On 12/19/2008 at 4:55 PM, Eden said:This brings up an interesting question to me as I occasionally cook for gluten intolerant friends: What other grains CAN you make a roux with?
Dear heavens, this is a total necro-post, but I had to weigh in as grain-free cooking has become one of my focuses.
I’ve had decent success making roux with almond flour. It browns up beautifully and adds wonderful body to otherwise soupy dishes. It also picks up (obvs.) a decidedly nutty aroma which transforms into something quite exquisite if you toast the flour a bit beforehand. There’s a limit to how much it will actually thicken a dish. Almond is never going to suck up liquid like grains do, but if you need more, trading out a quarter to a third of your almond flour for coconut flour does improve things. How much you might taste coconut in the final dish depends on the sensitivity of your palate and on how much seasoning and spice are also involved. So, you might get a little coconut hit from, say, a bechamel but not a gumbo.
Either way, it can make for some delicious roux-based cooking for the gluten intolerant or anyone generally avoiding starchy grains.
