BrookeOK

Allergy Friendly Bakery

2012-01-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

Johnson and Wales alumni Chef Casey confidently describes her baked goods as with or without gluten, nuts, or other allergens. Rare, indeed, is the bakery with gluten free product. Those of us used to asking about nut allergies and receiving the "maybe" answer, will appreciate the answers and the product at On the Rise Baking.

Grate!

2011-02-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

.

Parmigiano Reggiano Millesimato aged 24 months (~$23/pound) will change everything you eat. Every sandwich and salad. Every bite of pasta. Every panini. Soup. Eggs. Garlic Bread. Pizza. Everything. This is great cheese. Grate some soon.

E, P, S, N, Se, F

Contains Milk.

Key: M, E, P, S, N, Se, F

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

You can't make this stuff up...

2011-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

If you were thinking about eating any
Toxic Waste brand Nuclear Sludge Chew Bars from Pakistan...you probably should reconsider.

From FoodSafety.gov :

Candy Dynamics Expands Recall to all Toxic Waste® brand Nuclear Sludge® Products all flavors and all sizes
Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:53:00 -0600
Circle City Marketing and Distributing, doing business as Candy Dynamics, Indianapolis, IN, is issuing a voluntary recall of all Toxic Waste® brand Nuclear Sludge® products, all flavors, 0.3 oz (8 g) size pieces. The product is imported from Pakistan.

Products: All Toxic Waste brand Nuclear Sludge Products
Distributed: Distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail orders
Why: Contain elevated levels of lead
Illnesses reported: None
For more information: Call Eileen O’Neal at 317-228-5012 (Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm EST)

Grains of Paradise

2010-12-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

Often called "Pink Peppercorns" Grains of Paradise are not peppercorns at all.

Pizza night

2010-10-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Gazpacho

2010-08-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

When the last weeks of summer bring ripe delicious tomatoes, it is time for Gazpacho. Sharpen your knives and get out the blender; here we go!

A typical gazpacho recipe will start with tomato and cucumber. The cucumber is the balancing cool to the heated ingredients of gazpacho. The following recipe will appeal to those of you who might not care for cucumber. (Fortunately, not an allergy issue, but Brooke does not care for cukes.)

Ingredients are listed from most to least. Don't forget: It is always easier to add more than it is to remove any.

Ingredients:

Vine-ripened tomatoes (Ripened on the vine on the farm, not on the vine in a truck.) Peeled seeded and chopped.

Fresh Pears, peeled, cored and chopped.

Red Bell Pepper, peeled and chopped fine.

Orange Bell Pepper, peeled and chopped fine.

Red Onion, diced.

Jalapeno, seeded and minced.

Garlic clove, minced. (The garlic at your megamart and the garlic at your farmers market are two completely different edibles.)

EVOO

Lime juice

Balsamic vinegar

Worcester shooster shiester sauce (What's this here sauce)*

Cumin, toasted or not

Salt, Kosher or Penzey's Shallot Salt

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)**

Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (added at service)

Directions: Boil water to peel tomatoes. Cut an X on the bottom of the tomatoes and put them in boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Remove and put them in an ice bath. After cooling, peel, core and seed. Use a strainer to catch the juice when seeding. Tomato water is culinary gold.

Gazpacho should have a wonderful texture and the temperature must be just right.

After mixing all of the ingredients (except the basil) put some of the mixed ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree. Adjust until you have the texture and consistancy desired for your Gazpacho. Chill (overnight if possible) and add the freshly chiffonade basil when serving.

* Three Stooges reference. Don't feel bad if you didn't get it. You are old if you did get it.

** Penzey's is one of my favorite suppliers, but... Penzey's sells freshly ground pepper - in jars. Does freshly gound pepper come out of a jar? or a pepper grinder?

M, E, P, S, N, Se, F

Delicious and completely free of most-likely allergens.

Key: M, E, P, S, N, Se, F

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Apple wood smoked Jerusalem Artichokes (sunchokes)

2010-07-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

We haven't yet decided what we will concoct with these tasty tubers. We are going to try not to eat them all while we work on the recipe.

Best French Fries

2010-07-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Steak Frites

Kenji Alt-Lopez has a posted recipe on SeriousEats.com for French Fries that, if you make real French Fries at home, will change the way you make them. It might make you change the way you make them in a commercial kitchen as well. While Kenji has a preference for peanut oil, those of us dealing with peanut allergies might want to stick with Canola or Vegetable oils.

Properly refined peanut oil will not contain any of the proteins that would cause a reaction with a peanut allergic consumer. So...is it ok for someone with peanut allergies to eat foods fried in peanut oil? Well, technically it is, but considering the number of oils with similar and higher smoke points, why not avoid the potential allergen.

Email replies

2010-06-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

Researching allergy-friendly food sources is best done at the source, but that is not always feasible so sometimes we make a phone call or two or write emails and sometimes we rely on the product itself including our assessment of the packaging and the product itself when making recommendations.

During the decade or so that we have been managing food allergies, there have been many changes. We have a stack of older email replies from company PR and Marketing folks with a primary message of “we cannot guarantee [anything].” More recently, companies are posting food allergy information on their websites, but occasionally we still email queries to smaller companies with food allergy related questions. There are companies producing products with vague labeling such as “proprietary blend of spices” which makes the product unusable to someone with an allergy to a spice. We are not interested in the ratios of ingredients. We simply want to know all of the ingredients if we are going to use or recommend products for use by the growing number of people with food allergies.

Over the years, many of our emails have gone unanswered. Some have been answered by people who expressed genuine concern. Interestingly, we received a personalized reply to an email from Planters (a subsidiary of Kraft Foods®) that stands out as one of the most thoughtful, helpful emails in the stack. We also have rambling email responses from people who clearly should not be allowed access to company computers. When we queried one small company in Maine via email, their reply, in so many words, was, “go fly a kite.”

It is often tempting to post the exchanges with companies that reply with ignorant or downright stupid replies to food allergy questions.

We have decided for the time being to not include a not recommended list. If a company is not on the recommended list, they are not recommended.

Please tell us if you know of a food allergy friendly supplier that should be recommended. We will check them out and post accordingly.

One absolute truth is that things change. A company that does everything the right way for years might be sold to a company that doesn’t do anything the right way and the packaging looks almost the same. Always read labels.

Mmm...mmm...not good

2010-06-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Fifteen million pounds of Campbell Soup Company SpagettiOs were recalled in a Class I recall. Class I is the most serious of the three class (I, II, III) categories of recall.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_035_2010_Release/index.asp

This is serious even if you do not eat SpagettiOs.

Best test yet!

2010-06-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the tests, despite a reputation for unreliable results, are accurate.

Let's go back a few years...shortly before Brooke was tested for peanut allergies at the age of two, she ate scrambled eggs for the first time. Moments later she threw them up. We thought nothing of it at the time. Toddlers throw up from time to time. We have learned a lot in a decade. At the time, food allergies were not yet widely acknowledged as an issue for our children. We didn't know.

We know a little bit more now, but I digress!

Why do we test? We test for negative results.

Today we skin tested for the usual suspects with phenomenal results.

Peanut still produced an obvious weal, but everything else was negative!

Egg whites and Egg yolks were tested seperately. Both were negative.

Brooke can eat eggs!

Avoiding peanuts and treenuts is still mandatory, but peanuts and treenuts are not the center of the culinary universe; eggs are.

Cake, cookies, brownies, soft boiled, hard boiled, scrambled, quiche, cupcakes, custard, omelet, egg salad, mayonaise, salad dressing, fried, poached, pancakes, batter, breads...did I mention cake?

It is a new world today. Eggs are on the ingredients list.

Our allergist approved a food challenge. Brooke has eaten eggs and eggs are BrookeOK.

Time to stop mocking food allergies

2010-06-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

Link to article by Gwen Smith, editor at Allergic Living Magazine

Bravo Ms. Smith! Well said.

Lobster Bisque

2010-05-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

If you asked me, a two pound (or more) lobster should be divided into two parts; the lobster tail best served as a bisque and the rest of the lobster. The rest of the lobster should be enjoyed immediately after cooking. The tail can be refrigerated and incorporated into your bisque a day or two later. The bisque itself can be frozen and kept in the freezer for a month or so.

Fresh is better. If you think you don't like lobster bisque because the last one you had tasted metallic, the last one you tasted came out of a can. Fresh is better.

Ingredients:

2 lobster tails cooked and some chopped, some diced.

1 pint light cream

4 oz strained tomatoes

2 T butter

1 T EVOO

2 T AP flour

1 oz cognac

1 T tomato paste

1 T red bell pepper diced

1 T red onion diced

1/2 -1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce

chopped chives garnish

sprinkle paprika

Over medium heat make a rue with the butter, EVOO and flour. Stir in light cream, add tomato paste and strained tomatoes. Add lobster, onions, bell pepper and sriracha. Simmer for a few minutes. Do not boil. Salt to taste.

Add cognac and simmer for one more minute.

Serve hot, topped with chopped chives and paprika.

Contains: Milk, Wheat, Shellfish

Key: E, P, S, N, Se, F
Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Spring!

2010-05-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

Morel mushrooms are the epitome of Spring!

The culinary prize, and here are some fresh Morels.

Maitake mushrooms are often touted for their health benefits,

maybe the reason they taste so good has

something to do with whay we should eat them.

Here are some morels, sauteed with a little garlic

atop a romaine salad with cold chicken, carrots,

radishes, red onions, pea sprouts, and

Aged Parmegiano Reggiano.

contains milk

Key: E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

The view from 1017 at ME&E after a long day. Bye Bye Sun...Bye Bye Tonsils.

2010-03-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

You can't make this stuff up...

2010-02-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

Walong Marketing, Inc. Issues Nationwide Voluntary Recall of Flying Horse Black and White Sesame Chewy Candy Due to Undeclared Peanuts

Topping the recall list, every food recall list: Candies from China and ice creams from everywhere.

Despite the recall, with a name like "Flying Horse Black and White Sesame Chewy Candy" you know it has got to be good.

Cheating the sauce

2010-02-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

In a perfect world we don't need much refrigeration. The beer and wine need to be kept chilled, of course, but in a perfect world today's catch is on ice in a cooler and all of the other perishible ingredients came from the market shortly before the meal was prepared.

In the real world, fresh ingredients for a sauce or even a mirepoix might be light on occasion. I know, I know, hard to imagine, but it does happen. On those rare occasions, fortunately there is a pantry ready sauce available to save the day.

More than Gourmet of Akron Ohio offers a classic demi-glace Red Wine Sauce and a velouté White Wine Sauce. Both are ready to heat and serve or you can use them as a base and use the ingredients you do have on hand to make a red wine mushroom sauce or tarragon sauce for fish. See more recipes at www.morethangourmet.com

Both sauces contain Wheat and Milk ingredients.

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If you have read my blogs you know that I often praise of Idylwilde Farms in Acton, MA. Not this time:

Idylwilde Farms: $4.29

Whole Foods: $3.39

Brooke's sign

2010-01-19T20:41:00.001-08:00

Sea Scallops and Asparagus Arborio Rice with a velouté sauce and Panini Toast

2010-01-18T19:18:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Sea Scallops
Asparagus
Arborio rice
Potato bread
Lemon
Dill
Paprika
Shallot salt
White wine
Butter
Flour

E,P,S,N,Se,F

contains milk, wheat and shellfish

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Email for directions.

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, and texture

2010-01-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

The case for texture as the most important component of flavor.

Sweet, sour, salty and bitter are all either too little or too much in any given dish.

Umami is either there or it is not. A more subtle flavor charactoeristic than salty, I cannot imagine even the most pompous of food critics suggesting that a dish is too umami.

