Wine and my getting just desserts ~ baked and gluten free… Oh yeah and oh yummy!

Wine is gluten free, in almost every instance… It’s listed as 20 parts per million. There are a few exceptions to this rule.

On About.com, regarding Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity

In some cases, the culprit will be the use of wheat gluten as a fining, or clarifying, agent for the wine. In other cases, the culprit will be the wheat paste used to seal the wooden wine casks used to age the wine.

Both of these practices add a tiny amount of gluten to the finished wine — perhaps in the range of 1 to 2 parts per million. Most people won’t notice symptoms from this, but the most sensitive will.

I, for instance, have had two severe reactions to fish being used to fine wine. I know I’m allergic to most fish, and if I haven’t eaten it, but have tried a new wine, I know what’s going on. Black Box, for instance is out for me, and could kill me the next time. I now carry Benadryl with me. If it ever happens again, I’ll be ready to stop the blowing up of my face and constricting of my trachea.

Off to foods for the holidays, that are Gluten Free, and will pair well with wine… I’ve found a great connection for how to cook in a gluten free environment. I’ve had to, with children and grandchildren that are adversely affected from eating wheat. How much of this comes from GMO wheat, I just don’t know, because the FDA has been allowing genetically modified foods to be slipped into our food source since 1994, when they were first introduced… But, it’s written on the World’s Healthiest Foods site:

Although the writings of Hippocrates dating back to 400 BC discuss the role of adverse food reactions in the development of various health complaints, it wasn’t until the 20th century that formal research studies documenting food allergies began to appear in scientific journals.

My great source is Fair Winds Press:

I recently wrote about the Kitchen Pantry Cook Book ~ The Kitchen Pantry Cookbook is essential for any wine and food lover.

I’ve also written about cross promotion ~ Segueing one industry quickly into another is today’s marketing concept

Fair Winds Press has successfully segued with me… They found a wine lover who is also a food lover. And I’m willing to find inclusion in my wine blog writings, because I’m willing to embrace two passions at the same time. (I once had www.finickiefoodie.com blog URL, but gave it up. I found it’s really difficult to ride two horses with one behind, as the saying goes.)

The two latest books that will delight you guys, who are either gluten free or cooking for someone who is….

• Gluten-Free Entertaining, written by Olivia Dupin (more than 100 naturally Wheat-free recipes for parties and special occasions)
• Baked Doughnuts For Everyone, written by Ashley McLaughlin (from sweet to savory to everything in between, 101 delicious recipes all GLUTEN-FREE)

Gluten-Free Entertaining has only three chapters:

1. Planing the perfect party
2. Celebrating the holidays
3. Special occasions

I’m going to run with this one. While it’s not my favorite dish, Melanie – the daughter who will inherit this book – is Celiac. She loves a Green Bean Casserole, and this one’s for her. I’d pair it with an Oregon Pinot Gris. I’ve been working with many Oregon Pinot Gris producers, and tasted many of their wines. I know that the creaminess of this recipe and the acidity of this variety… along with a lower alcohol, would make this a perfect wine and food pairing.

It’s written: Canned cream of mushroom soup is full of MSG and gluten! This classic holiday dish is easy to make from scratch and is everything a green bean casserole should be: creamy with tender green beans, and a crunchy shallot topping. Bacon only makes it taste that much better... Chef’s tip: Don’t like green beans? Get creative and use broccoli, artichokes, Brussels sprouts, or cauliflower.

Personally, I’d love to have the Sesame Chicken Bites. Corn starch is the coating that makes these nuggets crunchy, and I’d have to eliminate the oyster sauce… simple… with this one, I can already taste a dry Riesling as an accompaniment.

Recommended Oregon artisan Pinot Gris from the group:

• Airlie Winery
• Apolloni Vineyards
• Christopher Bridge Cellars & Satori Springs Estate
• David Hill Winery
• Naked Winery
• Oak Knoll Winery
• Pudding River Wine Cellars
• Terrapin Cellars

Let’s face it, in today’s world of enlightenment, I’m betting that most of us now know someone who’s coming to the party who’s NOT going to eat anything made of wheat… And, the recipes in this book are definitely for you. How do I know? My gluten free daughters have thumbed through these books and are more than ready to take them home as soon as I write about them… (Which would be today.)

Baked Doughnuts For Everyone

Yeah… it’s like “Beers all around!” except this time it’s doughnuts.

Okay, I’ve got to quote from the promotion sheet, because I had an “Oh, yum!” moment.

… With Baked Doughnuts For Everyone, you can now enjoy fresh–completely gluten-free! — doughnuts from the comfort of your own kitchen and without the fussing over a fryer. All you need is a doughnut pan, a mixing bowl, and a few simple ingredients like oat flour, almond meal, and pure cane sugar. [I’ll use tubinado, because it’s not as processed.] The result? Truly cake-like doughnuts with no grainy texture and no scary starches of gums– only pure, all-natural flavor. No one will ever guess that they’re gluten-free, whether they follow a wheat-free diet or not!

I’m headed to my first born daughter’s for Thanksgiving. I’m also headed to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy my doughnut pan. (A quick Internet search turned up this source and it’s convenient.) I’ll get the ingredients when I arrive and will be making these doughnuts for her family and her. Then, I’m leaving the book and pan with her.. Yeah, this one’s for her.

So, what wine to pair with doughnuts? Easy… This is a brunch item. It’s an automatic Mimosa candidate. That said, if I’ve got a really delicious bubbly, like an Iron Horse or a J sparkling wine, I won’t be adding any OJ to it… Straight up and down the hatch… Baked Doughnuts and Champagne… A delicious food and wine pairing for holiday gatherings, and I’m already drooling. How about you?