Dishing with dietitians. Partying with pastry chefs. Feasting with a Food Network chef. Just another day in the life of a gluten-free cookbook author.
I was delighted to be a part of the Celebrating Gluten-Free Gala, hosted by dietitians who specialize in gastrointestinal diseases. They were in Denver last week for the annual American Dietetic Association conference and invited other dietitians to the event so they can better help patients with celiac disease.
Denver chefs Monica Poole of Deby's Gluten-Free, Abbie Keyes of Gluten-Free Chef, and Katy Martin of Gluten-Free Artistry, led teams in a 30-minute decoration of gluten-free cakes donated by General Mills. Pastry chef Keegan Gerhard, host of the Food Network Challenge series and owner of D-Bar Desserts in Denver, served as emcee and interviewed the teams which also included dietitian experts Shelley Case, Tricia Thompson, and Melinda Dennis.
Over 200 attendees feasted on absolutely gorgeous and decoratively displayed, yet, totally gluten-free food. The theme for the evening was fun, food, and celebration about the wonderful foods we can eat. In addition to the delicious cakes, brownies, and cookies donated by General Mills, talented Chef Dominic prepared crostini, whole grain salads, antipasto trays, cereal party mixes, dips, and salsas.... and we washed it down with donated beer from Green's and a wine bar.
During the event, I demonstrated my quick and easy French bread that delivers fresh, hot bread in about 35-40 minutes, from start to finish.
[1] Mix up the dry ingredients (except yeast) for my French bread recipe (in all of my cookbooks) in a resealable bag and store on your pantry shelf.
[2] When the baking urge strikes, foam the yeast in the milk (or water) in the bowl of a food processor, add the dry mix, oil, and (room temp) eggs and blend.
[3] Shape the bread into two French breads or three French baguettes and place in a COLD oven.
[4] Turn the oven on and bake according to recipe directions. (If this “cold-oven” start doesn't work in your oven, let the bread rise for 30 minutes and then bake in a preheated oven, covering the bread with foil if it browns too quickly.)
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