Gluten Free Portland

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Dave November 17, 2010

New Gluten-Free Resource in Portland: Dessert Labs

We’ve featured pieces of news about Dessert Labs once or twice on Gluten Free Portland. I met with them last week and talked to them about their kitchen, gluten-free food, and what they’ve been up to lately.

Dessert Labs is Joe Kalal and Karen Goetsch. Joe is the chef, and Karen handles the business side of it. Joe found out that he had celiac while living in New York, and inspired by the horrible gluten-free food he found there, decided that he could do better. He enrolled in the French Culinary Institute in New York City to learn how to be a pastry chef. Since he couldn’t eat a lot of the wheat-based treats that they learned to cook there, he found that he had to concentrate on using his sense of smell instead. To gauge flakiness, crumb, or moistness in baked goods, he would break them open.

Joe and Karen are relatively new to Portland. They came here from New York City by way of the San Francisco Bay Area. They had meant to start Dessert Labs in the Bay Area, but visited Portland in the summer of 2010 and were delighted when everything just kind of magically fell in place. Within days, they fell in love with the city, found a place to live, and found a kitchen space to work out of.

In late spring of this year, they created a Kickstarter project that raised over $2500. If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, it’s a website that is a place for creative people to find funding for their own projects. In a nutshell, a person can come up with an idea for a project, describe it on Kickstarter, and then other people can fund the project (see here for more details on how Kickstarter works). The people who fund a project generally get something out of it. In this case, Dessert Labs funders got care packages and subscriptions of gluten-free goodies. Karen and Joe set their project goal at $1000 and it didn’t take long before they passed it. When the funding doubled, they knew that they were really on to something.

What they are doing now is providing gluten-free baked goods to local cafes and restaurants. As we mentioned before, they are supplying Food Front on NW Thurman with gluten-free pies for the holidays. They also take orders for gluten-free cookies, cupcakes, bread, cakes, and pies on their website or by phone. They also told me that they are interested in taking special orders for people who would like to get a particular baked good in gluten-free form, including people who may have family recipes that need to be converted. They are vegetarian/vegan friendly.

Fortunately, they had some gluten-free treats for me to sample when I stopped by.

What we have here are some shortbread cookies, some cupcakes, and a ball of flourless chocolate cake. These were all really good and none of them had the funny aftertaste that you sometimes get with gluten-free baked goods. The flourless chocolate cake was my favorite item. Sienna and I both thought their cupcakes were really impressive. We’re both dying to know how their pies are. We’ll let you know when we have more information!

Dessert Labs – thedessertlabs.typepad.com – 347-513-5461

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Cookies, Cooking, Desserts, Grocery Stores, Information, NorthWest, Portland, Vegan, Vegetarian

Dave September 15, 2010

Product Review: Pao Bread

Pao Bread is a Brazilian cheese bread snack that is commonly sold by street vendors. Now, thanks to Portland entrepreneur Jewelie Schultz, you can get some gluten free and much closer to home. Pao bread, known as pao de queijo in Brazil, is normally made with tapioca starch, cheese, and eggs, so Schultz didn’t have to modify the recipe to make it gluten-free. She did have to discover the right kind of cheese combination to get an authentic flavor. The product is manufactured in a dedicated gluten-free facility here in Portland.

The bread comes pre-measured into balls, frozen, and ready to bake. They take about twenty minutes to bake and are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. We got our hands on some samples courtesy of the baker herself (see our disclosure policy) and tried them out. We also gave some to a few of our friends and taste-testers. Here’s what it looks like fresh out of the oven.

After a bite…

What these totally remind me of is a snack I used to make for myself when I would get home from high school. My friends and I would get home, go to the kitchen, wrap some cheddar cheese in a wheat tortilla, and microwave it. If you microwaved it correctly, the cheese would bubble and the tortilla would be delicious. They also taste kind of like goldfish crackers, but are much more of a texture sensation. Everybody we had try them, including ourselves, thought they were good. Schultz lived in Brazil as an exchange student, and did her best to come up with a recipe that tasted authentic.

