I will be demonstrating a recipe and signing books on May 4 & 5 at the Celiac Disease Foundation’s National Conference and Gluten-Free Expo. The conference is taking place in Pasadena, and is a great opportunity to learn up-to-date information about gluten intolerance from doctors, researchers, and dieticians. You will also have the opportunity to sample the best and newest products from over 100 gluten-free exhibitors. I attended last year, and the experience inspired me to write my new book, Weeknight Gluten Free.

Today is the official publication date for my new book, Weeknight Gluten Free. It is now available not only at Williams-Sonoma stores, but also at many bookstores nationwide, and online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I am thrilled with the stunning photography and the entire package.

In the book, I offer 100 of my favorite gluten-free recipes developed during a year of glorious experimentation. I was the food editor at Bon Appetit magazine for over 20 years and got to taste all of the great recipes we showcased. When my childhood celiac disease recently resurfaced, I was determined to continue to eat as well as I always had. I learned to cook the simple, healthful, fresh food I love, but without wheat, rye, or barley. I focus on items that are naturally gluten-free, and my inspiration comes from the gorgeous produce I find at farmers’ markets. My friends and family never realize anything is missing when they eat my new cooking.

I was not going to give up pasta when I had to stop eating wheat, so I went on a search for a tasty, firm, nutritious, gluten-free product. Most gluten-free pastas are made from rice. The texture and flavor of rice-based noodles are great in Asian cooking, but they don’t work for me in Italian food—they don’t have enough body, easily overcook to a limp mess, and the flavor is wrong. In addition, it is now suggested we cut back on rice consumption, because of high arsenic levels in some rice products.

I was fascinated by polenta when I first tasted it at a rustic cabin restaurant in the Italian Alps. I ate forkful after forkful of the molten layering of cornmeal, mountain cheese, local sausage, and tomato sauce, trying to figure out how it was made. Soon after, polenta made its way into restaurants in the US, and during my long tenure as food editor at Bon Appetit magazine, I got to sample polenta in many different recipes. 

But, I didn’t fully appreciate the versatility of polenta until I began experimenting with my newly imposed gluten-free diet. It was then that I realized polenta makes a great replacement for many wheat-based staples- bread, pasta, croutons, crostini, and even pizza crust. This discovery added new satisfaction to my meals.

I am recently home from speaking on a culinary cruise along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Thomas P. Gohagan & Company put together the tour for alumni organizations and cultural institutions. Like all of Gohagan’s adventures, the voyage was intimate, with only 230 passengers on a small, luxurious ship. My job was to give lectures about food along our route and host meals at distinctive venues in the countries we visited- Portugal, Spain, and France.

I tasted some excellent Spanish cheeses, all purchased at Andrew’s Cheese Shop in Santa Monica. Andrew introduced me to Mont Enebro, a real discovery! It is oblong shaped, soft ripened goat’s milk cheese that is covered with a layer of what appears to be ash but is actually penicillium roquefort mold, the same that is used to make exquisite blue cheeses. However, Mont Enebro is not a blue cheese, but has a creamy white center with an earthy flavor punctuated by peppercorn-like spiciness. It is dense when young, but ripens to a plush creaminess. It is the creation of legendary cheese makers, who are part of an artisanal cheese movement in Spain. Its taste is so complex, I like it best on its own with crusty bread or atop a simple tossed salad. If you don’t live near Santa Monica, the cheese can be ordered from Murray’s Cheese. 

I heard that Ethridge Organics was selling very special tangerines, so I went straight to their stand at the Topanga farmers’ market Friday morning. Aaron Ethridge cut a wedge of the deep orange fruit, releasing its fresh floral aroma- I could almost taste its intense sweet-sour tang before he handed it to me. This is a fruit to seek out. 

Romanesco Cauliflower: Found at Weiser Family Farms stands at many Los Angeles farmers’ markets. From the grocery store: Choose regular cauliflower.

The just picked fruit, vegetables, and herbs I find at local farmers’ markets are loaded with flavor, and therefore it takes very little effort in the kitchen to create marvelous, healthy dishes when using them. They are what inspire my cooking. I intend to frequently highlight produce I bring home from the markets, and tell you about the easy preparations I make. These dishes are simple to prepare without complete recipes, they are more ideas than formulas.

German Butterball Potatoes: Found at Weiser Family Farms stand, at many Los Angeles farmers’ markets. From the grocery store: choose Yukon gold potatoes instead. 

Chanterelles Mushrooms: Found at several stands at local farmers’ markets. I have been purchasing them from Mello AG, at the Santa Monica farmers’ market, and Vital Zuman Farms at the Topanga farmers’ market. From the grocery store: Gelson’s and Whole Foods Markets carry chanterelles, but they are costlier than at farmers’ markets. Button mushrooms or shiitakes can be used in the suggestions below; they will be tasty, but won’t offer the same woodsy flavor or substantial texture.

I’m happy to announce that my new cookbook, Weeknight Fresh and Fast, is now available. It can be found exclusively at Williams-Sonoma stores this month and February, and then in March it will also be in bookstores. It can be preordered on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, for March shipment.

The rain this morning forced me to cancel a hike with friends, and so I baked cookies for them instead. I was eager to taste the organic, reduced sugar fruit spreads Crofter's had given me, and knew that thumbprint cookies, their indentations designed to be filled with jam or jelly, would be a yummy way to try the preserves.