But what about dessert?
These days, dessert options can be just as hard to plan as the full meal because Grandma is watching her sugar intake, your teenage daughter has recently decided to go vegan and Uncle Bob has a problem with gluten.
Luckily, bakeries around Greater Portland make finding desserts for every health (and teenage) concern pretty easy. The best place to start is the Local Sprouts Cooperative in Portland (615-9970).
“We offer all those different options — vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free,” says Jonah Fertig, who operates Local Sprouts with Hanifa Washington. Local Sprouts also makes the bulk of its offerings from all local and/or organic ingredients.
People who sign up for a Local Sprouts membership through Nov. 19 will receive a free apple or pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and Fertig advises checking the website (http://sites.google.com/site/localsproutscooperative/) for a similar offer prior to the December holidays. “We’re also selling local organic pies for $15 for anyone in Portland,” he says. (Non-members can also purchase homemade cranberry sauce at $8 for 16 ounces.)
Some Local Sprouts options that meet the vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free or locally-made criteria (but not all at once) include:
Blueberry, strawberry, apple, strawberry rhubarb and pumpkin pies; apple crisp; peanut butter, chocolate chip and thumbprint cookies with Maine jam; zucchini chocolate cake; and healthy brownies.
“Most things can be gluten-free or vegan, but local oil is not commercially available,” Fertig says, explaining why all of his dessert options may not be fully local. “You use oil instead of butter for vegan baked goods. And there aren’t a lot of gluten-free grains in Maine.”
Gluten-free choices
If you’re not concerned about the use of all local ingredients, Whole Foods Market is a great option for finding healthy (as far as desserts go anyway) options for your gluten-free diner.
WFM’s Gluten-Free Bakehouse offers items like cherry pie, southern pecan pie, chocolate chip, peanut butter and molasses ginger cookies and walnut brownies. There are also dessert options for vegans, including cookies and cakes (it’s wise to order these ahead).
In Falmouth, More Than Bagels is cooking up a few gluten-free options, including fudge brownies, chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter Amys. And if you need something to feed your company the next morning, you can pick up gluten-free bread, muffins, English muffins and bagels here.
Standard Baking Company in Portland regularly has a gluten-free almond macaroon on the menu. They’ll be sure to have some available on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving but call ahead (773-”2) to have some set aside because they could go quickly.
The Bakery at Mae’s Café in Bath has a gluten-free chocolate torte on the menu, whole or by the slice. If you plan to order a whole cake it’s best to call (442-8577) three days in advance.
In South Portland, Scratch Baking Co. regularly offers two gluten-free items: almond horseshoes and coconut macaroons.
Katie Made Bakery in Portland bakes mostly for restaurants and coffee houses but orders from the general public can usually be filled with 24-48 hours notice. Owner Katie Capron offers a flourless chocolate torte but doesn’t consider it gluten-free. It could, however, fit the bill for those who enjoy their sweets but avoid flour.
Oh so many options
When Jill DeWitt opened Good Eats Boutique on Stevens Avenue in Portland last year she had no idea there would be so many people in the neighborhood with special dietary dessert requests. She was educated very quickly.
“There’s quite a young population here, and I mean under 10 years old, with Celiac disease,” DeWitt says. There are also plenty of vegans who love their sweets. “The message is not just that we carry the sweets but that there are people out there that are so affected.”
Good Eats prides itself on having something for everyone on the menu, including vegan chocolates and a vegan gluten-free bar. There are pies — low-sugar, sugar-free and with no dairy or lard in the crust — from Miss Kitty’s Cakes & Pies in Wiscasset. They come in several flavors (blueberry, apple, raspberry, pumpkin) and in four-inch and nine-inch sizes so if there’s just one vegan in the family there’s no need to buy a large pie. There are also vegan chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, gluten-free cookies, vegan peanut butter cups, a flourless chocolate torte and even a vegan carrot cake.
“I was never as in tune as I’ve been in this neighborhood,” DeWitt says, and she’s happy to provide what customers request.
“There’s always something vegan and gluten-free in the store,” she says. “Being part of the community, that’s what we should be doing.”
Want to cook without gluten?
Some of the most commonly used gluten-free flours are white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch flour and tapioca flour. Others that are gaining ground include soy flour, Garfava flour, arrowroot flour, sorghum flour, amaranth flour, quinoa flour, flax seed flour, buckwheat flour, chestnut flour, corn flour and pinto bean flour.
If you’re concerned about carbs, try flours made from nuts like almonds. (These can often be substituted for breadcrumbs in recipes.)
The newest low-carb altenative is coconut flour, which is great for regulating blood sugar and has plenty of fiber to help you feel full. Coconut flour also is a good substitute for people who are allergic to nuts, grains and/or beans.