Here’s a list of the ingredients: tapioca starch, eggs, safflower oil, cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes, annatto (color)), Parmesan cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), milk, water, kosher salt. The ingredient list is pretty short, and there isn’t any leavener. I was going to say that they’re pretty allergen-free until I noticed that they’ve got egg and dairy. On the minus side, the number one ingredient is tapioca starch, which we’ve discussed before, and has almost no nutritional value. Thanks to the eggs and the cheese, though, this probably isn’t as bad as a lot of the gluten-free breads out there. And hey! – We’re talking about a snack here, anyway.

And as a snack, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with something like this. They’re quick, easy to make, and kind of fun. They’re locally made, which is cool. I always like supporting local small businesses. Paobread is available at the Portland and Lake Oswego Lamb’s Markets, the Eastmoreland Market, and the Alberta Co-Op, among other places. You can also get them at the Moreland and Montavilla Farmers Markets. See their website for more details on where to buy. Here’s their website for more information.

Filed Under: Product Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: Cheese, Cooking, Local, Review, Snacks

Dave June 7, 2010

News Bites: Portobello Opening and FAAN Walk

Portobello Grand Opening

Vegan and gluten-free friendly restaurant, Portobello Trattoria, has been closed for a month while moving and will be hosting an opening celebration at its new location this Wednesday. See our review of Portobello, here.

Hello Peoples!  We will be opening up on June 9th in our new digs at 1125 SE Division Street.  It’s right on the corner of 12th and Division, in the “Banana Building”…the one with the big Andy Warhol banana inspired mural (ya’ know…like on the Velvet Underground album…anyway…).  So! Come on down for din-din or a cocktail/mocktail and have a nice time with us. We’re opening around 5ish.

FAAN Walk

Reader Kristal notified us about a walk to benefit the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). The Portland Oregon walk for food allergies will happen August 28th, so mark your calendars. The location will be at Kenilworth Park, SE 34th and Holgate Blvd. More information here. Says Kristal:

This is going to be a great day for everyone who is affected by food allergies… There will be a lot of fun stuff for the kids and lots of Sponsors with booths and freebies. I am also having a donation raffle of yummy food allergy sensitive treats!!

About FAAN (from their website):

Founded in 1991 by Anne Munoz Furlong, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially life-threatening medical condition that affects approximately 12 million Americans, or one out of every 25, and is rapidly increasing in prevalence.

FAAN continues to lay the groundwork for a brighter future for those with food allergies. We work throughout the year on initiatives that will improve the quality of life for those with food allergies. Our focus is to provide advocacy and education while advancing research on behalf of those affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis.

Gluten Free Class at Hipcooks

Hipcooks will be offering their gluten-free cooking class Saturday, July 11 from 1-4pm. Check their Portland class schedule for more details. (See our review of their cooking classes here and here.)

June GIG Meeting is this Saturday

Mike & Maria Smith of Bavaria Mills Gluten Free Bakery will be presenting at this month’s Portland Metro Gluten Intolerance Group meeting this Saturday, June 12th. The GIG meetings are currently held at Legacy Emanuel Hospital – 2801 N Gantenbein Ave., Portland, OR 97227, in Conference Room 1075. More information on the Portland GIG here.

Lots of Additions to Our Restaurant Lists

We have heard from a lot of readers and restaurant owners and have added a bunch of new entries to our gluten free restaurant list and gluten-free pizza list. So if you haven’t looked at them recently, you should take a gander. Also, with each restaurant on the list, there is a place to leave your own comments. We’ve had a great response with this, and hope that more people will leave comments with their experiences.

And note that it’s become much more easy for restaurants to submit their information with our handy restaurant submission form.

Whew that’s it. Hope everybody has a great week!

Filed Under: Classes & Events, News Tagged With: Allergies, Classes, Classes & Events, Cooking, Hipcooks, Information, Restaurant, Vegan

Dave March 22, 2010

Spelt is Not Gluten Free

We don’t usually do this sort of informational post here, because we tend to focus on restaurant reviews, but lately I’ve noticed a trend where spelt is thought to be gluten-free. Unfortunately, spelt is a variety of wheat and contains the same sort of gluten. From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website:

In the context of celiac disease, the term “gluten” is used to collectively refer to gluten in wheat, and to the proteins in other grains that have been demonstrated to cause harmful health effects in individuals who have celiac disease. These grains are wheat (including different varieties such as spelt and kamut), rye, barley, cross-bred hybrids (e.g., triticale, which is a cross between wheat and rye), and possibly oats.”

