Toasted N Buttered

Er and I have never done a joint post, but this afternoon I was walking through midtown and decided that it was time to try out Pip's Place on East 37th Street between Park & Lex. They have an uptown location, as well, but since I'm rarely on the upper east and frequently in midtown, I opted for the closer location. I should note that maybe it would have been better if I never knew they existed. I blame Er, naturally, as she heard about the place a few months back.

If you've been following us here you know that Er and I take our jobs as taste testers of all things gf very seriously. We love food and we believe our food--gf food--should taste just like the real thing. We know that many of you settle for an okay version of whatever sweet you're craving and we understand. But as we've stated before, we are on a quest to not feel deprived by our lack of delicious baked goods. We believe that good gf food is not only possible, but our right. And in our search for truly delicious things, Pip's did not disappoint. 

I state all of this, in part, to explain the gluttony you are about to witness (ed. note i.e. Er note: Ha!).  See, it isn't enough just to have a good cupcake option, we want ALL. OF. THE. OPTIONS. So when I walked into Pip's and there was a wide array of sweet things, I took it as my duty to sample widely. The result is that Er and I succumbed to a rather serious sugar high, but we did so in the name of science and dessert. We made ourselves nearly ill for you. Aren't you grateful? You will be. Unless you don't live in NYC, in which case you're going to be jealous. Sorry about that.

I asked the helpful gentleman at Pip's what his favorite gf items were and he started naming things off, and then ended with "pretty much all of the cookies." I'm not one to contradict a specialist with intimate knowledge of the products, so I just sort of said "yes" to most things, and this is what we ended up with. When he asked if I needed a bag, I just laughed and said, "No, I'm taking these to share with a friend, right now." Like any of these delicacies were going to survive an Em and Er taste test.

Here is what we tried.

Heath Bar Square (upper left)

Raspberry Pinwheel (lower left)

Gingersnap (lower center)

Blueberry Fairy Cake (upper right)

Mini Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Sandwiches w/ frosting (lower right)

Please believe my shock and pleasure when I tell you that all of them were delicious. ALL. If you've been gf for any amount of time, you know what an amazing statement that is. In retrospect, I showed tremendous restraint in not ordering more things to try. Thankfully, there is always next time.

On to the reviews. I'm listing these in the order we tried them.

Gingersnap

Hello People!  Er here.  As Em so brilliantly and enthusiastically explained (I just realized we're pretty much 30-something year old Beliebers, except we're fangirls for food), what makes Pip's treats so delicious is that they just taste so real.  Like, you could put this cookie in front of anyone and they would never know it was gf.  In fact, we noticed that we couldn't even taste xanthan gum, which is normally the telltale sign of a gf product.  And yet, the texture.  Em and I are both ginger lovers so this was probably our favorite of the bunch, but the others were close behind.  Note that we also tried each with a sip of coffee to test it's cappatibility (that would be its compatibility with a cappuccino duh) so trust that each has been thoroughly analyzed. 

Raspberry Pinwheel

Delicious.  Subtle.  Not too sweet. Good texture; a bit chewy.

Blueberry Fairy Cake

First of all, this cake just has excellent hold.  Like, it just feels good and heavy in your hand.  Again, not too sweet, but the blueberries add a delicious tartness and it seems that they've added quite a bit of orange zest as well.  Super moist on the inside.  Only gripe is that, when I have it to do over again, I will take it home and pop it in the oven.  And then slather it in butter, because duh butter.

Em's note: Agree with all above, but would like to point out that the name is perfect. The magic of fairies is contained within this moist mini-bundt cake, which is a cross between a good blueberry muffin and a pound cake.

Mini-Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Sandwiches w/ Frosting

Em and I are big oatmeal fans too so we loved these yummy little cookies.

  Heath Bar Square

Aaahhhh the heath bar square...  This guy was definitely in a tight battle with that gingersnap for first place.  I don't know about you, but as much as I love the flavor of heath, I find candy bars to be way too sweet, which is why this square is such a revelation.  It features all the flavors of heath and chocolate that we love, but ingeniously set upon a flaky, buttery, delicious shortbread, so the sweetness is tempered by its subtle base.  Fact--I could probably eat anything on top of this crust, it's that good.  It also passed the cappatability test with flying colors.

