The Falciani Kids: Super Stuffed Strawberries

The hardest part of being the parent of a food-allergic kid (POFAK, for short), is constantly feeling like I'm in the kitchen. There are a lot of great ready-to-eat options out there if you're only dealing with one or two allergens. For example, Neal has recently had some testing done and as a result needs to consume a gluten-free diet. Sure, not all products are equal, but since that is all he is officially avoiding (for now), there are nearly as many options as for gluten-based products. As we go through the family, the product list gets smaller; avoiding milk or soy or nuts knocks a lot of things out for the bigger boys. And then we get to Celia, who can only safely eat two foods: pork and strawberries. Other than fresh strawberries or pork rinds, it's into the kitchen we go.

When you only have two foods to work with, you are forced to be seriously creative. It amazes me what we have been able to come up with for her. Sometimes, it's just presentation -- strawberry puree frozen in letter shaped ice cube trays instead of the ice cream machine. Sometimes, it's a twist on a basic recipe -- like adding baking soda to lollipop syrup to make "Hokey Pokey." But the hard part is making her feel "normal" -- parties can be hard for her. She wants a special treat, too, and I don't blame her. For her birthday last year, we had a big bonfire and roasted marshmallows. Pork means gelatin, and gelatin plus sugar equals marshmallows! (The recipe is simple enough -- but the reality is I spent two weeks online hunting down safe brands and getting safe powdered sugar imported from England.) Tomorrow is ECA's Christmas Party Day, and she wanted know -- since I was making Matthew's class a fruit tray and dip, could I make "her kind" of dip to go with strawberries.

Uh...ok.

So me and my buddy Google got down to business. Most marshmallow fluff recipes call for eggs. They are something she has "normal" allergies to -- they can trigger anaphylaxis and kill her. Not gonna work. Searching for "Vegan Marshmallow Fluff" (inherently egg free) got lots of ideas, but all containing foods she can't have, especially soy. That "only" triggers GI bleeding...yeah, I think we'll skip that too. I was starting to give up hope. One last search and I was going to have to tell her that she might have to choose one or the other. I entered "Egg Free Marshmallow Fluff recipe" and found this. It wasn't "fluff" -- it is a whoopie pie filling. But it was a workable recipe. Cue the choir of Christmas angels!

Thanks to my friends at the Kids with Food Allergies Foundation, I could start subbing in my head as I read the ingredient list. Gelatin -- Pork-based gelatin (Knox brand) is safe for us. Water, check. Maple syrup...not safe, but we can use Lyle's Golden Syrup instead. Vanilla isn't a safe flavoring, but plain rum is, as is Crystal Diamond Kosher salt. We could make this work. Or destroy the kitchen trying.

Faux Fluff:

1 envelope gelatin
1/4 cup water

Mix together and microwave for 30 seconds. Pour to mixer bowl. Add:

1/2 c. golden syrup
1/2 tsp rum
1/4 tsp salt

Start mixing. Mix on high speed for 10-12 minutes to create the marshmallow.

After 2-3 minutes, you can see the sugar turning fluffy.

By golly...after 12 minutes, we have a soft marshmallow-type thing going. This may work after all!

Celia came wandering in at this point. She decided it needed inspection by a "Quality Control" officer. She deemed it "perfect."

Ok, now for the real test. Everybody's seen the whipped cream-and-strawberry Santas making the rounds on Pinterest. Could I make THOSE happen?? I scooped some of our wannabe fluff into a zip-top bag, snipped the corner, and started filling cored strawberries. (Cut the green/tops off a strawberry, slice of a little bottom so they stand up, and core out a little of the berry to stuff with fluff. If you're making Santas, use the lopped-off point for your hat. If you're not, put them in a bowl and snack.)

Verdict: they sort of are possible. I think if I was filling them and serving immediately, yes. But the few test ones I made started to have the tops slip-siding from the marshmallow setting and the berry being juicy, and I didn't think they'd hold overnight. In the end, I made filled strawberries, they just didn't have caps on them. Celia's good with that.

She decided she wanted to fill a couple. (And decorate the sides. The more marshmallow, the merrier!) And eat them on the spot, of course.