Source

Filed Under: Gluten-Free Basics, Uncategorized Tagged With: Allergies, Cooking, Gluten-Free Flour, Health, Information

Dave March 17, 2010

News Bites: Classes and Gluten Free Food Fair

2010 Portland Gluten-Free Fair

First up, the Portland Metro GIG has announced the time and place of the 2010 Portland Gluten-Free Food Fair. It will be on Saturday, May 1, 2010. It is open from 11 AM to 2 PM at the All Saints Catholic Church at 3847 NE Glisan Street. The cost is $5 per person for a max of $10 per family. Children under 12 get in free. They will be having raffles at 12 noon, 1 PM, and 1:45 PM. Here’s their blurb:

The Portland, Mid-Willamette Valley, and McMinnville Branches of the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) are hosting the 6th Annual Gluten Free Food Fair on Saturday, May 1st, 2010. The mission of these support groups is to increase awareness of gluten intolerance diseases by providing support to individuals and families; accurate information and educational programs; and outreach to health care professionals and restaurants. This event is a fund-raiser which allows the three GIG groups to offer events and services without a charge.

We’ve attended the fair the past two years and always find it very interesting. Here are our notes from the 2009 Gluten-Free Food Fair.

Gluten-Free Class at Bob’s Red Mill

I forgot all about this! There is an upcoming gluten-free cooking class at Bob’s Red Mill on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 2:00-4:00 PM. There will also be one at 5:00-7:00 PM but that one is already full. The class fee is $45. Click here for the current class schedule. Here’s the blurb:

We are so excited to have gluten-free expert and cookbook author Carol Fenster, Ph.D. back to help us out with great baking time-savers. Carol will focus on her fabulous Gluten-Free Breakthrough Bread. It’s as easy as mix the dough, store in the fridge and bake throughout the week…as you wish, as much as you wish. Using Bob’s GF Shortbread Cookie mix, Carol will also demonstrate her Frangipane Tart using the cookie mix as the crust, layered with almond paste and topped with fresh fruit. A second mouthwatering recipe from this mix will be her Decadent Chocolate Bars. Additional recipes will include a fabulous Cherry Cobbler and just in time for summer Strawberry Shortcake. Learn how to take a simple mix and make incredible, easy desserts.

Carol Fenster is the author of a number of books on gluten-free cooking. I think that the two most popular are: 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes and Gluten-Free 101.

We really enjoyed the last gluten-free class at Bob’s Red Mill, and bet this one will be great too.

Other Classes

Since we’re talking about classes, don’t forget to check the class schedules of HipCooks and Abby’s Table.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Classes, Cooking, Health, Information, Portland

Dave February 1, 2010

Gluten-Free Cooking Class at Bob’s Red Mill

Gluten-Free Class at Bob's Red Mill

A couple of weeks ago, we listed a bunch of gluten-free cooking classes, and decided to take one or two ourselves. So we signed up for the “Gluten-Free Baking with Tiff Mumma!” class at Bob’s Red Mill. Click here for their current class list (note that most of their classes are not gluten-free). Here’s the blurb for the class, which was two hours.

Let’s face it gluten-free baking can be a challenge, knowing which flours to blend and what to use as replacement for gluten can be frustrating. Tiff an avid gluten-free baker, is back to help put an end to your gluten-free baking challenges. Whereas many people view their diagnosis as the beginning of “living without” Tiff sees the transition to a gluten-free lifestyle as an opportunity to expand her diet to include a variety of grains. Her class menu will focus on: Banana Cake, Cinnamon Rolls, Potato Bread, Pumpkin Bread and Zucchini Bread. Come enjoy an evening filled with fabulous instruction and priceless baking tips!

