A Taste from Childhood

I believe every person with celiac disease has a certain food or dish they miss deeply. It's that one food that gives you a pang a jealousy to see someone else eat, the one that makes you secretly wonder how sick you'd really feel if you had just one bite. For some, it's a favorite meal at a restaurant you still frequent with friends. For others, it's a special holiday recipe of Mom's that just doesn't taste quite the same gluten-free. For me, it was something soft and chewy, warm and melty straight out of the oven; something that brought back childhood memories of cold, rainy days inside a toasty and comfortable kitchen; something that made my mouth water with yearning at the mere thought. For me, it was chocolate chip cookies.

No matter what I did, no matter what I tried, I could not find or make anything match that chewy, buttery consistency of a good chocolate chip cookie. Friends and family might try my flat, bottom-burned creations that crumbled in their hands and kindly say, "Well, it tastes like a chocolate chip cookie. The consistency is just a little different." So, while others baked their cookies, I would grumblingly satiate my appetite by gulping down handfuls of Nestle morsels.

Then, finally, a ray of hope for my cookie quandary. While visiting family for a weekend, a cry came from the living room. "Everyone, come quick! Alton Brown is making gluten-free chocolate chip cookies on the Food Network!" I dashed to the sofa, though cynicism quickly started to over-ride my hope. I had tried this so many times before. Who did Alton Brown think he was to figure this out, brilliant chef and food scientist aside? He's not even a celiac!

Yet the cookie in his hand didn't crumble. And he even called his recipe, "The Chewy Gluten-Free." Before I knew it, I had all of the ingredients assembled in my kitchen, recipe in-hand. I followed every direction, measured to the tiniest speck. I turned the cookie sheet in the oven after exactly seven minutes to ensure even cooking. I even let the cookies cool. The air was filled with the sweet of aroma of baked chocolate goodness. Here it was; the moment of truth. I lifted a cookie to my mouth and took a bite. Perfection; just like the rich, soft and chewy cookies we made growing up. I think tears of joy actually sprang to my eyes.

This recipe is slightly more complicated than the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it is worth every step. The most important step is to allow the dough enough time to chill thoroughly before baking. This helps the cookies stay set up while baking, and keeps them firm and chewy after cooling.

The Chewy Gluten-Free

Ingredients:

8 ounces unsalted butter
2 cups brown rice flour
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour, xantham gum, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Add both of the sugars to the bowl with the butter and using the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, approximately 1 hour. Shape the dough into 2-ounce balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes, rotating the pans after 7 minutes for even baking. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the pans for 2 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store cooked cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe courtesy of www.foodnetwork.com

It truly is hard to even tell that these cookies are gluten-free. I baked them for several parties and no one knew they were gluten-free! They were gone in minutes. So do what I did when I made them the first time; bake a batch, pour a large glass of milk, and don't keep track of how many you eat!

The Most Wonderful Time

It's that time.

There'll be parties for hosting, staff breakfasts for eating, and friends bringing you cookies. There'll be potlucks, dinners, snacks. The holiday season seems to love to bring on love and good cheer with it's favorite friend...

No, not Santa.

Definitely not Jesus.

GLUTEN.

That's right, for the celiac, the holiday season turns into a vast array of parties and get-togethers full of wonderful, lovingly-prepared sweet and savory foods of all kinds you can't eat.

The Saturday before last, the hubby and I had four- that's right FOUR- Christmas parties in one day. You'd think it would be impossible to go to all of them, but thankfully (?) they were perfectly spaced; a brunch at 11, my staff party at 1, a friend's party at 4, and the hubby's staff party at 7.

By 6:00, I was starving. My head was literally swimming from having only eaten a handful of M&Ms, a mound of canned green beans, a scoop of fruit salad and a few tostitos. So, at the current party, I ate 3 non-battered chicken wings, something a celiac should NOT do when you don't know the hot sauce ingredients! My celiac mama would have shaken her head in dismay. Then I made the hubby stop at McDonalds for some french fries.

This is exactly the kind of thing that makes people pity celiacs. They look at me eating the mound of green beans and say, "Man, that stinks! You can't eat anything!" Then they take a huge bite of whatever they are eating and tell you how good it tastes. This is probably the most annoying statement in all the world. A part of me feels its near to saying to someone with a disability, "Man, that stinks! You can't do anything!" and then skipping away.

The thing of it is, I CAN eat almost anything; I simply can't eat gluten. I can come up with a tasty alternative to nearly anything in my own kitchen. But that's just it; I need a kitchen. When I'm outside of my own home, I don't want to risk eating something when I don't know all the ingredients. So many people are so sweet, and so dear, and truly do try. They will say, "Well, I think this should be fine..." then they will list their ingredients as best as they rememeber. But they don't know that a lot of spices contain wheat. They don't know to check for maltodextrin in their bottle of dressing. They don't know that I can't eat cheese that sat on a tray full of crackers because of cross-contamination.

So don't pity celiacs! I love holiday food. You should just see the spread my mom puts on at home. Our gluten-free Christmas cookies are delicious. My mom's gluten-free stuffing is to-die-for. We have gravy and rolls just like everyone else. It just takes a little more work! Yes, it's annoying not to be able to eat easily at everyone's parties. But sometimes it's just not worth the effort or awkwardness to find out how each dish was made and inconvenience your host to dig out labels from the trash only to find you can't eat it after all. When I get home, I'll eat like a queen.

But for those of us who face this, what do we do? Should we just sit and feel bad for ourselves at the party while everyone else eats Auntie JoJo's famous bundt cake? No! Make your own gluten-free treats. BRING THEM to your parties for people to try. When you sign up for the staff potluck, offer to bring a main dish, and surprise everyone with it's yumminess. Always keep safe snacks in your car (which I forgot that fateful Saturday) like chips or trail mix. Bring a "back up" gluten-free sandwich in case you get to a party and you can't eat something. Check with your host before arriving. Ask your boss who is catering the dinner party and call them yourself to find out what you'll be able to eat. Don't make anyone feel awkward, and remind them that you are fine with bringing something yourself to eat. If someone offers to make something specially for you, or asks what to make, thank them profusely and offer simple suggestions, or offer to bring something yourself. Use the opportunity educate people, and to show them that being gluten-free is the way to be!

Yes, this all takes a little more time, a little more work, a little more thought, and usually a little more money. But remember that your health comes first, and no morsel is worth losing precious hours spent being sick, tired, and achy. Being with friends during the holidays is about celebrating the gift from God of their friendship, and ultimately about celebrating the birth of Christ. The High King of Heaven was born in a barn and laid in a manger. Mary and Joseph were not allowed to celebrate the birth of a son with a feast and family. They were ostracized for a pregnancy that seemed shameful and not given a place to stay with family in Bethlehem. (Bethlehem was Joseph's hometown; the whole "no room for them at inn" wouldn't even have happened if family had welcomed them into their home.) What mattered to them was serving God and loving each other, not what delicacies filled their bellies.

But while you're at those parties, don't forget to scour the room for the little decorative Christmasy glass dishes; they are almost always filled with M&Ms! :)