How to modify the ceaser salad recipe to be served to a coeliac customer?!
How to modify the ceaser salad recipe to be served to a coeliac customer?
If a customer tell you he/she is celiac, how would you modify a ceaser salad recipe in order to safely serve it to the customer?
Thank you!
Answers:
usually that just means they cant have gluten. so i would suggest making the dressing from scratch
1 2 oz (56 grm). tin anchovies, drain on paper towels, use half in dressing and reserve half for salad
1 large lemon, juiced
4 large cloves garlic
1/2 tsp (2 ml) Dijon mustard
2 dashes Worchestershire sauce
1 splash red wine vinegar
1 fresh egg, raw or coddled
1 cup (225 ml) light, extra virgin olive oil
fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
In a blender, combine all ingredients except olive oil.
Blend until smooth, but not too long.
With blender running, add olive oil in a gradual stream.
Continue blending until oil is completely incorporated.
Best if chilled before use.
Comments
This is a theme and variation on the Fairmont Hotel "Squire Room" recipe. Everyone who has tried it has raved about it! Romaine must be well-chilled and dry. All ingredients may be adjusted to suite taste. I usually use 1/2 the oil the recipe calls for to reduce fat. Remainder of anchovies may be rough chopped or left whole to serve at table
A coeliac customer's needs are far more than simply avoiding or removing gluten products (wheat, barley, oats, rye and their derivatives). You need to make sure the work surfaces, utensils and ingredients are spotlessly clean and aren't contaminated with even minute amounts of flour or breadcrumbs, marinades, etc (soy sauce for example, which often contains wheat). Clean washcloths that haven't been used to wipe up crumbs should be used.
If you cut the ingredients on a chopping board that's been used to slice bread, they'll be contaminated, for example.
Contamination is a serious issue, and although you may not see an immediate reaction (not all coeliacs have an obvious reaction), even a tiny amount can seriously affect their health for months or years.
For that reason, it's important that you don't simply remove the croutons from an existing salad, for example. You really have to make it from scratch. Even if the ingredients don't physically touch the food (say, chicken skin that's had flavouring on it), the gluten can permeate right through. So commercially roasted chickens are out for coeliacs. (I know that's not strictly relevant, but you do sometimes see a 'chicken caesar salad'.)
Things to watch for are any made up mayonnaises or sauces that don't list ingredients. Maltodextrin or modified starch or protein from one of the 'bad' grains (usually wheat) and malt vinegar can be found in mustards and sauces.
Other, non-malt vinegars are ok (white wine, spirit, cider, balsamic) but check the labels to be sure.
Bacon (and other cured meats) can also be made with unsafe ingredients, so check any labels. If you can source your bacon from a known gluten-free source, that might make your life easier! Most genuine prosciutto is ok, but read the label or ask the manufacturer to be sure.
Another important thing to consider is condiment pots (mustard, spreads, etc) that have been used to spread bread or crackers, then the knife dipped back in. As soon as that's happened that pot is out of bounds for coeliacs.
Similarly, to be safe, gluten free bread should be toasted in its own toaster that's never been used for ordinary bread. Failing that, place it on foil in a grill to protect it from any residues.
Bearing in mind that about 95% of coeliacs haven't been diagnosed yet, expect to see a lot more customers asking for gluten-free food over time.
And THANK YOU for asking!