RECIPE - GF Soft Pretzels with Beer Cheese Dip

It's OK to drool. I won't tell anyone...

Ok, so the gluten free soft pretzel recipe I cannot and will not share with you. I got it out of my new cookbook "Gluten Free Baking Classics" by Annalise G. Roberts. Check out her website, The Food Philosopher.  They're fantastic. Simply said. Do yourself a favor and buy this cookbook. Seriously! Your family will thank you.

Now, onto the cheese dip!! I first encountered beer and cheese in dip format at a great restaurant The Readhead in the east village. Besides having the 2nd best (umm, hello? see mine) fried chicken ever, they make this amazing cheese-y beer-y dip for soft pretzels. I did my best to make a gluten free lactose free version. That recipe I'll share with you.

Now, there's a couple of things that make this recipe awesome and special despite its being gluten free and lactose free. The first is Cabbott cheese. Oddly enough, my grandpa told me about this gem. Their cheeses are gluten free AND lactose free. And they taste like CHEESE!!!!

The second is the Tofutti cream cheese. I've used this cream cheese in the past as a healthier alternative to cream cheese, but it's also great because it's gluten free and dairy free!

And finally we have the beer. You only need a little, so use your favorite gluten free beer. I recently tried Estrella Daura, the best American-tasting gluten free beer (vs. the best European-tasting gluten free beer Greene's beer).

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shredded Cabbott cheddar cheese
2 tbsp Tofutti original cream cheese
1/4 cup gluten free beer (I recommend Estrella Daura, see my review here)
a little salt and pepper
1 tbsp Hot Sauce (like for wings)

Directions:
Put everything into a bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each burst. Once everything melts together, pour into your serving bowl and refrigerate. Difficult, eh?

PRODUCT REVIEW - Udi's Gluten Free Bagels

In New York, bagels are like the 5th food group: fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, and bagels. Without bagels, thousand of New Yorkers each morning would wander the streets like zombies without their starch fix, roaming around and looking for alternatives. It wouldn't look quite unlike any other early morning, except folks would be mumbling "bayyygehlll.....bayygehhlll....". You could try to offer them alternatives, croissants ("Blargh!" they'd say) or some nice hot oatmeal ("Phouie!" they'd mumble), you would even offer them their traditional food of human brains. But no, they'd just keep wandering and insist on their bagels.

Fortunately for those that must keep gluten free, there are many companies that vie to stuff you with their version of gluten free bagels. Pretty much every company that makes gluten free bread also dabbles in bagels. Thank goodness for those gluten free New York zombies!

So today I tried Udi's version of a gluten free bagel. Got a 4-pack from Whole Foods for about $6, which seems really expensive. But if you think about it, a bagel at a deli will probably cost $1 or $1.25, more if you get cream cheese. That would be $4-5 for a 4-some, so you're only paying a dollar or two more for something that won't make you feel crappy for days. Good bargain.

Anyways, I bought these bagels at Whole Foods last week, and stuck them in the freezer. I find that gluten free baked goods tend to dry out quickly, so by freezing them you help preserve them. To cook, I thawed in the microwave until a little steamy, then toasted. Top it with a little of my Tofutti cream cheese, and I was set!

Let's start with the good: the bagel got great toast-i-ness while in the toaster, although I have a toaster oven and would recommend toasting on both sides. The taste was very good, definitely a little yeasty, but not too much, and none of that weird acidic flavor that some gluten free baked goods can get. The bagel was nice and soft, and when you cut it it all stays together and does not crumble away.

Now for some not so good: the one thing that I'm really missing is that chewiness that you'll get from a gluten-filled bagel. I know that gluten makes chewiness, and without it you obviously lack the chewiness, but it's just not quite there. It's kind of like eating a steamed bun with a crust.

Besides my one criticism, these bagels are really delicious. Like I said, the flavor is great, and they fill the void of the traditional New York bagel. I would definitely encourage you to try these bagels. They're not just for breakfast: you can make pizza bagels, bagel sandwiches, you could probably even make them into (very expensive) croutons. Just keep in mind that, like gluten-filled bagels, they are very high in calories. One of these Udi's bagels has just over 300 calories, so pay attention.

Have you tried this product?? Let me know what you think!