Your Home Restaurant

[mushroom]

Probably most of us have gluten free homes and serve our guests gluten free foods. We also try to make our guests feel special and not deprived. What are your favorite meals to serve to gluten eaters? Do you ascertain all diners' eating preferences? Do you give them the traditional things they would expect, like dinner rolls? Tell us about your entertaining - would love to hear it.

Oh, and you might enjoy this little excerpt from a columnist's article on dinner parties:

"Take dietary sensitivities seriously There are two types of people who don't eat gluten. The first type is just Gwyneth Paltrow. The second are bona fide coeliacs, who have a serious medical condition. Some coeliacs are so sensitive to gluten that they will be hospitalised if there is even a crumb of bread in their meal. (I know this from experience.)

If someone says they're gluten-intolerant, ask what type of gluten-avoiding person they are so you can avoid accidentally killing them. Accidentally killing Gwyneth Paltrow is okay, though."

[Lisa]

Probably most of us have gluten free homes and serve our guests gluten free foods. We also try to make our guests feel special and not deprived. What are your favorite meals to serve to gluten eaters? Do you ascertain all diners' eating preferences? Do you given them the traditional things they would expect, like dinner rolls? Tell us about your entertaining - would love to hear it.

Oh, and you might enjoy this little excerpt from a columnist's article on dinner parties:

"Take dietary sensitivities seriously There are two types of people who don't eat gluten. The first type is just Gwyneth Paltrow. The second are bona fide coeliacs, who have a serious medical condition. Some coeliacs are so sensitive to gluten that they will be hospitalised if there is even a crumb of bread in their meal. (I know this from experience.)

If someone says they're gluten-intolerant, ask what type of gluten-avoiding person they are so you can avoid accidentally killing them. Accidentally killing Gwyneth Paltrow is okay, though."

I love to cook and share. I only cook gluten free, but will offer my guests some french bread or rolls - which I micro or warm in oven on foil. Or I might offer some real crackers with a spread or cheese, which I obviously don't eat. Glutino offers some really great seasoned bagel chip, that fools everyone. And I never mention the word "gluten free". I just watch how quickly it's consumed and enjoyed, and smile.

I have several friends who do not eat meat and salmon or seafood is generally our choice and I found a GREAT recipe on Pinterest

I have served spaghetti with gluten free pasta with no complaints, but I don't do it often and only with only close friends.

I have not attempted fried gluten free foods for guests, and not too much for myself. It's a bit too messy for me, unless the crave hits me hard. I do miss some southern fried chicken, though.

....and no one has been hospitalized after one of my meals, that I know of.

[Skylark]

I just made stir fried chicken with bamboo shoots, broccoli, and snow peas with gluten-free soy sauce for a friend who came over to dinner. Served with rice. Strawberries for dessert. It came out really well and it's not the kind of meal you even notice is gluten-free.

I sometimes make cornbread or flax bread to serve with dinner. I don't offer gluten rolls because I prefer not to have them in the house at all.

When my brother was staying with me we had gluten-free oatmeal, oranges, and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Again, "normal" food that happens to be gluten-free. I made a big pot of chicken, vegetable, and rice soup for lunches served with Mary's Gone Crackers. We ate out at places that have gluten-free menus for dinner.

[pricklypear1971]

I try to make naturally gluten-free foods. So far, my guests have just been family...and I think so far they've been pleasantly surprised.

Hubs and my son get the brunt of the experiments gone wrong. The Kid let it slip one day when he was thrilled with some Elana's Pantry cookies... "Cool. They aren't flat like your other ones!".

Thanks, Kid.

I try to steer away from rolls, etc. I won't bring gluten in. I do use stuffing, breadcrumbs, etc. because I find they translate really well and no one knows the difference. I have served Against The Grain baguettes and my FIL loved them. Hubs and son love the Schar rolls.

Pinterest is a great place for inspiration. So many gluten-free options pop up that I've never thought of. Keeps the imagination going.

[Stubborn red head]

I love making ribs, or wings off the grill, potato salad and some pork'n beans. All of which is gluten free. Some times I do cornbread, or some Hawaiian bread out of the micro.

[love2travel]

Naturally gluten free at our house. I love to do fancy schmancy such as vanilla bean poached lobster, mushroom pate, seared duck with port cherry sauce, poached or seared scallops with vanilla cream, standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding, roasted leg of lamb, celeriac puree, wild mushroom risotto, pots du creme, creme brulee, etc. When we have guests we go all out. No need for rolls or bread. I might make homemade crackers or gougeres and a lovely roasted red pepper and walnut dip or serve with compound butters. Or I might make homemade pasta (ravioli) stuffed with roasted butternut squash and goat cheese with crispy sage leaves and arugula.

