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Have you ever been sleeping over at a friend’s house and you know in the morning she’s going to pull the citified coffee/tea and biscotti bit? And then you are going to have to sit there and watch your friends slurp down hot beverages into which they dunk and swirl chocolate dipped biscotti? Enter Biscottea…a shortbread biscotti treat that you can pack in your suitcase.

Biscottea shortbread biscuits are a pre-packaged, individually-wrapped baked good along the lines of what I rarely eat, don’t care about, don’t try, let alone buy - from Whole Foods or even the long lines at TJ Maxx - where they sell last Easter’s chocolate.

So I was skeptical…

Biscotteas

The truth is…it’s delicious. I can’t eat enough of these tiny tea-infused treats. I have an unabashed affection for GF cookies of all kinds and Biscottea, while not a cookie, satiates my sweet tooth and provides a delightful crunch. The Chai, the Blueberry, the Earl Gray…they all taste like they say they will. And they are classy. They aren’t crumbly representatives of coffee-house biscotti - they are well-formed biscuits of beauty.

Occasionally, when I’m at work and there’s a big pile of bagels and donuts, I wander upstairs to the kitchen with a packet or two of Biscottea in hand and I am a happy mingler dunking my biscuits in my hot tea. I have a crunchy morning nosh (finally!) and I have a happy look on my face.

They do leave a tiny film in my mouth - but, to be honest, I think it’s because they are made with real butter.

Try them. Tell us your favorite flavors. And, if you get a chance, check out the Biscottea website where they proudly proclaim a commitment to gluten-free foods to honor those with celiac disease and autism.

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Tags:   Biscottea · blueberry · chai5 Comments

I visit the Harris Teeter in Ballston (Arlington, VA) with above average frequency*. I  never know what I need to make dinner, so last minute runs to the grocery store are common in my house. Regardless of what’s on my shopping list, though, I always take a tour of the freezer section. You never know what new gluten free snack they’ll sneak in when you’re not looking. Last week, to my glorious surprise, a GF dinner roll had appeared. The package promised Brazilian cheese bread, but the picture promised a perfect Thanksgiving dinner roll. Forget Weight Watchers; I was in.

After 25 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, we had toasty warm rolls … that smelled like a rich, flavorful cheese. At first bite, it was heaven.

Chebe (pronounced chee-bee) Bread Products are naturally gluten free renditions of “pao de queijo.” The cheese bread is made into rolls, pizza dough, bread sticks - a wide variety of typically off-limits glutenous foods. Traditionally made with tapioca flour, Brazilian pao de queijo is a perfect accompaniment to a formal sit down dinner or a good snack when you just need to nosh on a bread-like product. While Chebe is available at some Harris Teeter chains, new locations are being added to its distribution regularly, or you can order online.

On my agenda - get to Rio de Janeiro soon to try the real thing.

*The Ballston Harris Teeter has finally reintroduced Redbridge to its beer selection. Why they removed it is beyond me, but I’m glad its back.

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Tags:   bread · chebe · Cheese · Harris Teeter · redbridge · Thanksgiving · Weight Watchers · Wikipedia2 Comments

Friday night, Brooke, our husbands and I made our way to the Bethesda Hyatt for the third annual National Foundation for Celiac Awareness’ Gluten Free Cooking Spree. The premise: beer, food and information about living a gluten free life.

Area chefs paired up with local media representatives and medical professionals to serve up gluten free recipes. Washington Post, CNN, Washington Times and Everyday with Rachael Ray joined the DC Gluties as media professionals and restaurants facing off for the Iron Chef challenge were Wildfire, Zengo, Pete’s Apizza, Peacock Grand, Jaleo, Lilit Cafe and Legal Sea Foods.  Food vendors shared samples and experts in celiac disease presented the latest in research and treatment options.