As the title mentions, the class is taught by Tiff Mumma, who was diagnosed with celiac disease several years ago, and who also has family members with various food allergies. Tiff is a very enthusiastic instructor, and you can tell that she cares a lot about food and nutrition, as well as health. Each student was given a handout with recipes, a survey about the class, a Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free product brochure, and a complimentary package of their “Sweet” White Sorghum Flour. Sorghum flour makes up a large part of the flour mix that they prefer, which is Carol Lee Fenster’s flour mix. (Carol Lee Fenster is the author of 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes and Gluten-Free 101, among other books).

Bob's Red Mill classroom

The classroom is large, and our class was full. It is set up for doing demonstrations. So there is a long cooking island at the front of the class with cameras set up over it. Two large monitors on either side of the class show what is on the island. They also have microphones and a speaker setup so there’s no problem hearing the instructor.

During the class, Tiff Mumma went through a demonstration of making four recipes from the recipe handout. These were gluten-free pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, cinnamon rolls, and banana cake. She noted that all of the recipes in the handout can be made without eggs. The handout also included recipes for cinnamon roll toppings, a cinnamon icing, and an old-fashioned potato bread.

It’s really wonderful to watch an experienced person bake and listen to their cooking tips. Our class was very inquisitive and a lot of people had questions for Mumma. Things we learned:

  • Before you stir everything together, make two separate mixes: One mix with all the sugars and wet ingredients and a second mix with the rest of the dry ingredients.
  • Ingredients should be room temperature.
  • Agave makes a good sweetener for quick breads, but is sweeter, so you need less. Start with about half and adjust for taste.
  • Let baked goods cool ten minutes in the pan and then additional time on a rack. This gives time for the texture to set up.
  • You can use applesauce as a binder in quick breads to substitute for eggs.
  • Another egg substitute is 3 Tbsp water and 1 Tbsp flax meal
  • Gluten-free flours should be stored in a dark place in airtight containers (although there is some debate that flours belong in the fridge).
  • Ever needed to flatten some gooey gluten-free dough? Pour dough onto a sheet of wax paper that has been heavily dusted with white rice flour. Dip your hands into cool water repeatedly as you spread the dough out with your fingers.
  • Gelatin is good in yeast breads for promoting a spongy inner texture and crisp outside.
  • Green pea flour is good for making cookies.
  • When making yeast breads, use an instant cooking thermometer to make sure your water is 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Guar gum and xanthan gum work better when used together – the tricky thing is getting the right proportions.
  • For a flaky gluten-free pie crust, substitute three tablespoons of vodka for one tablespoon of water in the recipe. The dough will be drier and easier to handle, and the alcohol will evaporate out.

An added bonus in our class was that we were sitting with a bunch of like-minded people who shared their own tips and experiences. A good time was had by all. During the class, samples of the breads and cinnamon rolls were handed out to everyone. The breads were really amazing (our one complaint was that the cinnamon roll seemed undercooked and needed way more cinnamon). Just when we thought the class couldn’t get any better, they had a drawing and gave out more gluten-free mixes.

Gluten-free cinnamon roll

It should be added that there are a lot of interesting products at the Bob’s Red Mill store. For gluten-free folks, they have baking mixes, flours, and oats. They have a full shelf of gluten-free cookbooks. The gluten-free mixes I saw were: brownie mix, shortbread cookie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, pizza crust mix, chocolate cake mix, and a few bread mixes. The amount of stuff they have there is staggering. They even have bread machines (it would appear that they favor the Zojirushi and Breadman). This is a little off-topic, but it bears mentioning that Bob’s Red Mill has a separate area for making their gluten-free products to prevent cross-contamination, and also batch-tests their products.

They are planning to have two more gluten-free classes in the coming months. One in April and another in June. The class in April will be taught by Carol Lee Fenster. If you think that you might be interested, we recommend that you go for it. We’ll post more information on these as soon as we get it.

Filed Under: Classes & Events Tagged With: Classes, Cooking, Gluten-Free Flour, Health, SouthEast

Dave January 9, 2010

News Bites: Dot Com, Classes, More Classes

We’re Officially a Dot Com

We are now accessible at an alternate URL: www.glutenfreeportland.com. Many thanks to Chris at Flypaper Creative for helping to make this possible.

