Betty Crocker, Gluten-Free Brownies

Oh my goodness.

That’s about all I can say about Betty Crocker's GF brownies. Dense, rich, fudgy and I don’t even really love chocolate. But I adored these on my bday.

These GF brownies would be a welcome addition to any party, dessert plate, Viennese table or pot luck.

Seriously, ridic. Thank you Betty Crocker food scientists for coming up with this one.

"Never serve anything that looks creepy..."

Recently, I returned to a restaurant that I’ve liked in the past. However, this particular evening, the chef was not there. Note to self, find out if chef is working before going to a restaurant. Everything seemed off: service, the food, the reception. Meh. All of the excellent allergen practices were in place and my meal was safe but it wasn’t a great dining experience. Less than great to be honest.

I ordered off the menu, something the chef had previously suggested I try, or at least I thought that’s what he had said. Turns out the restaurant makes no such dish and had no idea how to do it; at least the sous chef working that night had no clue. They made me a "special order", which was very sweet but it was bizarre. The "special" meat patty came out raw inside (I sent it back for more fire), and as if someone hadn’t actually packed it. It was in floppy sections. Very unappetizing.

I probably should have sent it back a second time but I ate it. I felt badly that they went to all the trouble. I wished they just told me they didn’t have that item on the menu and offered other options. I deeply appreciated that they wanted to please me but...ugh.

Chalk it up to major miscommunication on both sides.

My dining companion (who works in the foodservice industry) and I were talking about this New York Times article: the 100 rules of service (part 1 and part 2 and readers' comments on the article). We remarked that sadly a few were broken right in front of our eyes, like #21. Never serve anything that looks creepy or runny or wrong. My dinner was creepy and wrong and raw. My dinner companion summed it up perfectly when emailing the next day: “I would like to add a rule: #101. Never serve a naked meat patty that looks like it was made by a first grader, and raw inside.”

Do you have any rules to add? About food allergies and service? Or just service in general? I’m curious.

Nut Free Cupcakes, NYC

I get TONS emails from readers and commenters asking about where to get nut-free cupcakes in Manhattan. My answer, sadly, is no place that I know of. Everybody Eats is in Brooklyn; Babycakes is GF and vegan but NOT nut-free; there are some others in Bergen County New Jersey; but this all equals non-convenience for the nut-allergic Manhattanite.

(If I’m missing something and you know of any place in New York City's five boroughs, please do share.)

So what’s a Manhattan-based allergic girl or allergic guy or a friend/family member to do in the absence of a safe bakery and with a birthday quickly approaching? Bake them yourself.

I made two kinds but the concept was the same: brownie mix as a cupcake with white icing. I find the brownie mixes denser, way chocolate-ier and they don’t dry out as much if you bake them a day ahead of time. Both of the mixes I used also incorporate chocolate chips which helps keep the cupcakes moist and lovely.

I used Cherrybrook Kitchen brownie mix and Betty Crocker brownie mix, both gluten-free, nut-free and vegan (made with vegetable oil and water). I used soy-based Earth Balance margarine with Cherrybrook Kitchen white icing mix and also made traditional buttercream icing with Cherrybrook Kitchen vanilla icing mix and organic butter.

We had dinner at a restaurant that I know and love: Nizza. I asked them if I could give them mixes to make me a safe cake OR if I could bring my own cupcakes in without incurring a plating fee. We both agreed the latter made the most and easiest safest sense. I love when restaurants work with you and I really LOVE having cake on my bday.

The cupcakes were so rich, my dinner party could only eat one, sometimes only half and no one thought they were gluten-free/vegan/nut-free. They satisfied the need for bday cake and were completely safe for all, especially moi. Was it annoying to bake one's birthday cake? Nah, not really especially as not having safe cake on one's bday was unacceptable. So voila, solution!

Family, Food Allergies

So we’ve all heard the horror stories: grandparents sneaking your tree-nut allergic child a walnut brownie saying, “A little can’t hurt.”

