Post 1: Culinary School the Gluten-Free Way & the Food Network Seminar

For those of you who regularly read Delight Gluten-Free Magazine, you've already heard the fantastic news that for the next six months, I'll be attending culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and chronicling the experience in Delight Magazine!

You can probably guess the expression on my face when I was approached about attending culinary school. I pictured myself standing in a kitchen classroom with flour flying everywhere as I tried to make pastries and my stomach bloating bigger and bigger as the minutes went on. How could I possibly participate in lessons that required me to use wheat flour to make the most traditional dishes that every famous chef has mastered?  Sauces, crepes, breads, cakes, roux-based soups, tarts, croissants and puffs!!

Yeah, I was scared at first, but quickly decided it would be the most amazing experience in the world to convert the most famous dishes from every cuisine from around the world into gluten-free alternatives and share it will all of the Delight magazine readers. Now, I obviously can't write about everything in the magazine, or we'd have an entire novel, so I'm going to be sharing some of the experiences with you here on the Celiac Princess blog.

My first two weeks of school were filled with tons of incredible information. I learned to properly use knives (yeah, you all think you know how, but you're totally wrong), taste spices and herbs to identify

them by sight and smell, properly cut vegetables in any shape or size, wilt and blanch greens and vegetables, cook eggs, identify by taste a variety of fats, filet all sorts of fishes and makes soups and chowders. Phew! What a crazy couple of weeks. You'll read about all of the techniques in the magazine, but for now I want to focus on a special seminar I got to attend that was put on by Chef Robert Bleifer, the executive chef of culinary productions at Food Network. Not only is he in charge of preparing all of the food for like 23 shows on Food Network, but he is also a judge on many of the Food Network competitions and prepares the food for Food Network hosted events. He studied economics in college, photography in graduate school and then decided he loved food, so ended up working as a culinary producer at the Food Network 14 years ago. His life is fascinating, so be sure to read more about him at www.foodnetwork.com. 

The seminar focused on seasonal favorites from the Food Network kitchens and featured recipes from the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine. The menu included a Three Cheese Soufflé, Spanish-style Pork Burgers Stuffed with Manchego Cheese, and Glazed Apple Cider Doughnuts. The really interesting take-home point of the seminar is not to be afraid of Soufflé and that cider doughnuts can be incredibly delicious. I think that most people are typically afraid of messing up a souffle, but Chef Bleifer showed us first hand that you can make three mistakes (he actually made them in the seminar) and still have a perfectly risen Soufflé. Now, the only challenge is making it gluten-free!

Of course I was bummed when I first saw the recipe lists because two of the three recipes used flour.  But, never fear, here are the three incredible recipes from Food Network's Robert Bleifer with my gluten-free conversions. They are insanely good, so make them! 

Read more for the recipes......

Gluten-Free Three Cheese Soufflé

This is the gluten-free conversion of the Food Network recipe. It's delicious on its own, or try serving it with apples or carrot sticks.

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 1 1/4 cups finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon corn starch
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated comte or gruyere cheese
• 1 cup finely grated emmentaler or appenzeller cheese
• 4 large eggs, separated, plus 2 egg whites
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Sliced baguette, for serving
• Pate and/or apple butter, for serving (optional)

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375. Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart souffle dish up to the top edge. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan and the cornmeal. Place in the freezer while you prepare the souffle.

2. Make the roux: Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic. Stir in the flour, nutmeg and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring, until the flour is cooked but not browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture is as thick as pudding, about 5 minutes. Stir in the comte, emmentaler and 3/4 cup parmesan until melted, then remove from the heat. Stir in the 4 egg yolks one at a time. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir to cool slightly.

3. Beat the 6 egg whites and lemon juice in a large bowl with a mixer until soft peaks form. Fold a quarter of the whites into the cheese base, then fold in the remaining whites.

4. Place the prepared souffle dish on a baking sheet, pour in the batter and smooth the top. Run your finger around the inside lip of the dish to push the batter away from the edge and create a ridge. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan on top. Transfer to the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 325. Bake until golden and puffed about 2 inches above the lip of the dish, about 35 minutes. Serve piping hot! 

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Pork Burgers Stuffed with Manchego Cheese 

These burgers are fantastic!! However, I generally do not eat pork, so when making these myself, I used ground turkey. You could also use ground beef or chicken and they'll still be delicious!

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
• 1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 1/4 pounds coarsely ground pork
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 pound manchego cheese, broken into bite-size pieces
• 4 Portuguese rolls, split
• Pimientos, tomato, red onion and/or lettuce, for topping

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Place the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, the olives, garlic, oregano, chili powder, paprika, coriander, cumin and allspice in a food processor; pulse until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons mayonnaise.

2. Mix the pork into the olive mixture; season with salt and pepper. Shape into 4 patties, about 1/2 inch thick. Make a deep pocket in each; stuff with some manchego, then close the patty around the cheese.

3. Brush the burgers with oil; season with salt and pepper. Brush the grill with oil; grill the burgers until marked on the bottom, 5 minutes. Flip and continue grilling until just cooked through, 5 more minutes.

4. Brush the cut sides of the rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon mayonnaise; grill until lightly toasted. Serve the burgers on the rolls with your choice of toppings.

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Glazed Apple Cider Doughnuts

Now, these were a little tricky, but well worth the effort to convert to gluten-free. Don't get discouraged with the sticky dough. If you can't form them into perfectly shaped doughnuts don't worry about it! They'll still taste great!

Vanessa's All Purpose GF Flour Mix
2 cups brown rice Flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together and set aside for use in the doughnut batter.

Doughnut Ingredients:

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 red apples, such as Cortland or McIntosh
• 2 1/2 cups apple cider
• 3 1/2 cups Vanessa's all-purpose gluten-free flour, plus more for dusting
• 4 teaspoons baking powder

1. Core and coarsely chop the apples (do not peel). Combine with 1 1/2 cups cider in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the apples are tender and the cider is almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. Measure the sauce; you should have 1 cup. (Boil to reduce further, if necessary.) Let cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. Beat 2/3 cup granulated sugar and the shortening in another bowl with a mixer on medium speed until sandy. Beat in the egg and yolk, then gradually mix in the applesauce, scraping the bowl. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk and vanilla, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix to make a sticky dough; do not overmix.

4. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and pat into a 7-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Simmer the remaining 1 cup cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and glossy, then set aside. Mix the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a shallow bowl; set aside for the topping.

6. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Cut the chilled dough into 12 rounds, using a floured 2 1/2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter, then cut out the middles with a 1-inch cutter (or use a doughnut cutter). Slip 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer to the paper towels to drain.

7. Dip one side of each doughnut in the cider glaze, letting the excess drip off; dip just the glazed side in the cinnamon-sugar or roll all over in cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Serve warm.

Comments

[Heather]

What a fabulous opportunity! I look forward to reading about your experiences and your recipes. Have fun.

[Alta]

Congrats to you for going to cooking school! That would be my fear too - I would be unable to make dishes because I couldn't use flour. and then...how do you properly make a gluten-free version of the flour-based dish, if you can't learn to make the flour-based dish? I suppose if you have a teacher that can help, that's the way! I'll be excited to read about your adventure!

[Ellen]

Thank you so much for writing about your classes and actually converting the recipes to gluten free! I can't wait to try them out.