Thriving With Gluten Free Cuisine
- Sasha Harrison
- May 1, 2022
- 5 min read
By Sasha Harrison
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at the age of 9, and since then I have had to live on a gluten free diet. For me, being gluten free is challenging in many aspects. The types of foods, textures, and flavors that I had been used to for the first half of my life were suddenly altered. The diagnosis did not only affect me, but my entire family. We had to figure out how to cook creatively, and learn to be flexible with all things food related. While Celiac imposed a lot of boundaries, it also introduced me to an incredibly special community. With all of the social isolation caused by Celiac, there are also deep rooted connections with others who have Celiac.
What do people picture when they hear gluten free food? Well, while this steamed broccoli and undercooked rice was my gluten free “dinner” at Marciano dining hall, gluten free meals are not always this depressing. If prepared correctly, gluten free food has the potential to meet and possibly even exceed its gluten containing counterparts.
Photo by Sasha Harrison
Photos by Sasha Harrison and Matt Redding
Libbie Zeller and Sasha Harrison Dine at Thyme and Tonic.
Gluten Free Pesto pasta with roasted pumpkin seeds!
Libbie Zeller, who has Celiac Disease, talks about her first time going to the all-gluten-free restaurant Thyme and Tonic, located in New York City.
Photo by Sasha Harrison
Stan Harrison prepares our household favorite, the "Stanwich".
Using Challah bread from Arba (an all gluten free restaurant), my dad has created and perfected a sandwich that is sought after by celiacs and gluten eaters alike. It takes special preparation to remove the focus from the difference in texture, by flooding the dish with flavors. The most unique part of this sandwich is the way the bread is prepared. My dad buys multiple loaves at a time, and stores them in the freezer until needed. Because the bread is Challah, it is only available during shabbat. The challenging part of gluten free bread is that it crumbles even at the gentlest of hands. Gluten, a word originating in Latin, quite literally means “glue”, therefore gluten free bread is known for its poor structural integrity. To avoid a complete crumby massacre, the bread is sliced when it is a little colder than room temperature. The sliced bread is then painted with pure olive oil, and sprinkled with a special seasoning, Herbs de Provence. Then, the bread is toasted to a golden brown, and the contents of the sandwich are layered on.
Stan Harrison, father to Sasha Harrison, discusses the cooking challenges he faced when adapting to a gluten free lifestyle.
Close up of the toasted bread, topped with sea salt and Herbs de Provence.
Photo by Sasha Harrison
Brunch at Twist Bakery and Café
Photo by Sasha Harrison
Twist Bakery and Café was the inspiration for my project. The dedicated gluten free restaurant serves a great display of food, offering savory brunch items as well as over 40 different desserts. My favorite dish to get is avocado toast, pictured above. The house-made bread has a texture that resembles french toast. The perfectly seasoned avocado is piled high and the roasted cherry tomatoes and lettuce garnish the plate.
"Ever since I discovered Twist, I have recommended it to every single Celiac I know. It's a game changer!" - Meghan Ahern
Meghan is one of my closest friends and is responsible for my love for Twist. She introduced me to Twist this past summer, and I have gone ever since. It is now a regular trip that we both make to see each other.
Our All Gluten Free Snack Pantry at Home
Photo By Sasha Harrison
Gluten free cook books and flour mixtures.
There are a wide variety of gluten free flours, such as soy flour, sweet rice flour, oat flour and almond flour. By finding the perfect ratios of these ingredients, it is possible to mimic traditional wheat flour. The bag of flour in the picture is mixture #4, which is used to make pizza crusts.
After having Celiac for a while, I decided to focus on desserts that were naturally gluten free. I thought that it might make the cooking process easier, as I did not have to alter the recipes in any way. Thus began the 5 year journey to master the french Macaron; a delicate cookie made from almond flour, sugar, and egg whites. The process of making macarons is intense, at the very least. Mixing the batter for 10 seconds too little or 10 seconds too much can be the difference between creating something that is edible artwork versus something that is just edible. Making the macaron has driven me to madness on multiple occasions, but I am not one to give up when things get tough. These pastel blue shells with a rainbow tie dye filling took over eight hours to make. It turns out making naturally gluten free desserts was not the walk in the park I thought it would be.
Gluten Free Cakes Made by Sasha Harrison
Photo by Sasha Harrison
Creating a beautiful cake is challenging on its own; creating a gluten free cake is difficult on a whole other level. The cakes in these photos above were made using buttermilk, xanthan gum and cornstarch to try and replicate the texture of a gluten containing cake. Even after all of the ingredient swaps, the cake is prone to falling apart when the layers are frosted. To decrease the risk, I let the cake cool in the fridge for 20 minutes before starting to frost it. Once the crumb coat is on, I am free to treat the cake as if it were a normal cake. I like to add sprinkles, and little florets on the border, to create a final product that looks as good as it tastes.
For this project, I had originally planned to create a documentary on Twist Bakery and Café. Unfortunately, I got COVID and strep, preventing me from going to the bakery. These two diagnoses, much like my Celiac diagnosis, were not as horrible and limiting as I had once thought. The fact that I had to change my project at the last minute felt very fitting and ironic. I was, yet again, faced with boundaries and had to figure out a way to work around them. If anything, having Celiac has taught me that there are so many different ways to approach challenges. Creating this photo essay was not my initial plan, but it ended up working out in my favor. Instead of just focusing on Twist, I was able to incorporate aspects of my own friends and family’s cooking traditions. The photo essay has allowed me to add a more personal layer to this remediation, and I am pleased with how it turned out.
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