The Gluten Free Challenge

If I told you that all the delectable goodies below were gluten-free, would you believe me?  Hmmmm . . . didn’t think so.

They sure are.  AND they taste amazing.  My very talented friend Orly is developing a range of gluten-free goodies and lucky for me – unlucky for my waistline – I sample her offerings on a regular basis.  As I’m gluten-free, I’m one of her trusty taste-testers and we meet up every week so that I can provide feedback on her latest products.

Orly is a dessert-obsessed individual.  Her tiny frame belies the copious amounts of cakes, pastries, ice cream, cookies and cupcakes that she consumes on a weekly basis.  Unsurprisingly she recently completed a Culinary Arts course at Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney – with a focus on French pastry – an obsession she developed when she lived with her husband in Paris.  Aside from sampling the best that the city had to offer, she took a few macaroon making classes, shadowed the owner of a local patisserie and created a French inspired line of cupcakes.  In addition, Orly’s husband, Josh developed celiac disease a few years ago.  He is also a major foodie and dreams about eating gluten-loaded goodies.  In Orly’s words, Josh “would pay good money to eat a delicious gluten free chocolate eclair”.

The images below are from a recent tasting party that Orly hosted at her home.  We were encouraged to try everything and give honest feedback.  As you can imagine, most of it was overwhelmingly positive.  It’s incredibly difficult to make classic cakes, pastries and other baked goods with gluten-free flours or substitutes as they perform (and often taste) entirely differently to standard flours.  It’s a matter of trial and error and involves lots of testing, re-testing, tasting and experimentation.

You can follow Orly’s remarkable progress at Gluten Free Challenge and on her Facebook Page.

And if you’re in Sydney and want to order your own gluten-free goodies, you’re in luck. Orly makes to order.

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