Of all the flavor components, by far the most complex, and also by far the most influential, is texture. Not merely a host for tastebuds, the tongue is a sensitive detector of texture.

Texture, of all the flavor components, is also the most difficult to adjust. Or, as the case may be; the easiest. We'll get back to adjusting texture.

Not salty enough; add salt. Too salty; add liquid, add pepper.

Too sweet; add sour. Too sour; add sweet.

The evidence: Exhibit A.

As the website proclaims: All natural, no sugar added, 110-120 calories, and 2 servings of fruit.

No high fructose, no nuts, no egg, no fish, no soy, no wheat, no fat...no nothing but fruit. Two servings of fruit in a convenient recyclable container. No peels. No sticky fingers. You do not need a knife or a fork.

No nitrates. No gluten. The cost is about $2 for 200mL. (6.75oz) It would be less expensive to buy and eat regular fruit which generally has more fiber and a few less calories than the fruit2day concoction. Let's keep in mind that bottled water sells for $1 for a similarly sized portion.

So far the argument for fruit2day is pretty strong isn't it? I saw the fruit2day in the refrigerated section nestled amongst the pomegranate juice and the acai berry cocktails. This is where the health concious, or perhaps the truly gullible, find their juices and elixers.

I brought some Pineapple Banana Fruit2day home to try it out. Like the rest of you, I don't get enough servings of fruit. This could be the solution. We have bought pineapples before. It is a time consuming task to make the pineapple ready to eat and they don't stay fresh for very long. Bananas are not difficult to serve but they go from unripe to ripe to mushy at the speed of light.

Two servings of fruit, no fruit flies. What is not to like?

Cold fruit juice drink in my livingroom. Shaken and cold. Pop the top and pour some back...

Reflex reaction: Oh No! Stop! Wait! Did I just throw up in my mouth? Is this bad milk? Chunks...I have chunks along with the liquid in my mouth. Errrp.

OK. OK. Wait...the taste is fine. No bile. No sour milk. Some of those chunks are fresh pineapple. OK. OK. I can down this. Phew. What a relief.

The texture, regardless of the ingredients and other flavor components induced a reflex reaction, "Spit this out!" Concern for the rug, combined with an underlying understanding that this was an experimental food saved the day...and the rug. Other than the texture, there was nothing wrong with the fruit2day.

Tomorrow I will buy some apples and some bananas. Maybe some mangos and a few cherries.

And a pineapple.

--

Adjusting texture isn't as easy as adding a little salt or pepper, but in the case of a fruit drink with disturbing chunks...think smoothie. The blender is your friend.

M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

It is not easy to find presents for the BrookeOK kitchen, but somehow, Santa manages Christmas magic once again.

Are you familiar with panini sandwiches?

You don't think Santa keeps his figure on just milk and cookies - do you?

Where to begin...well, we started with the basics...Italian bread, a BBLT and a Roast Beef sandwich. The B in the BBLT, btw, is blue cheese. Preferably a Stilton.

BBLT

Roast Beef

The BBLT encore on a ciabatta bread.

and a breakfast panini. Ham, horseradish cheddar cheese and a mashed hard-boiled egg.

Pizza Panini!

Ham, mustard and olive tapinade. Oh My.

Shaved steak, provalone, lettuce and tomato.

It looks like a big sandwich, but you might be surprized how fast it disappears.

Santa brought all kinds of wonderful presents this year. We must have been really good.

Always read labels.

Doh je

2009-11-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

Thank you Anon.

This is not an allergy or celiac friendly restaurant.

This is an Asian Market and they have all sorts of asian ingredients.

Fresh Quail Eggs. Cooked and Seasoned Duck Eggs. An entire aisle dedicated to every sort of noodle. Teas and traditional Chinese Medicines. Tofu in every flavor and style. Octopus and even whole head-on duck...

What sort of ingredients might make a unique addition to a dessert? Hmmmmm.

These almost didn't make it home.

How do you make your soup "pop?" Sizzling rice of course.

Just about everything is better with fried shallots.

Citrous and Honey. Add hot water and sooth your sore throat.

Fresh miso soup requires bonito for your Dashi.

Green tea flavored pumpkin seeds. Really. And five or six other flavors and colors of pumpkin and melon seeds.

On the westbound side of Route 9 in Westboro right after Rt 135 and next to the Regal Theaters.

The Asian Market website is at www.bostonaml.com

Occasionally food labels on food products from China are translated by the manufacturer incorrectly and ingredients are mislabeled. OK, more than occasionally.

Always read labels and if in doubt, do without.

Shanghai Style Wontons

2009-11-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

The mega-marts around here are Hannafords, Stop & Shop, Shaws, Sudbury Farms, Whole Foods and Price Chopper. (As I write this, it occurs to me that an entry about the differences between the local vendors might be interesting. The customers definitely vary from store to store. What do you think?)

All of these grocers carry wonton wrappers. All of these grocers carry the same wrappers and they contain eggs.

I used to get our egg-free Twinmarquis wrappers in Acton from Barbara Chen at the Oriental Pantry. Barbara has, good for her-bad for me, retired. Twinmarquis remains in business and available at many asian markets including a new one that just opened on Rt 27 near Main street and the train station in Acton. This is an asian market with authentic ingredients including live tilapia and fresh chicken feet. (more to come on this market, stay tuned)

If you clicked on the link for Twinmarquis you already know the navigation is shall we say unusual. In any event, the product is good, consistent and, unfortunately, not available at your local mega-mart. If you are a food lover with food allergies, you know your local specialty markets already though, don't you...yes, yes you do.

This recipe differs from many that you may have found looking for dumpling or wonton recipes. Odd, I think, that so many recipes fill the dumplings with raw filling and cook everything at the same time. Cook the filling before you assemble the dumpling and then when it is time to serve, all you have to cook is the wrapping. The wontons pictured above were perfectly crispy, golden brown and delicious. They were in the hot oil (350 or so) for less than 2 minutes. Raw filling would still be raw.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork

1 cup shredded cabbage

1/4 cup shredded carrot

2 scallions, sliced

1 T scallions, fried

1 T garlic, fried

1 T ponzu sauce

2 T chicken stock

1 tsp cornstarch, slurried

Sriracha to taste. If you a new to Sriracha, proceed with caution.

Shallot salt to taste

How to make the wonton filling:

1. Cook a pound or so of ground pork.

2. Mix in the rest of ingredients about halfway through cooking.

Should we do a video on how to fold the wrapper?

Please email to let us know: Chef@Brookeok.com

M, E, P, N, Se, Sh

Contains Wheat and Soy

Ponzu sauce contains bonito-fish extract

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

How much?

2009-11-09T20:58:00.001-08:00

Puffed Banana.

This product is organic, certified no less. The company is rainforest friendly, etc, etc. No genetically engineered ingredients, etc, etc.

This product is banana. "Puffed" That means the manufacturers use processes that get the moisture out of the banana.

How much is a pound of bananas? Really. How much? Look it up. Check at your market. How much is a pound of bananas? Is it close to 49 cents per pound?

How much are "puffed" bananas? 2 x.75 oz for $4.78 (which appears to be standard pricing whether cinnamon is added or not.) That is $5.98 per two one ounce- one shotglass of banana.

One banana two banana three banana four...where is Hanna Barbera when you need a rhyme or more?

M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Potsticker Soup

2009-11-08T08:35:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

8oz or so Beef Broth
3 Potstickers (When not making our own, we like these potstickers. Available at Asian markets)
an inch or so of Parsnip, pealed, sliced thin and fried
1 1/4inch slice of Maple Glazed Ham, cooked and cubed
1 scallion, sliced
2-3 tsp Soy Sauce
1 dash of Sriracha Chili Sauce (2 if you like more heat)

Directions:

Put everything except half of the scallion in a 2qt saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for several minutes until potstickers are tender. Add uncooked scallions and serve. (Pictured garnished with dill, because someone really likes dill.

M, E, P, N, Se, F, Sh

Contains Wheat and Soy Follow this link to read potsticker ingredients.

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Deconstructed Chicken Cordon Bleu

2009-11-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

Cooking for people with food allergies cannot be just a matter of substitutions and second choices. People with a limited list of ingredients should be able to eat creative cuisine, indulging in an experimental menu at least occasionally without risk of allergen exposure. We do alot of culinary experimenting around here. Some work out better than others. This one was delicious.

Ingredients:

Fried Chicken

1 lb chicken tenderloins
flour to coat
kosher salt

Ham, sliced thin(2 slices per serving)

Mashed Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 lb Baby Yukon Potatoes
2 T butter
4 oz half&half
kosher salt

Parsnip Crisps

1 Parsnip, sliced thin
kosher salt

Mornay Sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups warmed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1 ounce grated Gruyère cheese
1 ounce grated Sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Parsnip Crisps can be made ahead. Slice some pealed parsnips with a mandolin and fry them until they brown in 350 degree Canola oil. Cool on a rack and season with a little salt.

Chicken tenders aren't so tender unless you seperate the meat from the tendon. Coat the chicken with flour and drop it, carefully, into 350 degree or so Canola oil. Remember, a splash can ruin your evening. Four or five minutes usually gets the internal temperature of the tenders to 170 degrees and onto a rack to cool.

Boars Head Maple Glazed Ham is widely available and sold fully cooked. A most versatile protein, this ham can be heated up alone for a main course or, as with this dish, as a flavorful protein component and it is gluten-free.

Boil until a knife point penetrates easily, drain water, add rest of ingredients and mash. You know how to make mashed potatoes, right? Often, people prefer their potatoes straight up. They are missing out on all sorts of flavor and texture with bacon, sour cream, shallots, chives, Meyer lemons, wasabi, yuzu, oh yes and butter. Mmmmm. Butter.

Mornay Sauce is a Bechamel avec fromage...with cheese.

Combine butter and flour with a little salt (and if you are using pepper, white pepper) to make a roux. Stir in warmed milk and/or cream slowly. A little freshly grated nutmeg (optional) adds wonderful flavor. Nutmeg adds Umami. Add grated cheese. Parmisan, Gruyere, Cheddar...up to you. Soft cheeses are not easily grated, but that should not exclude them from the sauce.

Stack fried chicken tenders on top of maple honey ham and sauce with Mornay. Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Parsnip Crisps on the side and garnish with dill because someone really likes dill.

E, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Contains Milk, Wheat

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

Some experiments go better than others...

2009-10-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

On the left side of the page we have a simple fried chicken. Often coated with an egg wash or milk and coated with flour before being fried in oil or shortening, this recipe is most often not dairy free, egg free or wheat free.

The darker chicken on the right was an experiment. As any chef will tell you, sometimes the experiments work and sometimes they do not. This one worked...oh yes , did it work.

This particular experiment exceeded all expectations. This simple egg-free battered fried chicken recipe was absolutely delicious. Spectacular! And it was easy.

Lessons learned: Next time I will break the chicken up into smaller pieces. Smaller pieces fry faster and you don't get different temperature readings at different parts of the food.

It doesn't get any easier than this: make pancake mix according to directions on package. Coat chicken in batter. Fry at 325 degrees in Canola or similar for 3-5 minutes or until upwards of 170 degrees internal chicken temperature.

Nature's Path Organic Buttermilk Pancake Mix: Organic whole wheat flour, organic buttermilk powder, organic vital wheat gluten, granulated cane juice sugar, non-GMO baking soda, non-GMO baking powder, sea salt, tocopherols (natural vitamin E) added to enhance freshness. Made in a facility that uses wheat, soy and milk.

Tomorrow I am going to mix a batch of pancake mix, coat some chicken and perfect this recipe.

Cayenne might do the trick.

Torani Syrup

2009-10-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

Torani Syrup caught our attention on an episode of Unwrapped on the Food Network. The segment showed people in lab coats and what looked like all sorts of elaborate research going into the development of perfect flavor combinations. The roasted marshmellow syrup is painstakingly designed and expertly engineered to taste exactly like roasted marshmellows.

