I didn’t taste wasabi for the first time until after I graduated from college. More than 20 years of my life went by without this delightful spicy horseradish passing over my lips. Yes it will clear your sinuses in large quantities, but it hurts so good. Perhaps I’ve been making up for lost time, for now it seems that I am drawn to anything that uses wasabi to heighten flavor. Yes it’s usually the unappreciated middle child on a plate of sushi, but in this recipe it is the star. Sure, you can throw the ingredients together without wasabi and it will be fine. But wasabi will take it from a forgotten dish you eat to avoid awkward conversation at a party to something you crave because it haunts your memories.

This may also be one of the easiest party dips you can pull together. I’m all about maximum flavor with minimum effort. Even my mom, who hates food and cooking, was able to prepare this for a recent party to rave reviews. This is an especially good one for the summer since no actual cooking is involved.

Crunchy Wasabi Shrimp Spread Recipe (serves 8-10 as a party appetizer)

One 8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained and diced
Two 4 ounce cans tiny pink shrimp, drained
3/4 cup wasabi mayonnaise
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
salt and pepper to taste

gluten-free crackers or toasted baguette for serving

In a medium bowl combine water chestnuts, shrimp, mayonnaise, relish, a dash of salt and pepper. Stir to combine completely. Add salt and pepper to taste (be generous with the pepper).

For a low-fat version, replace mayonnaise with non-fat greek yogurt and 2-3 teaspoons wasabi powder. You could also eliminate the wasabi if you can’t handle the heat, but what would be the fun in that?

Another super easy appetizer to pair with this? Tamari Roasted Almonds.

That means I will be making this recipe for Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs with Pecans and Goat Cheese and my all time favorite salsa recipe made with avocado and figs.

What is your favorite summer produce? How do you put it to good use?

If you haven’t tried this Fig and Avocado Salsa Recipe, you are truly missing out.

While the photos don’t do this dip justice, a Garlicy Bean Spread is perfect party fare.

If the group wants something more substantial, give this Hearty Turkey Chili recipe a try.

As always, I am a big fan of Gramercy Tavern’s Spiced Mixed Nuts Recipe or the Barefoot Contessa’s Rosemary Roasted Cashews,  but Tamari Roasted Almonds or Toasted Tex-Mex Almonds are even easier.

I adore these Gluten-Free Fruit and Nut Bars and the BEST Gluten-Free Brownies Recipe is a sure crowd-pleaser. For a sweet, but snackable dessert it doesn’t get easier than this Homemade Candy – Dark Chocolate Almond Bark.

As you are preparing a slew of gluten-free party-worthy dishes, just make sure you have gluten-free chips or crudite and watch out for cross-contamination – that darn pita bread seems to be ubiquitous lately….

I hope you enjoy the big game!

Ingredients – serves 4
Salad
2 pounds quartered (not peeled) fresh beets, stems and leaves removed
2 large bunch arugula, stems removed
2 cored and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples
4-ounce goat cheese log

Dressing
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
3 Tablespoons season rice wine vinegar
5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
9 Tablespoons buttermilk
1 Tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Wrap beets in foil, making sure to seal into an airtight package.  Roast in the oven for about 80-90 minutes or until beets are soft.

Prepare dressing by whisking together mustard and vinegar in a small bowl.  Slowly whisk in olive oil, then buttermilk, shallot and dill.  Chill until ready to use.

When beets are soft, remove from oven and run under cold water until cool to tough; rub skin off with fingers and cut beets into 1/4 inch dice.

Divide arugula evenly among individual plates.  Add apple slices, then dices beets, topping with small pieces of goat cheese.  Spoon dressing over each salad and serve immediately.

While roasted beets definitely have the best flavor, I have recently found packaged steamed/peeled ready-to-eat beets at FreshDirect and Trader Joe’s.  For a quick salad on a weeknight they are a great substitution.

Here are some tips from Cooking Light on working with beets. For more salad recipes – try my Gluten-Free Tuna Mediterranean Salad, this Pear, Blue Cheese and Endive Salad Recipe or my favorite Avocado, Cilantro and Tomato Salad Recipe.

During my recent week of repose in California, I was reminded of my summer in Sicily as I again practically ate my weight in fresh figs.  Our wonderful Italian neighbors, Ruby and Carmella have two fig trees in their back yard.  I was glad to ‘assist’ them in clearing out their bounty.  While fresh figs are delightful all on their own, I decided to try my hand at a new appetizer.  I love experimenting with food and recipes when I have others to test my creations.  This ‘small plate’ makes for the perfect party showstopper because they can be put together in advance and popped in the oven right before serving.

It’s so easy it doesn’t even really require a recipe but I’ll do my best to construct one.