I joined chef Steven Lukis of Wildfire Restaurant (Tyson’s Galleria) and the Shady Grove Fertility Center to prepare scallops wrapped in bacon drizzled with an apricot dipping sauce. While dutifully searing scallops and sprinkling sesame seeds, I learned a bit about this restaurant, which was new to me. Wildfire has a dedicated gluten free menu, and a dedicated allergy training program for all staff. The restaurant chain, with locations in D.C., Chicago, Atlanta and Minnesota, trains chefs and wait staff to understand the intricacies of gluten intolerance and other food allergies, providing kitchen staff with “cheat sheets” and ingredient safe lists to prevent confusion.  The Tyson’s location seems flexible, too. Chef Steven shared a story about whipping up a quick gluten free Bearnaise sauce not on the gluten free menu during a busy weekend lunch and claims its standard practice if the ingredients are available. His message - if you want to try something gluten free, just ask. Me, I’m psyched to try their burgers dressed with Kinnikinnick gluten free buns. A burger and beer is one treat that I haven’t had in a restaurant for ages.

While the night was full of great treats from pizza and seafood, to Bard’s beer, cupcakes and cookies, a few local food joints really stood out:

Starbucks - Okay, not quite local, but they had a presence at the Spree promoting the chain’s newest bakery product. The sticky sweet Valencia Orange Cake is gluten free and not yet in stores. The gluties (and other Spree guests) got to try it first and I’ll tell you the diet is going to take a hit when these tasty treats are available with my morning coffee.

Lilit Cafe - This Bethesda-based gourmet food and wine cafe served up its signature crab cake. It was more crab than cake, which I prefer, and 100 percent gluten free. Crab cakes are a mid-Atlantic specialty that us gluties often have to forgo, but a quick stop into Lilit can fix that no problem. The restaurant also GF breakfast sandwiches, French toast, pizzas and desserts.

Cherry Blossom Cakes - The cupcakes Cherry Blossom brought to the Spree were so good, Brooke and I both smuggled six packs home with us. The cake could easily pass for the real thing and founder Molly Evans has flavors ranging from peanut butter chocolate to carrot cake and mixed berry. She started the gig for her son, so that his celiac diagnosis wouldn’t keep him from enjoying life’s simple pleasures …  All of the flavors are moist, not overly sweet and generally sinful. Cherry Blossom does wedding and birthday cakes to order, too. Wish I’d known last May.

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Tags:   Cherry Blossom Cakes · gluten free · Gluten Free Cooking Spree · Lilit Cafe · National Foundation for Celiac Awareness · Starbucks · Valencia Orange Cake · Wildfire Restaurant1 Comment

Tomorrow - we will appear at the DC Gluten-Free Cooking Spree in Bethesda. We have been asked to be media representatives who compete in an IRON CHEF type competition. We’ll be there around 6:30 - look for us.

Tonight we attended cooking class at Barbara Black’s Black Salt fish market and restaurant. It should be known, I am a little bit afraid of sea food. But I courageously ate four different kinds of oysters - raw.  To me, the oysters all felt like I was eating soggy raw eggs but I survived, and the local Virginia oyster was not so bad.

We also observed the cooking of their signature mussels recipe. First, the mussels are heated up in an iron skillet with a quarter cup of olive oil. Then a cup of chicken stock is added along with a generous pour of housemade white wine infused with saffron. It’s all topped off with a half cup of butter, 1/3 cup seeded, peeled diced tomato, 1 tsp. red chile flakes and a fistful of flat leaf parsley. Delicious and amazing.

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Whether you love her or hate her or love to hate her, The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck has a new book out called The G Free Diet which is helping to put gluten-free living in the spotlight.  Any glutie will admit, it’s pretty cool when a gluten-free cookbook gets a write up on the People website and an article in Every Day with Rachel Ray.

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Tags:   Elizabeth Hasselbeck · Every Day with Rachel Ray · G Free Diet · gluten-free cookbook · gluties · The ViewNo Comments.