Menu Monday: New Year's Eve Celebration

Here at Glutenfreeda, we are all about planning ahead and designing menus that make for flawless execution. With recipes that can be begun in stages, from several hours to several weeks in advance, our New Year's Eve menu will not only impress your guests - its ease will impress you, too!

Here are Chef Yvonne's Top Ten Tips for an effortless New Year's Eve party!

10…Focus on appetizers that are naturally gluten-free. Your hors d’oeuvres won’t taste funny (or gluten-free) because they are what they are supposed to be — naturally authentic. This will also help you out because you won’t have to hunt for special gluten-free items — you can actually shop at the grocery store! What a concept!!!

9…If hors d’oeuvres are the only food offered at your party there should be at least 6 different appetizers — figuring 2-3 pieces per person per appetizer.

8…To calculate for hors d’oeuvres not in pieces (like dips or pâtés) assume 1 ounce is equal to 1 piece.

7…Create a balance between hot and cold dishes.

6…If you are planning on having 20-25 guests or more for hors d’oeuvres you should include some ‘bulk’ type items in your menu. Otherwise you will find yourself making hundreds of little things.

5…For an hors d’oeuvre party where you are not planning on serving a ‘meal’, plan on serving some more substantial items with small plates and forks.

4…Be creative with your serving dishes. Plan some hors d’oeuvres to be served in fun cocktail glasses for a festive touch.

3…Plan desserts that can be served in bite-size portions and that can be prepared a day or so in advance.

2…Stock up on liquors and wine. Unless you plan on hiring a professional bartender, sometimes it is easier and more fun to serve just one type of cocktail, made up in batches. Or display just the four basic liquors — Scotch, Bourbon, Gin & Vodka along with an assortment of appropriate mixers, a bucket of ice and glasses of various sizes.

1…Once the party has started, sit back, relax and enjoy! Don’t fret about the little things. Most likely you will be the only one who will notice if forgot the garnish on the shrimp!

On the Menu...

• Broiled Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon
  
• Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese on Polenta Triangles
  
• Polenta Triangles with Peppers & Gorgonzola
  
• Almond Stuffed Prunes wrapped in Bacon
  
• Cauliflower Soup with Gorgonzola Toasts
  
• Roasted Tomato & Curry Soup
  
• Cheese Sticks
  
• Parmesan Rosemary Crackers
  
• Chocolate Raspberry Squares
  
• Pecan Torte with Black Cherry Glaze & Mocha Buttercream Frosting

Recipe of the Week: Apple Cranberry Pie

This week's featured recipe is our famous Apple Cranberry pie - an all-American favorite with a festive twist!

Even better, making this recipe gluten-free/dairy-free (GFCF) is well, as easy as pie! Especially using Gluten Free Mama's pie crust mix (our latest and greatest discovery!) and Earthbalance butter substitute, this can be allergy friendly in minutes. Egg free? Just follow Mama's directions using honey instead of egg white and skip the egg white glaze and you're good to go!

Apple Cranberry Pie

Ingredients
Our Basic Pie Crust recipe OR Gluten Free Mama's Pie Crust Mix
6 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon arrowroot
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Place sliced apples and cranberries in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and arrowroot. Add sugar-spice mixture to apples and toss to thoroughly coat. Cover tightly and set aside.

Prepare dough according to package directions. Divide dough in half and roll out to 10 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thickness (this is best achieved between 2 sheets of plastic wrap). Carefully remove top sheet of plastic wrap and invert over pie dish. Peel off top layer of plastic wrap and fit crust into the bottom of the pie dish, allowing about 1 inch to fall over the sides of the dish. Roll out remaining dough to the same size, again between plastic wrap. Place apple mixture in the pie dish. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap from pie crust, invert and lay on top of pie. Remove remaining sheet of plastic wrap and fold under edges to seal the crust. Crimp edges with the index finger of one hand and the thumb and index finger of the other. Cut several small slits in the pie to allow steam to escape. Brush center of pie with egg white (but not edges, since this could cause the outer edges to brown too quickly). Sprinkle top of pie with sugar.

