<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

First I want to thank everyone who has replied so quickly and confirmed my
gut instinct that this didn't feel right, and wouldn't feel right if my
brother ate it.  (I had this in the "sounds too good to be true" category
from the word go.)

The best thing about this list is everyone's experience!  I want to thank
folks for the following comments and suggestions!

Several people pointed out that a lot of "good" things can be cooked out of
food, but gluten isn't something that can be cooked out.  "Humans sometime
cook things to death and that means the enzymes are dead.  The gluten is
still what it is -- a no no to us."

*****
The only thing that microwave cooking 'Kicks' out of any/all food(s) are the
natural enzymes, co-enzymes and other naturally occurring substances that
may have been present - which aid everyone in digesting the proteins &
nutrients  which food is comprised of, celiac & non- celiac alike.

Gluten is not a bacteria or microorganism that can be killed in cooking at
any temp.

*****

Since I didn't even know what roux was going into this situation, I was very
grateful for the reply that said:

Aileen Bennett, the author of Cajun and Gluten-Free Delights, has this to
say about roux: "A brown sauce comprised of equal parts of flour and oil, or
other shortening. The roux is cooked in a skillet over medium heat until it
is a coppery brown color. Roux is the base for many dishes in Cajun cuisine
(like gumbo, jambalaya, etoufee, etc.). I use brown rice flour to which
cornstarch (potato starch is an alternative) is added if a thicker roux is
needed."

*****

Suggestions for a safe roux included:

*****

Browning wheat flour will reduce the stickiness of the gluten so that a nice
smooth brown gravy can be made, but it will not
eliminate it.  The gluten is still there & it will still make a celiac sick
as a dog!  Alternate flours can be used to make a roux.  Sweet rice flour &
corn starch may work.

*****

Find a gf flour and, since your brother is also casein sensitive, make sure
the flour is browned in gf oil not butter.

*****

Roux made with gluten flour is laden with gluten.   Now, one can make a very
decent roux with sweet rice flour, so, using that and, say a soy milk or
stock rather than cow's milk in the sauce, the meal can be great as well as
GF/CF.

*****
Anything with a roux is a problem, unless they use a rice-flour based roux.
There's a cool cook book that I've gotten on cajun gluten-free cooking...
Cajun and Southern Gluten-Free Delights by Aileen M. Bennett
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0966535316/)

*****

Wheat flour used under any circumstances is not safe, however, a roux can
easily be made using cornstarch or arrowroot and no one will tell the
difference.

*****

Good thing to ask about.  No, the roux is not safe!  I have made a
successful roux for cajun food using teff flour though, and one could
probably do it with  jowar flour too - the regular wheat flour one is out,
however.  It's possible one could do it with sweet rice (mochiko) flour as
well, but I've never tried it. Teff is my preference.

His friends probably won't have teff or jowar flour available, but perhaps
they'd be willing to segregate a small saucepan's worth of the gumbo and
leave out the roux.  The taste will be different however, as will the
texture (and of course, it's more effort on the cook's part).

*****

I have been told more than once that roux has gluten and I should not eat
it.  In Against the Grain the author says "to be avoided like the plague."

*****

Absolutely rediculous!  You can't remove gluten from flour.  They would need
to use a non-wheat, non-rye, non-barley based flour in order for him to eat
it.  He would need to know if there was gluten in the sausage, but the rest
of the stuff is fine, i.e., holy trinity (onions, peppers, celery) and
seafood (crawfish, shrimp, scallops).

*****

However, potato flour makes a nice roux too, and is easier to use, I think,
than wheat flour.

*****

And of course, 50% of people mentioned that they kind of wished it were true
you could just COOK the gluten out of the way... wishing however, doesn't
make it true, so concesus was, as expected, stay away.

THANK YOU so much to the people who suggested alternatives.  We'll run these
by my brother's friends and see if they would be willing to try something
new! :)


kathleen

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