Today I'm thrilled to have accomplished author Elizabeth Barbone of the books How to Cook Gluten Free and Easy Gluten Free Baking, as well as the owner of the website glutenfreebaking.com and gluten-free writer for seriouseats.com. Her latest recipe for Serious Eats is beer-battered fish fry!
She is also giving away two of her most recent cookbooks "How to Cook Gluten Free". See details at bottom of this post.
Elizabeth Barbone was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about how and why she lives a gluten free life. In the new book called “How to cook Gluten Free: Over 150 Recipes that really work”: gluten free, plain and simple. Elizabeth Barbone’s challenge to herself was to create easy gluten-free recipes that she could make on her busiest day. How to Cook Gluten-Free is her answer: a straight-forward, comprehensive guide to gluten-free cooking – a must have resource with real solutions for real people.
Just like her previous well-loved books, Easy Gluten-Free Baking, Elizabeth’s recipes use ingredients that can be found at your local grocery store—nothing too fancy or expensive—so you can delicious meals on the table without breaking the bank. The recipes have been meticulously tested and perfected, so that in your hands, dishes will come out right every time.
Essential how-to lessons: step by step photography illustrates all the basics, from how to make gluten free substitutions and whip up the perfect gray to Elizabeth’s fail-proof recipes for gluten free baked goods such as sandwich bread, hamburger buns, and pizza crusts.
Allergy-friendly: Elizabeth hasn’t forgotten those who suffer from non-gluten food allergies; some recipes are also soy-free and nut-free and Elizabeth has even included a guide to substituting milk, butter, corn and cheese.
About Elizabeth Barbone:
Despite being born with life-threatening food-allergies, Elizabeth graduated from the Culinary Institute of America where she learned how to cook delicious meals fro herself and other food allergic people. Today Elizabeth develops delicious and creative recipes for the food allergic and gluten-free communities through her site www.glutenfreebaking.com, a weekly column on www.seriouseats.com, and regular television appearances. She is also the author of “Easy Gluten-Free Baking”. She lives in Troy, NY.
Questions:
I’m sure you get asked this all the time, but what prompted you to start creating “gluten free” recipes? I read in your bio that you were pretty much born with life-threatening food allergies? I see that doctors now, are able to diagnose gluten allergies, were they so easy to diagnose back then—I can’t imagine it was? Did your parents know straight away that you had food allergies?
As a kid, I was so sick: red, splotchy, and vomiting all the time. My parents knew I was reacting to something but they weren’t sure what. Diagnosis was really hard back then. They brought me to Boston (I’m from the Albany, NY area) and doctors diagnosed me with a slew of food allergies but, get this, gluten wasn’t one of them!
While studying at the CIA, I happened upon “Against the Grain” by Jax Peters Lowell. Although the book focused on celiac disease, it really spoke to me. Living on a restricted diet is tough! Whether you have celiac disease, allergies, or some other intolerance, you face many of the same challenges. From that point, I wanted to try gluten-free baking. It seemed like a fun challenge that would benefit lots of folks.
Interestingly, it wasn’t until three years ago that my doctor discovered I reacted to gluten. My thyroid went off and suddenly I was terribly anemic. I remember when my doctor looked at me at said, “You know, this looks like celiac to me.” My bloodwork came back elevated. Since then, I’ve been on the diet and my blookwork remains negative. The work I dedicated my professional life to turned out to help me. Strange and wonderful, right?
For those of us who aren’t completely familiar with a gluten allergy (myself included) what are the signs that you are allergic to gluten?
I have to start by saying that celiac disease isn’t an allergy. It’s an autoimmine response. There are many signs, some common--like intestinal distress-- and others more vague--like dental enamel defects. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) provides a great guide to symptoms. It’s here and I use it all the time when folks have questions about celiac disease!
Your other book “Easy Gluten Free Baking” did very well and I see got a nice acknowledgement from Rachel Ray. That must have felt good? Was that your first book? Where did you get the inspiration to write that book?