Come to think of it, this is how we often eat anyway. When guests come we tend to make more courses. We also like to cook non-traditional stuff, things they would never expect or otherwise have. It is like eating at a high-end restaurant.

[CarolinaKip]

Naturally gluten free at our house. I love to do fancy schmancy such as vanilla bean poached lobster, mushroom pate, seared duck with port cherry sauce, poached or seared scallops with vanilla cream, standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding, roasted leg of lamb, celeriac puree, wild mushroom risotto, pots du creme, creme brulee, etc. When we have guests we go all out. No need for rolls or bread. I might make homemade crackers or gougeres and a lovely roasted red pepper and walnut dip or serve with compound butters. Or I might make homemade pasta (ravioli) stuffed with roasted butternut squash and goat cheese with crispy sage leaves and arugula.

Come to think of it, this is how we often eat anyway. When guests come we tend to make more courses. We also like to cook non-traditional stuff, things they would never expect or otherwise have. It is like eating at a high-end restaurant.

loves2travel, I think everyone would be beating down your door to eat dinner with you!

[bartfull]

Home is the place I go to sleep. Between taking care of my sick friend and running my business, I leave the house at eight every morning and don't get home until 9:30 at night most days.

But here at the shop, my regulars bring in their own snacks or meals. Today for example, there is a jam session going on. I supply the coffee and they have brought cookies and popcorn, all of which I can't eat. But they clean up after themselves so I don't even have to touch it.

[ndw3363]

I don't have company often, but when I do, it's gluten-free all the way. I have a broiled tilapia recipe that everyone loves, served with roasted sweet potato and broccoli. Other things are enchiladas, taco salad, pork chops breaded with crushed gluten-free cornflakes (a family favorite even among gluten eaters), and my favorite for fancy meals...tuna steaks with mushroom cream sauce served with brown rice and snap peas. It's expensive, but so worth it when I want to impress. I never have rolls or the like in my house. I typically don't make a starch for just myself when I cook, but when company comes over I will have rice or potatoes for the meal - don't expect everyone to go carb free like me. Luckily, as of today (praying this doesn't change - I'm a little over a year gluten-free), I can still have dairy which helps. If that ever changes, I will need a whole new list of recipes.

[brendygirl]

I recently hosted the neighborhood ladies and served lasagna and didn't tell them it was gluten free until someone remembered I can't eat gluten and asked. For appetizers I serve chips and salsa/guacamole, oven-baked nachos, cheese and sausage, and veggies and dip. I also concur with the others on sticking with a naturally gluten free protein and a veg and a sweet potato or other gluten-free starch-type dish like a quinoa or rice dish. I have also made stuffed avocados, stuffed chicken, stuffed peppers, stuffed pork chops, etc. I always brine my poultry for company, because it makes it so juicy. Fudge, jell-o, chocolate mousse, creme brulee, custards, puddings, chocolate-covered strawberries, bananas foster, all make great naturally gluten free desserts (if you make sure you buy gluten-free ingred. and avoid cc). The ONLY bread I have or would ever serve regular people is Against the Grain gluten-free baguettes. It's amazing and my mom ate it and she hates all gluten free foods.

[Adalaide]

So far I've only entertained once since going gluten free. We did a leg of lamb, salad and veggies which are all naturally gluten free. Since the couple we invited over has two small boys I also made some gluten free mac and cheese, knowing that it would be a hit with the kiddos. I also made gluten free brownies and we had brownie sundaes for dessert. The only place I bent was to serve a tray of rolls, one of those frozen, heat it up in the oven things. They seemed perfectly happy with dinner. I don't see any reason to add gluten to a perfectly good, naturally gluten free dinner.

[MaryJones2]

I always do all gluten free too - I tell people to bring the alcohol and we'll do the rest. I don't serve much gluten-free pasta to guests (although I will do lasagna which I can do vegetarian too). I serve bread but am pretty careful about it because most people aren't always prepared for the taste so I'll do gluten-free croutons on a Caesar salad or chebe frozen cheese rolls (those never get complaints) or cornbread. At breakfast I'll serve Joan's bagels or English muffins. If I have a vegan I'll do something Asian or Indian as those are usually dairy-free. And I can do lots of things corn and soy free too. I make all of my sauces and dressings from scratch so it's easier to manage guests with issues.

