Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef »

shauna james ahern is the author and photographer behind the award-winning blog GlutenFreeGirl.com and the food memoirGluten-Free Girl. Diagnosed with celiac disease in 2005, she is considered one of the most authoritative gluten-free voices on the Internet.

daniel ahern is the chef-in-residence at GlutenFreeGirl.com, as well as a chef at The Hardware Store on Vashon Island in Washington State. He has spent twenty years cooking at great restaurants across America.

What happens when a successful chef falls in love with a gluten-free girl? One result is damned fine food. Another is this story of love and laughter, working hard and listening, and sharing meals at midnight.

When she was diagnosed with celiac disease, Shauna set out to discover and delight in the best food she could eat. Then she met Daniel, a talented chef who had spent his career cooking at great restaurants across the country. They fell in love at the grocery store, the farmers' market, and in front of the stove. Soon Daniel was creating spectacular dishes, stunning meals that happened to be entirely gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef shares the Aherns' unexpected courtship, from their first date to married life together, through stories about food. The book also follows a day in the life of the working chef, from selecting the best fish to deciding specials to creating gluten-free desserts. This narrative cookbook features gorgeous photographs, guidance on cooking techniques, and 100 chef-tested recipes intended for the home cook.

The recipes in this book—Chilled Asparagus Soup; Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Almond Sauce; Fennel Salad with Rainier Cherries, Radishes, and Raspberry Vinaigrette; Bacon-Wrapped Pork Belly; Crusty Bread That Even Those Who Eat Gluten Might Like; and Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Fig Crust; plus many more—will leave everyone with joy in the belly.

Far more than just a cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef is an inspiring love story sure to give hope to anyone who believes that gluten-free food can't be devilishly delicious and seriously satisfying.

Publishers Weekly

In the blogosphere, food writing has become more personal than ever, and Shauna James Ahern has led the pack with her blog about living with celiac disease, "The Gluten-Free Girl"; a recipestudded memoir of the same name; and now, a new hybrid memoir/cookbook artfully weaving words and flavors. This book also has an added ingredient: the titular chef, her husband Daniel Ahern (the Hardware Store on Vashon Island, Wash.) who brings his considerable culinary expertise to bear on the proceedings. Instead of distinct chapters, the contents are divided into two parts, "At Home" and "In the Restaurant." While the introduction does little to orient readers to the book's unconventional organization, it sets the tone for the highly intimate, lyrical essays that follow, covering the pair's whirlwind romance from meeting and eating ("That First Bite") to an Italian honeymoon, then cooking for three. The recipes interspersed throughout let readers in on the sophisticated and inspired gluten-free treats that the pair has shared through their courtship and marriage: halibut with millet, carrot-fennel salad and golden raisin sauce; pan-seared beef tenderloin with port sauce and balsamic onions; blue cheese cheesecake with a fig crust; and even a gluten-free crusty bread recipe. Occasionally, the Aherns stray into the TMI zone with their lusty references, but overall, this is an accomplished collection, with plenty to offer serious home cooks, the gluten-eaters and gluten-free among them. Photos. (Sept.)

Acknowledgments.

Introduction: Dancing in the Kitchen.

At home.

That First Bite.

The Foods We Used to Woo Each Other.

Grocery Shopping as Foreplay.

Watching Him Cook.

Losing Him to an Open Kitchen.

Eating through the Seasons Together.

Living in the Northwest.

You’re Marrying a Chef.

The Importance of Ingredients.

Sunday Afternoon.

Come on Over and Bring Some Bacon.

The Chef and the Gluten-Free Girl Get Hitched and Run Off to Italy.

Planning the Menu.

At the restaurant.

Waking Up Hungry.

What’s Cooking Today?

The Chef Dance.

Running Food Errands.

University Seafood and Poultry.

Our Saturday Afternoon Ritual.

His First Hours Alone.

Cheese Plate.

Soup’s On.

Honey, Remember to Eat.

Special Food.

The Opening Act.

Dinner Service Begins.

Main Dishes and Dishwashers.

There’s a Gluten-Free Table.

Cooking for the Chef.

Plates Coming Back.

Sweetness at the End of the Evening.

Burnt Garlic.

Meals at Midnight.

Sweet and Savory, Mixed Together.

Recipe List.

Resources.

Index.