hot water while mixing well, until smooth. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake at 350F 15-20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back in the center when touched.  

Caramel Filling  

Sugar 1 ½ cups  

Water ¼ cup  

Agave nectar 1 Tbsp.  

Heavy Cream 1 ¼ cup (Substitute heavy coconut milk for cream if casein intolerant. Cream is easier to scoop out if can is chilled in fridge first. Use only the cream part. Discard liquid)  

Butter, softened chunks 2 ounces (1/2 stick) (See this post on butter and casein. Since butter is usually 99 % casein free many people can tolerate butter. But you can substitute soy margarine such as Willow Run)  

GF Vanilla ½ tsp.  

Boil the sugar, water, and agave until it takes on a caramel color and smell. Add the cream slowly, whisking in to avoid boiling over. Whisk to loosen any hardened caramel and melt it all smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour into a squeeze bottle and chill to thicken.  

Ganache Frosting  

Heavy cream 16 ounces (Substitute heavy coconut milk as above, discard liquid and use only the cream portion)  

Dark chocolate chips      16 ounces  

Heat the cream in a pot until it steams. Pour in the chocolate chips and let sit to melt. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let sit 2-3 hours to set up slightly, or chill in the fridge to firm up, stirring frequently.  

*****  See this post for gluten-free flour mixes to whip up at home.

*****  See this post about additional ganache options for casein-free diets.

***** See this post for original Cupcake Wars winning recipe in the gluten and casein free version.

Rich Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes by Lisa Cowden

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups gluten free mix (plus 3/4 tsp xanthan gum if not included in mix)
• 11/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 9 ounces unsalted butter, softened (See this post on butter and casein. You can also substitute soy margarine such as Willow Run or butter flavored vegetable shortening)
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (If casein intolerant, substitute lactose free milk ,soy milk, or almond milk mixed with 1 tsp cider vinegar – but be sure to add the vinegar for chemical reaction with baking soda)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon GF vanilla extract
• Caramel Cream Center, recipe follows
• Ganache, recipe follows
• Prepared blue rock sugar, for garnish

Directions

Caramel Cream Center:

• 6 ounces egg whites, from about 5 whole eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 12 ounces to 1 pound unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces ( Or substitute soy margarine such as Willow Run)
• 1/2 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
• 1 batch Agave Caramel Sauce, recipe follows

Agave Caramel Sauce:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 ounce sugar (2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons light agave nectar
• 5 ounces cream (Substitute heavy coconut milk for creme if casein intolerant.Use only the cream part. Discard liquid)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened – (or substitute soy margarine such as Willow Run)
• 1/4 teaspoon GF vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, heat the water over high heat until hot but not boiling. Add the sugar and the agave and stir gently to dissolve. Bring the mixture to a boil, and heat to 330 degrees F, or to a warm brown color. Add the cream slowly, whis

Lisa's Rich Chocolate Carmel Cupcake

king constantly, the caramel will bubble and rise. Add the butter and continue whisking over the heat until the caramel is smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Chill the mixture to thicken.

Ganache:

• 3 cups heavy cream (Substitute heavy coconut milk for creme if casein intolerant. Use only the cream. Discard liquid)
• 24 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (recommended: Ghirardelli 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate chips)
• Ice bath, in shallow bowl

 In a saucepan, heat the cream to scald. Add the chocolate chips. Stir the mixture until smooth. Chill on the ice bath until a spreadable consistency, stirring frequently. Frost the filled cupcakes with the ganache and garnish with the prepared rock sugar.

Hosted by Suffolk County Celiacs, the Fair involved over 60 vendors, all dedicated to offering food-allergy safe options to the celiac & gluten-intolerant community.

Did you make it to the Gluten Free Vendor Fair? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Link to your own blog posts about the Fair here in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter – and, come on gluten-free fans, tell me all about it!

Just one of the hundreds of displays lined up in Javits - of course this one, being Gluten-Free, deserved a special snapshot.

For all of those who have never been to the Fancy Food Show, let me paint a little picture: hundreds upon hundreds of vendors from all over the world set up shop in the Javits Center and offer their products, samples and promotional materials for eager retailers, journalists, restaurant owners and the like to consume at a frantic rate. Many of the products they’re offering are new to the market or they’re testing the temperature to see if they’d work here in the U.S. or more specifically, here in New York.

And as a first timer, I must say, the Fancy Food Show can be down right overwhelming. The crowds, the food pushers, the lack of water fountains to help cleanse the palette after consuming a mixture of cookies, soup and falafel that don’t necessarily go together. I was going in with one goal in mind: find some new and tasty gluten free products that I can try out and let my readership know about. And let me tell you, I think it was a smashing success.

Most of the U.S.-based restaurants and vendors were all about the GF products this year! Particularly, New York, Virginia and the West Coast operations seemed to be ahead of the curve. I tried a staggering array of products ranging from baked goods, breads, Indian sauces, soups, meats, candies and even organic wines and cocktails. After speaking with a lot of the owners of the individual companies, many had strong personal ties to either Celiacs or gluten intolerance and were trying to create products that everyone could have.

When I stopped by Lucy’s stand, I met Dr. Lucy Gibney, the founder of the company, who has a medical background and created GF and vegan cookie recipes after her son was diagnosed as having Celiacs.

Many of the vendors were pushing to get into more mainstream supermarkets like Shop Rite and Wegmans, while others were still in specialty food shops in their local markets and Whole Foods. Everyone I came across emphasized the importance of getting the mainstream public to become more aware about food allergies and wanted to create products that even the allergy-free would enjoy.

And, of course, everyone has their favorites. A few standout vendors to me were Glow gluten free cookies, Stonehouse 27 Indian cooking sauces and ORC Food’s delicious line of falafels. Please keep an eye out for in-depth interviews and product reviews on some of the hottest GF products in town, courtesy of Pasta’s Kitchen.

Here are a few highlights:

DRINKS

• For summer time beverages, I fell in love with Latúe Bodegas that produces organic Spanish wine.
• For yummy cocktails, I stopped by Conelly Cocktails that had pre-packaged drinks like Mai Tais and Sex on the Beach—part alcohol, part fresh fruit nectar.

SAVORY

• Some Italiano products I enjoyed testing out were Porta Mangiare‘s GF meatball mix and the thats a nice! Sicilian Marinara Sauce that happens to be both GF, dairy-free and vegan as well.

SWEET

• And for something sweet, I sampled nut free, organic Sun Cups. The dark chocolate flavor does contain a bit of dairy, but a very small amount.