Ramos Gin Fizz - Hello New Orleans via Malibu, California

My favorite drink is a Ramos Fizz.  I used to get these at Alice's Restaurant in Malibu, back in the 1980's.  So so good!  The best brunch/breakfast drink EVER.

This video shows a recipe that sounds like it would be just like the ones at Alice's.  I've not tried this recipe yet, but I will!  I want to perfect making this drink... my signature drink let's say.

I've had them at many other bars and restaurants and they are not even close to as good as they were at Alice's.  I'm really hoping this recipe is great.

For now, I'll share the video and recipe with you.  Thanks to Epicurious.

Ramos Gin Fizz Recipe Video by Epicurious

Let me know how you like this recipe!  I'll share my thoughts after I try it too!

I'm going to use the recipe and directions from the video, but the recipe below might be good too.

Ramos Gin Fizz

Epicurious  | February 2009

by Eben Freeman, of Tailor Restaurant in New York City

yield
Makes 1 serving

This version of the classic New Orleans cocktail was created by Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor restaurant in New York City.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) gin
• 1 dash (3 to 4 drops) orange blossom water*
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) simple syrup (or none)
• 1 cup ice cubes (or 2 huge cubes)
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) seltzer (or soda water)

Preparation

*Also called orange flower water; available in liquor stores and in the specialty foods section of some supermarkets.

In large cocktail shaker, combine gin, orange blossom water, egg white, half-and-half, lemon juice, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously for 25 seconds. Add ice and shake for 30 seconds more.

Strain mixture into 8-ounce glass. Slowly pour soda water down inside edge of shaker to loosen remaining froth. Gently ease soda water/froth mix onto drink and serve.

My Review of Cup4Cup Flour

Originally submitted at Dean & DeLuca

Best Pancakes

By Gluten Free Gastrome from San Jose, CA on 3/30/2013

5out of 5

Pros: Gluten Free
Best Uses: Pancakes
Was this a gift?: No

I made the best pancakes of my life! Gooey and light. Thinner than normal pancakes and thicker than crepes. Even my husband loved them and he does not have to eat gluten free.

I'm looking forward to trying it in other recipes.

People who are vegan or dairy intolerant should know this flour contains dairy, which is unusual.

(legalese)

WARNING - No Wheat Grass!

Absolutely do not consume wheat grass if you have Celiac Disease!  Same thing with barley grass.  And rye grass if there is such a thing.

When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease by a gastroenterologist who specializes in Celiac research, the doctor made it cristal clear that my body cannot tolerate even trace amounts of wheat, barley, rye, or their derivatives.

There is NO WAY for wheat grass manufacturers to guarantee that no seeds (also referred to as grain or berries) have formed in an entire field of grass being harvested.  Additionally, manufacturing facilities where wheat is processed are likely to contaminate non-wheat products due to shared equipment and wheat dust throughout the air in the factory.  The USDA allows products to be labeled gluten free even if the product contains up to 20 parts per million of gluten!

It is best to buy products labeled "manufactured in a dedicated gluten free facility".  If you decide to trust products claiming they test for gluten in their products, be sure to verify that it's been tested for gluten cross-contamination with a specific type of test: the R5 ELISA test. Other forms of testing may not produce accurate results, since they may underestimate the amount of gluten in the product.  Additionally, it is common practice for ingredient manufacturers only test random batches, not every batch of product.

I have Celiac Disease and recently got a sudden itchy rash on both thighs, seemingly out of the blue.  The only new thing in my diet is my "super greens " I started adding to my morning smoothies.  The rash lasted for a week, slowly getting itchier, more red/irritated, and spreading up my leg.  I stopped using the powdered greens (containing wheat grass & barley grass) and the rash has greatly improved.  

I'm warning you so you do not made the same mistake I did, as I even contacted the manufacturer who claimed the ingredients cannot have gluten and that they test for gluten just to be sure.  I will not consume products derived from any part of wheat plants, rye plants, or barley plants in the future, no matter what!

You can read an article about this subject here:
htmAre-Wheat-Grass-And-Barley-Grass-Gluten-Free.htm
Gluten cross contamination

Craving Carbs - Need Pancakes!

