Cooking for people with food allergies

Many recipes can be adapted to avoid the most common food allergens and still offer great taste. All it takes is a little creativity. Chefs at the Culinary Institute of America have developed more than a dozen recipes to illustrate delicious alternatives (link to recipes). Among the strategies they offer:

• Substitute soymilk, rice milk, peanut or almond milk for cow's milk.
• Use non-hydrogenated margarine or vegetable oil instead of butter.
• Substitute a tapenade for cheese on a gourmet pizza (link to cheese-less pizza recipe).
• Exchange mayonnaise for mashed avocado, hummus or tapenade on sandwiches.
• Use tofu instead of eggs in a breakfast scramble (link to recipe)
• Add whole-grain croutons to salads to mimic the crunchy texture of nuts.
• Blend olives and sun-dried tomatoes into cream cheese as an alternative to smoked salmon on a bagel (link to recipe).
• Substitute canned chicken for canned tuna.
• Serve risotto cakes instead of crab cakes (link to recipe)
• Use paneer (pressed Indian cheese) instead of tofu (link to recipe).

When adapting a meal to accommodate a guest with food allergies, be sure to confirm that outsourced ingredients such as salad dressings do not contain the allergen.

Preparing a special version of a restaurant item takes extra time. Communicate to your guests that the items may require more preparation time. Be sure to allow your kitchen staff the time they need.