BabyCakes: Just Good Enough?

Good enough? Just good enough? Wait a minute now, what about my manic trek from the West Village to their location at 248 Broome Street? What about the six visits I made in the last three weeks? Or how about that time I dropped by and one of the lovely bakers recounted each item I had purchased on my previous visit (I would have stopped her had my mouth not been full of scrumptious GF savory scone). And dear reader, what about the line item I added recently to my budget just for BabyCakes?

The "good enough" superlative is not simply a cheap hook for this blog entry, its a primary component of my personal food safety philosophy.

My roommate kindly introduced me to the bakery, and a quick glance at their website left me hopeful, but confused;

Although we are 100% vegan and offer numerous gluten free products, a few of our baked goods contain spelt flour. (Separate pans, trays, utensils, sinks and sponges are used for the spelt ingredient).

We do not bake with nuts; however, some of our vendors store nuts in the same facility as our chocolate products. Additionally, all of our gluten free flours are processed on equipment that packages hazelnut and almond flours.

Also, now that the FDA has certified coconuts as a tree nut (see my investigative reporting on that topic) BabyCakes cannot claim to bake without tree nuts.

Fabulous that Erin McKenna, the mastermind behind the deliciosity -and a fellow food allergy sufferer- has instilled such consistent, clear, and safe practices in her kitchen (and has so generously shared her recipes in her latest book). However, the mention of potential cross contamination between GF flour and tree nuts left me scratching my head.

The first time I dropped by, I verified that their Bob's Red Mill gluten free (GF) flours are processed on equipment that also processes nuts. Uncertain about this risk of cross contamination, I contacted Bob's Red Mill directly and received the following brilliant response from a representative:

[W]e do thoroughly clean in between each line of products we run, first with air pressure and then by running 25lbs of product through, discarding it and running the rest of the product through.

Well that's good enough for me. I gathered all the information I could, and felt comfortable that the practices at Bob's Red Mill and at BabyCakes would be consistent enough for my nut allergy-sensitive self. I'm going to take a stand and just urge everyone who is uncertain about a packaged or processed food item to contact as many parts of the supply chain as possible when assessing a product. Companies are surprisingly responsive- and the expanded options are well worth it!

And the baked goods that inspired my drooling, rabid pilgrimage?

Well, this establishment's menu is extensive and constantly reimagines baking Gluten Free, Soy Free, Casein Free, Egg Free, Vegan, Kosher, and Refined Sugar Free.

Everything I tasted: lemon, red velvet and boston creme cupcakes, savory and sweet biscuits, and donuts exceeded their mere-mortal counterparts.* McKenna's use of coconut oil, and agave, not to mention rice flour and a garbanzo/fava bean mix adds a complex, layered flavor to each winning goodie.

Did I say donuts? Yes, GF donuts. Every other day the brilliant bakers churn out lemon coconut, chocolate frosted, chocolate coconut, cinnamon sugar and raspberry filled. All I can say? Exquisite.

Sadly, my hands were much too sticky from cramming the goodies into my mouth to bother with a digital camera (see Kathy's review at Lunchbox Bunch for drool-worthy shots). You'll just have to try them yourself. Oh and they deliver. Did I mention they have gift cards?




*Well except for the iced pumpkin loaf I had today. Honestly though, it was perfectly moist with gobs of frosting. It really just needed more spice- and McKenna professes to be a reluctant seasonal baker. It's okay, I understand, I'm from the Middle East and I didn't know seasons existed until I moved to the states.


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Coconut? More like Coco-not-a-nut!

Well not according to the FDA, which clarified in 2006 that coconuts, are in fact a nut.

Confused? I am. Let's piece through the legislation together shall we?

In August 2004, the FDA enacted The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) (or Title II of Public Law 108-282). Turn to page 908 of the PDF. About 2/3 of the way down the page, under the section marked "Conforming Amendments," is the paragraph that defines the eight primary allergens- a fact many of us are familiar with today.

Something I wasn't so familiar with cropped up in this guidance report for the industry published October 2006. Coconuts and lychees are drupes, though they are classified by the FDA as nuts.

Now this is nuts. Although individuals can be allergic to both drupes and nuts (having an allergy to almonds in addition to hazelnuts and cashews for example- or to coconuts for that matter), having a blanket umbrella term is not helpful when it comes to making smart food choices. When you are staring down a label for almond butter and it says "May contain traces of tree nuts," without elaborating which tree nuts it may contain traces of- label reading can often prove challenging and disheartening.

Although Section 403(w)(1), acknowledges that a major food allergen must be declared using the name of the food source from which the major food allergen is derived, I have not found this to be the case in my experience.

(Please note that this represents my own interpretation of the FDA regulations and is not meant to substitute medical guidance.)

One way of intervening on this whole label confusion would be to contact the manufacturer/distributor directly.

I did so several months ago with Wilderness Family Naturals' coconut oil. I am not allergic to coconuts, and wanted to verify that it was totally nut free. I spoke to a representative who clarified that their oil contained only "organic coconut oil." Still a bit wary of the "nut" in "coconut", the jar sat in my pantry for weeks before I even opened it up (with a friend and epi pen nearby) to take a whiff.

Yes, yup, smells like coconut.

