I’ve got a dose of kitchen kickass in this prize pack for you this week, the third giveaway in the series. First up we have a signed copy of Jeanne Sauvage’s fabulous gluten-free baking book, ready to gift or ready to stick on your own bookshelf immediately.
I’m a member of the same school of thought surrounding gluten-free baking as Jeanne, blogger at Art of Gluten-Free Baking and author behind Gluten-Free Baking for the Holidays: 60 Recipes for Traditional Festive Treats. Probably unsurprisingly, there are many camps surrounding gluten-free baking, and our position is one that demands and expects that foods emulate their gluten-ous predecessors.
Minor aside: I don’t think gluten-full sweets makers are held to the same nutritional expectations as are gluten-free peeps. I believe that holiday treats shouldn’t try to be or claim themselves overly nutritious. Eat in moderation a piece of pie or a gingerbread cookie or rugelach after you eat a nutritious meal. I hope I’m not putting words in Jeanne’s mouth, but I make and love her recipes because they are the real thing and not some gluten-less, dense or crumbly, trying-to-claim-healthfulness version.
I love Jeanne’s book first and foremost for her truthful and much needed discussion of xanthan gum (and other gluten-replacers/binders). The much vilified gum is, in my opinion, the best option for creating foods that look, taste and act just like gluten versions. I discuss how xanthan gum is made - a la fermentation - (and why it’s not the devil) in this post. I’m not sure how one could be allergic to it, but I’m sure it’s possible, so for those folks there are other options (also discussed in Jeanne’s book).
She has an excellent substitutions recommendation section for all sorts of other allergy accommodations and a ‘Baker’s Dozen of Gluten-Free Baking Tips’ which are smart, straightforward, get-you-baking (and succeeding!) tips. The recipes are well-tested (I was briefly on the list as one of her testers before I had to jet out on my own book touring activities.)
The photographs (and styling!) are beautiful, too.
In particular, I can’t wait to try her recipes for pumpkin doughnuts, orange-scented olive oil cake and lemon bars, YUM!
Next up in your kitchen kickass kit, one of my brand new aprons! They’re hand-drawn (by me!) and screenprinted by a local guy and his son. The apron base is a sturdy cotton/polyester blend that’s adjustable in the neck, has two handy pockets, is easy to clean, charcoal color and USA-made.
Oh, and remember how I’m giving away 5 cases of jars leading up to the holidays, well here’s the third case in that Ball Canning jar challenge. Perhaps you need a bunch of quart jars to stash dry grains for your pantry, or start a few batches of Meyer limoncello. Maybe you need a case of 4-oz jelly jars to bake custards, puddings or mini-cakes in for a novel dessert service at your next dinner party? You’re in luck because this giveaway includes a free case of any size jars you desire.
I’m shipping all of these items personally and out-of-pocket (USPS flat rate!), so I can only offer them up to US residents for now. Thank you dear Canadians and UK readers for understanding; I’ll try to open up the last two giveaways of the series to international folks, too.
Giveaway is closed, thank you for entering!