Gluten-Free During the Holidays: Cooking Tips from Carol Fenster

"Most holiday traditions center around eating those favorite wheat-laden foods. I've learned new ways to make them without wheat," says Carol Fenster, author of Gluten-Free 101, a cookbook that uses a blend of sorghum, potato starch, and tapioca flours in place of wheat flour. These substitutes, along with the following tips, allow everyone to safely indulge in the foods that we expect at the holidays.

Perplexed by pie crust? Make it in a food processor and press it into a fluted-edge pie dish or tart pan with your fingertips. This makes a professional-looking pie crust without rolling pins or hand-fluting. "No one knows that your holiday pie -- whether it's pumpkin, pecan, or mincemeat -- took a shortcut," says Fenster.

Stumped by stuffing? Gluten-free bread makes delicious stuffing. Trim crusts for even browning, cut into cubes, and dry out in a 300 degree oven so the bread can better absorb the liquid and seasonings, says Fenster. Bake it in a dish like bread pudding, which is far easier than wrestling with the bird-- and safer because the stuffing bakes more evenly.

Baffled by bread? Instead of dinner rolls (which Fenster says are hard to hand-shape because gluten-free dough is soft and sticky), make quick-baking French baguettes. Assemble the dough in a food processor. Use a metal, spring-action ice cream scoop to drop uniform balls of dough into the French baguette pan trenches, then shape the dough into logs with a wet spatula and let rise. Baguettes are narrow and bake quickly, so pop them into the oven while the turkey rests. By the time the turkey is carved, the bread is ready for slicing, piping hot from the oven and tantalizing your guests with its heavenly aroma.

"Whether you are affected by autism, celiac disease, or choose not to eat gluten simply because you feel better without it, enjoying your favorite holiday foods is part of the fun," says Fenster. "No one should feel left out during this special season." For more information, go to www.GlutenFree101.com.

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