Jenni Hulet - My Paleo Patisserie: An Artisan Approach to Grain Free Baking

First Published in 2015 by Victory Belt Publishing Inc.

Copyright 2015 Jenni Hulet

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-628600-44-5

This book is for entertainment purposes. The publisher and author of this cookbook are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any adverse effects arising directly or indirectly as a result of the information provided in this book.

Cover Design: Robert Milam and Chris Flynn

Cover Photography: Ashleigh Amoroso

Interior Design: Yordan Terziev and Boryana Yordanova

Interior Photography: Jenni Hulet

Printed in the U.S.A.

RRD 0115

To my parents, whose hope, resolve, humor, and unyielding passion
for life have been my model for living, and without which the events
that led to the creation of this book would never have become
a story of redemption.

The first time I met Jenni was sometime in early 2011. The first thing that caught my eye was her breathtaking food photography. Like Jenni, I had recently started my blog but had no experience with photography, and was having trouble getting my creations to look appetizing on the page.

On a whim, I sent her a message asking for advice on how to improve my photography. In the conversation that followed, Jenni and I were surprised to find how similar our paths to eating a grain-free diet were with regard to recovering our health. She suggested a few books and websites that could help, and we had a lengthy discussion about the pros and cons of several different cameras. While that conversation did help me with my photography, the real value that came of it was the seeds of a great friendship.

Over the years there have been countless conversations full of laughter, deep connection, and encouragement. I think that its rare in todays virtual world to forge this kind of friendship with someone who lives so far away, but our similar passions have made our friendship effortless. Although we see each other only a few times a year, I always value my time with Jenni and look forward to her next great creation.

Naturally, when Jenni told me that she was finally going to write a book, I was thrilled! Theres just something about the way she approaches her creativity that I knew would make a truly amazing book. Theres a lot of similarity in how she and I approach food. Having both grown up with strong families around us, cooking and eating together as a family is a theme thats woven all throughout both of our bodies of work. We both cherish the nostalgic aspect of food and strive to preserve that in our grain-free recipe re-creations.

But I think theres something else at the heart of why this book is so unique. Jenni is a true artist. She creates more than just great recipes and stunning photography. She delves deeply into recipe creation and meticulously works and reworks them until they are just perfect. She has a relationship with her ingredients. To her, they are like living, breathing entities that she nurtures and cultivates. They are painstakingly selected and elegantly woven together until they are not just recipesthey are quite literally works of art.

Jenni approaches food, and all of life, as Ive discovered, with a bold and creative reckless abandon. She has a mission to provide people with reliable recipes that will bring inspiration and art back into their kitchens, and an unyielding drive to attain it. Even in the face of physical struggles, she delivers.

With this book you are getting a little glimpse into the heart and soul of my friend Jenni. I think youll find that it is as accessible, adventurous, and unique as she is. I encourage you to embrace the challenges youll find in these pages. Some of these recipes may seem elaborate, but dont let that stop you. The rewards of throwing yourself into the pursuit of beauty and creativity are apparent in the enjoyment of those you are serving them to, restoring community and joy around the table.

Im confident that youre going to love this book as much as I do. Im proud to know Jenni and to be a part of such a great piece of work.

Danielle Walker
New York Times bestselling author of
Against All Grain and Meals Made Simple

Pretty much as early as I can remember, my familys culture revolved around the kitchen. I grew up in the far north part of Minnesota, and many a gray, cold, and blustery day was spent casually gathered with friends and loved ones around the kitchen table with a warm cup of coffee and a story to be shared. Some of my very earliest memories are of my parents preparing meals and welcoming guests from near and far into our home.

Our home was a place that was open to anyone and everyone, from local friends to traveling acquaintances, and there was rarely a time when we didnt have a French press full of coffee and a big pot of soup ready to warm up anybody who stopped by to say hello. For us, food was far more than sustenance for our bodies; it was the means by which people from all walks of life could come together and find common ground.

Both of my parents are avid cooks, and the unique blend of their distinct personalities created an interesting environment for me to grow up.

My mother is a kind and generous woman whose exuberance tends to spill over onto anyone who comes through our door. In our small circle, she is famous for her fresh-baked bread, and her homemade cinnamon rolls will forever live on in the minds of hundreds of transient travelers as perhaps one of the greatest culinary encounters of their lives. Coming home to the smell of a kitchen under her direction is possibly the strongest and most enduring sensation that my young memory holds.

My father is a fascinating combination of cultured intellectual and rugged mountain man: He is equally adept at teaching complex theology or catering an upscale gala as he is at field-dressing a deer or running a dogsled team across the frozen tundra. Its from him that I learned to love the vast and varied cuisines of the world, and there are very few things that brought me more joy as a young girl than getting to work side by side with him in the kitchen as he prepared the meals that welcomed so many into our home.

This unique culture lent itself well to creating a strong sense of occasion in my life. Because so many of the meals that we shared happened as sort of spontaneous moments to welcome surprise guests, any meal or get-together that was planned ahead of time carried with it an enhanced sense of importance. If we knew days or weeks in advance that we would be hosting friends, the sense of anticipation combined with the time to plan afforded us the ability to put together unique and elaborate meals to share with our guests. Often we would spend days planning and preparing every detail of the event.