We make our own ice cream, which is exactly why this segment of Unwrapped was of interest. Might we incorporate these flavors into our allergen-free ice creams? The list of Torani flavors is impressive indeed:

Almond Roca
Amaretto
Anisette
Apple
Apricot
Banana
Black Currant
Blackberry
Blueberry
Boysenberry
Brown Sugar Cinnamon
Butter Pecan
Butter Rum
Butterscotch
Creme de Cacao
Cane Sugar Sweetener
Caramel CLASSIC(The Original)
Caramel (New improved version!)
Chai Tea Spice
Cheesecake
Cherry
Cherry Lime
Chocolate Bianco(White Chocolate)
Chocolate Macadamia Nut
Chocolate Milano
Chocolate Mint
Cinnamon
Coconut
Coffee
Egg Nog
English Toffee
French Vanilla
Gingerbread
Ginger Spice
Grape
Guava
Hazelnut CLASSIC(The Original)
Hazelnut(New improved version!)
Hibiscus
Huckleberry
Irish Cream
Kiwi
Lemon
Lime
Mango
Maple
Melon
Mint (Creme de Menthe)
Blood Orange
Orange (Mandarin)
Orange (Dairy Friendly)
Orgeat (Almond)
Passion Fruit
Peach
White Peach Honeysuckle
Peanut Butter
Peppermint
Pineapple
Pink Grapefruit
Pomegranate
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Spice
Blue Raspberry
Raspberry
Red Raspberry (Dairy Friendly)
Root Beer
Ruby Red Grapefruit
Shortbread
Strawberry
Tiramisu
Toasted Marshmallow
Honey Vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla Bean
Watermelon

A little experimentation in the ice cream lab might be in order...but first, let's make sure this product is allergen safe. There is a peanut flavor. We will have to look at the risks of cross-contamination.

What does it say on the Torani website?

From the website:

Peanut Butter syrup recreates the classic flavor of peanut butter in a drinkable form.

Serving Size 1 oz (30ml or 2 Tbsp.)
Amount per serving:
Calories 80
Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0 g
0%
Sodium 0 mg
0%
Total Carbohydrate 20 g
7%
Sugar 19 g
Protein 0 g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

No ingredients listed. We don't know if the peanut butter syrup contains peanuts from the information on the Torani website. The FAQ on the Torani website answers the usual allergens? question with the following:

To the best of our knowledge, no allergenic substances* are used in the manufacturer of our syrup base (regular or sugar-free). However, the individual natural flavorings which are added to this base may have been derived from or contain derivatives of allergenic substances. Whenever possible, we have asked our suppliers to remove unnecessary allergens but we are still left with nut flavors which have been extracted from tree nuts and contain an oil derived from peanuts, and a few flavors which have a creamy note that has been derived from a dairy source. It is a difficult balance to flavor with natural products but limit the natural compounds that may be included in the finished product. * We ask our suppliers to inform us if their products contain any of the ‘Big 8’ allergens: Peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, fish, shellfish, soy, eggs or wheat. These allergens were chosen because they are responsible for over 90% of all food allergies.

We still do not know if the Torani Peanut Butter Syrup contains peanuts, but we will contact Torani and let you know what we find out.

---

Torani products are available on Amazon and ingredients are listed for each product although not all products are listed.

The ingredients for each product are more or less the same:

Ingredients: Pure Cane Sugar, Water. Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (to Preserve Freshness), Caramel Color.

The colors change. Flavors...not so much. This product appears to be sugar and water and color with some preservatives and enough flavor extract to make some green sugar and water taste a little bit different from the red sugar and water .

We will be checking food allergy safety issues with Torani. Stay tuned.

Egg Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free Chicken Tenders

2009-10-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

(pictured as served with mashed potatoes and mushroom demi-glace.)

Baked Chicken Tenders (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients
· 1 lb chicken tenders, tendons removed.
· ¼ cup white wine
· 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
· "breadcrumbs" (Gillian’s Foods Gluten Free)
· Italian herb mix (Penzey’s) to taste
· Shallot Salt(Penzey’s) to taste

Directions:

Mix white wine and mustard in a bowl. Add chicken and coat thoroughly.

In another bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Italian herbs and shallot salt.

Coat cookie sheet or baking dish with oil. Dredge chicken in seasoned breadcrumbs and add to baking dish. Cook in a 475 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 170 degrees.

Serve with honey mustard dipping sauce.

M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

This dish was crispy and delicious. No eggs, no gluten, no dairy...no common allergens at all. Make sure to cook the chicken to safe temperature but not higher.

Makes you wonder...

2009-09-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

It is not a surprise when when of these warnings is about undeclared nuts in a particular lot of ice cream. It isn't unusual to have nuts in some flavors of ice cream, is it? Same goes for a lot of baked goods and not just with peanuts or tree nuts. Milk and egg, common ingredients in baked goods, sometimes are not listed on the label whether or not they are supposed to be in the recipe for the product. We expect to find milk and eggs in a bakery, right?

Does anybody make pork sausage with fish?

**THE FOOD ALLERGY & ANAPHYLAXIS NETWORK SPECIAL FOOD ALLERGY ALERT
NOTICE**

FISH ALLERGY ALERT
September 28, 2009

Pampanga Food Corporation is recalling “Pampanga Skinless Sausage Cooked
Cured Pork Longanisa” due to undeclared fish.

The product was distributed to retail stores nationwide.

The 10-oz. frozen packages bear codes “03043” to “03790” and number “EST.
405” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Consumers with questions may call (714) 773-0537.

__________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe from receiving the Special Allergy Alert Notices, send an e-
mail to listserv@foodallergylist.org with "Signoff Alerts" typed in the
body of the message. If you are unable to unsubscribe, send an e-mail to
webmaster@foodallergymail.org.

Click here to get on the emailing list for these alerts from FoodAllergy.org

If you uncheck the "Please contact me..." box, they will not contact you with information other than the allergen alerts.

Simple Guacamole

2009-09-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
2 T sour cream
1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup) (optional)
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice (lime is better)
1/2 teaspoon shallot salt (Penzey's)

Directions

1 Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.

2 Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, lime or lemon, shallot salt and mash some more.

3 Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

4 Top your tacos or dip your chips.

E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Contains Milk

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

2009-09-19T20:22:00.001-07:00

2 more boxes than other leading juice box 8-packs.

A ten pack of Minute Maid juice contains 2 more boxes than an 8 pack. True. Deceptive packaging, but true.

Allergen free as far as we know.

Batting .500 is good only in baseball and lotteries.

2009-09-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology "a nationwide survey found that more than half (54.6%) of all U.S. citizens test positive to one or more allergens." (AAAAI) Another way to express the results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey would be to say that of all of the participants tested (not all U.S. citizens were tested, were they? I wasn't tested. Were you?) for more than half, the test results came back positive for at least one of the ten allergens in the test. We can draw one or more conclusions from these test results. One conclusion might be that if we tested 300 million or so U.S. citizens, 150 million or so would test positive for one or more allergens. Another conclusion might be that current testing methods are inconclusive. In fact, the latter is true. False positives occur 50 percent of the time with a higher false positive rate for some allergens. For example, a subject who is allergic to peanuts will test positive for allergy to soybeans 40 percent of the time whether allergic to soy or not. People with allergies to certain pollens will test positive for allergies to bananas and other foods that share similarities with pollen proteins.

RAST tests, with more quantifiable results than skin tests are an indicator of the probability of a reaction to an allergen. That is all RAST tests results indicate. They do not indicate severity or type of reaction, only probability. A high probability of a reaction could be a high probability of any reaction. Reactions include a wide range of severities including minor rashes, hives, nausea, shortness of breath and death. There are currently no tests where results indicate severity of a reaction. We do know, however, that the fatalities from allergy related anaphylaxis are most commonly associated with peanuts and tree nuts.

Our medical advice is that you get your medical advice from reputable medical professionals and that you ask them about the accuracy of allergy testing and how it might apply to your situation.

Thursday night was pizza night and pizza does not have to contain tomato sauce.

This cheeseburger pizza didn't last long enough to get a picture of the pizza intact.

Friday's gluten-free crab cakes rested comfortably in the freezer for a week and then baked at 375 for 45 minutes or so until GB&D. Served on a shrimp bisque with jasmine rice, steamed broccoli, toast points and cole slaw.

So far, the crab cakes are batting 1000.

Gluten-Free Crab & Shrimp Cakes with Red Potatoes and Green Beans

2009-09-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

For gluten-free crab cakes, first replace crackers with gluten-free "bread crumbs." We used "bread crumbs" made from White rice flour, water, yeast, salt and raw cane sugar.

We made half of our crab cakes gluten-free and the other half with crackers so we could compare the results.

The patties formed easily with both batches. We wondered if the rice-based bread crumbs would hold the cakes together as well as the cracker crumbs. When cooking, the crack crumb cakes held together slightly better, but the difference was not significant.

The crab cakes had the same flavor, but the cake textures were very different. We were surprised by a unanimous preference for the gluten-free crab cakes. We were not surprised by the wonderful flavor and fluffy texture of the D'Amico Farms roasted red potatoes or by the fresh, crisp steamed green beans.

It is nearly impossible to find seafood sauces in the grocery store that do not contain high fructose corn syrup, but even if you do find one, the ingredients include items we do not want or list items like "spices" and if labels are not specific about ingredients, we do not buy them.

Our seafood sauce is made with vinegar, crushed tomatoes, freshly grated horseradish, sugar, salt, onion and cayenne pepper.

Crab & Shrimp Cakes with Red Potatoes and Green Beans

Ingredients
· 1 pound crab claw meat
· ½ pound shrimp, cooked and chopped
· ½ cup crackers, crushed or ½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs*
· 2-3 scallions, chopped fine
· ½ cup diced bell pepper (red or yellow)
· ¼ cup mayonnaise or Veganaise®
· ½ tsp kosher salt
· 1 tsp shallot salt
· 2 teaspoons garlic powder (optional)
· 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
· Tapioca flour, for dredging (gluten-free)
· Canola oil, for frying

Directions
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except oil and tapioca flour and form into patties (about 12). Dust with tapioca flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet and fry in batches about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and delicious. Serve with roasted red potatoes and steamed green beans.

E, P, N, Se, F

Contains Shellfish
Crackers contain Wheat and Soy
Veganaise® contains Soy

*Use gluten-free bread crumbs for a wheat-free version

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Gluten-free Fried Chicken

2009-09-07T18:42:00.001-07:00

Fried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients
· 1 broiler chicken, cut into 8 pieces
· 2 cups low fat buttermilk
· 2 tablespoons kosher salt
· 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
· 2 teaspoons garlic powder (optional)
· 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
· Tapioca Flour, for dredging (gluten-free)
· Vegetable shortening, for frying

Directions
Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Melt just enough shortening (over low heat) to come just 1/8-inch up the side of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan. Once shortening liquefies raise heat to 325 degrees F. Do not allow oil to go over 325 degrees F.
Drain chicken in a colander. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
Place chicken skin side down into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 175 degrees. (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes.)
Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. (adapted from Alton Brown's recipe)

E, W*, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Contains Milk

The tapioca flour tends to coat the chicken more densely than wheat flour and needs to be shaken more vigorously to remove excess. This gluten-free recipe is the same as the non-gluten-free recipe except for the tapioca flour. No other changes to ingredients or process.

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

* 2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 1 tablespoons kosher salt or 2 teaspoons shallot salt (Penzey's)
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Place rinsed potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork.

Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Return to hot pot and mash while adding the salt or garlic salt, half& half and butter. Cover until ready to serve.

