Miscellany: Coffee Flour and Gluten-Free Pastry Demo

Guess what? That fruit that’s usually discarded when coffee beans are harvested is now

credit: coffee flour.com

available as a gluten-free flour! Dan Belliveau, one the Director of Technical Services at Starbucks, came up with the idea to salvage the wasted fruit his company calls coffee flour (it doesn’t really taste like coffee, though). It’s full of potassium, iron, protein, and fiber, so it’s a healthy addition to gluten-free baked goods. In addition to providing a unique, new healthy ingredient for people interested in healthy diets, harvesting the fruit will provide jobs and new sources of income for people in some of the most poverty-stricken places in the world. The flour is not available in brick and mortar stores, though, so I just ordered some from Nuts.com. It’s also available from Marx’s Pantry for the same price per pound, but Marx’s pantry charges $12 shipping (vs $5.99 for shipping from Nuts.com). I’m not here to sell anything to anyone; I’m just super excited about the find and want to share the info! 

Super Sandwiches On Udi’s Gluten-Free Bagels

”America is a confirmed sandwich nation. Everywhere you go you find sandwich stands, sandwich shops, and nine out of ten people seem to stick to the sandwich-and-glass-of-milk or cup-of-coffee luncheon.”
(James Beard, The Essential James Beard Cookbook)

“I don’t need music, lobster, or wine
Whenever your eyes look into mine;
The things I long for are simple and few
A cup of coffee, a sandwich, and you!”
(Billy Rose and Al Durbin, “A Cup of Coffee, A Sandwich, and You”)

One’s diagnosis of Celiac brings about many changes in her life. I admit that when I first found out that I must live without gluten the rest of my life, I thought I had received somewhat of a death sentence: no more Krispe Kreme donuts and no more malted milk balls.I always viewed these two gastronomic delicacies (ok, an exaggerated description, perhaps) as a kind of fringe benefit to life.These treats are certainly not necessary for survival, but they do enhance life’s flavor, just as salt, pepper, butter, and cream enhance mashed potatoes.For people who live in a gluten-dependent culture such as ours (for many cultures have traditional diets that are naturally more gluten-free), one’s inability to tolerate gluten does bring about a finality akin to death.