Pancakes - Gluten & Dairy Free

by Denise Shur

1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Flour (Cup 4 Cup is my fave)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder-gluten free

3/4 teaspoon baking soda - gluten free

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon maple sugar (you can omit the sugar or use your favorite sugar)

1 3/4 cups coconut milk

1/4 cup of Coconut Oil (or mixture of coconut oil & coconut butter)

2 Large Eggs

Brands and ingredients used in this recipe.

Put all ingredients in blender.  I prefer a Vitamix Blender because nothing blends better.  Do not over mix.  

Heat pan/griddle on medium heat.

Put a generous glob of coconut oil on your griddle and start making pancakes!  I pour about a 1/2 cup because I like big pancakes.

You know the pancakes are ready to flip when they are covered in bubbles and the edges have bubbles that  have popped and the bottom of the pancake is a nice dark golden brown.  Flip and cook other side for a minute or two.

Add more coconut oil to pan as needed so they don't stick.

Gluten free ingredients I use

Spicing Things Up

Trying New Spices a Bit At a Time!

It can be intimidating to try recipes with new spices and it can be expensive to buy multiple spices too!.  Especially since they usually come in pretty large amounts, even if your recipe only calls for a teaspoon or so.  I found a solution - there is a brand called Spicely that comes in nice small boxes!  I buy them at Whole Foods.

And, the bonus is that Spicely brand offers Certified Organic and non-irradiated!  It is VERY, very hard to find spices that are not radiated!  Virtually all spices are treated with radiation to extend the shelf life longer while ensuring that no bacteria can grow. 

As long as you keep your spices dry and use them within a reasonable amount of time, they will not grow bacteria.  Spices do not need radiation!  It's overkill... heh heh.  Get it?  Plus, who wants to eat food with radiation? Not me.

Another little tip -- spices and herbs lose potency and flavor over time.  If you have jars of spices sitting for a year or more, they are not at their peak flavor anymore.  It's better to buy smaller amounts of spices, unless you go through them very fast!

I hate trying to find spices in my cupboard or drawers.  And they usually take up way too much space.  So I found a creative, easy, affordable, space-saving way to store these cute little boxes of spices!  I took a roll of self-adhesive Velcro and stuck strips onto the inside of my cabinet door.  Then I just cut a little square to put on the back of each box. 

Now I have all my drawer space back AND I can easily alphabetize my spices for easy access!  Plus it's super affordable.

To Test or Not Test for Celiac Disease

Get Tested for the Antibodies and Genes associated with Celiac Disease!  

Learn WHY you are sensitive to Gluten. It might be genetic!

My antibody test came back only mildly elevated so my general physician was not inclined to think I had Celiac Disease (also known as celiac sprue).  I told her I'd been eating mostly gluten free for several years.  So she told me to eat lots of gluten for 4 weeks, then had me retake the test.  The results were higher but still not "for sure".  

So I told my Doc I wanted another blood test to check for the presence of the HLA DQ genetic pattern (DQ2 & DQ8, etc.).  The presence of those genes means I could have or develop Celiac Sprue Disease.  Those tests came back positive for one of the genes.

So, I researched and networked with people to find a reputable doctor in my area who SPECIALIZED in diagnosing Celiac Disease.  The best doc was not the closest.   I drove 1 hour to San Francisco to meet the doc, scheduled the biopsy, and was diagnosed with Stage 1 Celiac Disease, all within about 30 days.  

Intestinal biopsy showing healthy vs. damaged tissue.

The benefit of KNOWING I have this disease is that I now live 100% dedicated to gluten free living - no slip-ups because the croissants looked good, for example. 

My positive result means that one or both of my parents carries the gene and my children should be tested for it too, since it IS GENETIC! 

Now I also get to write off the cost of gluten free food as a medical expense on my income taxes!!!  Here's a link to Tax Deductions for Celiac from the Celiac Disease Foundation's website.  The only "medicine" for Celiac Disease is diet, which is significantly more expensive than "regular" food.  If you think you're sensitive to Gluten, then get tested and write off the costs of Gluten Free Food!  If you are positive for the gene, then of course encourage your parents, siblings, and children to get tested too.