Gluten-Free Prosciutto Wrapped Figs

Ingredients:
Fresh Figs
Thinly-sliced Prosciutto di Parma, cut into quarters
Softened Chevre (goat cheese)
Chopped Pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees or turn on broiler

In a small bowl combine the softened goat cheese and chopped pecans

Slice figs in half, spoon a small spoonful of the cheese/pecan mixture into the center of one half of a fig.  Wrap each fig with a small piece of prosciutto and place on a foil lined cookie sheet.

When ready to serve, put the cookie sheet in the oven/broiler for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the prosciutto starts to crisp.  Serve warm. 

If you are looking for more ways to be creative with figs – try this Fig and Avocado Salsa recipe or Shauna’s take on Gluten-Free ‘Fig Newtons’ (though really that does her cookie an injustice because these taste great and Fig Newtons almost soured me to the fruit forever…)

All of the fresh produce in California is almost temptation enough to lure me back to the West. However, this delicious creation was made in New York.  As walking through the Union Square Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago I saw a stand with a box of zucchini flowers.  I decided it was the perfect excuse to try the recipe for Stuffed Zucchini Flowers I first tasted during my gluten-free trip to Italy last year.  My plating wasn’t nearly as lovely as Dania’s but since I used her recipe, they were almost as delectable.


Gluten-Free Stuffed Zucchini Flower Recipe (adapted from La Cucina Toscana Della Chiusa by Dania Lucherini)
2 Appetizer Servings

Ingredients:
4 zucchini flowers, stems, green leaves and inner stamens removed
5 oz fresh whole milk ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon of butter
1 pinch sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash the flowers very carefully and fpace on a cloth to dry.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta and egg with a fork.  Add salt, pepper and chopped parsley and mix well.  Carefully fill the zucchini flowers with the mixture.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat, add the diced tomatoes and the pinch of sugar.  Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 10 minutes.  Then add the stuffed zucchini flowers to the sauce and sauté on low heat for another 10 minutes.  Turn the stuffed flowers over gently with a spoon two or three times throughout cooking until they are thoroughly coated in the sauce.

Serve on a warmed plate. 

Gramercy Tavern Mixed Spiced Nuts, originally uploaded by A Gluten-Free Guide.My friend Fabrizio recently shared with me an Italian proverb: “Quello che si fa il primo dell’anno si fa tutto l’anno.” Translated: “That which you do at the beginning of the year you will do the rest of the year. ” As 2007 ended, filled with family, friends, cooking and laughter, I can only hope to have even more of these treasures in 2008.

While home in California for the holidays, enjoying every moment with my new nephew, I had the opportunity to try out a few new recipes and revisit some classics. This recipe for spiced nuts was given to me during one of my delicious gluten-free dining experiences at Gramercy Tavern. The spice mix is quite large but as the bulk is sugar and salt, it’s not prohibitively expensive even if you only make the nuts two or three times.

Spice Mix
1/4 cup salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup cayenne
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container for up to six months. Gluten-Free Spiced Bar Nuts Recipe
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 1/2 cups raw unsalted cashews
1 1/2 cups raw unsalted pecans
1 1/2 cups raw unsalted walnuts
1 Tablespoon spice mix Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat sugar and water together in a small saucepan to form a simple syrup. In a mixing bowl, toss nuts with simple syrup and corn syrup to coat. Add spice mix and continue to stir. Spread nut mixture evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast for 15 minutes, turning pan every five minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 30 days. I now plan on experimenting with different combination of nuts and seeds. Almonds instead of cashews? Or maybe an Allergic Girl friendly version with peanuts and sunflower seeds?

Happy New Year! I appreciate every comment and email. Thank you for an incredible 2007. I wish you love, health and deliciousness in 2008.

After a week in Southern California, enjoying some delicious Mexican Food, I thought it was time to share a spicy recipe infused with Mexican flavors. Another great find from Donna Klein’s Gluten-Free cookbook, these toasted tex-mex almonds will kick up the flavor and dance on your tongue. As a bonus, this recipe is really easy to prepare, much less time-intensive than my Mexican tamales.

Toasted Tex-Mex Almonds

3 tablespoons canola oil
3 cups whole blanched almonds
1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon gluten-free chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer to a heatproof bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the nuts, tossing well to thoroughly combine. Transfer to a baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Let cool to room temperature before serving. (Cooled nuts can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a few weeks.)