Oh! Thanks! The blurb from Rachael Ray was so kind! I made several treats from the book and set them to Rachael. Much to my delight, she enjoyed them!
Easy Gluten-Free Baking was my first book. In fact, I first self-published after being told by several publishers that there was “no market” for gluten-free! I knew they were mistaken! In 2003, I started teaching gluten-free classes and knew folks needed recipes. So I self-published. Then, when the book did well, I sold it to Lake Isle Press. I really wanted to focus on creating recipes and teaching people how to bake gluten-free, not worry about shipping books to stores! I’m so lucky that Lake Isle Press really cares about folks on a gluten-free. And they care about their authors! It’s a wonderful working relationship.
As for the inspiration, I wanted to write a gluten-free baking book that used easy-to-find ingredients and was filled with beloved treats. In the book, there’s everything from chocolate chip cookies to sandwich bread and all the recipes use ingredients you can find at (most) supermarkets.
I see on the dedication page, you dedicated the book to your mom and dad; thanking them for teaching you about love, life and good food. Were your parents into creative foods? Did you bake with them? Where did they get their love of food from?
My parents raised me with a wonderful appreciation for food! They both cooked and being with them in the kitchen was just a normal part of family life. Each night, we ate dinner together. And my mom? She has quite the baking prowess! She won so many blue ribbons in the county fair that they asked her to stop entering so someone else had a chance to win. I think she’s still miffed about that! She really had fun entering!
When creating new gluten free recipes, where do you get your inspiration from? Are any of your recipes ‘spur of the moment?
Inspiration comes from everywhere! Sometimes it’s “spur of the moment”, other times it’s from a reader who wants a well-loved recipe “converted” and other times it’s a bit of planning. I start thinking about the seasons a little early, wondering, “Hmmm...what would be fun to make?”
I know a lot of people hear the term “gluten-free” and automatically think tasteless, bland, boring food (myself included). I was literally blown away when I saw that you had recipes in your book for: whoopie pies, brownies, cupcakes, and a whole vast array of homemade breads! And judging from the photos in the book, there is no way that these are boring; they look absolutely delicious. What is your favorite recipe(s)?
Oh! Thanks! Yes, there’s no bland, boring food here!
My favorite recipe? Oh my goodness. That’s like asking a mom which child is her favorite! :-) It feels impossible to chose! That said, I have to say I’m particularly smitten with the new bread recipe. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, and soy-free. It took lots of testing to get it “just right.” The other night, I made the roasted veggie chicken chipotle wraps from the book. The are so good, I could eat them every night!
You must get a lot of emails/questions about gluten-free baking? What’s the most common question?
Lots of questions deal with the transition time. How do I set up a gluten-free kitchen? Which recipe should I start with? Even today, with the gluten-free diet becoming more well-known, there’s still a lot of confusion when someone first goes gluten-free. I try to make things easier!
What country would you like to visit most for their food?
Ah, I love to travel! France and I have a continuing love affair. Since it’s been several years since I visited, I’ll say France. A culinary cliché, I know! But I do love France!
I’m curious, are there any gluten free junk foods out there? Those would be the ones I would be drawn too. Are you? Which ones?
Gluten-free junk food available? For years, that would have been a one-word answer, “No!” But that’s changing. Now gluten-free pretzels, doughnuts, and other treats available are available I’m not terribly drawn to them. For “junk”, give me gluten-free tortilla chips and queso (so bad but so good!) any day! Or a tootsie roll when I want something quick and sweet.
Favorite health foods?
Any fresh fruit or vegetable that I’m not allergic to! (I’m allergic to raw carrots and celery, of all things!) Lately I’ve tinkered around with green smoothies. I avoided them for a long time because many of the recipes called for ingredients that I can’t have. So I created my own green smoothie. It’s not terribly original, just baby spinach or lettuce, frozen strawberries, orange juice, and peanut butter, but I like it!