Bake pie at 450°F for 10 minutes. Rotate pie and reduce heat to 375°F and continue to bake for another 45-50 minutes, or until top of pie is nicely browned, apples are tender and juices are bubbling. Remove pie from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack for 1 hour before serving.

Menu Monday: Intimate Holiday Dinner Menu

In slight contrast to our Elegant Holiday Dinner Menu, this meal is much more, shall we say, cozy. While still quite impressive and perfect for entertaining a small group of guests, this menu features more comfort-style foods, perfect for a wintry dinner party!

This holiday menu is a little more toned down, but still perfect for entertaining a smaller crowd. This menu starts off with mouthwatering Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms – each mushroom cap is filled with a sausage – cornbread stuffing and then topped with cheese and baked until juicy and brown. Follow the starter with a salad that is not only beautiful in presentation but also packed with flavor – Pear, Beet & Fennel Salad. For the entrée serve Apple Stuffed Cornish Hens, Rice Pilaf with Apricots and Green Beans with Toasted Hazelnuts. Depending on the appetites of your guests you can either serve each guest with a whole hen or half. I typically like to serve half a hen just due to the number of the other menu items. And for dessert treat your guests to Lemon Bars with Cheesecake Filling….make sure to make plenty as it is difficult to just eat one.

-Chef Yvonne

On the Menu
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Pear Beet & Fennel Salad (pictured, below)
Apple Stuffed Cornish Hens (pictured, right)
Rice Pilaf with Apricots
Green Bean with Toasted Hazelnuts
Lemon Bars with Cheesecake Filling

We have many other menus for you to choose from if perhaps you are looking for something a little different this year. For more menu ideas check out our article archives under the holiday months or look in our menu archives. We hope you and your family and a wonderful, safe and delicious holiday!

Product Review: Zing Bars

Zing! bars are unbelievable! With six “deliciously different” flavors (Chocolate Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Coconut, Almond Blueberry and Cranberry Orange) Zing bars are healthy and delicious. Developed by a team of four registered dietitians (each with a master’s degree in nutritional biochemistry - wow!) Zing bars are healthy without being healthy tasting (if you know what we mean). Each bar contains 10-13g of protein, all-natural ingredients and are soy-free -- three of the six flavors are even vegan (dairy-free)!

Ingredients
Vary by flavor; all are wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free and the Cranberry Orange, Chocolate Coconut and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip flavors are also vegan/dairy-free.

Taste
I’ll be honest, I’m a picky eater - especially when it comes to protein bars. Usually, if I’m lucky, there will be one or two flavors of a given product line that I will enjoy - but this is absolutely not the case with Zing! bars! While my favorite is the Chocolate Coconut, I can (and have...) happily eaten and enjoyed all six of their flavors

Texture
Just the right combination of chewy and crunchy, these bars don’t leave you looking for a glass of milk or water!

Storage
Small enough to fit in your purse or backpack, these bars are perfect for on-the-go snacking.

Availability
Widely available in grocery stores on the west coast, you can also order Zing bars online both through Amazon.com and directly through store.zingbars.com

Overall Score (5.0)
Nutritious, delicious, free of soy proteins, three gluten-free/dairy-free flavors and routinely tested for gluten content - what’s not to love? Sign me up!

Special offer to Glutenfreeda readers: enter Glutenfreeda in the coupon code at checkout and receive $5.00 off per box-no limit. Offer good through December 31st, 2010

GFCF Weekly Roundup: Mock Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Who doesn't love coffee cake? Especially cooked in a decorative bundt pan, this recipe is always an impressive hit. Elegant and delicious, you and your guests will never be able to tell the difference at your next holiday brunch or dinner party!

Mock Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Ingredients
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups gluten free flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter substitute
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup Tofutti soy sour cream substitute
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan with the Earth Balance.

Combine the walnuts, 1 Tablespoon sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, blend well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine Earth Balance, oil and 2 cups sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Reduce speed to low and blend in sour cream substitute and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 1/3 increments until all is incorporated. Pour 1/3 of batter into prepared pan then top with the walnut mixture. Cover with remaining batter. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. When cool, invert onto a serving plate.