From the Inside Flap
What happens when a successful chef falls in love with a gluten-free girl? One result is damned fine food. Another is this story of love and laughter, working hard and listening, and sharing meals at midnight.
When she was diagnosed with celiac disease, Shauna set out to discover and delight in the best food she could eat. Then she met Daniel, a talented chef who had spent his career cooking at great restaurants across the country. They fell in love at the grocery store, the farmers' market, and in front of the stove. Soon Daniel was creating spectacular dishes, stunning meals that happened to be entirely gluten-free.
Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef shares the Aherns' unexpected courtship, from their first date to married life together, through stories about food. The book also follows a day in the life of the working chef, from selecting the best fish to deciding specials to creating gluten-free desserts. This narrative cookbook features gorgeous photographs, guidance on cooking techniques, and 100 chef-tested recipes intended for the home cook.
The recipes in this book—Chilled Asparagus Soup; Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Almond Sauce; Fennel Salad with Rainier Cherries, Radishes, and Raspberry Vinaigrette; Bacon-Wrapped Pork Belly; Crusty Bread That Even Those Who Eat Gluten Might Like; and Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Fig Crust; plus many more—will leave everyone with joy in the belly.
Far more than just a cookbook, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef is an inspiring love story sure to give hope to anyone who believes that gluten-free food can't be devilishly delicious and seriously satisfying.
From the Back Cover
Advance Praise for Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
"Shauna's passion for writing is second only to her passion for her husband, The Chef...and their gorgeous child, Lucy. When I read this cookbook, I felt like curling up, slowing down, and savoring the words on the pages. They're life-giving—not just for folks who live a gluten-free lifestyle, but also for those (like me) who are simply inspired by the beauty of food." —Ree Drummond, author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks
"As fellow hopeless romantics who have been happily coupled for twenty-five years and married for twenty of them, we fell in love with this beautiful love story told by Shauna and Daniel Ahern of their life in food, with recipes. That these recipes were inspired by such compelling flavor combinations made us fall all the harder. This book is a heartfelt tribute to the healing power of food for both body and soul." —Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, James Beard
Award–winning authors of The Flavor Bible, Becoming a Chef, and Culinary Artistry
"Chefs are all over the media today, on TV and even in tabloids, but only rarely do we get to know one up close, through the loving eyes of his wife. Being a chef is not for the faint of heart, nor is being married to one, but Shauna and Danny tell their story with grace, wisdom, wit, and, as Danny might say, some kick-ass recipes, too."—Molly Wizenberg, author of A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table
"Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef is a writer's cookbook, a chef's cookbook, a reader's cookbook, but most of all it's a cook's cookbook. It's about a love of cooking and of being alive and appreciating one another and sharing good food. The Aherns have proven themselves experts at gluten-free cooking, and their practical wisdom and recipes here provide an extraordinary lesson in gluten-free cooking, but what this book is really about is love. What a generous book it is. As far as I'm concerned, this is what a cookbook is all about."
—Michael Ruhlman, author of Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craftof Everyday Cooking and other books
"How can you resist a love story that reads even more sensuous than a romance novel—especially since it includes the pleasures of Bacon Butter, Blackberry-Peach Crumble, and Smoked Salt Caramel Ice Cream!"
—Jaden Hair, www.SteamyKitchen.com, and author of The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook
