From Chef Oonagh Williams ofRoyal Temptations Catering

This makes only a small quantity, just right for 2 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• 1+1/2 tsp. lemon juice (Please use a real lemon and not the bottled stuff)
• ¼ tsp. gluten-free Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:

1. In a 2 cup glass jug that is wide enough for an immersion blender. Blend egg yolk, mustard, salt and pepper.
2. Heat lemon juice in microwave for just a few seconds. With the immersion blender running, pour lemon juice onto the egg and keep running for a few more seconds.
3. Melt butter in microwave, add cream and heat until just ready to boil over.
4. With immersion blender already running, pour butter and cream mix over egg mix and continue to run as sauce thickens.
5. If sauce is not thick enough, then microwave at 10% power for literally a few seconds at a time. Do not cook at a higher temperature or longer time or you will get scrambled eggs. Whisk sauce with a small whisk each time you stop microwave. Sauce is ready when you can draw your clean finger through the sauce on the back of a spoon and sauce stays either side of the line. Immediately spoon onto casserole or refrigerate sauce overnight and spoon cold sauce onto hot dish.

Dairy-Free Hollandaise Sauce

I know so many of us with celiac disease are either dairy-free as well. My son and cousin are both dairy-free. However, many of us will fight to the bitter end to keep eating our dairy. So, while I am not willing to give up dairy, I certainly have family and friends that need dairy-free but still want foods that taste delicious. Plus, if I can make something dairy-free and delicious while lowering cholesterol or calories, that’s good for everyone. I’ve also made made my English lemon curd with coconut oil, it works and is tasty, but there is a definite coconut taste to me.

I made this over Christmas for my friend Gina Sandora, who has a dedicated gluten-free bakery (Allergeena) in Portland, Maine. Her stomach is happier when she limits the dairy and face it , Hollandaise, is really high in dairy. I add parsley and green onion to give more flavor. The whole meal we enjoyed was gluten-free and dairy-free. Both of our husbands are still wheat eaters. I even whipped in coconut cream instead of cream for the frozen dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• 1+1/2 tsp. lemon juice (Please use a real lemon not the bottled stuff)
• ¼ tsp. gluten-free Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. coconut cream (I used Aroy-D brand. Pure Asian coconut cream, not sweetened cream of coconut. Do notuse a “lite” coconut milk. The ones I’ve seen in the stores are thickened with a lot of gums, but to me the flavor is disappointing. And you are trying to make sure you have flavor.)
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted (Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, the same as butter, and you want that, not just a liquid oil. I melted some coconut oil and thenI measured out the 2 Tbsp. You need to be accurate with this small of a quantity.)
• 1 Tbsp. green of green onions
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a 2 cup glass jug that is wide enough for an immersion blender, blend egg yolk, mustard, salt and pepper.
2. Heat lemon juice in microwave for just a few seconds. With immersion blender running, pour lemon juice onto egg and keep running for a few more seconds. Add parsley and green onions and run to chop.
3. onut oil in microwave, measure 2 Tbsp., add coconut cream to the 2 Tbsp. coconut oil (coconut oil will try to harden) and heat until just ready to boil over.
4. With the immersion blender already running, pour coconut oil and coconut cream mix over egg mix and continue to run as sauce thickens.
5. If sauce is not thick enough, then microwave at 10% power for literally a few seconds at a time. Do not cook at a higher temperature or longer time or you will get scrambled eggs. Whisk sauce with a small whisk each time you stop the microwave. Sauce is ready when you can draw your clean finger through the sauce on the back of a spoon and sauce stays either side of the line. Immediately spoon onto casserole or refrigerate sauce overnight and spoon cold sauce onto hot dish.

About Chef Oonagh Williams

Like Chef Oonagh at Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh on Facebook, where she posts recipes, her appearances on NH ABC WMUR TV, Local and National radio, products she’s tried, where she will be speaking next. Contact Chef Oonagh on Skype for consultations on food for the gluten-free and other food allergy diets. Her gluten-free cookbook, Delicious Gluten Free Cooking has over 200 pages with full color photos. Click the link for photos and a list of all recipes. E-mail at [email protected].

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Makes 2 very generous portions.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup white rice
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil (or other oil of your choice)
• 3 slices gluten-free raw bacon, cut into thin strips
• Bunch of green onions (scallions, spring onions) trimmed and cut into small slices, using white and green of onion
• 1 13.5 oz. Asian-style coconut milk
• 1 tsp. gluten-free chicken stock concentrate or powdered bouillon
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 1 cup water
• ½ tsp. Penzeys Arizona Dreaming or smoked paprika
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• Zest of half a lemon
• ½ lb. fresh asparagus, stalks trimmed and cut into 1” slices; stalks and tips kept separate
• 8 oz. cooked lobster
• 4 oz. raw, small shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

1. In a 4-cup saucepan, heat oil, add chopped green onions and bacon and cook gently until softening.

2. Add rice, turn in oil and cook gently for about 2 minutes until rice is looking toasted, but not burnt.

3. Add coconut milk, water, stock concentrate, Arizona Dreaming/paprika and dried thyme. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes.

