Chef Brings Flavor to Gluten-Free Diet

COURT HOUSE – The words “Gluten-Free” are appearing on more and more food products and most grocery stores have a small shelf and portion of a freezer dedicated to such products.
Who wants gluten-free food? The almost 3 million Americans diagnosed with gluten intolerance or Celiac Disease. When a person is diagnosed, it means an end to eating anything containing wheat gluten, which includes bread, cookies, crackers, pasta, pie, pizza and even drinking beer because of its barley content.
Those with Celiac Disease need to find products made of rice or corn flour. Products are becoming increasing available although they are much as 50 percent more expensive that regular products.
James Harris, a chef with Harrah’s Resorts in Atlantic City, is the only chef in an Atlantic City casino restaurant that was trained through the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness of Philadelphia. He held a class at the county library here Sat., Jan. 29 for a dozen folks who watched him prepare two kinds of pizza and three kinds of pasta, guacamole dip and spicy humus, all made with rice-flour products.
Harris worked in a small restaurant in St. Louis where he discovered one of his friends could not share a meal there with her family due to Celiac Disease. He said he began researching gluten-free cooking.
He said gluten-free food is more expensive but Harrah’s does not charge extra for it.
Many normal recipes do not work with gluten-free flour but Harris said Tom Sawyer brand flour can be substituted “cup for cup,” said Harris. When baking with gluten-free flour, items such as cakes may not rise as much as they would with wheat flour, he said.
Betty Crocker is making gluten free mixes for cake and brownies which work well, said Harris. He said Bisquick has just introduced a gluten-free pancake mix.
Harris said, for the most part, gluten-free products are produced by small companies. He said he was cooking pizza and pasta at the library because those on gluten free diets have told him those are the foods they miss the most.
In his demonstration, Harris used Conte’s frozen gluten-free pasta, which is made in Vineland and available at Shop Rite and Acme. He said prefers the frozen gluten-free pasta to boxed pastas which are more difficult to cook properly.
Harris doubles the amount of recommended water when cooking gluten-free pasta.
His spicy guacamole was hit with participants, served on rice-based crackers. Harris caramelized onions in a skillet for his rosemary and onion pizza, no doubt making everyone in the library hungry or at least curious as to why it smelled so good.
Gluten-free cooking does not need to be bland. He included chipotle peppers and chili powder in hummus.
Harris advised when someone is not sure if something is gluten-free such as barbecue, pasta or soy sauce, to call the manufacturer. “Modified food starch” on a label may mean the product contains gluten, he said.
A participant asked how Harris reacted as a chef when a person arrives at a restaurant and informs their server they must eat gluten free.
Harris said he reacted with a smile.
“I’ll come to your table, I’ll sit down with you,” he said. “We’ll fix anything you want, this is your night.”
He suggested if a Celiac sufferer goes to a restaurant, and the staff “makes bug eyes at you and doesn’t know what you’re talking about,” put a dollar on the table and walk out.
He said Harrah’s will take precautions such as using a separate cutting board and cooking the gluten free pasta by itself.
Gluten free hamburger and hot dog rolls, pretzels and beer are available at Phillies, Flyers and Eagles games, if you ask for them, said Harris.
He is a 1995 graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Norfolk, Va. Harris can be emailed at: jameharris@ac.harrahs.com
Information on Celiac Disease is available at: www.celiac.com