When the winner of our dinner contacted me, she quickly mentioned that she wasn't eating gluten (no wheat products, no flour!) and the people she wanted to invite also didn't eat any red meat (thankfully fish was okay). So I found myself designing a 5-course gluten free, no mammals menu. I once worked at an upscale senior residence where one of our clients had celiac disease, so I had a few gluten-free tricks up my sleeve. I came up with this menu:
1st: zucchini and yellow squash crudo
2nd: carrot and ginger soup
3rd: grilled ratatouille with arugula salad
4th: pan-seared Utah trout with rainbow potato gratin
5th: flourless chocolate idiot cake and vanilla rice pudding brulee
The crudo, which is a raw preparation, is always a nice way to start a meal. I shave off thin slices of zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise and marinate in a lemon-dill vinaigrette. It makes a lovely presentation too, as I take the individual shavings and roll them up. The carrot-ginger soup is also a staple of mine, very simple yet really elegant. And I thought grilling the vegetables for the ratatouille would add a nice dimension of smokiness; the lightly dressed arugula would also give some bite to this traditionally stewed dish.
I quickly decided that fish would be our protein of choice given the restriction on red meat. So I let what looked best to me at the market guide what would be on the menu that night. At my local fish monger, I immediately saw beautiful trout caught right here in Utah and quickly snatched up all I could. I wanted some texture to the cooked trout, but had to avoid the use of regular flour since my clients were gluten-free...so I dredged the fish in a blend of rice flour and cornstarch (both are great gluten-free options) before searing it off. This created a nice crisp exterior to the juicy and tender fish.
We finished the evening with two desserts: a flourless chocolate cake (David Lebovitz's chocolate idiot cake) and a rice pudding brulee. Both were a hit and rounded out the evening nicely. Chocolate is always a safe bet with dessert, but I find that an alternative to chocolate is also well appreciated. I mentioned that I worked as a cook in a home where one of our resident's was gluten-intolerant. While I worked there, the clients loved my rice pudding, a great universal dessert since it doesn't contain any flour. So when I heard it had to be a gluten-free menu, my mind immediately went to rice pudding for dessert. For a little twist, we bruleed the rice pudding to make it extra special - audience participation is always a great way to win a crowd over anyway. The hard, caramelized sugar created a crisp crust giving the soft rice some texture.
In the end, the clients' enjoyed their special night. I had a good time meeting everyone and providing this service to them. And luckily...no one burned the place down.
Quick rice pudding brulee
1.5 C water
3/4 C white rice
salt
3 C whole milk
1 C heavy cream
0.5 C sugar
1 vanilla bean, split with seeds scraped out
cinnamon
1. Add rice and water to a sauce pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low and cook until all of the water is absorbed by the rice (about 10 minutes or so).
3. Add in whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, the whole vanilla bean, and the scraped out seeds. Mix well.
4. Cook over medium heat for about 30-40 minutes. Be careful that the heat isn't so high that the cream boils over.
5. Sprinkle in cinnamon to taste and mix well.
6. Layer a ladle full of rice pudding into a shallow ramekin. Smooth over top with a butter knife.
7. Pour a generous tablespoon of sugar on the surface of the rice pudding.
8. Using a blowtorch, apply close heat to the sugar to create a hard sugar surface.
9. Serve immediately.
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