E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Contains Milk

Cole Slaw

If you are cooking for three to six people or so, I cannot think of a single reason to buy a whole cabbage for this. Every supermarket has prepared cole slaw in the produce section. Our preferred market offers a bag of shredded carrots and green and red cabbage for around two dollars. We add our favorite egg-free dressing and mix until everything is lightly coated.

Tonight's dressing was most-to-least; EVOO, Champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and shallot salt(yes, we love this salt)whisked until emulsified. Taste often and balance ingredients to get the right taste and consistency.

M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Key: M, E, W, P, S, N, Se, F, Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Fresh Friday Night Fish

2009-09-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden - grilling outside requires lighting. Better than an umbrella I suppose, but I didn't get enough summer this year, did you?

Grilled swordfish with grilled asparagus, hollandaise sauce, and roasted D'Amico Farms red potatoes.

Marinate swordfish in olive or canola oil, cider vinegar and onion powder.

Coat the asparagus in olive oil and shallot salt.

Coat the potatoes in olive oil and shallot salt. Get these into a 450° F oven before you start the grill. The potatoes need a good long roast. An hour or even a little more makes for a crispy skin and a tasty, fluffy potato. Everyone agreed that these potatoes were particularly flavorful. We credit D'Amico Farms with growing the best local potatoes.

The fish and the asparagus only need ten or fifteen minutes on a hot grill.

Hollandaise. Nothing quite like a hollandaise to top your asparagus...or is there?

This is how Alton Brown makes Hollandaise:

Ingredients

* 3 egg yolks
* 1 teapsoon water
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Pour 1-inch of water into a large saucepan; over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low.

Place egg yolks and 1 teaspoon water in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until mixture lightens in color, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar and whisk for another 30 seconds.

Place the mixture over the simmering water and whisk constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, or until there is a clear line that is drawn in the mixture when you pull your whisk through, or the mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the bowl from over the pan and gradually add the butter, 1 piece at a time, and whisk until all of the butter is incorporated. Place the bowl back over the simmering water occasionally so that it will be warm enough the melt the butter. Add the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Serve immediately or hold in a thermos to keep warm.

OR

Knorr...no eggs so it is not really Hollandaise, but if you want no eggs...it is Hollandaise with no eggs.

E,P,N,Se,Sh

Contains dairy.

Contains wheat.

Contains soy.

Contains fish.

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Two Pizzas are Better than One.

2009-08-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

Whether you are using a gluten-free dough, or a dairy-free "cheese" pizza is a versatile dish. The oven is hot. You can cook two pizzas in about the same time as one pizza and people like different toppings on their pizzas. If you have been reading along, you know that sometimes I will cook a pizza with different toppings on different parts of the pizza based on individual preferences. That won't work if one of the toppings is an allergen.

Preheat oven to 450 or higher.

Pizza #1

Start with a thin dough on parchment paper lining a half sheet pan. Sprinkle dough with Penzey's Italian Herb Mix (Turkish oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, and cracked rosemary) and cover with a thin layer of tomato or marinara sauce. Mozzarella next and then some grated Irish Dubliner cheese.

Toppings for this pizza are browned ground pork with garlic, shallots and mushrooms sautéed in EVOO and seasoned with shallot salt.

Pizza #2

Start with a thin dough on parchment paper lining a half sheet pan. Sprinkle dough with Penzey's Italian Herb Mix (Turkish oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, and cracked rosemary) and cover with a thin layer of tomato or marinara sauce. Mozzarella next and then some grated Irish Dubliner cheese.

Toppings for this pizza are more mozzarella and more grated Irish Dubliner cheese.

Ten minutes or so in the hot oven and they are both done. Let them rest for a minute or so before cutting and it is dinner time.

E,P,S*,N,Se,F,Sh

Cheese contains dairy.

Dough contains wheat.

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

* the linked dairy-free cheese contains soy. The pizzas cooked did not contain soy.

Always Read Labels. Really. Always.

2009-08-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

A quick seafood lunch; this is a Legal Seafoods® Lobster Bisque from the grocery store served with Trader Joe's® Steamer Clams and Pita Bread. The Lobster Bisque had a metallic taste. STP is sodium tripolyphosphate and STP is often blamed for the metallic taste in seafoods. I do not see STP listed with the ingredients, but I do recognize the metallic taste sometimes present with seafood dishes that include cream. The metallic taste did not stop me from sopping up the bisque on the bottom of the bowl with my bread, but still...I would rather be raving about the flavor of the lobster. Come to think of it the metallic taste might BE the lobster. Lobster is best eaten very recently dispatched. Reheated lobster is just not the same. Reheated lobster does not taste quite right. Is the lobster gaining a metallic flavor as it ages?

This subject warrants further investigation. Are lobsters eating discarded thermometers? Discarded sardine cans at the bottom of the ocean?

Do you know what I mean about the metallic taste?

What do you think? email: chef@brookeok.com

The Steamer Clams in Garlic and Butter Sauce were a hit.

Trader Joe's has new foods all the time and they are all worth a try. Some don't make the cut, but some are remarkable. The Steamer Clams I will buy again. They are not a fresh seafood product. Frozen is frozen, right? But in about ten minutes, you have steamer clams in a butter and garlic sauce. Like the French Onion Soup, I might make a better French Onion Soup than the frozen version at Trader Joe's, but mine takes all day. Trader Joe's takes less than an hour, is delicious, and we don't have all day, do we?

Always read labels. Brooke noticed an area on this box where the manufacturer recommends trying the peanut butter version of these cookie-cakes. Sure enough, re-reading the label revealed that this product was made on equipment that also made products containing peanuts, tree nuts, etc. Good catch Brooke! If a product has a peanut or peanut butter version, be cautious and look for shared equipment warnings on the label. "In a facility" is not the same as "shared equipment." For most peanut allergic people, it does not matter if a grocer sells jarred peanuts next to everything else, but if your ice cream machine just made a batch with nuts, and the next batch is vanilla that is shared equipment with nuts.

Trader Joe's Steamer Clams with Legal Seafoods Lobster Bisque.

This seafood lunch exemplifies the allergen expectations for a heat and eat meal.

Legal Seafoods heat and eat Lobster Bisque contains all kinds of seafood and milk and wheat.

Trader Joe's Steamer Clams contain shellfish and milk.

E, P, N

Contains: Milk , Wheat, Soy, Sesame, Fish, Shellfish.

Also contains SPICES and/or FLAVORINGS.

People with specific allergies to specific allergens require specific labeling.

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Steaming is good.

2009-08-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

Steaming is fast too.

Fast can be a good thing, but while we are on the subject, let's start with the warning: Steam burns. Steam burns fast. People who would never think of sticking an arm into boiling water will hold their arm over a steaming pot. These people have not spent enough time in the kitchen.

Go into a professional kitchen and ask the cooks to show you their burns. They will have burns. It goes with the job. Next ask them to show you their burns from steam. Unless you happen to catch a rookie in the kitchen, there will be no burns from steam. Last question for our illustrative cooking staff: Would you rather have your hand in boiling water for 10 seconds or in steam for 5 seconds?

Nutrition: As long as you keep your appendages out of the steam, the nutritional value of cooking with steam is significant. Boiled vegetables, for example, lose their nutritional, vitamin, anti-oxidant, etc., value by around 70% while steam veggies only lose around 12%.

Heat: It is August isn't it. It is hot and it is humid and thunderstorms have already put out my coals more than once. I do not want to heat up the oven and I do not want to microwave my dinner. I definitely do not want to microwave my dinner with the air conditioner running; as the circuit breakers start to hum and pop.

Recipe: Simple simple simple.

1 lb Chicken tenders
1/2 bell pepper (pick your favorite color), chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
6 mushrooms (crimini, morel or shitake, it's your budget) sliced.
1 mandarin orange, wedged
1 cup chicken stock
1 T cornstarch or 1 tsp Arrowroot mixed with 2 T water or chicken stock
1 T Ginger juice or 1 tsp fresh minced ginger

Directions:

Pull apart the chicken tenders. Using vinyl gloves pull the meat from the tendon. The tendon is not edible. A couple of inches of water in the bottom of an All-Clad Steamer will only take a few minutes to boil. Five or ten minutes of steam should bring the chicken to a safe 165 degrees. Add the carrots, peppers, mushrooms and steam for another five minutes or so. Conveniently, Trader Joe's frozen Jasmine Rice takes about four minutes to cook in the microwave. The Jasmine Rice is cooked with a microwave steaming method.

Bring Mandarin Orange with ginger or ginger juice to a boil in a saucepan with chicken stock and cornstarch or Arrowroot slurry until it thickens. Simmer until ready to serve.

Chef Hubert Kellers Applewood Smoked Cornish Game Hen

2009-08-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the .pdf of Chef Hubert Kellers original recipe.

If you substitute more olive oil for the butter in this recipe you could make it dairy-free.

This was delicious. The apple wood smoke adds a wonderful flavor to the bird and the whole house for that matter. This recipe might best be adapted for the grill.

The version pictured is served with sautéed mushrooms in a demi-glace with Jasmine rice.

While serving the whole hen has a novelty factor, practicality might best be served by breaking the bird down before serving to youngsters. There is meat on the legs, but the breast meat is the Cornish Game Hen.

Chef Keller's recipe has cooking times that were not even close to my cooking times. After 25 minutes of smoking time, my birds needed at least an hour in the oven at 375 to get to safely cooked temperatures. Make sure your poultry is cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F. Salmonella is not as potentially lethal as anaphylaxis but is just about as much fun.

E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Contains Milk

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Pickles are delicious and nutritious

2009-08-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

These pickles start with some fresh Small Farm cucumbers, onions, and a hot pepper. Temperature control is up to you. Remember; some hot peppers are hot and some hot peppers are not. There is only one way to find out how hot the pepper you are using might be...two ways if you trust your sous chef.

Ingredients

1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 small hot pepper, diced, seeds removed
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon shallot salt (Penzey's)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice (Penzey's)

Directions

Combine onion and hot pepper and cucumber slices in a clean spring-top jar or jars.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive (not aluminum) saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 full minutes to infuse the spices.

Pour the hot pickling liquid over the onion and cucumber slices, completely filling the jar. Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature before topping off with any remaining pickling liquid. Refrigerate.

M, E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

The Ingredients of August

2009-08-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

You probably will have to go to your local Megamart for your paper goods and Cheezy-poofs, but if you want ingredients like this purple bell pepper, you are going to have to go to your local small farm. These ingredients of August came from our local Small Farm.

It is not just a purple pepper; it's a work of art!

And how about these (Solanum lycopersicum) Striped German Tomatoes?

Heirloom tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, purple peppers, red onions.
Now that is one incredibly flavorful simple salad.

Add some corn on the cob and a grilled steak with some mushrooms and haricot vert (skinny green beans) sautéed in butter and garlic. If dairy is a problem, replace the butter with olive oil.

Not bad for a Wednesday.

Thank you for your emails. (chef@brookeok.com) Please tell us about your local small farm.

E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Contains Milk (Butter)

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Alerts by email

2009-08-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Reading labels is not always enough.

Sometimes, a product gets to market with undeclared ingredients.

Sign up on FAAN to be notified of Special Allergy Alerts.

FAAN Camp Survey

2009-08-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

FAAN has a survey posted for parents of children attending summer camps.

Brooke and I have some stories about summer camps. Maybe you do too.

The survey might benefit from allowing for responder comments rather than limiting responses to yes, no and I do not know.

Consider question #25. Did your child have a food allergy reaction while at the camp this past summer?

Yes.
No.
I do not know.

"past summer" It's over, then? Yikes.

"I do not know." Double Yikes. Not judging, just double yikes.