Em's note: Yes to all of this. I want to point out that we tried the Heath Bar Square last and were already well on our way to a sweet overdose (we should have interspersed some savory in our tasting). We judiciously decided to split one tiny bit of the bar--maybe 1/8 of it. However, we loved the flavor so much that we proceeded to eat several more bites even though our blood sugar levels were dangerously high.

Dear Franz: I grew up in Portland, but now live in NYC. On a recent visit, Er recommended your 7-Grain Gluten Free bread as the best GF bread she ever tried. Naturally, I had my parents pick-up some before I arrived.

I am happy--though incredibly frustrated--to admit that Er was correct: your GF bread is easily the best on the market. I've tried them all. Even good local GF New York bakeries can't compare. Now, the incredibly frustrated part comes-in when I remembered that Franz is a local business. In other words, there is no way I can regularly acquire your bread in New York.

When I left Portland, I took six (!) loaves back in my suitcase. Sadly, they are almost gone and I cringe at the idea of returning to regular, bland, not chewy, must-be-toasted-to-be-edible, gluten free bread. I write today with a plea: please tell me that you will find an east coast distributor for your products, or that you will consider shipping a large case to me. I know many GF people in New York who would happily pay to have your bread shipped here. But, really, that's just a stop-gap. We need to find you a distributor. There is a nation of GF people out there who have convinced themselves that adequate GF bread is good enough. Those people are wrong. There is another way. It is your bread. Thank you for your time and your products...even though they are out of reach and that makes me sad. xoEm

I've been trying, for some time now, to perfect my own take on the Gluten Free Rice Chex Treats (better known as Rice Krispie Treats for GFers) that we spoke about a few months ago. I've tried several versions and while they have all been delicious and none of my friends have complained when faced with their taste testing duties, I wasn't quite happy with the outcome. Today, I think I found the right balance and the right ingredients. Naturally, I wanted to share my findings straight away.

Caramel and Sea Salt Rice Chex Treats

I had you at caramel and sea salt, right? I mean I know we harp a lot on the sweet salty balance here at Toasted n' Buttered, and I admit that this is a tad more sweet than salty, but the combo adds a bit of sophistication to the Rice Krispie Treats you knew as a kid.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons butter

1 10oz package marshmallows (either the large or mini ones, I like the mini ones, myself)

6 cups Rice Chex

2 Tablespoons easy caramel sauce

sea salt flakes to taste

Instructions

First, you need to make a batch of homemade caramel. I used Ree Drummond's Easy Caramel Sauce recipe. Her recipe makes way more than you need for the treats, but put it in a container in the fridge to use later on say ice cream, or more treats, or on a spoon when you need a little pick-me-up. You'll thank me later. While my version didn't thicken as much as I'd like, it was still good and I'm sure it will be excellent on the vanilla ice cream I'm going to consume in the next 24 hours. Make the sauce first and put it in the fridge for a bit.

Prep a 10 x 7 glass pan by lightly coating the bottom and sides with butter or your favorite non-stick cooking spray.

In a small sauté pan over medium heat, cut 4 tablespoons of butter into small pats so that the butter will melt more evenly. As the butter starts to melt, lightly whisk the butter. The butter will foam a bit and then subside. As the foam starts to calm down, you'll notice some little brown flecks forming. When the butter browns it will have a nutty aroma. At that point, take the butter off of the heat (if you brown it too much, it runs the risk of burning).

In a large microwave safe bowl, put the entire package of marshmallows and heat in the microwave for about a minute (the time might vary depending on how hot your microwave gets). After a minute, add the brown butter to the marshmallows and stir. The marshmallows won't be totally melted, yet; that's ok. Put the marshmallows back in the microwave for another 30-45 seconds. At this point the marshmallows should be melted. Add ~2 Tablespoons of the caramel sauce to the marshmallow and butter mixture and stir until smooth. You might need to heat the mixture in the microwave for another 20 seconds if the mixture sets up too much.

