<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> ............................................................. : : : Excerpts from the Greater Philadelphia CS Support Group : : ------------------------------------------------------- : : newsletter: Mar. 2000 Phyllis J. Brogden, chairperson : : newsletter: Oct. 2000 6318 Farmar Lane : : Flourtown, PA 19031 : :...........................................................: A Fabulous Way to Make Breading, by Abby Schwartz ------------------------------- I have a three-year-old daughter with Celiac and discovered a fabulous way to make gluten-free (GF) breaded chicken and fish. I previously tried to use leftover GF bread to make crumbs for coating chicken and veal, but found they came out soggy and too sweet. I made a great discovery one day--use cracker crumbs instead. I tend to buy mail-order GF foods in bulk and had bought 10 boxes of Ener-G Foods wheat-free (GF) crackers when my usual brand, Glutano was on back-order. Neither my daughter nor I liked these as much as we liked the crackers by Glutano, and I thought I would have to throw them out. Instead, I used a food processor to grind up a few boxes of crackers and I seasoned the crumbs with McCormick's onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and basil; and salt and pepper. I bought some boneless, skinless chicken tenders and tossed them in a plastic bag with some rice flour, salt and pepper until coated. I then dipped each in egg, then the seasoned cracker crumbs. (Note: Coating with flour before the egg makes it extra crispy--a secret I learned from watching Emeril Lagasse.) I took each coated piece of chicken and cooked it with some oil in a frying pan. I was so thrilled and amazed at the flavor and crispness of these chicken tenders that I called up everyone I knew to announce that I had cracked the code to making breaded GF food! I have since tried this recipe with whole breasts of chicken (skinless and boneless) and instead of frying them, baked them in the oven (350 degrees F for about 45 minutes). Excellent! Also, I tried sautéing fish with the crumbs and it came out equally well. I now keep a plastic container full of seasoned cracker crumbs in my kitchen and plan to try veal parmesan as my next experiment. -=-=- -=-=- Easy, Delicious Turkey Gravy, by Abby Schwartz ---------------------------- Pour turkey drippings into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, seasoning with salt and pepper, onion powder, and a bit of ground sage and thyme. Add canned gluten-free (GF) chicken broth. To thicken, make a paste of cold water and white rice flour. Slowly add this paste to boiling gravy and stir frequently. The gravy will slowly thicken. Adjust the seasoning to taste. (Note: To reduce clumping of flour, make sure you use cold water for the "paste" and that the gravy is boiling when you add the paste.) -=-=- -=-=- Review of 3 Mixes from "The Really Great Food Company" ------------------------------------------------------ by Teresa Masterson Phyllis asked me to try three mixes from "The Really Great Food Company" and report on the results. The mixes were the Pie Crust Mix, Buttermiik Biscuit Mix, and Cinnamon Bread Mix. The directions were easy to follow and required very little additional ingredients. I am very pleased to report these products turned out wonderfully. They tasted delicious and there wasn't any grainy texture like other gluten-free (GF) products made from rice based recipes. In fact, the very next day after making the last of these mixes, I placed an order for all of these plus the English muffin mix, white cake mix, Grandma's pound cake mix, anise biscotti mix, and pretzels. The individual review of each of the three mixes follows. Pie Crust Mix I followed the instructions exactly as directed on the package. I had enough dough from one mix for three 9" crusts. I made an apple pie and a cherry pie. On the apple pie I made a crumb mixture for the top and on the cherry pie I put the other crust on top. We had a good friend of ours over and I thought it would be a good chance to have another opinion. As I served him a slice of each of the pies he warned me that he never eats the crust on pie, in fact he gives them to his dogs. I said to myself, well I guess he isn't a good person to try this out on since he doesn't like crust to begin with. Guess what, he turned out to be the perfect person to test out this pie crust. He not only ate the pie but every bit of the crust as well. This pie crust is flaky, delicious, with no grainy texture at all. We all thought this pie crust was a winner! Cinnamon Bread Mix I made this bread in my Zojirushi bread machine and followed the directions on the package of the mix. I added the optional 3/4 cup of raisins as the recipe stated. (Next time I will add more raisins.) The cycle was "Homemade" (preheat--10 min., knead--18 min., Rise 1 & 2--Off; Rise 3--55 min; Bake--55 min). The smell in the house as this bread was baking made all of us hungry. We couldn't wait until it was finished so we could have a taste. This loaf of bread rose really high, was light and airy, and there was no aftertaste or grainy texture. What little was left Greg sliced and put in individual freezer bags to be frozen for later. No more baking cinnamon raisin bread from scratch for me--this is the way to go from now on! Buttermilk Biscuit Mix This mix was made according to the package instructions. The only added ingredients were buttermilk, shortening, and eggs. These are very simple to make. We ate them immediately after they were taken from the oven. On our road trip to Florida last year the children and I had biscuits in North Carolina with our dinner. I'll tell you what, these biscuits tasted just as good as the ones we ate there. Greg loved these as much as we did. Great taste and texture to these biscuits. Another blue ribbon winner for "The Really Great Food Company".