March 2, 2011
Today starts the rally.
I am so thrilled to announce to you this brand new monthly collaborative blogging event, the Gluten Free Ratio Rally. Our goal? To determine the ratios of ingredients that work together to create successful, flavorful gluten free food.
Ruhlman taught the world the simplicity of ratios in his book – that if you know the ratios of ingredients, you can play with just about any recipe and then make it your own. We need that freedom in gluten free recipes as well. Nothing seems more daunting when switching to gluten free than dealing with feeling stuck by thinking about foods that can no longer be enjoyed. How often have we stood there in our kitchens, staring at our old family cookbook on the counter at a complete loss for how to go about making a dish gluten free? Or even just trying to find the right substitutions because our local grocery store doesn’t happen to sell teff flour or xanthan gum? And yet we do not have to feel limited! I owe a lot to my husband’s gluten intolerance – learning to cook without gluten has truly opened up the entire world of the kitchen to me.
December 14, 2010
Jill (jillouci) and I are so excited to host Daring Cooks for the month of December! For this month, we decided to focus on a technique that seems intimidating to many, but with a little practice it’s really not that hard at all – poaching. All poaching means is cooking something in simmering (not boiling) liquid. And what more perfect way to practice the skill of poaching than learning how to poach an egg? They can make a tasty breakfast or salad accompaniment; there are so many different ways to use poached eggs, and they are used in cuisines from a variety of cultures.
But that same morning, while the snow laid unmelted on the streets and the Alps were capped in their familiar white vestiges, I cooked for myself a different sort of breakfast. A savory one, with spinach, celeriac, sausage and eggs.