Place 3 cups of Rice Chex in the prepped glass pan.

Place the remaining 3 cups in the bowl with the marshmallow / butter / caramel mix. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to completely cover the Rice Chex with the marshmallow goo. When the Chex are well covered, pour the Chex / marshmallow mixture on top of the Chex in the glass pan. Sprinkle a bit of flake sea salt over the entire mixture. Carefully, mix the thoroughly covered Chex with the dry Chex in the pan until all of the Chex are covered. Try not to push down on the Chex too much or you'll squash a lot of the Chex. The treats are better when there is space between the Chex and the mixture loosely binds everything. When the Chex are covered, drizzle a bit more of the caramel sauce on top, sprinkle a tad more salt, and place in the fridge to solidify. If you can stand to wait 15 mins before trying them, you have more will power than I do.

Em's Pro Tips:

You can make these without browning the butter, but don't. Browning the butter is worth it and changes the flavor a good deal.

I recommend making these about an hour before leaving for a party. That way you'll be sure to take them with you and share these delicious little treats with friends. Your other option is to sit at home and consume them all yourself. I do not recommend the second option. You've been warned. Don't come crying to me because you ate them all yourself. I can keep you from gluten-induced stomach aches, but overindulgence stomach aches are not my fault. I have my own struggles with self-control; I can't be responsible for yours, as well.

All of these are true: I heart breakfast, sandwiches, and cookies. I mean, who doesn't? But breakfast, sandwiches, and cookies are things that can be challenging when we're gf. It sucks because I love them. Neither Er nor I are very good at not eating what we want when we want. We've stated it before: we love to eat. So what to do?

Well if you're lucky enough to live in Brooklyn where people are awesome and innovative and love food, you might be ok. I am one of these lucky people, so is Er, and we do not take our good fortune for granted. We revel in it. And that is what I did today. After a nice little jog in Prospect Park, I was heading back to Carroll Gardens and suddenly started to notice a bit of rumblings in my stomach. You know the kind: post workout, post class, post talking, post sitting, or right now, for example.

Earlier this week, Er sent me a link about this gf bakery called Krumbville--she'll be doing a post on them soon enough; they're tremendous and you're gonna want to try their delicious deliciousness. I remembered that Krumbville's products were sold at Court Street Grocers, so, naturally, I headed over there for a little smackerel of something to settle the rumblings.

I started with the breakfast sandwich on toasted gf focaccia bread. Do you see the fluffiness of this focaccia? The little toasted bits on the inside? Can't see them? Have a closer look:

Eggs, extra sharp cheddar, greens, and toasted goodness. This is breakfast and a sandwich! For reals, people. Aren't you jealous that you don't live in my neighborhood?

Because I want to support restaurants that offer good gf options and I want to support businesses that make delicious gf things by supporting the places that buy their products, and because I love cookies, I asked what other Krumbville goodies Court Street Grocers carried. I came away with this chewy, not at all grainy, but legit delicious chocolate chip cookie:

And I may have ate it as soon as I finished my egg sandwich. But hey, I heart breakfast and sandwiches and cookies and who are you to judge me? We both know that you're going to check Krumbville's website as soon as you finish this post (if you haven't already) and find a place near you to grab some deliciousness of your own. Either that, or I'll see you at Court Street Grocers tomorrow. Save me a cookie!

If you're rocking the GF lifestyle, you've probably read about the new Paleo Pizza craze sweeping the interwebs- the cauliflower crust.  If you haven't, you might be thinking "Whaa?"  Listen, I hear you.  BUT!  After some serious experimenting this weekend (we made FOUR), I can safely and confidentially say that this is a tasty, nutritious and quality GF option when you're craving pizza:

(Apologies for the blurry pic.  We were also drinking wine.)

