A Gluten-Free Party & Catering Guide

There are many reasons to hold parties throughout the year. Whether it be a wedding, birthday, holiday or other celebration, traditional favorites such as pasta, cookies, cakes, and pretzels abound at these festivities. But a party can easily turn into a nightmare for someone with a gluten allergy, with the risk of either eating the wrong food, or cross-contamination being prime worries. Even worse is the life of the parent of a young child with a gluten sensitivity. All it takes is a second for a child to shove a cookie in his mouth, an act which could make him sick for days. Many friends and relatives also don't understand the true harm of it, or think that eating just a little bit won't hurt.

How then, do you plan a party with good options for a person with a gluten allergy? What foods could you have that will taste good, be enjoyed, and still be safe for your guests? Will the party be a disaster without all that other stuff? The answers might surprise you.

The first thing to do is sit down to plan your menu, thinking in advance of your guests. If the person with a gluten allergy is an adult, the planning may be easier. Adults tend to understand that they can't eat everything, and choose the food on their own plates. They also are more able to tell well-meaning people that no, truly, they can't have just one bite. It would be okay to put out pretzels, cookies, and crackers, because the adult with a gluten allergy is likely to know to avoid those foods. If the guest, however, is a young child, it will be important to put unsafe foods out of his or her reach. While the parent of a gluten-free child should be watching to make sure he or she doesn't eat the wrong thing, it's very easy for other friends or relatives to 'take pity' on the child and sneak him or her a cookie or a bite of cake. If you can avoid having the unsafe foods in the same area, it will make it easier for the child to avoid them.

It is surprisingly easy to cater an entire party with no gluten-containing ingredients. Of course, pretzels and crackers are out of the question, but you can make ample substitutes. Most varieties of potato chips are safe to eat, but if they have flavoring, you should still check the ingredients to be sure they are safe. Plain chips are almost always safe. Tortilla chips, especially the unflavored variety, are also a good bet, and go well with a salsa, bean, or guacamole dip. Another good choice for finger food is a vegetable tray with dip. Alternately, you can make up a meat and cheese tray, simply omitting the crackers. A fruit tray is another good choice, especially popular with children. You can also offer such things as devilled eggs, scallops wrapped in bacon, tomato and mozzarella salad, and tossed salad.

When it comes to main courses for meal events, your options are not as limited as you might think. True, the old standbys of baked ziti and chicken marsala are out of the question, but there are so many other choices available to you. Since most meals at catered parties include some sort of meat and starch option, you might consider sausages, cooked with onions and peppers, served beside garlic mashed potato. Or, if you want a more upscale option, salmon, cooked in a butter, dill and parsley sauce, goes wonderfully well with potatoes. If you don't want them mashed, you can bake baby red potatoes with rosemary, salt, and olive oil for a delicious, gluten-free side dish.

If potatoes aren't your favorite, rice is a wonderful alternative. Soy sauce is processed with wheat, however, so you may want to steer clear of Asian stir frys, but you can have an Indian or Thai dish with rice on the side. If you want to do a Southwestern-themed meal, you could use quinoa as your starch. It is a gluten-free grain with a size and texture similar to couscous. It has a slightly nutty taste and lends itself extremely well to being cooked with a variety of spices and vegetables.

Meats are all safe options when it comes to gluten-free cooking, but you must keep in mind that the meat can not be breaded. Most breadings are wheat-based, making them unsuitable. Likewise, most gravy is wheat-based. Tomato sauce tends to be fine, but wine sauces may be thickened with wheat. If you are having a party catered, it is important to ask what ingredients will be used, and to see if they can substitute cornstarch in sauces. (It is an excellent thickener.)

Desserts aren't as hard as they seem, either. If you are baking cakes and cookies yourself, you can most likely find all-purpose gluten-free flour in your organic aisle at the supermarket. You may also be able to find xanthan gum in the same aisle, or in the spice aisle. For each batch of cookies, replace the wheat flour with the all-purpose GF flour, and add one to two teaspoons of xanthan gum. The raw dough will taste differently, but once cooked, the cookies will be very similar in taste to wheat-based cookies. If you are planning on making cake, the same is true. You might want to consider making cupcakes, however, since they are easier than a full cake, and lend themselves to easier experimentation when baking. Whatever you make, it would be a good idea to do a test batch before your party to make sure your recipe works well. Also keep in mind that gluten-free baked goods bake faster than ones made with wheat.

If you are planning on buying desserts rather than making them yourself, try to plan to have some gluten-free ones available as well, particularly if the allergic person is a child. Gluten-free cookies are becoming available at most major supermarkets and taste pretty good. Also, you could have chocolate-covered fruit, plain chocolate, or candy. Just be sure to keep in mind that any candies with wafer or cookie parts are not safe. Ice cream is another popular and often gluten-free food. Again, flavors with cookie, cake, or pie crust pieces are not safe, but the majority of flavors are.

Even if you choose not to have a gluten-free party, you can take some easy precautions to make food safer for your guests. Keep cheeses and meats on a separate plate from the crackers, keep a small amount of all dips and spreads in separate containers to avoid cross-contamination, and keep gluten-free items in containers of their own. The allergic person will appreciate your efforts and will certainly have a much better experience than otherwise. Also, who knows? By experimenting with gluten-free party ideas, you could create a much more unique, memorable, and tasty party event for all of your guests.