4. At 10 minutes, add the asparagus stalks and continue to cook for 8 more minutes. Meanwhile, cook the asparagus tips separately in small pan until crisp and tender, then drain.

5. After the 8 minutes of extra cooking add lemon zest, dill, parsley and raw shrimp, stir well and cook for 2 more minutes. You might need to add some more water so the rice dish stays moister, not dry and sticking to the pan.

6. Check that the rice is fully cooked, then turn off the heat and stir in the cooked lobster. Cover and leave for a few minutes for the lobster to heat without toughening and the shrimp to finish cooking in the residual heat.

7. Serve in bowls, topped with asparagus tips and more fresh chopped parsley.

Courtesy of Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations

I make sweet panna cotta and got the idea for a savory version from a recipe from Wilson’s Farms in Lexington MA, one of my favorite places for fresh fruit and vegetables. I like that this recipe can easily be adapted for as many people as you need to “cook” it for. This makes life so much easier when you are either trying out a recipe or there are only two of you at home. I will eat this as a dinner with salad, as a side with fresh salmon, or garnished with shrimp or smoked salmon, even spread on bagels. This is not that strong, hits-you-in-the-mouth goat cheese taste. If you can tolerate goat cheese, use an unsweetened milk substitute for the half and half and leave out the sour cream/yogurt. It will still be good.

If you cannot tolerate goat cheese then use an unsweetened milk substitute for half and half and ignore the sour cream/yogurt. It will still be good.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup half and half (richer fat content than whole milk, but not as rich as single/light cream)
• 1 tsp. sour cream (I use lite or else plain yogurt)
• ¼ cup mild goat cheese at room temperature
• ½ tsp. gluten-free gelatin
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp.finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives or green of green onions (If you use green of green onions, choose very thin green onions. The thicker and therefore older the green onion, the stronger the raw onion flavor, even from just the green leaves.)
• Pinch of salt and white pepper so no black flecks are visible.

Directions:

1. Warm half and half in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl, add goat cheese and stir until goat cheese is totally melted.
2. Sprinkle gelatin (looks like fine sand when dry) over water in a small microwave safe bowl, stir in and leave to stand for 2 minutes. It will now look like a lump of rubber. Microwave for about 10 seconds until gelatin is totally melted and liquid is clear yellowy color. If gelatin is not completely melted it will set to rubbery bits in the panna cotta.
3. Stir in sour cream, fresh herbs, salt and pepper then gelatin. Pour into lightly oiled (oil on paper towel) ramekins (small custard cups, suitably shaped teacups, mugs, containers that will allow panna cotta to be turned out, i.e. no weird shapes) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. While goat cheese layer is setting, make the beet layer.
4. If you are heavy handed measuring gelatin, then the panna cotta will be tougher and rubbery. Just enough makes a lovely creamy custard. It goes well as an appetizer, salad or side dish with grilled steak or chicken.

Beet in Lemon Gelatin (jelly)

My Aunt Noìrin used to make a salad with lemon gelatin (jelly) and cubes of cooked beet, less chance of the beets (beetroot) falling on clothes and floor and staining everything. Nowadays, gelatin/jelly seems to be totally artificial so I made a simple syrup, plus lemon juice and zest to set the beets.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. (about 3 golfball sized beets) cooked red beets cut into small cubes, roughly half an inch or smaller. You can buy beets in a can just in salt water but I haven’t tried them. Please don’t use pickled beets as they will overpower.
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp. gelatin
• 1 Tbsp. water
• Zest of ¼ lemon (less if you like less tang but remember the syrup is sweet but not sickly)
• 1 Tbsp. chopped chives or green of thin green onions
• 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. fresh dill if you like it or have it.

Directions:

1. In a 4 cup bowl or jug, heat water, sugar, lemon juice and zest until sugar is totally melted.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus chives, parsley, dill.
3. Stir beet into lemon mix so each piece is mixed in. I now leave this until goat cheese is set, then dissolve gelatin in the 1 tbsp water as in #2 in panna cotta directions. If you want to just make the beet jelly on its own, then add gelatin now with beets, spoon into container and refrigerate.
4. Carefully and evenly divide up the lemon liquid/beets on top of the set goats cheese layer.
5. Refrigerate until firm. Eat anyway you want.