Cool Gluten Free Resources + Link to Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe

I was just browsing Barnes & Noble to kill some time today and I came across a fantastic magazine:  Living Without – The Magazine for People with Allergies and Food Sensitivities.  After skimming the sections and seeing all the excellent recipes and ideas, I decided to buy it.  I was convinced by their gluten free pie crust recipe, which I intend to try this summer.

I have been searching for the perfect gluten free pie crust recipe ever since the fall of 2007 – my significant other had been eating gluten free for just 5 months then and we were planning to host our first Thanksgiving dinner at our place.  I had always made fantastic pie crust with regular flour (I learned the secret in my college food science class to use apple cider vinegar to cut the gluten strands for an extra flaky crust).  But although the optimal pie crust recipe cleaves gluten strands, you still need at least some gluten to make the pastry hold together as you work with it.

That fall, I tried many different gluten free pie crust recipes I found on the internet using xanthan gum to hold it together instead.  But although we had already eaten our fill of my various pumpkin pie trials by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, I still hadn’t found a recipe comparable to the real thing.  I went ahead and made the recipe I felt was the “least worst” but still felt embarrassed by how it looked and the final texture.  I have continued my gluten free pie crust search ever since,  so when I came across Living Without magazine with the pie recipes feature developed by an authentic pastry chef, I felt my heart surge – finally an answer!  Here’s hoping for true flakiness this time!

I’ve also found some fantastic recipes to try and an interactive gluten free resources map to see what’s available in your own area at www.celiacchicks.com