Cupcakes by Roboppy/Flickr
Since my husband found out that he’s gluten intolerant, it’s been tough-going in my house as far as cakes, cookies and other baked items are concerned.
We do make a killer flourless chocolate cake, so that’s always an option. But no matter how pleasurable your demise, you can only die so often. And so I’m always looking for tasty gluten-free baking options, but often with mixed results. While there are a dizzying number of recipes for gluten-free treats out there, they tend to be discouragingly long on ingredients and short on flavor and/or texture.
My interest was piqued, then, by a recent post from Gluten Free Diva about a new cookbook. The book is Gluten Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour by Elana Amsterdam. The diva includes a couple of recipes from the book and their simplicity appeals tremendously. Plus, I love the idea of coconut flour, which I’ve never used before. I’m planning on trying the Marble Cupcake recipe next weekend. They look delicious.
I’ve had enough of reading about gluten free anything. Less than 1/2 of 1 percent of all people in the world are intolerant of gluten. Why keep giving it so much space when you could be writing about more important issues. Oh…I know why…so hand wringing, knee jerk reacting public radio listeners can feel good about themselves. Give it a break.
This message from Susan in Lynnfield reached the PRK Inbox today. I am copying it here, verbatim, so that all PRK readers can hear her response to Dino’s comment.
“Dino Romano wrote that he didn’t want to hear any more about gluten free food. He also wrote that the celiac population is tiny. Wrong.
Actually 1 in 130 humans have celiac disease plus there are many people who are wheat intolerant as well as a lot of IBS people need to avoid gluten. Unfortunately the numbers are rising. Must be something in the modern diet that makes people sick from eating good old wheat.
Dino Romano doesn’t understand that gluten attacks internal organs in celiacs. It is life threatening. As are peanuts to many people.
I don’t have celiac disease but my husband does and we eat wonderful gluten free things. The only problem is paying for the ingredients. It is expensive buying the alternate ingredients. But we are enjoying almost everything… so far I can’t find a recipe for gluten free Chinese hot and sour soup.
Too bad Dino Romano doesn’t try some gluten free food. It is delicious. If Dino ever ate some Udi bread he would love it. Gluten free cooking has developed so much in the past twenty years – enough so that celiacs can find just about anything that they wish to eat, even pizza, even scones. We just need more programs like yours to help us find yummy things to cook and enjoy. Thank you.”