It is wonderful to know that once you chose to immerse yourself in the stockpot of the culinary world there is so much going on that you can find constant inspiration, engage on different levels and be sure to keep yourself interested. It is entirely true that all one needs in order to thrive and grow in the kitchen is an unwavering passion. In the kitchen at work the chef is well able to let a shout every once in a while, and when he does, I simply have to smile. That is passion.
This weekend I attended a day course on gluten free cooking in Ballymaloe. The day was led by Rosemary Kearney, a graduate of the school who was diagnosed as a coeliac at the age of one and a half. Although we had covered many of the recipes during our three weeks already, others were new or had been adapted. This was the most valuable lesson, to realise just how many recipes could be easily adapted to suit the diet of coeliacs.
In the Pizzeria, we cater for coeliacs with pizzas, pastas and of course, chocolate cake. I am surprised each week at the number of requests we have for gluten free food. It has really opened my eyes to the necessity of meeting all dietary requirements for any customer. Rosemary commented on how nice it is to be able to go to a restaurant and be able to order gluten free food without causing a fuss or feeling like an inconvenience. As a waiter, I was shocked to think that there was a time and there are still places that will consider a food intolerance as an inconvenience to their business and kitchen. Therefore I was delighted to hear that there is such an extensive range of foods available today.
I had one question to ask though and that was regarding a gluten free diet for non coeliacs. Are there really any health benefits? Amongst our coeliac customers, we also have a few who have gluten one day and gluten free the next, so I figured this to be simply a Hollywood diet. Largely it is, was my answer. However it has to be considered that some people will find that their body reacts better to the gluten free option, for example, they may feel less bloated or something along those lines. There are subtle little differences that their bodies pick up on. I’m glad I cleared that up instead of looking at the person and thinking how they really don’t need to diet and that they should stop taking tips from the magazines. Glad to see them looking after their health after all.
On a final note about the gluten free lifestyle, one thing that Rosemary tightly stressed over and over is to be careful of cross contamination. Using a spoon in your gluten free cake mix and in your regular Victoria sponge is not a good idea. Read the packets carefully, as a conveyer belt may have been used a day prior for a wafer biscuit and is today used for a gluten free bar. Vigilance is key.
My food fun didn’t stop there this weekend either. As I get to go home at the weekends, I have tried to rustle something up for y family to enjoy, and this weekend I decided to introduce to them the bread and butter pudding. It was strange searching the supermarket for the oldest bread on the shelf (older bread works better), and so I made it on Saturday night. After work I got home and just started cooking. Two loaves of bread and two bread and butter puddings. The bread was first on the agenda and so I got that done without hesitation. However I hit a bump when I realised the lack of sunflower oil in the cupboard. A quick search on the Internet and it seemed that substituting olive oil would work for the whole meal bread, and so I did. Being home also means little peace in that great family way and come 2am, the bread had 20 minutes remaining and I got a call from my sister to ask for a lift home from the pub. ‘Be there in 5 minutes’ I warned her… 40 minutes later she made her way to the car, an so my bread was understandably overcooked. I would like to blame this failure entirely on my delay, however I feel like over cooked or not, the bread just wouldn’t have been right, and for this I blame the olive oil. I have therefore added sunflower oil to the shopping list for this week. It meant that the two loaves were inedible, but I was glad to have learnt a valuable lesson as a result.
Back to the pudding however and that was a massive success. I cooked it at 5am (long story), but it meant that it was ready and only needed reheating this Sunday afternoon. As I set about making it, I had acquired a couple of intoxicated onlookers in the form of my sisters friends. As they watched and asked questions with surprising enthusiasm, I was only too happy to put on my own demonstration. I’m sure they all left with a burning desire ti cool. Everyone enjoyed the introduction to this old fashioned favourite, students and eaters, so I shall adding that to my repertoire of dinner party favourites. Food has cycles too and this is definitely back in fashion.
Dirty Whites 