The Diabetic Pastry Chef

I was pleased to hear The Diabetic Pastry Chef was named a Top 100 Winner,  in Startup Nation’s 2011 Home-Based 100 Competition!

http://www.startupnation.com/home-based-100/contestant/11186/index.php

The Diabetic Pastry Chef will soon introduce a new line of delicious baking mixes! The first mixes to be introduced will be our Multigrain Waffle Mix, our Multigrain Pancake Mix, our Cake Flour Blend, and–last, but not least–our All-Purpose Flour Blend.

The mixes will soon be available for purchase through our website, as well as on Amazon .  Stay tuned!

The Diabetic Pastry Chef will be featured in the December 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens’ magazine, Diabetic Living. The article will debut The Diabetic Pastry Chef’s new line of baking mixes! If you don’t already have a subscription to this great, informative magazine, please pick up an issue at your local newsstand. Issue is available November 1st.

Unsweetened almond milk, with only 2 grams of carbs per cup, is an effective low-carb substitute for milk in your recipes.

Special thanks to the L.A. Times for featuring my cookbook, The Diabetic Pastry Chef!  Here’s the link to the article: http://www.latimes.com/sns-food-books-health,0,386153.story

Using alternative flours can sometimes result in heavier, drier baked goods.  However, sifting flours several times adds more air, making the flour lighter.

Sugar and fat make baked goods moist.  But – as diabetics – we, of course, opt to use less sugar.  Adding 6 to 9 ounces of sour cream or 1/4 cup mayo to cake batters will add moisture.  Alternatively, you can also add a small box of sugar-free dry pudding mix or 8 ounces of  plain yogurt.  I’ve also had luck with adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the batter to add moistness. The Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake recipe found in The Diabetic Pastry Chef cookbook is a very moist cake recipe.

Happy baking!

“In The Diabetic Pastry Chef, Stacey Harris proves what I have been saying for years.  You can prepare and eat wonderful food and still stay well within the guidelines of food for a person with diabetes.”

––Alan L. Rubin, M.D., author of Diabetes for Dummies

and Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies

My cookbook (diabetic baking book) has been released by my publisher, Pelican Publishing Company, and is now in bookstores nationwide, including via online booksellers.

However, please note that not every bookstore has my book on their shelves. In order to not have to special-order it from your bookstore (which is time-consuming), please kindly request your store to generously stock it. Thank you!!!

With Nutritional Information readily listed for each and every recipe, The Diabetic Pastry Chef cookbook features close to 200 recipes that range from down-home classics (Sourdough Biscuits, Cinnamon Pancakes, Banana Bread, Sweet Potato Pie, Red Velvet Cake, Gingerbread-Jam Muffins, Coconut Custard, Marbled American Brownies and beyond) to international (Flan, Pavlova, Tres Leches Cake, creamy Italian Love Cake, Nutella® Cupcakes, Pandan Chiffon Cake, etc.) to the more sophisticated (French Pears, Apricot Mousse, Madeleines, luscious Crème Brûlée, Earl Grey Bundt Cake with Chocolate Sauce, flaky Coconut Scones, Amaretto Cheesecake, Rose Petal Cake, Chocolate Truffle Cookies and more).  Treats for everyone!

The cookbook can be ordered online at many venues, including Pelican Publishing Company.

It is now available to order also as an eBook!

It can also be ordered online via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, as well as other standard and niche online book outlets. The book is also available in Canada, including via Amazon’s Canada site as well as worldwide.

The Diabetic Pastry Chef book is a thoughtful and “tasteful” gift.

Your loved ones will love it!

ATTENTION DEAR READERS: The Nutritional Info for the Two-Ingredient Muffins on Page 75 of my book is incorrect.

My publisher is correcting this in the next printing.  The correct figures are as follows:

Two-Ingredient Muffins

Per Serving: 126 Cal (17% from Fat, 4% from Protein, 79% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 2 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 25 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 13 g Sugar; 52 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 194 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol

I make my own low-carb flours, which I use to prepare pancakes, waffles and muffins. I keep the following on hand at all times: white flour, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, soy flour, whole almonds and old-fashioned oats. I am continually adding new flours to my arsenal.

If I’m making muffins, I follow a traditional recipe that, for example, calls for 3 cups of flour. I look at my flours and might decide to mix 1 cup of white flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and 1 cup of soy flour together. Occasionally, I use all whole wheat flour or any other mixture I prefer. I sometimes grind almonds to make almond flour or oats to make oat flour. I caution you not to use soy flour in your waffle or pancake batters, as it tends to stick too much to the griddles.

If a recipe calls for oil, I use canola oil. If a recipe calls for butter, I will generally use canola butter or Smart Balance regular spread.

I purchase whole milk, and when baking (and elsewhere), I mix it with half water to make an approximate 2% milk. This cuts the carbs (as well as the price of the milk!) in half. There is no noticeable difference in taste from 2% milk.

I am not a big fan of putting solely artificial sweeteners in most baked goods, as it alters the texture and flavors too much and makes things stick to the pan.

So, when baking cakes or muffins, I prefer to reduce the amount of sugar rather than add all artificial sweetener or I’ll do a combination of sweetener and sugar.

For instance, yesterday I baked a large batch of Amish Raisin Bran Muffins that called for 3 cups of sugar. The recipe makes six dozen muffins. I reduced the sugar to 1 cup of sugar with very satisfactory results.

I have discovered that a combination of half sugar and half Splenda works well in sweet potato and pumpkin pies. This also works well in baked bread and rice puddings (I use brown rice) and in baked custards. I also use half sugar and half Splenda when I bake pies such as apple, pineapple, peach and berry. These pies taste pretty much the same as if I had used all sugar.

So I basically mix my flours, use canola oil or a butter substitute, cut the milk carbs in half and reduce the sugar; or I mix sugar and sweetener together (usually 50/50). I do this with just about any standard recipe. The results are pretty much the same as the original recipe – and sometimes even better!

Please note: These recipes are not the final word. They are simply illustrating my FORMULA.

My recipes are here to get you to think outside the box. To get you to experiment with the dessert recipes you come across, until YOU obtain a level of control that is comfortable to you, YOUR health and taste buds. This can be achieved by portion monitoring, lowering the recipe ingredients that adversely affect your health, and by adding or substituting those that help. Use your own discretion and seek the advice of your licensed healthcare provider.

I am still experimenting; so from time to time, I will post further results. I’m committed to making superior low-carb products for myself and my family.