I’m looking for some stories of families who support your dietary restrictions.

Whether parents, sibs, grands, in-laws, please share!

With Thanksgiving soon approaching, we could all use some great supportive family stories.

Dyson Vacuum, Allergens

Recently, I received a Dyson Ball DC24 vacuum through Dyson via Asthma & Allergy Friendly. (Disclosure: Asthma & Allergy Friendly has generously supported my Worry-Free Dinners programs with allergy-friendly donations in the past.) I already have two vacuums: a huge Hoover, with no-bag technology but heavy, unwieldy and with a square nose like a hammerhead shark; and a small more compact, bagged Eureka vacuum that gets dragged all over the place like a whiny little sibling.

As an Allergic Girl, one who has asthma (in remission, thankfully), I keep my home as dust-free as possible: no animals, natch and friends take off their shoes at the door (thanks, friends!). I have two silk Orientals: an area rug and a throw rug; and there’s a cotton rug in the bathroom that gets washed regularly. The rest of my space is parquet flooring. I wash my bedding every week and the surfaces are dusted weekly. I keep my windows open year round, so soot collects quickly but that’s where cleaning weekly comes in. Basically, the Dyson was entering a home that is pretty low-dust, low allergen.

I read the Dyson instructions and watched as it rolled it over my entryway throw rug. The mini-cyclone in the canister registered some tiny red dust bunnies. Hmm. I rolled it over the parquet floor, heard that crunch crunch as some larger stones collected, gravel probably from road work outside brought into my room on someone’s shoes (who didn’t take off their shoes?). Dyson and I continued through the apartment, turning corners with ease, swiveling, all the while the cyclone picking up a little more dust and tornadoing it into red mini-tumbleweeds. (My silk rugs are red.) The dust was whirling around so fast it almost seems like it wasn't working, but it was.

Upshot: after three weeks vacuuming weekly with Sir Dys-A-Lot, my big area rug was definitely cleaner. When using the Eureka , I noticed visible particles left behind; when using the Hoover, it pulled perfectly clean fibers out of my silk rug unnecessarily, so the rug looked cleaner but shorn. As you can see and read, much thought was put into re-envisioning this vacuum. The Dyson canister opens from the bottom, thus with a flick of the finger, the bottom drops out. Dust is deposited directly into the dustbin. For comparison’s sake, the Hoover, which is also bagless, is top loaded; you have to upturn it to get rid of the dust, thus spreading the dusty love all over the garbage and elsewhere. I do love that design point of Dyson’s as well as its curve- turning capability, its compact lightweight nature and yeah, it does just look really cool.

I have only used the Dyson’s three times. I'll have to check back in in a year to see how it held up. However, for now, it has made my other vacuums obsolete. Yesterday, I gave away the Hoover and the Eureka will be retired/recycled this week. Thank you Dyson. I look forward to many happy hours of vacuuming.

Do you any of you have the Dyson or another vacuum that helps with your allergies? Do tell.

Amy's Kitchen, Slogan Contest

You don't see this every day, so I thought I'd pass along to you. I'm sure many of you enjoy Amy’s Kitchen's products. Now you can help them with their company slogan. The below comes from Amy’s Kitchen:

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Dear Amy's fans,

Amy’s Kitchen is celebrating its 22nd birthday this year. Believe it or not, after all those years in business, Amy’s has no official slogan! The closest thing the company has to a tagline is “Healthy eating for busy people.”

Amy’s needs a slogan! And we need your help to spread the word.

We’d love it if you could ask your readers to tell us what phrase, word, jingle, or rhyme encapsulates Amy’s Kitchen for them (in 15 words or less). The winner will receive $500 worth of Amy’s products!

To enter, send your readers to Amy’s Kitchen or search for "Amy's Go Organic" on www.facebook.com. Entries must be received by February 1, 2010.

We can’t wait to see what your readers come up with!

Vegan Soul Kitchen, Byrant Terry

I saw Bryant Terry give a keynote at the 2009 Natural products Expo East. His talk was about food justice, a cause near and dear to my social worker heart. (Here’s a 2003 article on food justice and Terry’s other book and website Eat Grub.) He's written a new cookbook and his publisher sent me a copy Vegan Soul Kitchen. It's “...Alice Waters meet Melvin Van Peebles.” An easy on the wallet, high in the veggies, all-out healthy cookbook wherein every recipes comes with a song suggestion to blare whilst cooking.

For the food allergic and food intolerant set (we allergic girls and guys, and food intolerant dudes and dudettes), Terry stresses an important life lesson: “...pay close attention and listen to [your] body to see what it needs (or should avoid)."

And then later, related more to the vegan diet "...No single way of eating is perfect for everyone. In fact, because our bodies are so dynamic, no single diet is perfect for any one throughout his or her life. Our relationship with food should be fluid, shifting as we change.”

Yes! Also he encourages playing with his recipes. So, as many include some pastry flour for thickeners and some nuts and nutmeats as garnish or recipe additions, take those out and play! I made the dish that inspired the book, citrus collard greens. Collards have seemed daunting in the past because of how long it was suggested you cook them. (This week, The New York Times has a recipe up this week that are quick cook as well.) Terry uses a classic French method of blanching then shocking them to keep that nice green color and adding some citrus, crucial in digesting iron to it’s optimum. The result is super tasty!

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With the permission of DaCapo LifeLong Press, here is Terry’s recipe and a picture of the end result. Photo courtesy of Vegan Soul Kitchen:

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Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux

Yield: 4 servings

Soundtrack: “Sankofa” by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Tony Allen from Allen Chop Up and “Sankofa” by Cassandra Wilson from Blue Light ’Til Dawn

This recipe was the seed of Vegan Soul Kitchen . . . a brand new classic, if you will, dedicated to my home city in the mid-South—Memphis, Tennessee.

Coarse sea salt
2 large bunches collard greens, ribs removed, cut into a chiffonade, rinsed and drained (pages 4 and page 8).
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2⁄3 cup raisins
1⁄3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

• In a large pot over high heat, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the collards and cook, ­uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water to cool the collards.

• Remove the collards from the heat, drain, and plunge them into the bowl of cold ­water to stop cooking and set the color of the greens. Drain by gently pressing the greens against a colander.

• In a medium-size sauté pan, combine the olive oil and the garlic and raise the heat to medium. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the collards, raisins, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

• Add orange juice and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Do not overcook (collards should be bright green). Season with additional salt to taste if needed and serve immediately. (This also makes a tasty filling for quesadillas.)

Chiffonade
The chiffonade cut is used to produce very fine threads of leafy fresh herbs as well as greens and other leafy vegetables. First, remove any tough stems that would prevent the leaf from being rolled tightly (reserve them for stocks or salads). Next, stack several leaves, roll them widthwise into a tight cylinder, and slice crosswise with a sharp knife, cutting the leaves into thin strips.

Nut-Free, Lipstick

The question of nut-free cosmetics, specifically lipstick, comes from an Allergic Girl reader and it's one that I've written about before.

My first thoughts were Almay and other drug store brands that don't use high-end expensive nutty ingredients. Or a place like Giella that custom creates cosmetic blends. (Very cool, I know and not more expensive than Chanel or other high-end department store brands).

What do you think? What have you used?

From reader:

Hi: I saw your website and was intrigued. It's my husband that has the nut allergy, but I also have the fish/melon-and-other vegetables allergy.

But my main concern is nuts in cosmetics. I've finally found makeup I can wear without breaking out (Bare Escentials) because I have extremely sensitive skin and eyes, but their lipgloss must have some kind of nuts. Even though I wrote to the company and they say it doesn't, their lipstick does, so there must have been some kind of contamination in the processing, or the person I e-mailed is uninformed, or they are not as careful about what is considered 'nuts' (I didn't realize the shea butter connection, for example--that's in everything!).

Anyway, are you aware of a list of cosmetics that are nut-free you could refer me to? I'm mostly interested in the lipsticks as that seems to be the problem.

I'd be very grateful for any assistance you could provide me.

NYC Food Allergy Poster, Lappin Testimony

Here's a copy of the testimony of Council Member Jessica Lappin at last week's food allergy poster open hearing.

Testimony of Council Member Jessica Lappin

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Proposed language for educational food allergy poster.

October 23, 2009

My name is Council Member Jessica Lappin, and I represent City Council District 5, which includes the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island.

In March, the Mayor signed into law Introduction 818, which required the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to create a poster containing information on food allergies. As the author of that legislation, I am here today to express my opposition to the proposed language for the food allergy poster.

The implementation of this bill, and what we are here today to discuss, is a very personal issue for me. Both my husband and my son suffer from food allergies. However, my situation is far from unique. The National Center for Disease Control estimates that 12 million Americans have food allergies. That amounts to 6% of children under the age of 3, and about 4% of the overall population. Food allergies are also on the rise. Between 1997 and 2007, food allergies among young people in industrialized nations increased by 18%. From this information, we can assume that restaurants in New York City will be dealing with food allergic customers on a more frequent basis.

When my family eats at a restaurant, I don’t worry that my husband will suddenly forget his allergy and order shrimp. What worries me is that someone in the kitchen will go from handling shellfish to handling my husband’s food. Or my son’s. It’s the threat of cross-contamination from someone who doesn’t understand the risks that worries me. And there is significant evidence to suggest that food service workers do not have a sufficient understanding of food allergies. A recent study revealed some worrisome information: 24% of New York City restaurant workers thought that consuming a small amount of allergen would be safe; 54% considered a buffet safe if kept clean; 25% thought that removing an allergen from a fully cooked meal was safe. I am sure that some of the food allergy experts here today will talk more specifically about this or other studies. My point is simply to illustrate that all of this data points to a real need for effective educational tools for food service workers.

If we are to accomplish the goal of this legislation, to bring down the overall number of anaphylaxis reports in the city, especially those that result in death, we need to educate all food service workers about the severity of food allergies, and reinforce this information at all possible turns. The food allergy poster that is under discussion is just such a vehicle for this information, and is a tool for reinforcement. We need to get it right the first time.

As it stands, the proposed language for the food allergy poster is not a comprehensive educational restaurant poster. In fact, the proposed poster is focused on customer service, as evidenced by language that specifically targets restaurant servers. That is a huge flaw as it ignores the many other instances at which food can become contaminated. A comprehensive educational poster needs to address food servers, preparers, and any employee involved in the handling of food.

A poster that addresses all employees involved in the handling of food needs to 1) address food handling safety issues, providing specific instructions on how to prepare food with care and attention for a food allergic customer 2) make clear those situations in which it is unacceptable to serve food to someone with food allergies 3) highlight the frequency with which food allergies occur and 4) highlight the gravity of food allergies.

I am also concerned that the Department of Health is implementing Local Law 17 in a way other than what was approved by both the New York City Council and the Mayor. The bill that was signed into law specified that any food service establishment that violates this law shall be subject to a fine no greater than one hundred dollars per violation.

However, according to the Department, violators will be charged $100 per day, and such penalty shall be doubled if the respondent is found in default. This concerns me because this legislation was the product of an effort involving many stakeholders, including food allergy experts, restaurant owners, and many of my colleagues in the Council. Changing the violation structure now is not what was discussed or approved. I respectfully request that the Department of Health please stick to the language that was agreed upon and the language that was approved by the legislative body of our city.

I hope that after the Department of Health hears what food allergy experts and concerned citizens have to say, that you will incorporate the changes suggested, and fulfill the true aim of Local Law17.

Thank you.