It will only take a few minutes to respond, and if you really want to get involved, call FAAN. Visit FAAN website. Here is the survey:

FAAN Survey

Brooke and Julia and Blueberry Pie

2009-08-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

There is a quaint little three screen theatre on Summer Street in Maynard. The ticket prices are good and you can get a small bag of popcorn and a soda for 6 bucks. The popcorn is not popped in peanut oil specifically to accommodate their customers with food allergies. There is plenty of free parking directly across the street.

This movie was terrific; a must see for fans of Julia. But of course fans of Julia already know that. Meryl Streep was amazing. I can't imagine anyone else (excluding Dan Aykroyd)doing the role justice. Some language earned the PG-13 rating...and you should know that the ample doses of politics and occasional doses of cuss words should be attributed to the real Julie Powell and not to Julia. There is a scene in the movie where Julie's character, played by Amy Adams, learns that Julia was not a fan of her blog. The movie doesn't tell us why. Could it have been the real Julie Powell's politics and foul mouth? It could have been. I met Julia Child and she was all class.

Julie Powell

This story about Julia by Laura Jacobs in Vanity Fair is a good read. There are several annoying pop-ups soliciting your input for a survey and offering trial subscriptions in the beginning of the read, but they stop and you should not be disturbed for the remaining 3 pages of the 4 page article which was worth clicking through the pop-ups to read.

After the movie, we had blueberry pie with papaya ice cream. Yum.

Papaya Ice Cream

1 pint heavy cream
1 pint half&half
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup pureed papaya
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water

Mix all ingredients except the papaya and cornstarch slurry in a saucepan and heat, stirring regularly, to 170 degrees. Mix in cornstarch slurry just before removing from heat. Mix in papaya when cooled and refrigerate overnight. Into your favorite ice cream maker the following day and allow to ripen at least for a little while in the freezer before serving.

E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Contains Milk

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Here is a young Brooke who is a little bit nervous when meeting Julia.

Wholly Guacamole Batman!

2009-08-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

Tacos are always better with a nice guac. Well we have finally found one you don't have to make. Wholly Guacamole is on the shelf (in the produce section) at the grocery store.

Delicious. The Classic version is made with Haas avocados, Jalapeño peppers, vinegar, onion, salt, and granulated garlic. Wholly Guacamole is gluten free and manufactured in a "100% Allergen-Free Facility." Bonus: No cilantro.

Allergen info below refers to the Wholly Guacamole TM only.

M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Experimenting with substitutions: Sometimes they don't work.

2009-08-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Pizza night.

Last night was sliders and in anticipation of pizza night extra sliders went on the grill. Crumbled sliders make a great next-day pizza topping. Crumbled meatballs from the day before work well too.

Prep usually begins with parchment paper on a pizza peel. Tonight, there were a few inches of parchment paper on the roll. Not enough. There must be another roll of parchment paper around here. Maybe downstairs. Nope.

Managing food allergies is often a strategy of substitutions. Parchment paper, for example, is a substitute for corn meal. A big pinch of corn meal on the peel will allow the pizza to easily slide off onto the stone in the oven. A corn allergy will make the corn meal an issue and pizza dough will not slide off the peel without help.

So what do we use?

Substituting Quinoa almost worked.

After shaping the dough into a pizza, I applied the toppings as fast as I could. Tomato sauce, Italian herbs, Mozzarella, and in this case caramelized onions and mushrooms on one side, and hamburger and meatball on the other. Pepperoni on everything.

When I put the pizza dough on the quinoa I gave the peel a little shake. Everything moved. Good.

Once the pizza was topped, in the warm kitchen, a shake was not moving anything.

On parchment paper, the pizza build goes like this: paper, dough, tomato sauce, herbs, mozzarella, toppings. Toppings are the fun part.

This pizza is topped for meat lovers on one side with hamburger and meatballs. On the other side it is topped with sautéd mushrooms and caramelized onions. Pepperoni everywhere.

This experiment failed although dinner was still quite good.

I shook the peel after first laying out the dough and it looked like the quinoa was going to be a suitable substitute for corn meal. After adding the sauce and toppings, the dough was going nowhere. I ended up sliding some tinfoil under the pizza -it wasn't easy- and cooking it at 450 for 10-12 minutes.

Moral of the story: Do not run out of parchment paper.

Lollipop Pies

2009-08-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this idea on Serious Eats, I did not need to see more than the photograph to know that this was something I wanted to cook. This is what they look like fresh out of the oven.

They are little pies on sticks. Brilliant!

Make a pie filling and roll out some pie dough. Instead of making a 9" pie, make a batch of pies with sticks in them. A 2" or 2 1/2" cutter should work well. Voila! Pie Lollipops! Popular is not a word adequate to describe how these have been received.
___

We are working on a wheat-free recipe. For now, these pies contain wheat, but are free of Milk, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Sesame and Seafood.

Jiffy Pie Crust INGREDIENTS: WHEAT FLOUR, ANIMAL SHORTENING (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: LARD. HYDRO-GENATED LARD & PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED LARD), contains less than 2% of each of the following: SALT, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID.
CONTAINS: WHEAT

Pie Filling: Blueberries, Raspberries, Sugar, Lemon Juice, Nutmeg.

M,E,P,N,Se,F,Sh

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

Feeding our young...

2009-08-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

Visiting Montreal?

2009-08-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

click on logo for the Zero8 website and their food allergy pledge

There is a restaurant at 1735 Rue St-Denis named Zero8 that promises none of the 8 major allergens are on their menu. (They list fish and sea food as one item, and sesame is on their list.) It's a slightly different list in Canada, eh?

Please email dining@brookeok.com with your food allergy related restaurant experiences or recommendations.

Allergenicity of Foods

2009-08-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Eight foods account for the vast majority of allergic reactions: Milk, Egg, Soy, Peanut, Tree nuts, Wheat, Fish and Shell Fish. (Sesame will soon be added to this list.) These nine, by the way, are not listed in any particular order. They are listed in the order that I learned the list. Anecdotally, of the stories I have heard and the stories I can tell, Peanuts, Tree nuts, Shell Fish, Fish and Sesame have the majority of the stories of stories involving use of Epinephrine and a visit to the ER, in that order of foods. It is worth noting that I have heard and can tell stories involving Epinephrine and a trip to the ER with several allergens not listed amongst the top eight or nine. Maybe you can too? Please do. Your comments are welcomed.

So- if we know the foods most likely to cause an allergic reaction - do we know the foods least likely to cause an allergic reaction? Good question. Well, Dr. Joneja has worked for thirty years to answer that question and others in the area of biochemical and immunological reactions involved in food allergy and intolerance.

The chart above, commonly referred to as the Joneja Chart,provides a guide for the "Allergenicity of Foods." Full .pdf and accompanying text here.

For those of us looking for alternatives and substitutions, this is good information. It does not, by any means. offer any promises that because not many people with allergies to fruit react to Rhubarb, that you will not react to Rhubarb, but...we all have to eat, right? It is up to you how you play the odds.

Bon Chance and Bon Appétit!

Lunch at the Pru

2009-08-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

One of the growing numbers of restaurants accommodating to diners with food allergies, Legal Sea Foods has the process down cold. We did not call ahead, but we still had an excellent lunch. (Calling ahead with food allergies issues is still recommended. The chef might have been able to prepare certain dishes differently if we had given them some notice.)

We informed our server of the allergies at the table and he obviously knew the routine. He made written notes and confirmed who at the table was allergic to what. When we gave him our orders, he told us he would check with the chef and let us know if everything was allergen-free. As it turned out, not everything we had ordered could be served without allergens, but our server was prepared with a long list of possible substitutions. One dish, a lobster roll, could be prepared without (egg) mayonnaise in order to meet our request. When our meals were served, our server served the diners without allergy issues, and one of the managers served the allergen-free dishes, naming the dish, and the allergens of concern. My wife said, “This is great. I can actually relax and enjoy the meal.”

Managers at Legal Sea Foods have been certified as ServSafe® Food Protection Managers, (ServSafe® training is required by the state) but Legal Sea Foods has clearly gone further than state requirements. The front-of-the-house staff demonstrated a practiced understanding of what to do, which staff-members had what duties during service, and what to suggest and what to announce when serving patrons with food allergies

Thank you to the staff at Legal Sea Foods at the Prudential Center for a wonderful lunch and thank you to Roger Berkowitz for running a tight ship.

While you are at the Prudential Center, you might want to consider taking a Duck Tour. Actually, you should consider it before you go to the Pru, and get your tickets in advance. "Sold Out" is a common condition at the Duck Tours and with good reason.

Here is our tour guide: Ray Beez, the Animal Control Officer. An hour touring the city of Boston with "Ray" is guaranteed to be entertaining, informative, fun, and puzzling to local canines. "What was THAT?"

Brooke and I took some pictures during the tour. Here is one where we start at the finish line for the Boston Marathon.

Brooke Captains the Duck Boat on the Charles River. Thank you Ray!

That’s us, reflected in the Hancock Building! Well done Boston Duck Tours! That was great fun!

Ener G Wheat Free Pizza Shells

2009-07-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Filtered Water, Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, High Oleic Safflower Oil, Pear Juice Concentrate, Bamboo Fiber, Yeast, Methylcellulose, Guar Gum, Orange Citrus Fiber, Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Glucono Delta Lactone, Enriched with Thiamine (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin, Iron and Folic Acid.

Free of
gluten, wheat, casein, dairy, egg, soy, nut, corn, low protein

Topped with Italian herbs (oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme and rosemary), all-beef meatballs, strained tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms.

Ratings are relative, right? If we say, "This pizza dough is excellent" we have to include what it is being compared to for the rating to have value. "This pizza dough is excellent compared to putting sauce and toppings on a 10" cardboard cutout" differs from "this pizza dough is excellent. It is almost as good as the artisan pizza we had in Milan." When rating various pizza dough products it is important to keep in mind that there is a difference between rating traditional products and products intended to substitute for products people cannot eat.

Ener-G pizza shells, compared with the many wheat-free, gluten-free pizza doughs and shells we have tried was very good. The folks at Ener-G are using a combination of the ingredients listed above in a number of their wheat-free, gluten-free products and our testing/tasting so far has yielded favorable results.

The good news is that these pizza shells work. The texture is good. The objectionable flavors often found in wheat-free baked goods are missing.

The bad news is that you get two 10" pizza shells for about $15 and the shells are packaged together, so unless you are going to cook two pizzas tonight or pizza is on the menu for two meals fairly close together, $7 is a lot for a pizza shell and $15; ouch.

Brach's response

2009-07-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

We emailed Brach's candies about their labeling. Our concern is that people with food allergies may tend, as we do, to read the Allergen Warning at the bottom of the ingredients list first. The allergen warning does not mention that there are allergens actually in the product. The labeling law says that they don't have to and they don't.

Here is the response from the manufacturers of Brach's:

Thank you for writing Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. regarding Brach's® California Raisins Choc Covered Raisins. Hearing from our consumers better enables us to continue to provide quality products and services. Consumer feedback is very important to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. takes allergen issues seriously. Packages must be labeled appropriately for potential allergens. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines suggest labeling for at least the “Big 8” allergies.

Current labeling for product manufactured and/or packaged on lines with other products containing any of the “Big 8” will contain an allergen statement. Allergens listed explicitly in the ingredients may not be listed dually in the allergen statement.

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company maintains several manufacturing and packaging facilities. While some of these facilities are nut free or free from all of the "Big 8" allergens, others are not. In addition, processes may change from time to time. Please consult the package label or contact us for additional allergen information on the product you purchased. Please refer to the packaging, as the packaging contains the most current ingredient and allergen statements. Packaging is updated anytime a change is made to the production location of any item.

Due to constant changes in manufacturing and packaging, Farley's & Sathers is not able to offer a list of allergen affected items.

