Gluten-free Cooking for Kids

There is always a big stack of cookbooks within arm's reach.  I've lost count of how many I actually own  and there are a few  "borrowed" ones as well.  Most go through life sitting happily on the shelf to be retrieved now and then for "research".  The ones I use day in and day out certainly look like they've been dragged around. They are dog eared, pockmarked, splattered and in many instances, no longer have covers.  One quick peer inside and you will see loads of scribbles, marks and post its, along with the odd love letter, postcard and credit card bill.  The old favourites are always to hand and they live just on top of my microwave.  The new favourites get a place by the windowsill and the ones that are  flavour of the month are scattered by my bedside or sit proudly on the kitchen table.  Every now and then, I have a little reshuffle and the ones which have caused me "disappointment" get sent back to the shelf.  The ones which have given me food for thought, will move closer to the heart of the kitchen and the ones whose future still lies in the balance may find themselves carted around in a shopping bag- hoping tonight will be the night! 

So who is top of the chart?  Old time favourites which get used day in and day out include The Gluten Free Cookbook for Kids (of course!), as well as Leith's Cookery Bible and Darina Allen's Healthy Gluten-free Eating (my very first gluten free cookbook).  A top the microwave you will also find Pierre Franey , More 60 Minute Gourmet published by the New York Times and the book which inspired my love of cooking, James Beard's American Cookery.  This last one is my bible and would be the one book I would have on my desert island, just in case you're interested.

On the new favourites pile at the moment is Anjum's New Indian and Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey.  Rick's book may soon be going back to the library shelf, having caused me a bitter dissapointment a few weekends ago.  But, I hesitate because just looking and reading through the recipes I can't help but love it.

On the reshuffle at the weekend I suspect  Ottolenghi will be back and also Crazy Water Pickled Lemon by Diana Henry.  Both of these books focus on Middlle Eastern cuisine, which I love, but they do require a long list of sometimes hard to obtain ingredients, and lots of time to shuffle around the kitchen, stirring, blending and whirring fragrant spices into mystical pastes.  It's the type of cooking I used to do when I could use both hands and didn't have to carry an 18 kg child around whilst making dinner.

There is also a big pile of bread books on the window sill at the moment, waiting patiently for me to get my act together. I am trialling some new gluten free bread recipes for the baking and bread workshops I will be doing in the spring so have decided it was time to test out a few  gluten free bread recipes.  In the "to be tested" pile is Bette Hagman's Easy Gluten Free Cooking-  Bette is the queen of gf breadmaking I am told,  I have read this book cover to cover but have never made anything out of it.  By the time I've assembled and purchased all the required ingredients I usually lose interest.  I promise to have a go and let you know how I got on.

Having re-read this post this morning, I am sure you are scratching your head and wondering why there isn't a list of recommended gluten free cookbooks.  I meant to include these and then had to run off and pick up a child at school and then just plain forgot.  Here's my  list of gf cookbooks. 

The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam- I was a bit sceptical about this book at first and could not imagine that you could make something edible without gluten, eggs, dairy or sugar.  Well it is amazing what you can make with a very short  (although expensive) list of ingredients.  I've tried a handful of recipes and for the most part these worked out well.  The Snickerdoodles and the Coconut Pie Crust were real winners.  My only hesistation in trying more of the recipes out is cost of  ground almonds and agave nectar . 

Gluten-Free Allergy-Free Eating published by The Australian Women's Weekly-this is a recent purchase and one that I am admiring at the moment.  The pictures are lovely and there is a warm cozy feeling about this book which makes me want to put on my apron and fill the house up with the smell of fresh baked goods. I also like the fact that you can adapt each recipe to be dairy, wheat, gluten, yeast, egg and nut free. 

How to Cook for Food Allergies by Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne - this book is written by the lady who developed Genius Bread.  This is a useful reference guide and there is lots of technnical information on what a specific ingredient contributes to a recipe and how to adapt or substitute ingredients.  A great book to have on hand if you have mutiple allergies (or cook for someone with multiple allergies)  and if you enjoy experimenting.  As a cookbook, I I find there are too many charts and too many variables listed which can be a little confusing when you just want to get on with it, but non-the-less, a well researched book with lots of good information.

Seriously Good Gluten Free Cooking by Phil Vickery- This has been a huge commercial success and it's great to have a celebrity chef taking gluten free food seriously. I have had mixed results with the recipes and have found a lot of the dishes are too sophisticated for every day family cooking, which is why it's only been used a few times. 

I'm on the look out for other good gf cookbooks, so if you've got any you'd like to recommend or any bad experiences you'd like to get off your chest, I'd love to hear from you.