My tried and true entertaining meals are:

Appetizers: antipasto, chips and salsa, spring rolls

Salads: caprese or Caesar salad

Soup: chicken tortilla, Italian vegetable, Chili (last two can be vegan or vegetarian) or egg drop

Entrees: lasagna, baked chicken legs over mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy and green beans, fish tacos, pho (beef or tofu), grilled salmon with asparagus and wild rice, pork chops with pineapple fried rice

Desserts: cheesecake, key lime pie or pumpkin pie or sobert if I'm lazy

[Juliebove]

I try not to have people eat here. For one thing we have only a tiny dining table and really no place else for people to sit. I have old crappy furniture that needs to be replaced but I can't afford to do that.

The last time I had people over it was my parents for Christmas lunch. I made gluten-free turkey and noodles which they all liked. I did not. I am not that big on turkey. But my mom couldn't have chicken. And now I can't have chicken. We have additonal food allergies. I can't remember what I served for dessert then.

The year before (same meal) I made pizza. gluten-free for some of us and also dairy free. For my dad and husband I bought Bobolis and baked them on foil. I made extra gluten-free dough, sprinkled it with sugar and cinnamon then drizzled it with icing. We also had salad.

If I had to make a meal today (assuming I had places to seat people), I would make either a pot of chili, hamburger or turkey gravy over mashed potatoes, or crockpot ground beef teriyaki. All of these things are naturally gluten-free. I might also do a salad bar. I did the salad bar when we first moved in here. I did order pizza for those who could eat it. And now Garlic Jim's offers a good gluten-free pizza here. But I also concocted a big salad bar because I had overheard some of the movers say they were on a diet. That seemed to work well for everyone. Another meal I would want to make (but wouldn't because I can't eat it) would be pot roast with veggies. Very easy to do and naturally gluten-free.

[larry mac]

I never do gluten-free. I let the crowd pick what they want, and go get it. Usually it's pizza. Sometimes fast food like Arby's, etc.

I'm the only Celiac. We do have a couple of Diabetics in the bunch, which complicates deserts for everyone. I usually just fix myself something (gluten-free of course), and hardly ever have desert.

My home is not gluten-free, but I do all of the grocery shopping, cooking, and food preparation for my wife and I. I have almost complete control of the kitchen. There is gluten bread, tortillas, cookies, etc. but no loose flour items. Haven't had a problem with this setup in over five years.

best regards, lm

[mboebel]

It depends on the crowd-

Sometimes, we get the smoker out & smoke ribs or grill some steaks if it is our group of friends & roast potatoes in olive oil & sea salt & have something I made earlier, like Texas sheet cake or brownies. On the flip side, I make a simple mixed green salad with oil & vinegar dressing, homemade pasta sauce with Tinkyada noodles (no one can tell!) and a dessert (trifle makes a lot and is easy - no one can tell it is gluten-free) or cupcakes.

[mushroom]

It depends on the crowd-

Sometimes, we get the smoker out & smoke ribs or grill some steaks if it is our group of friends & roast potatoes in olive oil & sea salt & have something I made earlier, like Texas sheet cake or brownies. On the flip side, I make a simple mixed green salad with oil & vinegar dressing, homemade pasta sauce with Tinkyada noodles (no one can tell!) and a dessert (trifle makes a lot and is easy - no one can tell it is gluten-free) or cupcakes.

What do you use for sponge in your trifle?

[mboebel]

I've used both homemade blonde brownies & Shabtai lady fingers.

The blonde brownies were MUCH better!

[mushroom]

I've used both homemade blonde brownies & Shabtai lady fingers.

The blonde brownies were MUCH better!

Thanks! Would you mind very much sharing your blonde brownies recipe

[mboebel]

I just adapted Mark Bittman's (from How to Cook Everything) --

1 stick of butter

1 c brown sugar (can use dark or light - I like light)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract)

pinch of salt

1 c all purpose flour (I find that Bob's Red Mill works very well cup for cup with this recipe, while Better Batter you have to add about 1/16 more)

Bittman's possible additions --

1/2c-1c chopped nuts

1/2c-1c chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon mint extract (replace vanilla extract)

1/2c mashed bananas

1/4c bourbon or scotch

2 teaspoons espresso powder

1/2c dried fruit (cranberries, chopped apricots, raisins, etc)