“We never want students to say, ‘Hey, this is pretty good for gluten-free,’” says Tracey MacRae, campus executive chef at the University of Washington in Seattle. While MacRae says only about 30 students have contacted the UW disabilities office for the 2015–2016 school year about celiac disease, hundreds of diners chose to eat gluten-sensitive meals, which are offered at every daypart. Here’s how MacRae adapted a student favorite—fettuccine Alfredo—to be suitable for gluten-sensitive eaters without losing its mass appeal.
1. All gluten-free products MacRae uses must first pass a team taste test.
The dry pasta she sources, a certified gluten-free blend of corn and rice, cooks up much like its wheat-based counterpart—though she says it needs slightly less time to boil. “The texture is surprisingly pleasing,” says MacRae, who serves the fettuccine Alfredo a few times a week. “By cooking [the pasta] al dente, it is toothsome and satisfying.”
2 .For the creamy alfredo sauce, MacRae makes a roux by melting butter and whisking in rice flour, which preserves the sauce’s white color.
She then adds fresh garlic, whole milk, half-and-half and grated Parmesan cheese and cooks the mixture until it’s thickened and smooth. “An optional addition is a small amount of xanthan gum to help stabilize the sauce, but it’s not necessary for a successful result,” MacRae says.
3. While UW foodservice workers are “knowledgeable and hypersensitive to cross-contact,” and properly clean and sanitize prep and dining areas, there aren’t separate facilities for cooking those dishes.
“We use the term ‘gluten sensitive or GS’ with items we produce in-house,” says MacRae. That transparency is key. “It’s not possible to guarantee a gluten-free environment in food halls where pizza and other wheat-laden foods are prepared.”