What is your favorite food to write about or create with?
I love (love, love, love) “home-style” recipes. Something you’d take to a pot luck or serve on a busy night. While I have a degree from culinary school, complicated food isn’t the type of cooking I want to do. Give me a delicious pasta dish made with ingredients from the farmers’ market over anything sous-vide any day!
Are there any chef celebrities that inspire you?
The first person that popped to mind is Lynn Rosetto Kasper, from the Splendid Table! While she doesn’t work in a restaurant as a chef, she’s my celebrity inspiration! I find her interviews so compelling. Her interest and enthusiasm in all things food, reminds us all that there’s always more to learn.
What types of cookbooks do you have on the brain or in the works next?
So many new ideas! In fact, a book idea came to mind, unbidden, just the other day! I can’t say what it is but, as always, it will focus on easy-to-make recipes that just happen to be gluten-free.
Wonderful! Thank you so much Elizabeth. I learned a lot from this post. And I hope some of you did as well.
If you live a gluten-free lifestyle, please visit Elizabeth's website glutenfreebaking.com for baking recipes and for cooking recipes make sure to check out her latest book "How to Cook Gluten Free".
**For a chance to win a copy of this book, please leave ONE comment telling us what kind of gluten free recipes you've used or would like to see.
Also, if you do live gluten-free, tell us.
I'll draw two names next friday (4/6/12) and announce the winners.
Please have a valid email address in your post.
One entry per person only.
3/29/12
guest post: elizabeth barbone of gluten free baking
3/1/12
guest post: jill smokler of scary mommy
Today is a special day for me. One of my good friends Jill from Scary Mommy is our featured guest post. And as many of you already know Jill is almost set to release her first book: Scary Mommy. It will be available April 3, 2012!
Thrilled to pieces for her and like I've always said, "its about time" her writings about her daily adventures in parenting-does-not-have-to-be-perfect come to fruition and into a book. What I adore about this book is the fact that she included many confessionals from real people; showing that they, just like Jill (and her hubby) are not perfect at parenting. There is a part in this book that everyone can relate to.
Many of you may know Jill from her infamous blog scarymommy.com, where she writes all things motherhood: the good, the bad, and the scary. Sure it's honest with a huge dose of humor but it's honesty mixed in with reality and how she deals with the hard hits of motherhood. She's even developed an anonymous confessional for everyone to chime in on their horrid, happy and scary thoughts of parenthood: fears and all. Let's call it a wonderful way to relieve parenthood-stress anonymously and know that you are not alone when one of your worst fears arises....again and again and again.
How honest is Jill in her writings? Take a look at Chapter 4 titled: "are they really letting me take this thing home with me?" How many mothers can relate to that? Apparently millions, as Jills' website averages about 1.5 millions hits per month.
There's also a "Scary Mommy Society" forum for other “scary mommies,” blogging newcomers, and parenting and non-parenting people alike with something important to share in a community setting. With it's huge popularity there is an 8-week waiting list. But don't let that stop you.
I was lucky enough to steal some time from Jill during her hectic schedule (did you know that she wrote this book in a matter of a couple months? Crazy publisher deadlines! And she has three children? She's crazy, full of energy, honest about her parenting decisions/roles, and I love her that way. I asked her to answer a few questions for me and her fans--let's just get to the good stuff.
I know that you are a very busy mom of three children, you had to write a book in was it 2-3 months? How on earth did you stay focused when it came time to write? I ask this because sometimes when you plan out the writing it’s a lot harder to focus!
Basically, I just didn't sleep. Plus, I was a complete bitch to everyone in my real life. Writing is not something that comes all that naturally to me, so I'd just have to ride the wave when I felt inspired, and get the rest of my life done when there was a lull in my creativity. But, I highly recommend not writing a book in a few short months. It was all far from ideal.
I, and I’m sure all your fans, just love how open and honest you are in your writings. Are there times where you wish you wouldn’t have said something or wanted to take it back ?
I'm sure there are times that my mother wishes I wasn't so honest, but for me, there's no point in writing if I can't do it honestly. It is a little strange thinking that my kids' teachers read about my vibrator, so instead of censoring myself, I just don't think about who's reading. If I did, I'd never write a thing.
You know I’m a foodie, and I know you are too, so I gotta ask: what are your favorite foods?
Are there any dishes that you’re known for?
I could live on Thai food. Thai iced tea, spring rolls, satay, curry, noodles... all of it. It's my absolute favorite food in the universe. Just thinking about it makes me drool (thanks, Dawn.) I do love cooking, although I am one of the world's worst bakers. I've perfected my caramelized onion pizza over the years and it's pretty kick ass. If I'm cooking for a group, Chicken Marbella is usually the way I go and my favorite dessert to make is a Kaluah dip from my husband's family. It has three unimpressive ingredients, but is ridiculously delicious. Plus, it gives you a nice buzz if you eat enough of it. Win/win.
Have you done any public speaking yet? I know for me speaking in front of a crowd is a bit scary. Do you have any fears on public speaking?
I've done some. I don't love it, but I actually enjoy it more than public listening. If I'm in an audience, I want to fall asleep. At least if I'm speaking, I know I won't snore.
In your poem post, that mirrors the book “Go the F**K to Sleep", you say its inspiration from your hubby. I know your husband is used a lot in your writings. I admire his thick skin, but I admire that you aren’t afraid to speak about it. Don’t you wish more people were as open and honest as you are in their writings about married life?
Jeff is a really, really good sport in a way that I could never, ever be. And, no, I don't. I need to be unique, somehow!
If you and your hubby could go on vacation (kid free), anywhere, for free, where would it be and why?
Since we're talking fantasy land here, Moorea, which is an island off of Tahiti. We went there on our honeymoon and it was the most gorgeous place I've ever been. The beaches, the smell of flowers everywhere, the food... The distance and cost will keep us away for as long as I can imagine, but I would love to go back. It was heavenly.
I know there are a lot of people out there that admire you and your zest/zing for “honest blogging”. I’ve gotten a couple people ask me to ask you what advice would you give someone who wants to take up blogging about their crazy life?
For the first three years of blogging, I saw little reward. I always treated it like a job, but until recently, it just didn't pay. (Not that the pay now is anything to shout from the rooftops, but at least it's something.) So, until the last year, I had to remind myself that if it wasn't fun, it wasn't worth it. That would be my advice to someone looking to start a blog: Have fun. For most people, this won't become a career, so just enjoy it. If it ever becomes a chore or a stress, it's time to reevaluate.
Do you see yourself (and we hope to see this as well) in a sitcom on TV? Chronicles’ of Scary Mommy?
It's definitely something I've fantasized about! It's a huge long shot, but the fact that I wrote a book is proof that you never know where life will lead. :)
Thank you Jill! How can you not love her? Mazel Jill and Jeff!
Lastly, I was super-duper lucky enough to have Jill use one of my favorite recipes
for a few of her upcoming book parties. To find out what it is head on over to Scary Mommy.
Congrats to the winners of the book "Baking Basics & Beyond" Sara #16 and Lisa #45. You won. Look for an email from me soon to get your address! Congrats!
1/12/12
guest post: gooey chocolate chip sandwich bars w/ cranberry
I was delighted to have the creative genius Joanne of the wildly creative with healthy edge to it blog called 'eats well with others'. I am drawn to Joanne and her baking & cooking ways because she, unlike me, has a healthy edge (I need to get my baking-healthy edge on) . When this girl isn't creating amazing healthy yet definitely delish recipes in her nyc kitchen, you can find her exercising; well, exercising to the extremes honestly. I've lost count on how many marathons she's done. I was able to stop counting her marathons this past fall when ironically, she and I were both nursing knee injuries. Jokingly we would tease each other via twitter on who had the worst cabin fever since knee injuries take their own sweet time to heal. Oh did I mention she also is in the process of getting her MD/PhD? Yeah. The woman has crazy energy, and insane passion; I just love that about her!