The final recipe is a mishmash of the original and a few of our tweaks:

"OMG Are You Kidding Me With This??" Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Ingredients:

(For crust) 1-2 large cauliflower head (you'll need 3 cups grated per pie) 2 eggs 4 tbl parmesan cheese 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 tbl or more of Italian seasonings (we did oregano, basil, etc) S&P

(For top) Pesto Roasted garlic Caramelized onions Roasted tomatoes (we pre roasted them in evoo, crushed garlic and balsamic) Mozz Parm Fresh basil Red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Grate 3 cups worth of cauliflower (we used the grate attachment on our food processor).  Saute grated cauli on your stovetop until it softens and the moisture releases a bit, likely 8 minutes or so depending on your pan (**note that this is a deviation.  All the recipes online tell you to microwave your cauli for 8 mins but we found the microwave method produced a soggy crust, even after pressing out as much moisture as we could**).  Transfer the cauli to a bowl and pop in the fridge to allow to cool a bit.  While cooling, mix all other crust ingredients together well.  Add slightly cooled cauli to the mixture and combine.  Stir together until it starts to resemble a strange looking dough.  Form into a ball and then press out onto your parchment-lined baking sheet, pressing it out gradually into a circular shape as thin as you possibly can without producing any holes.  Once pressed, pop it into the oven and cook for 20-25 mins until browned.  Take it out of the oven and carefully top with desired ingredients (I can't stress enough how delicious and worth the work roasted garlic and tomatoes are!).  Pop back into the oven for another ten minutes, perhaps broiling at the end.

And there you go!  By replacing flour with FLOWER, we get a positively scrumptious and cruciferous pie!  Flower Power ya'll!

I was hoping my post today would be about the super delicious pumpkin bread I baked last night but unfortunately said pumpkin bread turned out kind of sad.  So while I tweak the recipe into something worth posting, I offer an alternate treat that is always good- Steve's Sunday Morning Ice Cream:

You're probably asking yourself WHY I would post an ice cream that clearly states that it contains-within smooth and creamy buttered maple syrup ice cream- "crispy waffle pieces."  Surely that disqualifies it for us GF-ers.  Well hold onto your hats:

That's right-- GLUTEN FREE WAFFLE CHUNKS, PEOPLE.  It's not even advertised on the front label.  They just kind of slip that surprise in there, maybe so they don't deter normals since it's so good no one would ever know.

I do recommend consuming with others so you don't eat it all yourself.  Which-cough, cough-I've heard can happen...

Over the holidays, my father and I took a cooking class on Fish at Sur la table. We learned some knife skills, flipped veggies in a frying pan, consumed wine, and ate a lot. General merriment ensued. Love of food runs deep in my family. The fish class was the best option for us because not only am I a GFer, but I'm also a pescatarian, which means I'm a vegetarian but I eat fish. Being vegetarian and GF is a pain in the ass, because many chain restaurants suggest steak or chicken as their GF option. No love for the sad veggie GFer.

But a fish class, now that's golden for me, except there is the fear of how they prep the fish. What if it's breaded or they use flour to lightly coat the fish before frying? And there's the challenging issue of sauces. Sauces are frequently the bane of the GFer's dining experience. Flour is a regular thickener in many sauces and soy sauce a common ingredient. That's right, we can't eat soy sauce. But as with all GF things, we just need to learn our substitutions and this one is easy: tamari.

One caution about tamari, while it is essentially a GF soy sauce, not all tamari products are made GF; sometimes they still add flour as a thickener for reasons that are not entirely clear to me. I like San-J Gluten Free Tamari, in part because it's a common product in most big name grocery stores. They have a few different variaties of their GF Tamari and I think they're all fine. One exciting development is their travel packs, so you can bring your own GF Tamari to a sushi restaurant and not worry about your gut's reaction to the soy sauce. It might seem awkward at first, but isn't it better than developing a massive headache or a beach ball sized stomach half way through dinner? Oh, that's just me?

So this recipe is simple, delicious, has a nice presentation, and with a tiny substitution (namely GF Tamari for soy sauce), you can have a completely normal dinner without anyone thinking it's GF.

Soy Glaze Salmon (serves 4)

1/4 cup GF Tamari

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

4, 4oz piece salmon fillet 

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 cup dry rice

1 Tablespoon butter

parchment paper

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400.