Classes at Abby Table

Abby’s Table is a great place to get gluten-free food and has classes (see our review, here). Abby’s Table chef Abby Fammartino and health counselor Katie Decker are teaming up to present three classes in January. All classes are 7:00 to 8:15 PM. Check the Abby’s Table calendar for more info or to sign up. These are $30/class or $75/3 for the class series. Here are the classes:

  • January 14th: Setting Intentions, Detoxing, Food and Mood
  • January 21st: Seasonal Eating, Chinese 5 Phase Theory and Creating Balance
  • January 28th: Staying Inspired, Meal Planning, and Stretching One Meal into Many

Portland Metro GIG Hosts Dr. Stephen Wangen

The Portland Metro GIG will be hosting Dr. Stephen Wangen, author of Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance at their March meeting. He will be speaking about his book and will be available for book signings after the meeting. Here is more information on this book (on Amazon). Dr. Wangen will also be speaking at the Eugene and Salem GIG meetings that same week. Here are the details:

  • Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 6:30 PM. Eugene GIG, monthly meeting held at the Lakewood Clubhouse, 1800 Lakewood Court, Eugene, Oregon.
  • Friday, March 12, 6:30 PM. Salem and McMinnville GIGs, dinner and presentation at Marco Polo restaurant in downtown Salem, Oregon.
  • Saturday, March 13, 10 AM to 12 PM. Portland GIG meeting at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon, Room 1075.

Gluten-Free Informational Classes in Corvalis

Nadine Grzeskowiak, the Gluten Free RN, will be hosting informational classes on January 5, 12, 19 and February 2, 9, 16, and 23 from 12-1pm at her office at 215 SW 4th Street, Corvallis, Oregon. “This class will cover the basics of gluten intolerance and Celiac disease and what it means to lead a gluten free lifestyle. Gluten free goodies will be provided. Class is held at the downtown office in Corvallis.”

Filed Under: Classes & Events, News Tagged With: Classes, Cooking, Portland GIG

Dave January 4, 2010

Product Review: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix

There certainly are a lot of gluten-free baking mixes available now. I was at Whole Foods a couple days ago, and noticed that Bob’s Red Mill has a gluten-free bread mix out, and that it can be made by hand or with a bread machine. I’m a little bit skeptical about a lot of these mixes, mostly because we always seem to have much better luck with our own mixes, but since it’s Bob’s Red Mill and can be made in a bread maker, I decided to give it a go. (Side note: Don’t miss our bread machine information page.)

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix

You may remember that we made scones with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free baking mix. We found that the mix had a “beany” aftertaste, and several readers chimed in to support our opinion. So I was a little worried when I saw that Garbanzo Bean Flour was the first ingredient listed. Here are the ingredients: Garbanzo Bean Flour, Potato Starch, Corn Starch, White Sorghum Flour, Tapioca Flour, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fava Bean Flour, Xanthan Gum, Active Dry Yeast, Potato Flour, Sea Salt, Guar Gum, Soy Lecithin. For the record, the yeast isn’t mixed in. It comes in a little packet that is in the mix. If you give the mix a little taste, as one would expect, it tastes very beany, and is also surprisingly sweet. We decided to add some walnuts and chia seeds to our bread. Walnuts are great for flavor and also high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds are the same seeds that go on those “chia pets” they sell at drug stores, and are also high in Omega-3.

Walnuts and Chia Seeds

The instructions on the package for making the bread with a bread machine are rather simple. You add milk, egg (and egg whites), butter or vegetable oil, and cider vinegar. The mix makes it very easy, and you’ll have everything in the machine in a couple of minutes. Our machine calls for adding the liquids first, then the dry ingredients, and then finally the yeast on top of the dry. The machine is supposed to bring everything to the right temperature, but we still raise the temperatures of everything before we add them, just so we don’t delay the yeast.

So we put the egg in some warm water, and also microwaved the milk until it was around 110 degrees. If you will be adding butter, you’ll want to melt it. We used grape seed oil. Once all the liquids are around the right temperature, you mix them up and you’re ready to go.