Thank you for contacting Farley's & Sathers Candy Company with your request for information on our allergens. Please contact us directly at 1-888-247-9855 (Consumer Affairs) with any additional questions or concerns about allergens and our products.

Please visit our website at www.farleysandsathers.com for additional information about our products and services.

Sincerely,

Suzie Webb
Consumer Relations
--------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your response Suzie. Your lengthy response that says nothing more than that Brach's meet the minimum requirements of the law and read the whole label which complies with the law.

Oh yeah, and thank you for the reading list.

Suzie, I didn't write you to complain about compliance with the law. I wrote to let you know that your labeling is not helpful to people with food allergies.

Thanks for the form letter, and I guess you know by now just how helpful you have been

BrookeOK Baked Beans

2009-07-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

This dish has been a summer favorite for years. This recipe makes a good sized batch; enough for a party or enough to ensure lots of leftovers for the refrigerator. Heat leftover beans in a saucepan with a little water or chicken stock.

Ingredients

2 Qt chicken stock
1 pound bacon, diced
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
1 T fresh garlic, minced
1 pound dried navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
1/2 cup sugar syrup
1/2 cup light brown sugar
18 oz strained tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1/3 cup yellow mustard
kosher salt
2-3 bay leaves

Good ole' Oscar Mayer Bacon, diced, goes into a large pot to start this recipe. I like to dice the bacon with a cleaver on a plastic cutting board which goes right into the dishwasher afterward. Render the bacon stirring frequently until crispy. Add the diced onion and season. Add the beans and garlic and stir for a minute or two. Add remaining ingredients except the chicken stock and bay leaves and mix well.
Add 1 1/2 quarts chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a low boil and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour stirring occasionally and adding remaining chicken stock as needed. Beans should be covered with liquid throughout cooking. Add more chicken stock or water if necessary until the beans are tender, but firm. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Don't forget to check those beans for pebbles, bad beans, etc., before they go into the pot. I have picked all sorts of stuff out of the dried beans.

Don't forget to take out the bay leaves. Bay leaves add wonderful flavor but they are not edible.

Grilled chicken cutlets served with rice and BrookeOK Baked Beans. A small bowl of liquid from the beans made a nice glaze for the chicken on the grill.

M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,F,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Fish-free, Shellfish-free

Always Read Labels

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) report.

2009-07-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Food Allergy Knowledge Found Lacking in General Public

Thank you Allergic Girl!

Bounty is better.

2009-07-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

"Oh thank goodness!" my wife exclaimed after tearing off a fresh sheet of Bounty® paper towel. The cheap stuff was finally gone.

I am not a frequent user of grocery store coupons. It seems to me that if you have to buy more than you want of something, you really are not saving money and the coupons all seem to require that you buy more than you want. The coupons are always for the competing brands of products we prefer. I understand that the store tracks our purchasing habits and markets the coupon program as marketing departments do. "We will print a coupon for your product to customers who buy your competitors product." I get it, I just don't want to play. As I said, I am not a frequent user of grocery store coupons.

A $4 coupon for paper towels caught my eye at the self check out register a couple of weeks ago and demonstrated that my coupon policy was not firm enough.

Quick math: 8 rolls of paper towel, any paper towel, costs about $12. That is $1.50 per roll. With a $4 coupon $1 per roll. Fully 1/3 off of the usual cost. Couldn't resist. Should have resisted.

Long math: Replace 8 rolls of $1.50 per roll paper towel with 8 rolls of wax paper or parchment paper or tissue paper for $1 per roll and you saved 50 cents per roll and you do not have paper towels.

Maybe they could use this stuff to print grocery store coupons.

Sate (Satay) Chicken

2009-07-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Google "Everything tastes better on a stick" and you will get nearly 19 million hits. There must be something to it.

To make Sate Chicken:

Strip the tendon out of chicken tenderloins and place chicken on skewers. Sprinkle with a mixture of salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, coriander, shallots, ginger, turmeric, sweet paprika, Ancho pepper, galangal, cayenne red pepper and lemongrass or Penzey's Sate Seasoning.

Broil or grill until chicken reaches 165 degrees F.

Always Read Labels. Really.

2009-07-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

You're picking up some items at the grocery store, just a few, and you are meeting with a contractor at your home in fifteen minutes. You have had requests for healthy snacks from your family...and chocolate. Healthy chocolate, OK?

We know from labeling standards that ALLERGEN INFORMATION is directly below the sometimes lengthy ingredients list. We can look there and quickly determine if an item is high risk or low risk. If one of the more common allergens is contained in the item, we will see it listed here. Right?

The allergen information for these California Raisins, which the label describes as Milk Chocolate Covered Raisins, reads as follows:

ALLERGEN INFORMATION: MADE IN A FACILITY THAT PROCESSES PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, MILK, SOY AND WHEAT.

Usually the ALLERGEN INFORMATION is followed by a "CONTAINS:" and with Milk Chocolate Covered Raisins, the CONTAINS:MILK is notably missing on this Brach's product.

Note: Made in a facility is not the same as made on shared equipment is not the same as may contain traces is not the same as CONTAINS.

Read the ALLERGEN INFORMATION first. If it says,"CONTAINS: MILK, PEANUTS", and you are allergic to milk and/or peanuts, you don't have to read any further.

If you don't rule out an item based on a listed ingredient in the ALLERGEN INFORMATION, you still have to read the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS: Milk Chocolate(Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Milk, Lactose, Butter Fat, Soy Lecithin added as an emulsifier, Salt, with Vanilla and Ethyl Vanillin, Artificial Flavors, Ground Peanuts), Raisins, Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Syrup, Maltodextrin, Confectioner's Glaze.

If you are allergic to milk, soy, or peanuts, you may or may not be concerned about what the facility processes, but if the product CONTAINS allergens, you want to know.

The allergen information at the bottom of the ingredients list is a good place to start, but remember that you read the ALLERGEN INFORMATION to rule an item out efficiently. That alone does not qualify an item as safe. You still have to read the ingredients before you decide if an item is allergen-free.

FDA recall emailer

2009-07-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Click here to go to the sign up page for automatic emails from the FDA regarding recalls of foods and drugs.

Ice creams are one of the most frequently recalled food items, usually due to undeclared ingredients.

Buy local - truly local

2009-07-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

There are at least ten grocery stores within a 15 mile radius of home, but that is not the good part.

There are two Shaw's, two Hannaford's, one Sudbury Farm's; there is one Stop&Shop, one Idlewilde Farm's, two Whole Foods, and two Trader Joe's all within 1/2 an hour.

They all have blueberries and they all have scallions. They all have garlic, well, they call it garlic... They all have tomatoes and parsley and basil. They all have lettuce and they have honey. Sort of.

Look at these monster scallions! And the blueberries!!! Small Farm in Stow, Massachusetts grows in accordance with "organic" farming protocol. They are not certified "organic" but that's because they don't want to charge their customers for a label proclaiming what they have been able to see for themselves at the farm for the past 20+ years.

These tomatoes have so much more flavor than artificially ripened supermarket tomatoes. The garlic is usually dried in the greenhouse before sale so it will keep. Dwight was kind enough to let me take some of the fresh. I don't want it to keep. I am going to use the magic ingredient right away. I'll get some more to keep tomorrow.

The honey is raw...and in a honey mustard salad dressing...it, too, is magic.

Small Farm Farmer: Dwight Sipler

2009-07-08T20:05:00.001-07:00

ServSafe ®

Regulatory requirements vary from state to state, but in general, every foodservice facility is required to have at least one Certified ServSafe Food Protection Manager.

The course consists of approximately six hours of instruction and a two-hour test. The course I took was divided into two sessions, which gave students time to read the course book in preparation for the exam.

Course Content (course content varies)
Providing Safe Food
The Dangers and Prevention of Foodborne Illness
Preventing Foodborne Illness
How Food Becomes Unsafe
The Food Safety Responsibilities of a Manager
The Microworld
Microbial Contaminants
Bacteria
Viruses
Parasites
Fungi
Contamination, Food Allergens, and Foodborne Illness
Types of Foodborne Contamination
Deliberate Contamination of Food
Food Allergens
The Safe Foodhandler
How Foodhandlers Can Contaminate Food
Components of a Good Personal Hygiene Program
Management's Role in a Personal Hygiene Program
The Flow of Food: An Introduction
Preventing Cross-Contamination
Time and Temperature Control
Monitoring Time and Temperature
The Flow of Food: Purchasing and Receiving
General Principles
Inspecting Food
The Flow of Food: Storage
General Storage Guidelines
Types of Storage
The Flow of Food: Preparation
Handling Food
Thawing Food Properly
Preparing Specific Food
Cooking Guidelines
Cooking Temperatures
Cooling Food
Reheating Food
The Flow of Food: Service
Holding Food
Serving Food Safely
Types of Foodservice Operations
Food Safety Systems
Food Safety Programs
Active Managerial Control
HACCP
Crisis Management
Sanitary Facilities and Pest Management
Facilities and Equipment
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Integrated Pest Management
Food Safety Regulation and Standards
Government Regulatory System for Food
The Food Code
Foodservice Inspection Process

Although there are sections intended to address industry issues such as temperature control in walk-in refrigerators, the vast majority of the information is relevant to anyone who cooks, or eats, and especially relevant to anyone who eats in restaurants.

Food allergens are discussed and posters are included in the course material that identifies the major food allergens. A short video was shown in my class that suggested servers go to the Person In Charge at a dining facility when a customer identifies themselves as having food allergies. The Person In Charge should ensure that cooking surfaces and utensils are cleaned and sanitized to prevent cross-contamination and must have a thorough knowledge of ingredients used. Suggesting simple uncomplicated menu items may be of interest to patrons with food allergies.

While the class did spend time on common food allergens and discussed cross-contamination prevention, the primary message to the server in the front of the house and the cook in the kitchen was to refer to the person in charge (PIC) for direction.

Has the person in charge had sufficient training?

BrookeOK can help.

Allergy friendly BBQ sauce.

2009-07-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

If you are managing food allergies, and particularly if you are managing multiple food allergies, you know that the longer the ingredients list on the label - the less likely you are able to serve the item.

Barbecue Sauce for example: There is a New England based company that makes a very tasty Honey Barbecue Sauce with a lengthy ingredients list that includes some of the allergens we see at BrookeOK and "natural flavors." What, exactly, is natural flavors? Also on the list is "white wine." Many white wines contain sulfites. We don't know based on this label. We do know if we make it ourselves.

Another advantage is that we might make just enough BBQ sauce for dinner. No refrigerator space taken up storing sauce we might not use again until it has expired. The popular sauce with lots of ingredients is available in 11 oz. bottles for $5.99. That is almost $70 per gallon.

You might be able to make you own in a few minutes with ingredients you already have on hand for a fraction of the cost and nothing left taking up space in the 'fridge or going down the drain.

BBQ Sauce:

Sugar, honey, ketchup or tomato paste and water, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, shallot salt(Penzey's) or minced shallots and salt, lime juice, turmeric, onion powder, cayenne pepper.

You don't need exact measures do you?

Take one Bell and Evans Chicken. Using a poultry sheers, remove the spine and flatten the chicken. Indirect heat on the grill for about an hour should bring you to the safe internal temperature (kills salmonella) of 165 degrees. Basting regularly with your homemade BBQ sauce makes for one moist and tasty chicken.

Coat asparagus in EVOO and sprinkle some kosher salt. Add asparagus to the grill once the chicken has reached 165 degrees. Five minutes or so with frequent turning over hot coals and it is dinner time.

WARNING: Once you have had grilled asparagus, you might never like steamed again.

M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Shellfish-free

Happy 233rd Independence Day!

