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The Wheat-Free Cook is a valuable resource for the Gluten Free Community. It is thorough in describing the gluten-free grains, flours and other ingredients available in most markets today. Many of the recipes are quite easy to make, and in many cases, the results are fantastic. Jacqueline Mallorca thinks outside the box and utilizes unique substitutes that mimic the real thing; such as using crepes in the cannelloni recipe.
At first glance, The Wheat-Free Cook has nothing special on the cover to draw attention to itself. It would easily blend into a sea of books at your local bookstore. More photographs of completed recipes would boost the appeal of this book along with a spiral binding, allowing the book to remain open on the recipe page you are preparing.
This cookbook had a handful of recipes that I would consider adding to my “go-to” repertoire. Many of the recipes would not appeal to my family’s tastes. For the newly diagnosed Celiac patient, however, this book is a perfect introduction to a wheat-free lifestyle. It’s wide array of recipes provide a variety that is sure to produce a few favorites. For people who have wheat allergies and other food related conditions, e.g. lactose intolerance, I would recommend checking this book out also. A gluten-free diet does not mean deprivation; rather it means accommodating different needs in regards to food.
This book has a good selection of recipes that are not just merely palatable but show the versatility of gluten-free grains. It brings gluten-free into mainstream meals and out of the dark ages when gluten-free meant drab and bland foods from specialty shops. You can cook wonderful dishes and nobody will be any the wiser that you are making inclusive meals that are gluten-free. Most of the recipes are simple to put together, directions were clear and concise. Many of the recipes have ingredients that are not normally found in the average pantry or fridge. There were a number of ingredients that were either difficult to find at the local supermarket or whole food store or could not be found at all, for example “chestnut spread”. The introductory comments at the beginning of each recipe are entertaining and informative. It allowed me to do a first cut of recipes that I felt would appeal to my family.
Recipes that were tested ended up as hits and misses. The fact that I could use rice crepes as “noodles” in the cannelloni recipe showed that the author is rethinking how a recipe can be used to transform a recipe into a gluten-free version.
This cookbook was lacking in the number of photos of completed recipes. This is an important element when dealing with gluten-free recipes, where the end result typically will not look like the “regular” gluten made version. A photo helps to assure the cook that, in fact, they have made it correctly. The photos that were included in the book (8) were very helpful and many were ones that were selected as test recipes.
Overall, The Wheat-Free Cook is an excellent primer to the world of gluten-free cuisine.
Tested Recipes
1) Recipe Title: Almond and Lemon Cake
Comments: This is a straight forward cake to make. The flavor and texture are good, and it would be difficult for someone to identify it as a Gluten Free cake. There are many other Gluten-free cake recipes that have much better texture and taste than this recipe.
Rating: 3
2) Recipe Title: Fresh Rice Flour Egg Pasta
Comments: Rice pasta is not a recipe that you see very often, so I was very excited to try this one. The recipe uses simple, easily found ingredients and comes together quickly. I made this recipe a few times and found that the thinner you can roll out the dough, the better your noodles. I would suggest a pasta maker to get the dough to the proper thickness. These noodles held up well in the cooking process and tasted like homemade noodles from my childhood
Rating: 4
3) Recipe Title: Parmesan Puffs
Comments: This recipe sounded better than it actually turned out to be. This was by far the least liked recipe of the bunch.
Rating: 2
4) Recipe Title: Gratineed Rice Flour Cannelloni
Comments: The rich ragu filling made this a family favorite. The fact that it was wrapped in a Gluten Free rice Crepe was totally unexpected. When baked, the rice crepes simulated filled pasta beautifully. This one really showed the versatility of the rice crepes and I intend to try them in other recipes.
Rating: 5
5) Recipe Title: Rustic Seed Bread
Comments: This bread was simple to assemble and bake, but with many Gluten-free bread recipes, this version did not create a “breadlike” texture and taste. The Rustic Seed Bread had a wonderful taste fresh from the oven when it was still warm or when toasted. This is similar to many Gluten-free breads on the market. However, at room temperature, it was dry and lacking any chewy texture.
Rating: 2
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- Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook
- Going without the Grain
- Fresh and Honest
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