Ingredients in the Bread Machine

So how did it go? Well we were really amazed at how much the bread rose! We’re used to making bread and having it only raise a couple inches. Check out the difference between the photo on the top, which is from our gluten-free bread machine bake-off, using a flour recipe from Annalise Roberts’ book, Gluten-Free Baking Classics for the Bread Machine. The bottom photo is the loaf from the Bob’s Red Mill mix. That’s a really big difference! We had a little bit of trouble with the loaf shrinking a bit (which made the center of the top fall in a little), but not as much as we’ve had with other loaves that ended up getting big.

Bake-Off Loaves

Bake-Off Loaves

Bob's Red Mill GLuten-Free Bread

Bob's Red Mill Loaf

That’s really huge. We’ve become so used to eating short, rectangular sandwiches that this almost ends up being too much of a slice! So how is the bread?

Slices of bread

Here’s a picture so you can see the texture. Fresh out of the machine, the bread was very light, and almost spongy. (It was a pain to slice until we let it sit longer!) When it was warm, I thought the bread was delicious (Sienna thought the bread was just OK, flavor-wise, though she was pretty blown away with how much it rose), and didn’t suffer from the same bean flavor that their baking mix did. I was especially enamored of the crust, which tasted a lot like real bread crust. When it cooled down, though, the bread definitely had more of a bean aftertaste, and was kind of dry. So like a lot of other gluten-free breads, you’ll find yourself toasting this bread before eating it. I was still very impressed with how fluffy the bread was, and how well it rose. The folks at Bob’s Red Mill must know a thing or two about making bread rise.

Final analysis: This mix makes a really good sandwich bread. There is still a bit of a bean aftertaste when you eat the bread alone, but in sandwiches it isn’t really a problem. As mentioned above, like most gluten-free breads, it definitely benefits from being toasted. One thing I don’t mention above is that the mix is very easy to use. If you’ve spent any time mixing your own gluten-free flours, you’ll know how a lot of them are so fine that they end up everywhere and can make a real mess. We haven’t really looked into how the price compares to mixing your own, but based on the price of the mix on Amazon, a loaf is going to cost five bucks. Finally, the Bob’s Red Mill mix gets five stars for rising and making fluffy bread.

We want to know: Got a favorite gluten-free bread mix? Have a different experience with this one? We’re especially curious to know if others feel the bread tastes too much like beans. Let us know in the comments.

Times we have visited: 1 (so your results may vary.)
Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Price compared to “regular”: Looks about twice as expensive as wheat-based mixes available online.

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: Bob's Red Mill, Bread, Bread Machines, Cooking, Gluten-Free Flour

Dave January 1, 2010

Gluten-Free Cooking Classes

Happy New Year! If your New Year’s resolution has anything to do with learning (and/or eating), then you’re in luck. Here are a bunch of gluten-free cooking classes happening soon in Portland, Oregon.

Cooking Class at Hipcooks

Course Title: I’m Free! Gluten-Free
When: Sun, Jan 31 – 11am-3pm
Description from the Website: Our Gluten-Free themed Class! Meals on the go, GF bread and Pasta, and Desserts! (The class is also dairy free) This extra-long session will offer advice on meal-planning, and will come with a wonderful take-home cookbook packed with recipes and GF tips.
Price: $80 per person
Hipcooks Website: http://portland.hipcooks.com/
Classes page: Hipcooks Class Schedule
Our Reviews: Fresh and Zingy 1 and Persian Immersion
(Note that other of their classes are also gluten free. Check the class descriptions page for more info.)

Cooking Class at Iorio Italian Restaurant

Course Title: “Gluten-Friendly” Cooking Class
When: Feb 20, 2010 – Noon to 2 PM
Description from the Website: A Heavenly class for GF’ers! Here’s your chance to bring your skills to a new level. Chef Chris will teach you how to command your gluten intolerance.
Price: $75 per person
Restaurant Website: http://www.ioriorestaurant.com/
Classes page: Iorio Cooking Class Menu
Our Restaurant Review: Iorio Review

Class at the Oregon Culinary Institute

Course Title: Gluten-Free Cooking and Baking
When: Saturday, February 20, 2010, 9 AM-1 PM
Description from the Website: Don’t let an allergy to wheat rob you of appreciating some of the finer things in life. This class will explore the cooking and baking options available to this sector of our hungry population. Understanding proper cookery of grains such as quinoa and rice is critical to discovering the versatility of your options, and we’ll cover that in this class. Using potato starch and rice flour and learning other new ingredients will be covered in order to make living gluten free an enjoyable lifestyle.
Price: $85.00
Website:http://www.oregonculinaryinstitute.com/
Class Page: Gluten-Free Cooking and Baking

