Book of Yum

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the anniversary party of Mariposa Gluten-Free Bakeshop in Oakland, California. I found out about the event from the Mariposa monthly newsletter, which promised scrumptious gluten-free food samples, sparkling champagne and festive live music. I don’t need much of an excuse to go visit my favorite gluten-free pizza bakery, so I marked it on my calendar and even persuaded some gluten-free “taste-testers” to accompany me. :) Patti, the owner of Mariposa, was true to her word, serving a delicious spread of gluten-free baked goods like Peach and Spinach pizza, Tomato Basil Pizza, gluten-free baguettes for bruschetta accompanied with tomatoes or peach chutney, gluten-free dairy-free chocolate chip cookies, and other baked sweets. They also had refreshing fresh fruit and chilled champagne, as well as delightful italian blood orange soda and sparkling water. The best thing? The bakery was absolutely hopping with fans of Mariposa’s tasty gluten-free offerings. There’s nothing I like seeing more than a gluten-free bakery with lots of customers. Soon after we got there, a local band started playing outside, adding to the festive atmosphere.

The sophisticated peach and spinach topped pizza toppings won my heart, and I also thoroughly loved the simpler marguerita style tomato and basil pizza. I probably gobbled more than my fair share (cough cough) but it’s just so hard to hold back when faced with the best gluten-free pizza in California! I also thought the chocolate chip cookie bites were absolutely divine- I’m not sure, but they seemed a slightly different formula than I remembered from before. At any rate, the chocolate chips were big, chocolaty and melty and they were worth any amount of guilt. The other baked offerings were tasty, but I already have my favorites (not on sample, alas). I just can’t resist their nut-meal cookies (drool, almond slices and plump raisins- they taste too good to be bad for you!). And don’t even get me started on the completely addicting dairy-free lemon-coconut bars. I bought four nut-meal cookies and four lemon-coconut bars. Turns out the lemon bars are from a family recipe that Patti converted to be gluten-free. Yummy! I also bought one of each of the frozen, topped pizzas. At $12 they are not inexpensive, but worth every penny and a world away from commercially available gluten-free frozen pizzas like Amy’s Rice Crust pizza.

Haven’t made it to Cafe Mariposa’s Gluten-free Bakery yet? Here’s their vital stats:
5427 Telegraph Ave, Unit D3,
Oakland, CA 94609
tel: 510.595.0955
fax: 510.595.0966
info@mariposabaking.com
Don’t forget, you can also order their products online!
Hours:
Monday - Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday - Sunday 10am - 4pm

My First Review of Cafe Mariposa
My Second Review of Cafe Mariposa

But there were even more gluten-free delights available besides the regular baked goods. During the party, Mariposa’s neighboring business The Wine Mine had a $1 gluten-free beer tasting in his awesome wine shop between 12-2pm. Apparently this booming local business has found it advantageous to stock some of the more exotic gluten-free beers, as well as a wide selection of tasty wines. For a mere $1, we were offered samples not only of the mainstream Redbridge and increasingly well-known New Grist, but also Green’s Belgian beer in three styles.

Here’s my entirely subjective Review of Gluten-Free Beers:

Anheuser-Busch’s Redbridge beer is becoming a classic in the gluten-free community. Some drinkers compare it to a mass-market beer like Coors. It’s fairly easy to drink, but does have a slight bitter aftertaste thanks to the sorghum base.

New Grist is my latest gluten-free beer discovery, and I find it an extremely drinkable light-tasting beer without much of an aftertaste. According to their web site, “New Grist is the first beer brewed without malted barley or any gluten-containing products to be recognized as beer by the U.S. Government.”

Green’s Belgian Discovery Gluten-Free Amber beer was an extremely pleasant surprise. It’s tasty and beer-like without a nasty aftertaste and has a complex, golden body. My fellow gluten-free taste tester with a taste for beer liked it the best of Green’s beers, and I had to agree. Well worth the effort to hunt this beer down! i liked it so much I bought one to take home.

On the other hand, Green’s Belgian Endeavour Gluten-Free Dubbel might appeal to those who like a dark beer, and it certainly had a strong, distinctive taste. However, to my taste buds it tasted unpleasantly medicinal, and my fellow taster thought that it was weirdly “sweet.” After the first dainty sip, I literally could not drink any more, but it’s important to remember that tastes vary and you might enjoy it, so it’s definitely worth a try.