Perilla, NYC

Since it opened in spring 2007, Chef Harold Dieterle's (of one of first winners of Top Chef) restaurant Perilla has been getting great reviews; and last spring, my dear friend had her bday brunch there. You can read about the brunch here. After dining there in March, co-owner and hostess Alicia had said in our email exchange (I had written a thank you): “Hope you visit us again soon. Next time we will challenge the chef to create something fantastic for you!”

Flash forward to about ten days ago. After a late afternoon food panel at NYU's Fales Library (with Delores Custer; Harold Mcgee; Florent Morellet; Sara Moulton; Fabio Parasecoli; and Moderator: Clark Wolf) I headed over with Shari Bayer and Terri Sheridan for a work/social dinner.

Two days prior, I looked over Perilla’s menu, isolated two items (lamb and duck) that looked easy to modify and emailed Alicia. She emailed back that the Chef said: [sic] “lamb yes.... just ask about mustard seeds....prob need to sub something for orzo. Duck yes....no chili jam...ask [Sloane] about dragonfruit...although it is in the cactus family just to play it safe.”

Love that direct communication.

I entered Perilla still cautious, as I always am with a new restaurant, but knowing I had done my part to communicate my food allergy needs early, clearly and directly. We were greeted by Alicia who assured me they were all ready for me. Yay! We had an early dinner reservation at 630pm and we were seated in a spacious leather banquet with a full view of the room. Loved our seats! Going early was helpful because by about 7pm the place was jammed and hopping, even in a recession.

Perilla draws an attractive, downtown crowd with some families (including Alicia’s adorable son and husband and some friends with their babies), couples on dates, groups; truly a mix of everything and everyone, all looking happy. The buzz was great, the lighting attractive and our waiter Hunter, a tall cutie, said he totally understood my needs because his BF in Cali has severe nut allergies. Always helpful when someone has a friend with similar concerns.

I confirmed with Hunter that I was having the lamb and tried to confirm some of the ingredients in the Tasting of Colorado Lamb dishes (grilled rack, crispy braised belly, homemade cheese & parsley sausage). Hunter reported that Chef would only say that everything was safe for me given my needs, but he would not give me the exact ingredients. I can respect that a chef doesn’t want to give away ingredients but it does make me a little bit more nervous.

I had to make a choice: trust that the Chef knew what he was doing and trust my process (as outlined above and here) or skip eating altogether because the chef wouldn’t tell me every last ingredient. (In years gone by, I might have skipped eating. I see no shame in doing that. Bottom line: if you don’t feel safe, don’t eat.)

However, I felt safe enough. I decided to go with trusting that the Chef, co-owner Alicia and server Hunter were looking out for me and that my process works. I also made sure my dining companions knew what to do in case of an allergic girl emergency, where my medication was and how to help me if I needed it. (Terri’s son has a severe peanut allergy so she knows the whole drill. Thanks again Terri!)

I didn’t order an app, because there wasn’t one that I saw that could be easily modified. Chef sent an app out, on him. A salad of fall veggies that was totally safe and allowed me to join my app-eating companions. Very cool, Chef. My entree of lamb arrived all scrumptious and safe and I had some yummy sorbet for dessert. All very happy happy.

Chef appeared table-side soon after the entrees were served to make sure I was okay. Super sweet and super cool. We had a nice long chat about food allergies and dining out. Chef underscored how grateful he was that I gave him some notice before coming in. He said he was happy to make menu adjustments especially when given advance notice (a day or two by email,alicia@perillanyc.com or opentable.com is fine). We talked about what I could eat on my next visit. For example, there’s a lamb burger at the bar. It has breadcrumbs but Chef said if I gave him some notice he’d make some without for me. Rock on, Perilla!

I will def go back again and hope to add Perilla to my list of regular allergic girl haunts.

Perilla Restaurant
9 Jones Street
New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212.929.6868
Fax: 212.929.6882
Owners
Alicia Nosenzo & Harold Dieterle
alicia@perillanyc.com