2009-07-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur)
2 cups pure cane sugar (Florida Crystals)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (Morton Coarse Kosher Salt)
2 teaspoons baking soda (Arm & Hammer pure Baking Soda)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey’s Cocoa)
3/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract)
2 cups cold water
Preparation:
1 Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan or mixing bowl.
Add oil, vinegar and vanilla and pour cold water over all and mix well. A hand-mixer works well to
ensure smooth consistency. Pour into cake pan or cupcake baking cups.
2 Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cooking times
shorten considerably if you are making cupcakes or smaller cake loaves.
Note: This cake freezes well.

M,E,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Contains: Wheat

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Shellfish-free

Latex Allergy? More than Balloons...

2009-07-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

The proteins in some foods, such as bananas, strawberries and kiwi can mimic the proteins in latex. For a complete list and more information click here:

Cleveland Clinic

2009-06-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese Spring Roll Pizza

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

1 pound ground lamb
½ pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, chopped
½ onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 shallots, minced
½ cup shredded carrot
1 1.70 oz package cellophane noodles (vermicelli)
soak for 20 minutes in room temperature water, drained and cut into approximately 1-inch lengths.
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients except shrimp in mixing bowl and transfer to a skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until lamb is cooked most of the way. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp turns pink (1- 1½ minutes.)

Wet rice papers until soft (1-2 minutes) and lay flat on a tea towel. Add filling and roll tightly (as shown.)

Fry in your favorite oil such as canola or corn oil until golden brown and delicious.

Serve hot with Vietnamese Table Sauce.

BrookeOK does not use peanuts or peanut oils.

adapted from Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

M,E,P,S,N,Se

Contains: Wheat, Shelfish

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Shellfish-free

Food Allergy Teen Site

2009-06-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

but first...appetizer chicken wings. Don't they look tasty?

18 chicken wings (~3 pounds)
2T olive oil (substitute your choice of salad oil if desired)
3 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup soy sauce (substitute 6T water with 4 tsp dark sugar a pinch or two of Kosher salt and 2T molasses if you are avoiding soy)
1/3 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup ketchup, catchup, or your favorite mixture of tomato and seasonings.
1/4 tsp ground ginger (minced fresh is even better)
3 star anise (optional)
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

In a large (5 qt.) pot or Dutch oven cook wings over medium high to high heat, halved and with tips removed, in hot oil with 2/3 of scallions. Stir constantly for 7-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium heat, add everything except the shredded lettuce and cover. Stir occasionally for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 more minutes stirring frequently until liquid is absorbed and chicken is tender. Serve warm over shredded lettuce. Garnish with remaining scallions.

M,E,W,P,N,Se,Sh

Read labels-check your catchup

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Shellfish-free

Food Allergy Website for Teens

Roasted Marrow Bones

2009-06-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Time: 20 minutes

8 to 12 center-cut beef or veal marrow bones, 3 inches long, 3 to 4 pounds total

1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons capers

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Coarse sea salt to taste

At least 4 1/2-inch-thick slices of crusty bread, toasted.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put bones, cut side up, on foil-lined baking sheet or in ovenproof skillet. Cook until marrow is soft and has begun to separate from the bone, about 15 minutes. (Stop before marrow begins to drizzle out.)

2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, shallots and capers in small bowl. Just before bones are ready, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle dressing over parsley mixture until leaves are just coated. Put roasted bones, parsley salad, salt and toast on a large plate. To serve, scoop out marrow, spread on toast, sprinkle with salt and top with parsley salad.

Yield: 4 servings.

As published in the New York Times. Recipe adapted from Fergus Henderson

M,E,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Contains: Wheat

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Shellfish-free

Five Guys and Peanuts

2009-06-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurants sell peanuts, cook in peanut oil, and are apparently aware and quite considerate with regard to their peanut allergic neighbors.

FAQ

I will visit the local "Five Guys" soon and post a report.

2009-06-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

Mixed Mesclun greens, carrots, diced red onions, diced Roma tomatoes, fried chicken and a fried pickle.

Dressing: (for four servings)

Dijon Mustard (2T)
EVOO (2T)
Champagne Vinegar (1T)
Shallot salt (1/2 tbsp)

whisk.

M,E,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Contains: Wheat.

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Shellfish-free

Custom Pizza for Three

2009-06-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Not because of allergies, but because of people liking different toppings, this pie was divided into thirds and topped according to individual preferences.

This flour is from Capone Foods They also make a frozen dough that is very handy. Chebe makes a tasty gluten-free pizza crust mix. Note: The Chebe mix instructions call for eggs.

Pizza dough "00" flour, water, olive oil, sugar, salt, and yeast.

Toppings include strained tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, crimini mushrooms, sausage, pepperoni, hamburger, Canadian bacon, Turkish oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, and cracked rosemary.

M,E,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Contains wheat

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Shellfish-free

Egg Rolls - that's right , EGG Rolls

2009-05-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Good news and bad with today's RAST results. The good news was that the numbers for egg were low enough to justify an egg challenge, so we made egg rolls. Brooke passed the challenge. Maybe we will try a cake with eggs next. The egg rolls, by the way, were delicious - golden brown and delicious.

The bad news: The RAST positive numbers included garlic. This has to be a false positive.

Egg Rolls:

Brown Veal and or Pork. Add shredded carrot and cabbage. Add Rice Noddles (cooked) and ponzu sauce.

Depending on your food choices, egg roll filling might contain all sorts of ingredients: Bean sprouts, jicama julienne, fried scallions, etc.

Egg Roll wrappers are generally made from wheat, water, vinegar, salt, eggs, and cornstarch.

(Spring Roll wrappers are rice paper made from rice flour, water and salt.)

M,P,N,Se,Sh

Key: M,E,W,P,S,N,Se,Sh

Milk-free, Egg-free, Wheat-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free, Shellfish-free

TAKO- The key to tender is the pressure...

2009-05-26T18:49:00.001-07:00

If you enjoy octopus but have found it difficult to tenderize, I have two words for you: pressure cooker.

___________

Bring a large pot of water (enough to cover)to boil and add a 3-4 pound octopus. Boil for ten minutes. When cool enough to handle, rub off dark outer skin under cool running water, if desired. Some like the gelatinous texture.

Place octopus (now much smaller) in a pressure cooker with aromatics (onion, carrots, celery, garlic, etc. wine, water, etc.) Bring to boil, seal top and cook for ten minutes.

How to cut octopus.

The octopus that comes out of the pressure cooker is tender. Really tender.

You might marinade small cuts or slice thin and serve with hot toasted sesame oil, olive oil, fried scallion, fried garlic, scallion and togaroshi.

Sesame Garlic Chicken Salad with Pork Spring Roll

2009-05-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Separate the meat from the tendon with a pound of chicken tenders. (email chef@ brookeok.com for technique) Wet chicken meat in buttermilk, milk, rice milk, soy milk or water and coat with wheat, rice, or corn flour.

Fry in 325 degree Canola Oil until 170 degrees and golden brown and delicious.

Drain briefly on wire rack and toss in bowl with Sesame Garlic Sauce.

Served with salad and a pork Spring Roll.

EMail Alerts

2009-05-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

Nancy's Airfield Cafe

2009-05-26T13:03:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when we go to a restaurant and explain our food allergy issues to the staff we can tell that they just do not get it. The number of times we have been served food we cannot eat after saying as clearly as we could what we could not eat...well, they just don't get it.

The folks at Nancy's Airfield Cafe get it.

Nancy has a book which lists the ingredients for every dish on her menu. Tell your server that you have food allergy issues at Nancy's and you can expect a completely professional response. They get it.

Thank you Nancy's Airfield Cafe in Stow, Massachusetts. Just follow the signs to the airport.

Brooke's Lego Mountain

2009-05-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Pizza Formula

2009-05-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

Sauté mushrooms with roasted garlic (saved from 40 clove chicken) and Canadian Bacon in EVOO. When the oil is almost gone, add a few ounces of chicken broth. Take the pan off the heat when the broth is almost gone.

Place some pepperoni slices on a paper towel or two and nuke them for 15-20 seconds.

Roll out your pizza dough and if you do not want to use corn flour, put the dough on parchment paper. Parchment paper will not burn in a 450-500 degree oven. Really.

Some Italian spices on the dough won't burn under the sauce and toppings. A ground beef mixture with a marinara sauce might need a bit of thinning to make a perfect pizza sauce. A thin layer of the tomato sauce topped with freshly grated mozzarella cheese and the mushroom, garlic, bacon mixture finishes the formula.

Into a 450-500 degree oven for about 10 minutes, rest for a minute before cutting and you have pizza bliss.

Everything is better with bacon.

Iron Chef

2009-05-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

Manufactured in a peanut-free facility Iron Chef Products are made from all natural ingredients with no preservatives. No MSG.

Brooke likes the General Tso's best.

Crab & Shrimp Cakes with Asparagus and Jasmine Rice.

2009-05-25T18:36:00.001-07:00

Your best local produce vendor for the asparagus.

Trader Joe's for the Crab, Shrimp, Lobster Bisque and Jasmine Rice.

The crab cakes are formed with crab, shrimp, Martin's Famous Potato Bread food processor bread crumbs salt, paprika, parsley and Vegenaise.

Freshly ground horseradish mixed with Trader Joe's Seafood Sauce is delicious and free of corn syrup. If you find another Seafood Sauce free of corn syrup, please let us know about it. chef@brookeok.com

Rock N' Roll Diner

2009-05-25T18:14:00.001-07:00

Along US Route 1, near the beaches, Scarborough, Maine is home to the Rock N' Roll Diner. Fresh Maine Shrimp and extraordinarily tasty French fries made for a fine dinner in an allergy friendly atmosphere. Our server understood the issues associated with food allergies and made sure we enjoyed a great meal safely.

The Apple Crumble for dessert was Brooke's favorite.

Chicken Cutlets

2009-04-28T19:53:00.001-07:00

Chicken cutlets with baked potatoes.

Unless you are a fan of microwaved potatoes, this dish combines slow cooking baked potatoes with fast cooking chicken cutlets leaving plenty of time in the middle for garnish, salad and perhaps, dessert. The potatoes can also be cooked ahead of time for a convenient side.

Notes:

Everything is better with scallions.
The best potatoes are Maine potatoes.

Burger Time

2009-03-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Diced red onions, home made pickles and Spicy Red Pepper Miso Mayo top a ground beef, veal and pork
burger on a fresh tomato slice and lettuce all packaged neatly in a Martin's Famous Potato Bread Sandwich Roll.

The Miso Mayo (9 oz at Whole Foods $4.49) is available in Original, Spicy Red Pepper, and Garlic and Dill. We liked it with both the burger and the fries. The packaging and website tout the product as Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Vegan, etc. The label says "Made on equipment shared with milk, eggs." 80 calories per serving. 70 Calories from fat.

What we liked least about the Miso Mayo was not necessarily the fault of the folks in San Francisco at the So Good Food Company. The label is marked "Best by:031909." I know I should have read the label, but what was it doing on the shelf?

Monday Night Pizza

2008-12-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

"00" pizza dough is the first and most important ingredient followed by a simple marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese. Mushrooms, pepperoni, red and yellow peppers, homemade meatballs and roasted garlic round out the toppings.

Pathetic Turkey Pie

2008-11-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

Aristocrat Turkey Pie. Comedy afficianados know the aristocrat joke. Well, people who appreciate a Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie should know that with the Aristocrat Pies from Upton, MA., the joke is on you.

The Turkey Pie is not Turkey Pie. It is a carrots and peas pie with some turkey scraps. The pie crust is the best part by far. $13 One cup of peas and one cup of carrots with 1/4 cup of turkey bits, some chicken stock, corn starch and pie crust. $13?

The Aristocrats!

Pizza done right

2008-10-18T10:27:00.001-07:00

Twenty or thirty seconds in the microwave removes much of the grease from pepperoni slices.
Thank you to Cook's Illustrated for the tip.