Green’s Belgian Quest Gluten-Free Tripel Blonde Ale is quite fizzy and somewhat sweet. It’s easy to drink, and pleasant with an almost perfume-like flavor. It had a slightly bitter aftertaste. I bought one to take home, but more for the sake of comparison than anything- I couldn’t see myself drinking it regularly.

Have you tried these gluten-free beers? I’m just working on developing a palate for beer, so you might have a much different impression of them. Please tell me what you think of them in the comments!

Interested in visiting the Wine Mine and buying your own gluten-free beer? Here’s their info:
Wine Mine
5427 Telegraph Ave
Oakland CA
510-547-9463
Monday: closed (except 11/24, 12/22 call for hours)
Tue – Fri: 11:00 – 6:30pm
Saturday: 11:00 – 6:00pm
Sunday: 11:00 – 4:00pm

For now, I’ll leave you with the recipe for Patti’s delicious and easy tomato bruschetta. Hopefully I’ve whetted your appetite for Mariposa’s tasty gluten-free baked goods. Remember, I don’t have any affiliation with these folks- just an appreciation for some quality gluten-free goods. In fact… I might just have to bake one of those gluten-free pizzas for dinner tonight. :)

Did you go to the Mariposa Cafe One Year Anniversary party? Tell me about it in the comments!

Windmill Market
301 The Alameda
San Juan Bautista, Ca. 95045

One of my favorite things to do is to scout out health food or gourmet food stores for new gluten-free products. You never know what you’ll find on a strange shelf, hidden among the gluten-filled goods. I’ve found some of my favorite gluten-free products on these grocery store explorations. Yesterday DH and I decided to drive South of Gilroy, California to go for a hike. On our way back we were hungry, and rather than braving an unknown restaurant, we decided to stop in the adorable Windmill Market in San Juan Bautista, California. I didn’t have very high expectations, to be honest, but the exterior was cute and somehow I had a feeling that there might be something worthwhile inside. Imagine my delight when first thing in the door I found a gluten-free Mariposa brownie bar lurking in with their baked goods. As we went through the store, I kept finding more gluten-free goodies. They had a good selection of gluten-free baking mixes like Pamela’s Pancake Mix and Cake mixes, as well as a stellar selection of Bumble Energy Bars and Larabars. I almost cried in the freezer case when I found gluten-free Kinnikinnick vanilla donuts, gluten-free Azna Cinnamon Rolls, and even a gluten-free artisanal bread. However, the real star of the trip for me was the new Gluten-free Napoli Herb Old World Rustic Crust, in a sealed plastic bag in the Italian food section. It wasn’t frozen, it wasn’t refrigerated- and it actually looked like a gluten crust. This all-natural, dairy-free crust had the following description…

We hand-knead fresh parsley, basil and roasted garlic into our artisanal dough to deliver perfectly blended flavor in every bite.

I was given pause by the fact that they also make a gluten-based crust, but i resolved to check online to see if I could find out anything about their manufacturing process. I crossed my fingers and bought the crust. My bet paid off. When I checked the Rustic Crust web page it blankly states that the gluten-free crust is “made in the USA in a gluten free facility.” Music to my ears. Anyway, I made off with my crust and used it the very next day in a delicious Marguerita Pizza. (Topped with some organic, heirloom Tigerella tomatoes grown on my very own balcony, I might add. YUM!)

DH’s verdict? “Hey, this is as good as pre-made gluten-crust!” Yup. It was a hit. I liked it a lot myself- and thought that it was one of the few pre-made gluten-free crusts that I would actually buy again, if I can find it closer to our area. Tasty and so easy! If your local store doesn’t carry it you can also buy it through them directly, if you don’t mind paying shipping. These dairy-free crusts are a real find, and I’ll definitely seek them out in my local stores. (C’mon Whole Foods, don’t let me down!) The only catch is- they do contain soy flour AND soy oil so are not suitable for those with soy intolerance. If you can do soy, though, they are tasty little crusts and I highly recommend them! *Update: This formula also contains EGGS, but apparently they are working on an egg-free version, so stay tuned. :) (See comments for more info on this.)

Is it me or has there been an explosion of new, high-quality gluten-free products on the market lately? I’ve found so many new products lately I’m stuck in perpetual happy-dancing mode. What is YOUR favorite gluten-free product find? Share in the comments!