2. Place 1 cup of dry rice and 2 cups of water in a pan. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and Tablespoon of butter (the butter is optional, but you know how we feel about butter). Bring water to a boil, stir once, reduce heat to a simmer, cover pan and let simmer for about 15 mins. Rice should not be cooked all the way through, but rather about 80% done. (The rice will continue to cook in the oven.)

3. Julienne the peppers and sauté lightly--no more than a minute--in grape seed oil, or other light oil. Take the vegetables off the heat and set aside.

4. Put maple syrup and tamari in a small sauce pan. Bring mixture to a simmer. Stir regularly until the mixture thickens a bit. Take the glaze off the heat and set aside.

5. Skin the salmon. (See how, here.)

6. Measure 4 squares of parchment paper. Fold each piece in half and cut in a large heart shape. (Bon Appetit has a great tutorial on how to prep the parchment and fold it after the salmon is added.) 

7. In the middle of one piece of parchment, place approximately 1/4-1/2 cup of rice, some veggies, and drizzle with a bit of glaze, then place the salmon on top. Put a bit more glaze over the salmon. Add a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper. Close, or crimp the parchment (see tutorial above for instructions). Repeat till you have all of your individual packets.

8. Transfer packets to a rimmed baking sheet. Cook for 15 mins. Let cool for about 5 mins before serving.

Em's Pro Tips:

You can use any veggies you think would go well with teriyaki sauce. I added a bit of bok choy to this one and it was yummy. Or you can swap out the rice for a bunch of veggies. Quinoa works, too. But remember that if you do rice or quinoa, it should be slightly undercooked because it continues cooking in the parchment.

You can use any old maple syrup you have laying around the house, but if you have the real stuff (Grade A or Grade B), it tastes better and is better for you. So do that.

Don't tell anyone this is GF. They won't know. It's that good. Plus, you've just mastered GF substitutions 101. Well done, you.

One thing I miss about the freedom of a non-GF lifestyle is being able to grab a cookie from any old place in NYC on the Go.  And often this isn't just any cookie.  This is the cookie that may save the world from my hangriness, which could ultimately mean the difference between some poor bastard's life or death.

Thankfully NYC is blessed with Bouchon Bakery, Thomas Keller's fancy cafe and bakery.  You're probably wondering if by "fancy" I mean "expensive."  Well, I do.  But hey- if it's going to take a $3.50 macaroon to save a life, I say it's a steal!

Bouchon's delicious almond flour based-and naturally GF-macaroons come in a dozen delicious flavors but I must strongly recommend the caramel and the chocolate which is decadent, chewy and quite possibly espresso's best friend (oh-and their coffee is awesome too).

Bouchon Bakery has two locations in NYC- Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle and Rockefeller Plaza. 

If you're from the South, you probably know that Cheese Straws are the super Cheez-It. They are homemade with a kick and wonderfully addictive. I love a cracker. I love savory things. I love cheese as much as I love butter, and that's saying something. Naturally, one thing I always want (especially when I'm travelling) is a bag of Cheez-Its or Gold-Fish Crackers. I crave these little salty cheesy crackers like nothing else and I am devastated I can't have them any time I want them. Like now. And five minutes from now. And tomorrow. You get the idea; it's a problem.

As I've said before, there are many bad gf products out there and they're expensive. So while I'm happy to try something new, I'm often hesitant to spend $7.00 on a box of crackers that may or may not suck. One day while checking out the plethora of new products to try at G-Free NYC (we'll do a post on them soon!), I saw a box of Cheddar Snackers from the folks at Grainless Baker. As I said, I'm curious but skeptical about the promise of a truly good gf cheddar cracker. These were damn close. They're expensive, for sure, but you get a large number of crackers and the taste and texture is spot on.

As I settled down to consume 1/2 of the box in one sitting (hey, I never claimed to have self control), I started thinking about the fact that these little crackers reminded me of a snack a professor of mine had brought to class once. I went home, found the recipe in an old email, and proceeded to tinker a bit to see if some simple substitutions might work. They did.

