Today we get to know Clémence Catz a bit better. Clémence Catz is author of several fantastic cook books and she animates her own blog Chez Clem - Le Labo du Bio as well. I literally fell in love with her “Sarrasin. L’alternative sans gluten” book that is focused on naturally gluten free buckwheat grain exploring its potential in so many recipes that are easy to make and full of taste. I was very happy to meet her and discover that besides her culinary talent, she is a dynamic, passionate woman, wife and mother of two young children. We spent a very nice morning together chatting around books, recipes and gluten free.
Chiara: Why gluten free?
Clémence: I am not sensitive to gluten but I am in favour of varying what we eat as much as we can and to add a little bit of everything when we cook. I am against any restriction: to me it is important to give people the possibility to choose, to vary their diet, to try new cereals or grains, to experiment new combinations in the kitchen that lead to discover new flavours. I have always been cooking food and proposing recipes that are also gluten free, lactose free and egg free. This means being creative: when I think of a new recipe I always start from an ingredient that caught my attention – very often they are the vegetables and the fruit that I find at the local market – and then I start asking myself how I can cook it, what are the other ingredients that I would like to use, what is the best flour. To me gluten free it’s not about because I don’t want to eat gluten but more about would it be good for this recipe I am thinking about? It is a way to discover new flours for example that are rich in minerals and if we don’t do it, I think that it is just a pity because there are so many ingredients out there that are fantastic and are just waiting for us to give it a try.
Chiara: What is Chez Clem Le labo du bio?
Clémence: I have been cooking organic, vegetarian and gourmand for more than 10 years now. Chez Clem – Le Labo du Bio is a “labo” that is a place where I experiment and test new ingredients, and try new recipes. Lately I tried some raw desserts that were incredibly good like a lemon tart. I am mother of two young children so I don’t have much time – everything I propose it is super simple to make.
Chiara: What is the gluten free food that you loved the most?
Clémence: A big crepe made of chickpeas flour that is typical of the South of France. There was a time when I was addicted to it and cooked it all the time.
Chiara: Gluten free is…
Clémence: Discover new flavours.
Chiara: What is your next challenge?
Clémence: Find an editor for my next cook book that I have written along with a naturopath and preparing myself for the launch of a new one coming out in October.
To see what fantastic gluten free recipe Clémence shared with Baci di Dama:
