Who Dun It Gluten/Dairy Free?

As I was devising a plan for my upcoming 25th birthday party with my brain trust of sisters, Wendy and Molli, the idea occurred to me that I should 'surprise' all of my guests with a gluten-free, dairy-free (GDF) spread.  Brilliance at its finest.  The few people I did tell about the idea were, as I suspected they would be, less than thrilled about the idea.  Now, keep in mind that most of these 'confidants' were people who have journeyed the GDF path with me, so they have been present for some of my cooking blunders (and there were plenty).  So I knew I had to make the food good enough to slip in the GDF elements undetected.  I also wanted to stay with the theme of the party which was a murder mystery set in a casino in Paris.  The plot of the party was to uncover a jewel thief, a murderer, someone who had stolen nuclear plans, and an embezzling casino employee.  All of my guests were donning costumes for this black-tie event, so I wanted to do nothing to detract from the mood, while still keeping the food 'finger friendly' and mess free.

With the help of the very best baker I know, Molli Veach, the party feast was a smashing success!  Here are a few of the dishes I served:

"Cinq Carats" or "Five Carat Veggie Platter"

This one is pretty straight forward, but I included it because of the dip.  I cut up red and orange bell peppers and long green beans, then placed them with grape tomatoes around a vegan sour cream dip (the brand of sour cream I used was Tofutti's). I combined it with a Lipton onion mix packet.  I was so nervous to try it because, honestly, the thought of vegan sour cream was repulsive to me, but it was phenomenal!  

"Roulette Rapide" or "Rapid Roulette Rice Bars" 

I was so excited to find out that Rice Krispies® had come out with a gluten-free version of one of my favorite cereals!  As for the taste of the cereal, it was a little 'ricier' than usual, but far better than having to abstain altogether.  (I used Kraft Jet Puff® marshmallows, although I can't speak for whether or not they're completely gluten free as I have found conflicting information, but they don't seem to bother my stomach at all. Here's a website with information on the subject: http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com/gluten-free/gluten-free-product-of-the-day-403/) I followed the recipe on the marshmallow bag, using unsalted butter (My doctor had told me that 'real' butter has very little lactose in it and shouldn't upset my stomach.  I have done both clarified and unclarified butter and haven't been able to tell a difference most of the time.)  Theses would have been just as good with clarified butter and they were delicious, evidenced by the empty plate half an hour into the party.  

"Poker Chip Chocolate Cake" (No French name here!)

This was the best part of the night!  People were raving about the cake before and after they found out it was sans gluten or dairy!  This was Bob's Red Mill® Chocolate Cake Mix and Pamela's® Vanilla Frosting Mix (For allergen info on Pamela's Frosting Mix, check out this website: http://pamelasproducts.com/allergy-information-2/ .)  It was ridiculously good!  The mixes themselves are GDF and they give you several options on the back of the package for making it, such as combining with rice milk or almond milk.  I, myself used Lactaid® 2% Milk for the vanilla frosting (which I love as a lactose alternative!)  For the decorating of the cake, we ('we' being Molli actually doing while I managed from afar) cut shapes out of construction paper and laid them on top of the already frosted cake.  Then, we covered the cake with the red sprinkles and removed the construction paper pieces.  We smoothed the white areas with a warm, wet butter knife.and voila!!  It was so yummy!

Here are a couple of snapshots of the mixes I used:

bobsredmill.com

Pamelasproducts.com

At the end of the party, everyone was surprised to find out my little GDF secret!  With their mouths full and all smiles, no one said a word about being completely duped! Ha!