Holiday Pies

Before going GF, I was an avid (and darn good) baker. But even then, there were some things that I preferred to leave to the pros (aka bakeries and my grandma), like pies. This fall, I tried to make a GF pie and it was a massive fail. When Thanksgiving rolled around, I knew I wanted to serve pie and didn't have time to experiment further. So I turned to Whole Foods and their Gluten-Free Bakehouse line. In a word: WIN. I bought two pies - one apple crumb, one pumpkin - each for under $13(!) and they were delicious. Light, flaky crust and excellent filling - better than homemade. They came frozen; all I needed to do was defrost them in the fridge overnight. (But I heated the apple one up prior to serving and topped with vanilla ice cream. Delicious.) My guests were mostly gluten-eaters and pleasantly surprised by how good GF can be.

Don't have a Whole Foods near you? Want to buy local instead? Here are some NYC-area businesses offering GF pies. Many require pre-order for the holidays, so make note of those deadlines:

Crespella (pies are baked by Las Delicias)
Sun In Bloom
Three Dogs Gluten-Free Bakery
Tulu's Gluten-Free Bakery
Babycakes
Everybody Eats

(Not all of the above businesses have their December holiday menus up on their websites yet, though some have them listed on Facebook.)

So, please - don't let your GF diet and/or a fear of making pie crust(!) keep you from enjoying traditional holiday pies this season!

** On a more personal note: Regrets for the blogging lapse. Have been dealing with some health issues over here in GFbird Land and needed to focus my energy there. Feeling better and hope to be back more often, sharing the good GF word!**

GF Holiday Gift List (Book Edition)

Cathy Erway The Art of Eating In 
While Erway is not gluten-free, she DID take two years off from eating out in NYC, such that she needed to cook almost every single morsel that touched her lips. Sound familiar? Erway's book resonated with me more than many gluten-free how-to guides, especially as a fellow NYCer and food aficionado. In particular, it was heartening to see her find alternate ways to socialize around food - and without it. (She also has a blog which is filled with lots of beautiful and easy to prepare food that is often naturally GF or easily converted.)

Sloane Miller Allergic Girl 
This book literally had me in tears at times - good tears - tears of recognition and understanding. (That weepy girl on the 5 train this past winter? ME.) Miller names those often awkward or awful things we have to deal with as folks with food intolerances/allergies (dating, unsupportive family members, getting sick during social events) and offers ways to make them better next time. And even if you can't get your great aunt Berta to stop telling people that it's all in your head, Miller's book can help you shake it off and move on. (Miller's blog is also a great resource for allergy/intolerance info, including restaurant recommendations!)

Harold McGee On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
Alright, so this 800+ page tome may not be for everyone. But if you have a GF food nerd on your gift list, this food science guide is a must. No need to read it straight through; it's organized into 15 chapters with titles such as "Seeds: Grains, Legumes, and Nuts", Cereal Doughs and Batters: Bread, Cakes, Pastry, Pasta" (AHEM), and "Wine, Beer, and Distilled Spirits" - all of which it would behoove the gluten-free home cook to know more about, especially if you plan to convert regular recipes to GF. (To be clear: the book doesn't provide conversions, but it does explain the science behind why, say, bread and pasta "work".)

So there's my personal short list. What's on your's? Please share!

Chametz-Free (Why This Shiksa Loves Passover)

Rainbow Cookies: Italian-inspired, Jew-produced, gf-goy-girl-consumed.

I love Passover. I look forward to it every year, for one very special reason: rainbow cookies. About five years ago, Wegmans in Ithaca, NY started carrying kosher gluten-free items from Shabtai Gourmet.- but only at Passover, when observant Jews need to avoid chametz, loosely defined as leavened grain products. To my delight, these old school Italian cookies were among the offerings - AND they taste like the real deal. Moist cake, great chocolate icing, and the essential raspberry/almond flavor combo in the cake and filling. Perfetto! (Er, l'chaim!?)

Only "problem"? I can't eat just one. Or five. Really, they are addictive and unkind to my waistline. So I save them as a treat for every Passover season, when they make their appearance in NYC grocery stores such as Morton Williams and Food Emporium (where I recently found the beauties pictured above). Can't wait for Passover to get your cookie fix? Shabtai offers $5.95 flat rate shipping on all orders in the U.S.

Though this post is a tribute to gf rainbow cookies, I'd be remiss if I didn't recommend another Shabtai product, i.e. their lady fingers. They're perfect for a gf tiramisu - and more reasonably priced than the few other gf lady fingers I've seen on the market.