It’s weird the things that are emblazoned in our memories. I remember very clearly the first time I saw cut up jicama at a Whole Foods in San Francisco. Why is that memory so vivid and rich when I sometimes can’t remember things I did a few days ago? Perhaps it’s the tactile nature of eating and the multiple senses it engages that leaves such vivid images in my mind. That’s probably why there can be thousands of food blogs and we don’t get tired of reading, looking at pictures and enjoying other people’s experiences with food. Ok, back to San Francisco.
I saw a container of unidentifiable white cubes amongst the fresh cut fruits and veggies. The label said jicama and there was a lime sitting on top. The whole container cost less than $3 so I decided it was worth a try. When I got back to my computer I looked it up jicama on the Internet (have to find out that nutrition information to dose my insulin). FreshDirect’s web site has become my de facto source for food information and nutrition facts. Their description is great: “Jicama is all about crunch. Its flavor is slightly nutty and fruity, almost like an apple, but its real virtue is its light, juicy crispness. It resembles water chestnuts (for which it can substitute easily). You can boil jicama like a potato, but we prefer it raw. In Mexico, chilled jicama slices seasoned with chili powder, salt, and lime juice are a favorite cocktail snack.”

Since my first foray into the world of jicama in San Francisco I have been pleased to find it in dishes at Candle Café. Recently I decided to make a jicama appetizer for a dinner party. Because my local Whole Foods doesn’t have it pre-cut I had to find out what the root looks like and how to peel and chop the rather unwieldy thing. The first time around was definitely not easy. My Knife Skills 1 class at ICE did not prepare me for this. I’ve since become more adept, though I did have a small accident involving a dull chef’s knife, a jicama root and my fingernail. (It hasn’t kept me from integrating jicama into my diet on a much more regular basis.) I’ve had some trouble finding jicama at my “regular” grocery stores so you may need to go to a produce market or Whole Foods if your local market doesn’t stock it.

Give these spicy chips a try, but unless you are knife skills master allow some time and extra jicama for practice.

Spicy Jicama Chips (from Donna Klein’s Gluten Free Vegetarian Kitchen)

1 large jicama (about 12 oz), peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
Juice of 2 limes (about 1/3 cup)
½ tablespoon gluten-free chili powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the jicama slices in a shallow nonreactive dish and add the lime juice; toss well to coat. Let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature, tossing a few times. To serve, drain the jicama chips and transfer to a serving platter; sprinkle with the chili powder, salt and pepper.

I have also tried these with just a dash of cayenne. For you spice lovers, it really ratchets up the heat.

As anyone who knows me or has been reading this blog for a while knows, I love cheese. I love tasting new cheeses, planning a cheese “course” for a party or picking cheeses for an appetizer or dessert at a restaurant.

I took a Cheese 101 class at the Artisanal cheese center in Manhattan two years ago with my friends Erica and Sumita. After that class I bought “The Cheese Plate” by Max McCalman, who led our course. He is the rock star fromager for all of the Terrance Brennan restaurants, including Artisanal. After our class was over, Erica was able to get us an exclusive tour of the cheese “caves” where the fromagers care for and age the famous artisanal offerings.

Last week, my friend Susan joined me for a French cheese class at Artisanal lead by Fromager Daphne Zepos. We were served a selection of French cheeses and given background information about each of the cheeses as she led the tasting. Even with my knowledge of cheese, the class was enlightening and delicious.

For example, did you know that while wine was always aristocratic fare, cheese was once considered a humble food? It began as a way to preserve the milk so that farmers could survive in the lean winter months (necessity is the mother of invention after all). The aristocracy and landowners would collect the more “ephemeral” cream and butter products and leave the cheese for the farmers. I also learned that women traditionally made goat’s milk cheese. Goats were considered of “the devil” and men didn’t have the patience to deal with the temperamental beasts. It therefore became the chore of the wife to take care of the goats. The residual effects of this can be seen in the small and delicate forms many goat cheeses take. It’s a woman’s imagination that ties little packages with such care.

When looking to pair cheese with food or beverages, ideally you find pairings that elevate the taste of each. Apparently sommeliers tend to recommend cheeses that will elevate the wine and some fromagers recommend wines that elevate the cheese. There are combinations however that can elevate both. For the yogis and others that avoid alcohol, you don’t have to feel left out; here is an article on how to use juices to the same effect.

While most cheeses are gluten free, I was concerned when I discovered that one of the cheeses on our plate was dusted with breadcrumbs. (Click on the photo to go through to Flickr and see which cheese is which.) I of course avoided the breadbasket placed on each table, but was pleased to learn that fromagers consider bread merely a palate cleanser. According to Daphne, bread hinders your ability to really taste the cheese and therefore should only be eaten between each cheese. So I was perfectly happy to use water as my palate cleanser and have an expert fromager give me an additional reason for banishing bread from my cheese services.

Cheese plates are a fun way to get creative with your palate with no actual cooking time. Let me know if you find some new favorites. (and Amber, we are going to find a Sheep’s milk cheese for you!)