Deluxe Mac & Cheese. Fusilli, merkts cheddar, raclette $ 17. Black Pepper Tofu. Pickled zucchini, coconut rice, snap peas $ 18. Gluten free, vegetarian. Farm Chicken Thighs. summer squash, coriander chutney, pan jus, fregola $ 24. Sweet Corn Rigatoni. Feta, creamy saffron sauce $ 22. Steamed Halibut. Giant runner bean. Throw the bacon rashers, the unpeeled onion cut in halves, the bouquet garni, the tomato paste, red wine and the beef stock into a saucepan. Place over high heat until it comes to the boil. Turn down the heat so it's on a very low simmer and let it reduce (uncovered) for a few hours. Let the liquid come down by at least half.
MAC is a prestige brand of makeup sold in some department stores, their own stores, and online. MAC does not make gluten free makeup, per se, but they do pay enough attention to their products to be able to say which of their products has glutinous ingredients and which don’t. They do acknowledge that even products that don’t contain glutinous ingredients can come in contact with gluten, so gluten free is not guaranteed because of shared equipment.
MAC offer a huge line of cosmetics, including but not limited to foundation, eye makeup, lipsticks, moisturizers, makeup removers, and fragrance.
I contacted MAC to ask generally about whether their makeup is gluten free, but also about particular products. Their representative sent me the following information:
– Lipstick (Amplified) contains wheat, barley, and soy
– Lipstick (Amplified Creme) contains wheat, barley, and soy
– Lipstick (Cremesheen) contains wheat, corn, and soy
– Lipstick (Frost) contains ingredients derived from corn
– Lipstick (Glaze) contains ingredients derived from corn
– Lipstick (Lustre) contains ingredients derived fron corn and soy
– Lipstick (Matte) contains ingredients derived from soy and corn
– Lipstick (Retro Matte) contains soy
– Lipstick (Satin) contains ingredients derived from corn and soy
– Viva Glam Lipstick – please reference finishes listed above
– Ultimate Lipstick contains soy
– Pro Longwear Lipcreme contains corn and soy
– Mineralize Rich Lipstick contains wheat, barley, and soy
– Casual Colour contains soy
– Mineralize Moisture SPF15 Foundation may contain soy and ingredients derived from corn and other grain sources
– Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 contains corn and soy
– Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation contains corn and soy
– Lip Erase contains soy
It’s up to you whether you’re willing to use a product that is made on shared equipment, but before you purchase MAC’s makeup, make sure to contact them and ask whether what you’d like to use has glutinous ingredients. I have not yet tried their products, so if you try any, let me know!
Combine gluten-free macaroni and a touch of cheese sauce magic and, voila, a new (for me) no-wheat mac and cheese is born.
For those eschewing wheat, standard mac and cheese has three wheat issues.
One: Standard macaroni is made from wheat.
Two: Most mac and cheese sauces begin with a roux, where butter and flour are cooked together.
Three: Toasted, wheat-based bread crumbs top what many consider a classic mac and cheese.
Jus Mac Gluten Free Recipes
I've tired of many of my terrific not-mac and cheese creations, and I really missed the standard and wondered if I could create a wheat-free mac and cheese that was nearly identical.
No surprise, mac is the main wheat source in mac and cheese. First, I searched the web for nonmanufacturer affiliated websites that had tested and ranked wheat-free pasta. The Epicurious website -- epicurious.com/expert-advice/the-best-gluten-free-pasta-you-can-buy-online-article -- recommends an old favorite: Jovial brand 100-percent Organic Brown Rice Gluten-Free Pasta.
About Jovial's brown rice pasta, they quoted their Senior Food Editor Anna Stockwell: 'I've fed it to people who could not tell they were eating gluten-free pasta at all. This stuff is magic.'
Magic? Hmmm. Just what I was looking for.
Lucky me, there was an unopened box of Jovial's organic, gluten-free macaroni (12 ounces/$4.49) in my pantry. Perfect.
Melting cheese into a sauce without a roux was my next hurdle since melting a block of cheddar cheese and stirring it into pasta doesn't work. It separates into a fairly gloppy mess.
So, it's molecular gastronomy to the rescue with a, once again, magical solution: sodium citrate ($7.99/2 ounces at Amazon).
Sodium citrate makes processed cheeses (like American or Swiss) melt beautifully. You've probably used a processed cheese on a burger or grilled cheese without knowing that sodium citrate was the magician pulling a perfect melt out of the hat.
Turning to a Modernist Cuisine mac and cheese sauce that uses cheese (any kind), sodium citrate and liquid (anything from water to milk) solved my no-wheat cheese sauce dilemma.
For those who need to bake a breadcrumb topped macaroni and cheese, my solution to that is grated (I use my food processor's grating blade) baked pork rinds into a topping that looks like bread crumbs.
Preferring the ease of a one-pan, no-bake mac and cheese, while my brown rice macaroni simmered away, I grated 8 ounces of organic, raw milk white cheddar. Using a 2-quart saucepan, I whisked a ½-teaspoon of sodium citrate into a half-cup of water until it dissolved. Then, I brought the water to a low simmer and began whisking in the cheese. At first, once all the cheese was added, the sauce looked a little thin. Soon it began to thicken and looked just like a regular roux-based sauce. I drained the macaroni and stirred it into the sauce until it was mixed well. A few grinds of black pepper, and it was ready to serve.
The results could not have been better. I could not tell that this was a no-wheat mac and cheese. The macaroni was both smooth tasting and my cheese sauce clung perfectly.
Almost magic.
• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.
Zero Wheat Macaroni and Cheese
8 ounces, 100-percent Organic Brown Rice Gluten-Free Macaroni
½ teaspoon sodium citrate
½ cup water (or milk, your choice)
8 ounces extra sharp, cheddar cheese, grated (I prefer organic)
Add 2-quarts water to a 5-quart saucepan and place over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1½ teaspoons sea salt) and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and bring back to boil, while stirring. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes. (I begin tasting at 10 minutes).
While macaroni cooks, add sodium citrate and water to the bottom of a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a simmer of medium heat. Add the cheese, a handful at a time and whisk into the liquid. As each handful melts, add the next handful until all the cheese has been incorporated. If the sauce is too thick add a tablespoon of liquid.
Is Au Jus Gluten Free
When the macaroni is done, drain and add to the cheese sauce; stirring until well combined.
Serves 4
Jus Mac Gluten Free Nutrition
Nutrition values per serving: 440 calories (42.5 percent from fat), 20.8 g fat (12 g saturated fat), 43.7 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g sugars, 2 g fiber, 19 g protein, 60 mg cholesterol, 528 mg sodium.