While these crackers don't look like much and they aren't terribly pretty, they are delicious beyond belief. Even my non-gf friends happily gobble them up at parties when I show up with a big double batch. Also, I have to make a double-batch because there is a good chance that I'll eat half a batch while baking them. Seriously, no self control. The best compliment I received was at a party when a non-gf friend from the South came up to me and said, "These taste just like Cheese Straws!" It warmed my little Northern-gf-baking-heart.

GF Cheese Straws

4 oz extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 Tbsp butter, softened & cut into pieces

3/4 cut Better Batter GF flour (more for rolling dough)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp crushed red peper flakes

1 Tbsp half-and-half

1. Heat over to 350 degrees. 

2. Cover two cookie sheets with Parchment Paper.

3. In a food processor, combine cheese, butter, flour, salt, and red peper, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add half-and-half, and process on low speed until dough forms a ball.

4. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured pin, roll dough till it is about 1/8 inch thick. Take a knife and cut into desired size crackers. Gently transfer each cracker to the parchment paper covered cookie sheet, leaving 1/4 inch space between them. Bake for 14-17 minutes, depending on your oven, until the ends are slightly browned. Let cool before devouring.

That's the recipe, feel free to have at it. But there is always more to the story. If you like the explanations behind recipes, the things that you just know that bakers keep to themselves so that your version doesn't turn out as well as theirs, keep reading.

Em's Pro Tips:

Get the sharpest cheddar you can find. The sharper the cheddar the more flavor in the cracker.

I specify Better Batter as my gf flour substitute because I prefer it in texture, taste, and cup for cup replacement to any other gf multipurpose flour I've tried. I know others disagree with me on this, and that's fine. If you have a gf flour that you like, go with that. I'm a fan of Better Batter.

The amount of crushed pepper you add should depend on your threshold for hot. I tend to use about 1/2 tsp of crushed peper flakes and just a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, again this is my preference.

The half and half is nice, but if you have milke or rice milk in the house and your craving is so bad you can't make it to the store, use the regular milk. Basically, you just need a wet binder for the mixture.

Even when I'm making a double batch, I make the batches one at a time. This is because my food processor isn't that big and can't take more than one batch. Also, the half and half doesn't always get fully worked into the dough in the food processor, sometimes I need to finish smooshing things together by hand; that's okay, too.

I roll half of a single batch at a time because my counter space isn't that big (joys of Brooklyn living).

I sprinkle a bit of sea salt flakes over the dough once it is rolled out because I want the salty cracker experience.

I tend to cut the cheese straws with a sharp knife into roughly 1in x 2in sections. But I've also used cookie cutters to make different shapes and that was fun. Be creative.

When baking anything gf it is a good idea to use Parchment Paper. GF flour has a harder time keeping ingredients bound together, the parchment paper helps prevent the dough from spreading too much. It is a good idea for these crackers and essential for any cookies. Please note that Parchment Paper is NOT Wax Paper. Wax Paper will melt in your oven; Parchment Paper doesn't have any of the wax, so it won't.

The cook time varies greatly from oven to oven. Also, I have to admit that I kind of like the slightly burnt crackers. The cheddar taste gets a little smokey and I like it. So if you burn your crackers and don't like them, I'll happily eat them for you. I'd err on the side of slightly overcooked.

Finally, it is possible to mix up this recipe with other variants. I've tried a swiss/parmesan combo with rosemary in place of the pepper flakes. It was delicious, but you have to add a bit more half and half because the parmesan is crumbly. I'm contemplating trying a dessert version with a soft mild cheese and cinnamon and sugar as the spice.

I'd love to hear what you come up with in your own experiments!

Not to brag but I consider myself a bit of a pizza expert (or, if not an expert, at least a certified obsessive).  I've been lucky enough to try a few of the world's best pizzas and most of NYC's.  Em and I are always very excited to try new GF options and I will be totally honest when I say I am still holding out for the Unicorn- the GF pizza that tastes EXACTLY like real, crispy, chewy, gooey, wheat-y, honest-to-god pizza pie.  When I find it, you better believe I will be shouting it throughout the blogosphere. 