I always do food challenges for suspected allergens in the safety of my allergist's office, but on occasion I will perform my own food challenges at home, with a friend, epi pen and benadryl at the ready. Do note that these are foods I may not have eaten in years, or foods I have eaten in very small quantities- but most importantly these are all foods that have not previously caused an allergic reaction. They are foods that I took out of diet because of fear and anxiety (the nut part of the coconut for example- it's scary!)

Several weeks later, with friend and epipen in tow, I took a small teaspoon of the coconut oil. And it tasted great! Soon I was throwing it on everything- from stir fry to oatmeal!

Yes, oatmeal. Breakfast soon became an experiment with flavor profiles, trying to match up different combinations of fruit, spices and coconut. This wonderfully neutral base inspired my present coconut rice pudding recipe. I toss ancho chili powder, agave nectar with some goji berries and a squeeze of lime to produce a sweet, aromatic and ultimately revelatory rice pudding.

Sweet and Spicy Rice Pudding
Makes four servings

1 1/2 cups cooked Jasmine rice
(note: you can use leftover short grain brown rice, I drew on Jasmine rice for its aromatic tone, and though a long-grain, it acts like a sticky short grain rice- I used Bittman's instructions for cooking rice, below)

Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
handful of goji berries
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
lime wedge

Place the rice, coconut milk and agave nectar in a medium-size sauce pan over low heat.

Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the salt and simmer until thick and creamy, 5-10 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in ancho chili powder and goji berries (reserving a few to garnish on top). When you are ready to eat, sprinkle some lime juice from a freshly cut wedge.

Eat this fresh out the pot, or refrigerate to cool!




Mark Bittman's Basic Long-Grain Rice (from How to Cook Everything)
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
2 1/4 cups water or stock (I used water)
1 tp salt, or to taste

Combine the rice, liquid and salt in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to a medium-high. Bring to a boil.

Turn the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. At this point:

- If the rice is not absorbed but the rice is tender, uncover and raise the heat a bit. Cook, stirring (you can add a little butter or oil if you like to prevent sticking), until the liquid evaporates.
- If the water is not absorbed and the rice is not yet tender, re-cover and check in 3 minutes.
- If the water is absorbed and the rice is not yet tender, add a few tablespoons of hot or boiling liquid, re-cover,and check in 3 minutes.



This recipe represents a delicious and very material intervention on some of the FDA's arbitrary labeling practices. Contacting the manufacturer and distributor of your processed goods is one solid practice you can take on- it's certainly an extra step, but one that is incredibly rewarding.
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Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Sometimes The Allergenius isn't such a genius when it comes to technology. Take this particular post. If you had checked it but mere hours ago, you would have come across some pretty gorgeous pictures indexed by my amusing short hand:

Chop!

Fennel!

Other!

Enthusiastic, certainly, but perhaps a bit confounding. I’m still getting the feel of the blogger’s digital tools. Luckily, I’m much more adept with the tools in the kitchen, and love experimenting with them.


The other day I started out with some russet potatoes from my local food coop, intending to make mashed potatoes. I like my mashed potatoes especially garlicky, and I threw in a couple cloves of raw garlic before tackling the crumbly boiled potatoes with my hand blender.

Though I hadn’t added any butter, margarine or cream, the blender (which is also appropriately called a “wand” blender) was churning my potatoes into a creamy consistency, sans dairy!

My lactose intolerant stomach was thanking me before I even put the fork to my lips, and I assembled a gorgeous veggie spread with other fodder from my CSA.




Creamy Mashed Potatoes
(2 Servings)

1 LB (4-6 small or medium sized) diced potatoes, with skins on
2 cloves raw garlic, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chopped green onion

Drop diced potatoes gently in a pot of boiling water, and let sit for 25 minutes, or until the pieces just begin to crumble when you poke them with a fork.

Drain the potatoes in your sink, and let cool.

Place potatoes in a medium sized bowl with garlic, and tackle them with your hand blender until they are the desired consistency, then add salt and pepper to taste

Top with chopped green onion to garnish


Braised Purple Carrot and Fennel Salad
(4 Servings)

1 bunch carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
1 medium sized fennel bulb, cut across the bulb (to prepare chop across the top to remove fronds, you can peel the bulb's outer layer if desired, but I usually leave it intact)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar plus more as needed for braising
1 bunch reserved fennel fronds

Set stove top burner to medium-high heat, drizzle 1 TB olive oil on oven safe skillet or pan
When oil is hot, toss in carrots and fennel, and let brown

Add apple cider vinegar and deglaze pan

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let vegetables cook until tender, when they can be easily pierced with a fork

Uncover vegetables and set heat back to medium-high, cooking off excess braising liquid, tossing vegetables frequently

Add reserved fennel fronds

Serve and Enjoy!


Garlicky Green Beans
(2 Servings)

½ LB green beans
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TB juice from fresh lemon

Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet or pan, drop the sliced garlic and follow swiftly with the green beans. Cook for three to five minutes on medium high heat, tossing lightly every so often.

Squeeze juice from half a lemon onto skillet, season with salt and pepper to taste



Each of these dishes can be served as a delicious accompaniment to a main course, or served together for a hearty and nutrient rich meal!



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