A couple things I wanted to know:
You seem to have a mainly ‘healthy edge” to all your recipes, where or when did this start?
My family is the quintessential meat and potatoes family so I grew up on absolutely zero vegetables and lots of bread and cannoli. I started eating more healthy my junior year of college. I kind of woke up one day, realized just how overweight I was, and decided I was tired of being “the fat girl” among all my friends. Dining hall food isn’t the best for getting healthy and so I started to cook for myself. Since then, it’s pretty much been history. I fell in love with vegetables and, a year ago, stopped eating meat entirely. I still have a pretty intense sweet tooth so dessert will always be a part of my life, but I try to eat uber healthy the rest of the time to make up for it.
Do you plan out what you’re going to make? Or are they spur of the moment?
I am quite the stereotypical medical student in the sense that I am an organizational freak...however, I use those OCD tendencies to menu plan instead of study plan. It happens. Occasionally when I get a craving or inspiration hits, some spur of the moment cooking gets done, but most of the time there’s a plan and I follow it. Or sushi gets ordered.
When looking at recipes to try or create next, what sparks your interest most?
I definitely have certain flavor profiles that jump out at me. I love very bold, spicy food so anything Indian, Thai or Middle Eastern always appeals to me. I also have a strong and definite penchant for orange vegetables. If you show me a recipe with a sweet potato or winter squash in it, I am about 1000x more likely to make it. If it has celery...then there is no chance in hell it will come anywhere near my kitchen.
What country would you like to visit most for their food?
I would love to go to Thailand, Morocco or India. Although, my roommate just brought an intestinal parasite back with her from India (Giardia) and so my desire to go has declined a bit.
Are there any junk foods you love?
I’m a Reese’s-aholic. And a nutella-aholic. Although, I wouldn’t consider nutella a junk food. It’s more of a food group.
Favorite health foods?
Sweet potatoes, winter squash, and apples. I seriously eat an apple a day. Honeycrisp are my favorites!
What was your favorite food to write about?
I love writing about cupcakes. They’re my favorite thing to bake and one of my favorite things to eat. There are just so many cupcake/frosting/filling combinations and you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
Below is one of Joanne's recipes. For more info on her and her recipes check out her food blog: eats well with others.
My mom always used to tell me that you can catch more bees with honey than you can with vinegar.
It was her quaint way of saying, "I know you're thirteen and have an attitude problem, but if you want me to drive you to the mall then you really probably should take out the garbage. And do the dishes. And clean your room."
I just didn't get it though.
Why would anyone ever want to catch bees?
And given how much time my mother spent swatting at them all summer long, why weren't we dotting vinegar below our ears and on our wrists until we smelled like balsamic vinaigrette (yum) to try to keep them away?
She is such an enigma.
However. If she had said, you can make more friends when you sandwich fudge in-between two layers of chocolate chip peanut butter chip cranberry cookies than you can if you try to give them bran muffins?
That, I would have understood.
Nothing against bran muffins. But they don't say "love me always and forever" as much as gooey chocolate chip sandwich bars do. Truth. I speak it.
Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars
adapted from Food and Wine
print recipe
Ingredients
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup peanut butter chips
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Line the dish with parchment paper leaving 1-inch of overhang on either side.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg, followed by the egg yolk and vanilla, scraping down the sides after each addition. Beat in the dry ingredients, then add 3/4 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and dried cranberries until just incorporated. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, melt 2 cups chocolate chips in the sweetened condensed milk over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and let cool to room temperature.
4. Press half the cookie dough into the prepared baking dish. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the dough and spread evenly. Top with small dollops of the remaining cookie dough. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Let cool completely before cutting.