Class at Bob’s Red Mill

Course Title: Gluten-Free Baking with Tiff Mumma!
When: Thursday, January 28, 2010 5:00-7:00 PM
Description from the Website: Let’s face it gluten-free baking can be a challenge, knowing which flours to blend and what to use as replacement for gluten can be frustrating. Tiff an avid gluten-free baker, is back to help put an end to your gluten-free baking challenges. Whereas many people view their diagnosis as the beginning of “living without” Tiff sees the transition to a gluten-free lifestyle as an opportunity to expand her diet to include a variety of grains. Her class menu will focus on: Banana Cake, Cinnamon Rolls, Potato Bread, Pumpkin Bread and Zucchini Bread. Come enjoy an evening filled with fabulous instruction and priceless baking tips!
Price: $40.00
Website:http://www.bobsredmill.com/
Classes Page: Bob’s Red Mill Class Schedule

Filed Under: Classes & Events Tagged With: Bakery, Bread, Cooking, Health, Hipcooks, Information

Dave November 17, 2009

Bread Machine Jam!

OK OK I’m a little late with this feature. We’ve been super-busy. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to slow down a little bit during the next two months. I keep meaning to put together this feature and here goes. We made jam with our bread machine. To be more specific, we used some plums from a tree in our back yard to make jam. We made it without a lot of sugar, too. If you get the right kind of pectin, you don’t have to add a ton of sugar to get your jam to thicken up.

Plums Ready to Go!

Plums Ready to Go!

Everything Else You Need

Everything Else You Need

Here’s what you need: Some fruit, sugar, lemon juice, pectin, and water. And a breadmaker. The pectin we use is Pomona’s Universal Pectin. As mentioned above, this is a special pectin which lets you cut down the sugar in the recipe. It uses calcium to activate it. We did it with plums, but you can use about anything. For jams, you can use kiwi, strawberry, raspberry, gooseberry, blackberry, currant, cherry, plum, pineapple, mulberry, blueberry, pear, mango, peach, apricot, fig, or citrus fruit (for marmalades). For jelly, you could use apples, quince, blackberries, pomegranate, raspberry, currants, grapes, or peppers. We used our Zojirushi bread machine, but most other bread machines also have the ability to make jam. You can get the pectin on Amazon, but we got ours at Whole Foods.

Here’s our recipe:

Low Sugar Plum Jam – Bread Machine

  • 2 cup cubed, mashed plums (about 16 small plums)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp pectin powder
  • 2 tsp calcium water

(The calcium water is some regular tap water with calcium powder that comes with the Pomona’s pectin. You make that beforehand.)

  1. Cut up plums in 1/8ths and microwave for a few minutes to soften. Mash plums briefly.
  2. Add lemon juice and calcium water to plums.
  3. Add pectin to sugar.
  4. Put all ingredients in bread machine, set on Jam Setting, and press start.
Plums and Ingredients in the Bread Machine

Plums and Ingredients in the Bread Machine

Program up the Bread Machine

Program up the Bread Machine

It's Jam!

It's Jam!

Spread that Jam on some Gluten Free Bread

Spread that Jam on some Gluten Free Bread

  • Resulting Batch – 2 1/2 c
  • Prep Time – 20 min
  • Cooking Time – 1 1/4 hrs
  • Total Time – 1 hr 35 min
  • Difficulty – Semi Easy

Here is a helpful card with recipes and instructions that you can download from Pomona’s website (it’s a PDF).

How is the jam, you ask? The jam is AMAZING! Also, Sienna went through the trouble to put the jam in canning jars. She had a lot of fun.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Bread, Bread Machines, Cooking, Health, Information, Recipe

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Dr. Samantha Brody is a licensed Naturopathic Physician and acupuncturist and the owner and founder of Evergreen Natural Health Center in Portland, Oregon. She is both a health educator and coach who can help introduce patients to new ways of caring for themselves. Read More…

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