We welcomed a guest to the Casa Caudill this weekend, our dear friend Lane. My hubs had invited him to play in our club’s member-guest golf tournament. Which was really nice of Schmoo except that event isn’t until April and Lane had a ticket to come in February. So they made their own fun…….and I did a lot of cooking. Gluten free cooking.
Lane has Celiac disease so gluten-free isn’t a lifestyle choice for him, its essential for his health. I have been friends with this man for a long time and made a lot of meals for him and he helped me craft my gluten-free game– which is pretty easy as long as you make a habit of reading ingredients (that gluten shit hides in weird places). And can someone please explain to me why gluten free bread is miniature? WTF?
One time I invited Lane and Alex for dinner at the last minute, didn’t even think about the gluten thing. They arrived, we had a nice drink then I called everyone to the table. For lasagna….. and garlic bread….. and salad. Poor Lane. I felt horrible, he was very gracious about it and took a big salad. I take the care and feeding of people in my kitchen very seriously and I vowed to never make that mistake again. Pay attention to what your guests need!
So this weekend for Sunday dinner our menu included:
- Bone-in pork chops, thick sliced, marinated and grilled
- Fried Granny Smith Apples
- Four Cheese Risotto
- Grilled Asparagus finished with sesame seed and balsamic glaze
- Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream
At first I was going to use one of my go-to marinades in a bottle from Whole Foods–love the soy ginger but after reviewing the ingredients list, it contained gluten. So then I checked a bottle of Lawry’s Sesame Ginger marinade, nope also contained gluten. So I had to make my own. After a little research I threw this together in a mason jar:
- Worcestshire sauce
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- EVOO
- ginger, kosher salt, ground pepper, rosemary
- honey
- pinch of brown sugar
While those beauties were marinating I made a batch of fried apples, which always pairs perfectly with pork chops. I chopped up 2 large granny smith apples and then threw those in a non-stick skillet with a couple of tablespoons of butter and brown sugar and a generous sprinkling of the following:
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- allspice
- ginger
- tiny pinch of red pepper
Stir that over medium heat until the apples are golden brown and the sauce has turned syrup-y. You can set aside and serve warm or at room temperature. I am serving mine with the pork but these apples are also excellent over vanilla ice cream with a caramel drizzle or baked again in a muffin tin with some crumbly top for an easy apple cobbler/crisp.
Confession time–this dinner was another example of home cooking with help from a box. The four cheese risotto was from Knorr’s but I cooked it with chicken stock instead of water and substituted bacon fat for the EVOO but otherwise followed the directions on the envelope 🙂
The gluten free brownies were a mix from Krusteaz to which I added a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and finished with some red sugar crystals to make the brownies look festive.
The one thing I would NEVER serve from a box is a vegetable. Ours was asparagus grilled on a cast iron pan with a little drizzle of EVOO, some balsamic glaze that I picked up at Peppercorn’s in Boulder (if you are in Boulder on Pearl Street you MUST go to Peppercorn’s, it is the best kitchen store ever) and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Thank you Lane for making the long trip from Colorado–you were very entertaining and I enjoyed the challenge of gluten free cooking. We love you buddy!
The Casa Kitchen 