The Intolerant Gourmet

by Barbara Kafka

At last—a cookbook of pleasure, not compromise, for those with food intolerances It’s estimated that nearly 1 in 3 North Americans is lactose-intolerant and that 1 in 133 is gluten-intolerant, although many of these people remain undiagnosed. For those who do find out, the resulting dietary adjustments have traditionally been about restriction, denial, and deprivation. All these compromises drain the pleasure from eating. Now, legendary food maven Barbara Kafka comes to the rescue with a complete soup-to-nuts cookbook full of great food that you can enjoy every day. Barbara’s own intolerances, dormant since childhood, returned five years ago, and—as someone who was already intolerant of bad food, ersatz ingredients, and poor cooking—she rose to the challenge of being gluten- and lactose-intolerant with this collection of 300 recipes. They get you to crispy without resorting to breading or flour coatings, offer silkiness and richness without dairy, and feature luxurious textures in sauces and soups without flour or butter. Thanks to the creativity of Barbara Kafka, you can say good-bye to the blandest of diets and indulge in such delights as Chicken with Chervil Sauce, Roasted Salmon with Dill Sauce, Cannellini and Mushroom Soup, Corn Relish, and Asian Noodle Salad. The Intolerant Gourmet contains an enormous range of dishes that fit into many cherished culinary traditions (Asian, French, American, Italian, etc.). Each delicious recipe will satisfy anyone at the dinner table, whether intolerant or not. The book also features tools such as a guide to gluten-free pastas and a comprehensive section on starches—their assets and detriments, the basic methods for preparing them, and the best ways of serving them. All is presented with insight and irrepressible wit (of her Simple Rib Roast, for instance, Barbara writes ,“My roast is rare, but no Saxon pillage”). The result is an indispensable reference tool, ideal for lovers of good food in search of an all-inclusive approach to cooking.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2011

Reviews

[Punk]

Has a simple graphic layout that's very modern, but only has about a dozen centrally located pictures. Covers all meals of the day, and the baked goods use ingredients like garbanzo bean flour, lots of starches, coconut milk, and olive and safflower oils. No gluten, no dairy, and not a lot of soy, either. The desserts use a lot of fruits, and I didn't even look at the savory dishes because that's not what I'm here for, but I did notice that the author kept referring to "taboo" foods, which annoyed me.

Measurements are in U.S. volume, storage advice is rare, and the index is really thorough and arranged mostly by ingredient.

[Shannon Telles lisowski]

I found several recipes that I tried. I was amazed at the size of the food.... leftovers! The pictures were amazing and yes, the meal turned out to look like the picture! I made the recipe on 146.... Simple Spring Vegetables with pasta. I also made the recipe on 52...cannellini and mushroom soup.

[Lora]

My son wanted a “fancy cookbook where he could eat anything.” He’s allergic (anaphylaxis) to dairy and he’s also allergic to wheat. We can eat this whole book, with the exception of a couple of recipes that contain minor allergies to him. 3 stars because very dated — even after only 13 years! We’ve come a long way, y’all!

But my son is now very excited to make tongue… so there’s that!

[My Tam]

Perfect - great techniques and recipes for the dairy and gluten free with wonderful textures and flavors.

[BookBec]

If your lifestyle involves catering large, fancy parties or dining out at French restaurants on a regular basis, then this book is for you. For the rest of us, well, the Veal and Ham Pate will last a week ... and makes 200 servings. At the other extreme, Simplest Lunch gives directions for arranging broccoli, a hard-boiled egg, and a tomato on a plate with mayo and spice.

I understand the argument that it's a "gourmet" book, so it's okay to have unusual ingredients. But I don't think that a book aimed at gluten and lactose intolerance needs to travel so far off the beaten path from everyday eating! People can eat well, even "gourmet," without chicken livers, sweetbreads, or a 26-pound rib roast. And if you do want to eat those things, you can find them in an ordinary cookbook! (I hope you don't need a cookbook author to tell you to sub rice crackers for wheat crackers if you're gluten intolerant.)

My dream book for lactose intolerance would be chock-full of alternative recipes for things that usually involve dairy (and would skip over already-dairy-free recipes that I can get elsewhere). The Intolerant Gourmet did offer inspiration as to how often coconut milk can substitute, but there's nothing about other dairy alternatives like almond, rice, soy, cashew, hemp, or flax milk. There are good flour and grain suggestions for a celiac, and yes, the gluten-free pasta table is useful (I love that she lists which taste "great," "okay," or "gross"!).

[Gigi]

The reviews regarding the obscurity of some of the ingredients seem to have forgotten it is a gourmet cookbook. I find most GF cookbooks far too basic and love how Kafka takes GF meals to the next level. Absolutely gorgeous book. Perfect for a foodie who found out later in life they have gluten issues. I received it as a gift, and it is a gift I cherish. Highly recommended as an advanced GF cookbook.

[Camille Turner]

I really wanted to like this book. The recipes did not catch my eye or my appetite. I have to say though, I am a firm believer that recipes should have accompanying pictures. There are 16 pictures in the middle of the book, as if it was an oversight, and to me, only 2 of the pictures look appetizing. Perhaps I need to revisit this book when I'm older and have more time to cook??

[Michelle]

Picked this up hoping for ideas to cook for a gluten-intolerant friend. No such luck; these recipes were odd (apple-cider-rich tongue, anyone?) and totally outside my style of cooking and eating. The only useful part was a chart detailing the taste and texture of various types of gluten-free pasta. Too bad.

[Contrariwise]

These recipes were a bit of a mixed bag for me. Some of them were fantastic, like the Green bean and cucumber Thai soup, but there are definitely some recipes in there for the more adventurous-- tongue, sweetbreads and the like.

[Kathleen Riley-Daniels]

Lots of easy meals available in this book. A fair amount of really unusual meals too. Recommend for those that may be intolerant and those that are not. This may not be the best choice for those just starting on lactose or gluten free diets. I got lots of ideas for serving to family and friends.

[Francine Apollo]

This is mostly a recipe book. But it is a treasury for anyone with food allergies involving gluten and or lactose. Well done! I gleaned a recipe or two for myself.

[Bev]

Veal tongue? Neck of lamb? This cookbook crossed the line from highfalutin' to weird. Definitely NOT an entry level gluten/lactose free book.

[Christina Smith]

These are weird recipes!

[Jeanne]

Like pages: 39, 40, 50, 54, 67, 68, 80, 87