Dr. Jeffrey Aron, MD

Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Clinical Nutrition

Celiac Doctor, Pacific Heights Medical Group

2340 Clay Street, 6th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94115

Email:    aronjm@sutterhealth.org

Phone: 415-674-5200 & 415-600-3700

Fax:        415-600-3705

Profile   www.gut-check.com

Genetic tests for celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are readily available. Testing can be performed on either blood and mouth swab samples. If the testing is performed by certain laboratories not only will you have quite an accurate prediction of your risk of Celiac disease but also you may have information about the statistical probability that your children will inherit the risk, your likelihood of more severe Celiac disease, whether one or both of your parents had the risk gene, and for some laboratories you may determine your risk of gluten sensitivity without Celiac disease.

The absence of any portion of the high-risk genetic patterns DQ2 and DQ8 nearly excludes the possibility of celiac disease with an approximate accuracy of 99.9%. However, there is a big caveat about relying on "negative celiac genetic testing". To definitively declare you have negative celiac genetic tests requires that the laboratory test for and report the presence or absence of the entire HLA DQ genetic pattern, including both alpha and beta subunits.

More Info:

Celiac Sprue Association http://www.csaceliacs.info/newly_diagnosed.jsp

Celiac Disease Foundation http://www.celiac.org/

Celiac & Gluten Free INFO (by a Private Individual ) http://www.celiac.com/

Favorite Things - Gluten Free

Retail products I love that happen to be 100% Gluten Free!

Carrot Cake by Gluten-Free-gourmet.com
Fudgy Brownie by Gluten-Free-gourmet.com
NY Cheesecake by Pamela's
Donuts by Glutino (will do in a pinch)
Cookies (Chocolate & Giner are my faves) by Pamela's
Chocolate COVERED Chocolate Hazelnut Bars (Wafer Cookies) by Schar
Cookie Wafers - Chocolate/Chocolate Flavor by Glutino
Cookies (Oreo style) by Glutino
Tortilla Chips - Sweet Potato Flavor is my fave by Food Should Taste Good
Pretzels by Gluteno
Crackers - NutThins (various salty flavors) by Blue Diamond
Crackers by Glutino
Bread - Cinnamon Raisin Flavor by Canyon Bakehouse
Bread - Colorado Caraway Flavor by Canyon Bakehouse (see photo below)
Bread Crumbs by Glutino
Cereal - Corn Flakes w/ Strawberries by Glutino
Almond Milk - UNSWEETENED by Almond Breeze (Blue Diamond Almonds)
Almond Milk/Coconut Milk blend - UNSWEETENED by Almond Breeze (Blue Diamond Almonds)
Almond Milk Chocolate Flavor - UNSWEETENED by Almond Breeze (Blue Diamond Almonds)
Almond Milk Dark Chocolate Flavor by Silk
Pasta (all kind of shapes) by Le Veneziane
Pasta (Tagliatelle) by Schar
Pizza by Glutino (pretty good, but very small pizzas)

Pizza by Against the Grain Gourmet (full size pizza).  Try the precooked crusts using your own toppings!

Here's the Colorado Caraway Bread!  Delicious!

Quiche Makes Wednesday Feel Like Saturday!

I decided... I'm hungry this morning.  So I whipped up a batch of Denise's Gluten Free Quichey-Custard.  Ooh the house is smelling good this morning as I write this!  

People, yes I love to cook.  But I do not like to be "stuck in the kitchen all day".  It takes me only about 5 minutes longer to prepare a 'batch' of breakfast that will last several days, than it does to make only one quiche for myself.  So why not make a double-batch of quiche to serve 12 people?  Then I will have breakfast for myself and Mike for six days!  No brainer.  Decision made. 

Today, as I pulled out all the ingredients I would need to make my quiche, I realized we do not have any cream.  None.  To make a double-batch of quiche I need 2 cups of heavy cream and 2 cups of whole milk.  I did find about one half of a cup of half and half in the fridge that I needed to use up and a box of Unsweetened Coconut-Almond milk.  (We usually do not have milk products in the house, as my Celiac Disease has caused me to be pretty intolerant to dairy.  We use non-dairy milk alternatives like unsweetened, plain almond milk and coconut-almond milk.)  So I'm trying it in the quiche!  What the hell; that's how we find fantastic new recipes... or we find out what not to do.  I feel confident that I will like the quiche even using 'alternative milk' which is not as creamy traditionally.  I will let you know how the texture turns out; it may turn out a bit less creamy, but nuts and almonds have a good amount of fat in them, so we shall see.