That said, Don Antonio comes pretty darn close:

Personally, I love a brick oven, Neapolitan pizza and this one is delicious.  The crust is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  The cheese is high quality and the sauce is simple and well balanced.  Here's the crust up close so you can see its yummy little burned bits:

As we GFers know, our pizza is never cheap.  But this one is worth every penny.

Don Antonio can be found at 309 W. 50th St in NYC (oh-and they deliver!!).

It's possible that these two delicacies deserve their own posts. But you should understand the joy that is Tu-lu's fully and in order to do that, you need to know that Tu-lu's is more than just cupcakes.

That's not to say that the cupcakes aren't delicious; they are. In fact, I'd venture to say that they're my favorite gf cupcakes in NYC. I prefer the chocolate frosting to the buttercream, even though I usually love a good buttercream. I mean who doesn't love buttercream? It's butter and sugar. We here at Toasted N Buttered are contractually obligated to love all things that contain copious amounts of butter and sugar. In this one instance though, go for the chocolate frosting.

As I said, I adore these cupcakes and it's possible that I've consumed more than one in under 10 minutes before...it's possible, but you can't prove it...there is no evidence, not even a crumb or two. That being said, if I had to choose only one Tu-lu's treat to have on a desert island, I'd probably pick the Individual Coffee Cake. I believe that they call it the Individual Coffee Cake on their menu because you are not supposed to share it. Don't share it. You have my permission to be completely selfish with your gluten free goodness just this once. And while this coffee cake is perfectly scrumptious as is, you know it's all the better for a little toasting and buttering. I mean these little slices of heaven are so happy, they're smiling. Do you see those little smiles of cinnamon swirled in there and gleaming with butter? They're so happy. So was I about 2 mins later when I was mopping the last crumb off the plate with my finger.

Tu-lu's can be found at 338 East 11th Street between 1st & 2nd Avenue. Try not to trample each other in the race for your Individual Coffee Cake.

As any GF newbie should know, Chex has gone to great lengths to make their non-wheatproducts GF. While you can't quite have a traditional Chex Mix because Wheat Chex are still off limits, you can do a lot with Rice and Corn Chex, which are both certified GF.

The smart folks at Gregory's Coffee figured this out early. They took an old childhood favorite, Rice Crispy Treats, and replaced the snap crackle pop with Rice Chex. The Chex work well in the sugary marshmallow mixture because the Chex become a tad chewy and don't get as hard as Rice Crispy Treats sometimes do. The one catch is that some of the marshmallow goo collects at the bottom and forms a thin layer of goodness on the bottom of the treat. I didn't mind this development, but some might find it odd.

As a person who loves both coffee and baked goods, I appreciate coffee places that offer delicious GF treats. If you find yourself in a Gregory's, pick-up one of their GF Rice Chex Treats.  I mean, if you saw this display in front of you, could you really say no?

I happened to be at the Gregory's at 327 Park Avenue South between 24th and 25th Streets, but they have several locations. Even if you aren't craving something sweet right at that moment, you might want one later. And I firmly believe as a GFer, it's good to plan ahead. 

Em & Er

The discovery that eliminating gluten from our diets cured most of our ailments (for Em this was horrible stomach cramping and digestive issues, and for Er debilitating migraines and the inflamed complexion of a 14 yr old boy) was at once freeing and terrifying.  Obviously it's nice to feel good.  Poof went the migraines! Vanished were the post dinner stomach cramps and fatigue!  The quick healing our bodies generated felt nothing short of a party trick.

So, great right?  End of story!  Except one little glitch is that we are two girls who LOVE to eat.  And what we love to eat more than anything is delicious BREAD.  Yummy, chewy, crusty, sweet or savory bread warmed to give it's best friend-BUTTER, duh-a warm and melty embrace.  This is worth mentioning because we get it- cutting gluten can be a sacrifice.  And we know there is no true substitute for a fresh and delicious sourdough.

But luckily there are a lot of delicious alternatives that are tasty, supremely satisfying and won't leave you feeling like a smashed bag of assholes (clinical term).  We've discovered some amazing recipes, products, restaurants and information along the way and this is our effort to share them.   May it prove helpful to anyone struggling to make the GF diet work or who may be trying it for the first time. 

XO