Dough from Capone Foods "00" pizza flour with sauce made from milled Roma tomatoes. A little salt and fresh oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme and rosemary or some Penzey's Italian Herb Mix adds authentic flavor. Rao's tomatoes are the best canned tomatoes. Fresh mozzarella is topped with a sautéd mixture of mushrooms, shallots and minced Small Farm garlic. Pepperoni and Canadian Bacon or ham are last to go on before the pizza goes into a hot oven.

A Birthday Request for Alton's Fried Chicken

2008-10-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

GB&D

We stayed pretty close to Alton Brown's Fried Chicken recipe mixing paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt with the flour to dredge the chicken before frying in organic non-hydrogenated all vegetable shortening at 325 degrees F.

Doesn't take long and it beats the heck out of KFC.

Use good chicken such as Bell & Evans.

Technique does not make up for using supermarket previously frozen chicken.

Beef Stir Fry

2008-10-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

First of all, you do not need a wok for a stir-fry and unless you have a burner specifically engineered for use with a wok, a conventional stovetop will never heat a wok to proper temperatures for stir frying.

First in the sauté pan: cubed beef tenderloin into hot tea oil. Once browned, out of the heat and into a bowl with minced ginger in soy sauce. Set aside.

Into the sauté pan go the onions, bell peppers, carrots and scallions. Next, minced garlic followed quickly by bok choi, mushrooms and a cup of chicken broth.

Make a slurry from a tablespoon of cornstarch and a couple tablespoons of water and mix into stir-fry. Add some soy sauce and oyster sauce to taste. Both contain enough salt that the dish probably does not need any more seasoning.

Add the cooked beef in ginger and soy sauce back in to the mix. Some cubed chicken tenderloins went into this mixture as well(optional). The sauce should be thickened by now. Turn the heat off and add the scallion greens and crunchy bits.

Stir and serve over jasmine rice with steamed shu mai for a tasty dinner.

Eggless Onion Rings

2008-10-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

Sweet Vidalia Onions dipped in milk and dredged in a mixture of AP flour, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Fry in canola oil at 375 degrees F for just a couple of minutes until GB&D.
Cool on a rack for just a minute or two before serving.

A Birthday Request for Alton's Fried Chicken

2008-10-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

GB&D

Doesn't take long and it beats the heck out of KFC.

Happy Birthday Brookester!

2008-10-05T20:39:00.001-07:00

Yes, there is cake too, but this is apple season and some Cortland apples found their way into a mixture of sugar and freshly ground nutmeg. Birthday Pie!

Mussels Mariniere et Provencale

2008-09-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Mussels Mariniere with a Provencal twist, this dish starts with sliced scallions and minced (Small Farm) garlic sweated in butter with chopped parsely and basil. Stir in a little tomato sauce before turning the heat up and adding some dry white wine.

In goes a couple of pounds of cleaned, debearded mussels -a quick stir- and on goes the lid. Five minutes later, all but one of the mussels are open and opaque. The closed mussel is discarded and the rest are served with salad and toast points.

Delicious. The Super Stop & Shop in Hudson, MA has an interesting seafood department. Sometimes the display of seafood looks exactly like you would expect the seafood to look in a supermarket display case. Keep in mind that this is New England and the competition for fresh seafood is abundant. Seafood lovers who are used to the display at places like Captain Marden's
are not likely to be impressed by a supermarket seafood department.

Somehow, Stop & Shop is putting some exceptional seafood on the shelf. Not always. Not even regularly, but often enough to make the seafood department a regular stop when you make your way through the store. Since they expanded the Stop & Shop to a Super Stop & Shop, the likelihood of spotting a beautiful wild-caught salmon fillet or some fresh sea scallops has made it well worth looking. You might be disappointed, but you just might change the menu for tonight.

These mussels were very clean and fresh. The 2 pounds of shellfish contained not a single one with a broken shell and all but one opened during steaming. One or two mussels were a little gritty, but they were all firm, fresh and flavorful.

It would be preferable for customers not to have to carry around yet another plastic card in order to pay non-artificially inflated prices at Stop & Shop and preferable to not be "earning" Stop & Shop gas credits at a gas station 20 miles away. (That means paying more for milk and bread to "earn" so called credits that expire before there is any chance of redeeming them.)

The Stop & Shop marketing department is working hard to rip customers off for a little bit here and a little bit there, which is a lot of money when you have as many customers as Stop & Shop does. Actually, to be precise; Stop & Shop is a subsidiary of Royal Ahold. (They own Giant, Peapod and a number of grocery related businesses globally.) The marketing schemes might be Stop & Shop's work but it might just be Royal Ahold's.

The seafood department is worth a look.

Beef & Broccoli

2008-09-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

If you are a reader of this blog then you know that I am an Idylwilde farms regular.

Lately, my usual tab at the checkout has been less than $50.

You know what that means don't you - daily visits. Well, not on Tuesdays.

Feeding people with food allergies means the prepared foods section of the market is usually a minefield rather than a time-saver. However, this minefield, and certainly this has been the case for me, can be a goldmine. Everything in the prepared foods section was prepared with ingredients available within 50 yards or so.

Two points to consider here: One is the story of the grocery store chicken and the other is the story of "it will only contain what you add" if food allergies are an issue.

Consider the organic grocery store chicken: It comes to the market almost whole and recently dispatched. If it doesn't sell whole, it is cut up, a little bit older, and a little bit more expensive. If it doesn't sell cut up, the chicken is marinated or cooked, a little bit older and more expensive.
Extrapolate at will.

Before I review the selections at the meat chiller, I check out the prepared foods. I do not want the prepared foods, because they do or may contain prohibited ingredients, but that does not mean they are without value. Indeed, the prepared foods are inspiring. I find myself checking the prepared foods before I look to the fresh proteins. Tonight was no exception. The Beef & Broccoli was inspiring.

Ginger, carrots, red bell pepper, carrots, scallions, baby bok choi, and out-of-frame beef tenderloin, all from Idylwilde. The garlic was, of course, from Small Farm in Stow.

First, cook the beef and set aside. (Butcher Block teriyaki sauce makes an excellent marinade.)

Minced ginger and garlic first followed quickly by peppers, carrots. bok choi, scallions, oyster sauce and chicken stock.

Stir in steamed broccoli and finish with green scallions, blanched snow pea pods
and maybe some wasabi crunchy salad toppings.

No unwanted ingredients, all fresh and organic ingredients.

See you at Idylwilde, but not on Tuesdays.

Slow roast chicken with Yukon potatoes and English peasY

2008-09-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

Slow roasted chicken: There are dozens of variations on this recipe but they all end up with essentially the same formula. 350-375 for 1/2 hour, 200 for an hour and 400 for 1/2 hour. Don't stuff the bird or truss it. That's it-slow roasted chicken. Moist and tender and flavored however you flavor it.

A lover of 40 clove chicken and in particular, the bonus resulting roasted garlic makes this one a favorite.

ChiChesSau

2008-08-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

Chicken Cheese and Sauce

Start with washed chicken cutlets. Dip in milk and coat with panko.
Fry in a little Canola oil and transfer to foil covered cookie sheet. Top with your choice of cheese. We topped with crumbled blue cheese for the adult palate and milder cheddar cheese slices for younger palates. Warm in a preheated 225-250 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Simmer D'Amico Brand or your favorite tomato sauce (D'Amico can ve difficult to find).

Plate chicken with jasmin rice and serve with fresh bread.

Add tomato sauce and garnish.

This dish pairs well with a Pinot Grigio.

Korean barbeque back ribs

2008-08-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Barbeque over indirect heat using Cowboy Charcoal.

Cowboy

Slow, indirect cooking over Cowboy charcoal and regularly basted with a mixture of soy sauce, minced onion and minced garlic, minced ginger, rice wine, corn starch, toasted sesame oil and lemon juice makes for some tasty ribs.

If you do not have time to make your own Korean BBQ sauce try

Annie Chun Korean Barbeque Sauce.

Pizza night

2008-08-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

How long does pizza delivery take? This pizza takes 30-40 minutes.

And this pizza is spectacular.

Start with Capone Foods Neapolitan "00" Pizza Flour for your pizza dough. Also available already made into pizza dough and frozen. Just move it from the freezer to the refrigerator a day before you intend to use it, for perfect, high-gluten dough.

Form the dough and place on parchment paper on a peel.

Using a simple homemade tomato sauce made with homegrown or locally grown tomatoes will guarantee best results. Tonight's pizza is being sauced with D'Amico tomato sauce.

Fresh, local ingredients also include in-season Small Farm garlic.

Sauté Cremini mushrooms with Canadian bacon and minced garlic adding the garlic at the very end and turn the flame off.

Add a light layer of D'Amico tomato sauce with Penzey's Italian herb mix. Top with fresh mozzarella and grated mild and sharp cheddar cheeses.

Add garlic mushroom bacon toppings. Put pizza on your pizza stone in a preheated 450-475 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

When it looks like this in the oven, it is done. Take it out and let it rest for a couple of minutes before cutting.

Ready to cut and serve with a nice salad.

and a nice Chianti...no fava beens...tonight.

Wines labeled Cabernet Savignon or Merlot, for example, are named for the grape. European wines are often named for the region in which the grapes are grown. Champagne refers to wine from the region of the same name. Chianti is a wine from an area called "Chianti," which is inside of a region of Italy called Tuscany. Within Chianti is a smaller area called "Chianti Classico." The "Riserva" label applies to Chianti aged for at least two years and is generally the most expensive Chianti.

"Chianti" always, in accordance with Italian wine law, contains at least 80% of the native grape Sangiovese. This grape produces a wine that has a distinctive cherry character, high acidity, and medium to substantial tannins -- all elements that lead to a food-friendly wine. particularly well paired with pasta.

D'Amico Chianti 2007 has a light nose of fresh, ripe black cherries. Still young, bright flavors of black and red cherry greet the palate, smoothed together with ample acidity and medium tannins. The finish is sour cherry , with mouthwatering acidity and almost no trace of alcohol. The tart acidity and almost mild tannins make it a perfect match for pizza or any pasta with marinara sauce. The D'Amico label, noticeably absent from the bottle, would leave us wondering. Had we not spoken to the vintner, we would not have known to give this young bottle a little extra time to breathe. The similarly labeled D'Amico pasta sauce, with a fresh, bright tomato and basil presence, paired with this easygoing Chianti perfectly.

-no nuts no eggs no how no way

Mussels

2008-08-16T19:54:00.001-07:00

Mussels in a Spicy Vinaigrette

6 lbs live mussels in the shell

¼ cup EVOO

¼ cup Pomegranate Champagne Vinegar (or other high quality red wine vinegar)

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp hot paprika

1 lemon sliced and quartered

2 cloves garlic, minced Small Farms garlic is best.

2 T rough chopped fresh parsley

salt

Clean mussels under cold water and remove beards. Discard beards, broken and open unresponsive mussels. Shellfish begin to decompose very rapidly when they expire. If they have expired prior to cooking, they should be discarded. When mussels expire during cooking they open. Mussels that do not open during the cooking process should be discarded.

Add all ingredients except the mussels to a lidded pan or stockpot and bring to a boil uncovered. Simmer for a minute, add mussels and cover to cook for 4-5 minutes until mussels open. Discard unopened mussels.

The original recipe for this dish in the Williams Sonoma Kitchen Library series Hors d’Oeuvres & Appetizers calls for cooling to room temperature and then refrigerating for 2-4 hours before serving.

Brooke says that they are better served warm, immediately after steaming. Brooke is correct. Hot or chilled, a squeeze of a fresh lemon wedge just before serving enhances the flavor of the fresh shellfish.

2008-08-12T17:54:00.000-07:00