I made one big batch of egg mixture, but kept the 'extras' separate for this double batch.  

Here's the "milk" mixture with pepper & truffle salt, before I added the eggs.  In the photo you can also see the little 4oz. log of goat cheese and the 1/4 pound of prosciutto.  This little bit of cheese was enough to put 3 pinches/clumps of cheese into TWELVE quiches, so a little goes a long way.   As for the prosciutto, be sure to ask the butcher to put a piece of plastic or paper between each slice of prosciutto, as the thin slices are very hard to peel apart if they don't.

Once the eggs are added, the mixture becomes creamy yellow and you barely see the pepper and truffle salt.  The photo above looks like it has lots of pepper, but it really doesn't; it was just floating on top because it wasn't mixed yet.  See how you can't even see the pepper anymore in the photo to the right?

 

I love mushrooms, but Mike doesn't and I had 4 or 5 crimini mushrooms to use up in the fridge.  So I made 6 mushroom & shallot quiches and 6 prosciutto & shallot quiches.  

I just cooked a double batch of shallots and thyme first and set them aside in 2 separate bowls.  Then I cooked the mushrooms separately.  Sometimes the stems of mushrooms can be tough, so I pulled off the stems and minced them very fine before cooking them.  HINT:  When cooking mushrooms, don't crowd them in the pan or they can get rubbery.  Use a pan big enough that they have room between them so they do not steam.  Cook in batches if you need to.  Remember, this is mostly an egg dish so you do not need many mushrooms... 3-5 at the most.  Once the mushrooms were browned, I added them to one of the shallot bowls.
 

This is how I add the prosciutto.  Just wrap it around the edges any old way.  Nothing fancy.  Don't worry if it's crooked or doesn't stick to the sides. 

 Below are the quiches just as I placed them into the oven.  The oven racks are set to keep the quiches in the center of the oven for the most even cooking.  I will turn each tray about 1/2 way through the cooking time to help them cook more evenly.  In my oven they tend to cook faster in the back of the oven.  Careful not to spill water from the top tray into the bottom quiches when you turn them!

These are the quiches fresh out of the oven!  I took them out of the oven a moment ago.

Mmmm... they smell so good.  The fresh thyme gives them a special aroma and flavor.  It is the secret to making these quiches special.

I can't wait to try them!

 

To the right is my breakfast!  I'm so ravenous that I'm treating myself to 2 quiches; one of each flavor!  I cannot wait to taste these.  I always serve these quiches with a simple green salad lightly dressed.  Quiche is rich and flavorful and pairs perfectly with something bitter and/or tangy.  I'm off to eat my late breakfast!  

Oh!  I will let you know how the quiche turned out using the coconut-almond milk instead of heavy cream and milk.

 UPDATE at 12:48pm:

*smiling like a Cheshire cat* Oh, I'm a happy girl... mmm... what a difference a meal makes.  I was so hungry.  I guess that's what happens when I wait until noon to eat breakfast.  Okay, I can report back that the coconut-almond milk was fantastic.  It made very little difference in taste and texture.  A little less rich and still very delicate in texture, not dense at all.

 

GARDENER'S NOTE:  Keep your egg shells for the garden!   

With a big batch of quiche like this, I used a full dozen eggs and of course, had lots of shells.  Egg shells are high in calcium and other minerals.  The more minerals you work into your garden soil, the higher mineral content your harvest will have and the healthier the plant will be throughout the season.  Just put the shells right back into the egg carton and set the carton in the fridge for a week or so. Refrigerators are frost free and have very dry air inside, which helps the eggs get super dry so they will crumble easily into tiny shattered bits of shell.  Or, you can use a compost can like I do that stays right on the counter.  It looks a bit like a miniature trash can, but the lid has a vent on top with a charcoal filter to keep odors down.  Once the shells are dry and are all crumbled up, just toss them into your garden.  Don't worry about working the shells into the topsoil if you don't have time.  The important part is getting them into your garden; Mother Nature will work them into the soil if you don't have time to do it.