Gluten free pizza at Ciao!, Eastchester, New York

So maybe it was a touch of serendipity... a co-worker of mine happened to notice an ad in a local Westchester newspaper recently and brought it to my attention. It was an ad for gluten free pizza- eat in or take out. I grabbed the paper, made a copy and waited with growing anticipation for Rob to come home. It was a Friday and when he saw it, we both ran to the car and drove to Ciao!

After we were seated, I harbored a bit of doubt that the ad might have been misleading and a gluten free pizza really didn't exist- so I was just elated when Rob asked for the gluten free menu and voila - it appeared by our courteous waiter!

Immediately Rob decided on the gluten free pizza with sausage, onion, garlic and spinach. While waiting we enjoyed an endive salad filled with tasty tomatoes, roasted red peppers and Gorgonzola. Happily the gluten free pizza arrived quickly and we set to work.

Yum yum- Ciao! created a delicious pizza with succulent sausage seasoned perfectly with just enough anise and spice. There were huge cloves of garlic which I couldn't ingest all of- and crunchy onions. Okay so I picked the spinach and perhaps it wasn't the best choice as it detracted from the onions and garlic and sausage- but you know I'm always trying to hide the veggies!

So scrumptious is all I can say. The crust definitely had the tell-tale gluten free flavor- but hey at least we were secure in what we were eating; it did have a nice texture and crisp crust- and surprisingly held the weight of the toppings without collapsing into a soggy mess on the plate which has been known to happen with rice-based creations.

I think Ciao will become our new home away from home... you can't imagine how thrilling it is to have found a restaurant offering Rob's favorite... Gluten free pizza yes!!


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DAD'S Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

So by now dear gluten free reader, you must now how much we love celiac-safe pizza- so here's another one Rob and I taste-tested.

Interesting to note, we apparently aren't the only gluten-free pizza obsessed. A recent conversation with a newly-diagnosed celiac revealed that pizza and beer are among the most-missed food items. So here goes.

This is a review of DAD'S Gluten-Free Pizza Crust, which is also soy-free, casein-free and egg-free. The package also says it contains corn meal- though corn meal is not in the ingredient list. DAD'S crust came individually wrapped and frozen, and gave several options for use. The crust could be made into breadsticks, cheese bread or traditional pizza.

I followed the "for best results" instructions and pre-baked the crust in a 400 degree oven directly on the rack. My experience with gluten free pizza crusts has been that the crust often gets soggy in the middle once the toppings are added. So this time I was hoping I crisped the crust enough.

Next I added a layer of mozzarella, then a swirl of eggplant infused tomato sauce, some sliced red pepper, a bit more cheese and a splash of olive oil on top, then baked for 15 minutes- all on a baking sheet.

Okay so I often over-top the pizzas- I'm secretly trying to get Rob to eat more vegetables- which meant we had to start eating the pizza from the top down. Once we found the crust, we were both very happy campers. The crust was crisp- but nicely chewy. It did not have a lot of flavor on its own- but that just allowed the peppers and eggplant to come through.

I think next time I will pre-bake the crust a bit longer and maybe flip it over during heating- just to ensure the center really stays as crisp as the edges. Unfortunately I think it has to do with the rice flour properties- which just don't behave the same way as gluten flour.

So we definitely enjoyed a tasty gluten free pizza dinner- and DAD'S was consumed all too quickly with no lunch leftovers in sight. We really liked DAD'S too because it was a bit different- crisper and lighter than other gluten free crusts we've tried- without it's own flavor agenda.

We both are definitely looking forward to DAD'S breadsticks.

Ingredients:
White rice flour, water, potato starch, potato flour, tapioca flour, sugar, canola oil, xanthan gum, salt, yeast.

Nutrition Info:
Serving size: 1/6 pizza crust
Servings per container: 6
Calories: 144
Total fat: 3 g
Sat fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 181 mg
Total carb: 29 g
Dietary fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 2 g

Pizza: Foods by George Cheese Pizza

Still on the quest for the perfect gluten free pizza, I found a mini frozen cheese pizza by Foods by George. This gluten free pizza can be made simply by baking in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

This time I followed the directions which said to place the pizza directly on the oven rack. I guess I was always afraid the cheese would melt all over the place causing the mess to burn and smoke and trigger the alarm in our apartment. But alas my brilliance stunned me and I thought to place a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below the pizza. Wow for me.

Indeed the gluten free single serve pizza browned up nicely and after 12 minutes, it was ready to be tested out by Rob. I of course had to add a plentiful amount of crushed red pepper to give it more heat and pizazz.

The end result surely was a tasty celiac safe pie. Rob was a bit disappointed though by the crust. It is definitely of a tapioca flour/potato flour construction which means it's not a super-flavorful crust, but it still tasted good. Some of the more labor intensive gluten free pizza crusts contain more ingredients for a better flavor, but hey you can't beat the convenience of unwrapping and heating! I am also not a huge fan of the modified food starch even if it is from corn and the high fructose corn syrup. Still I do like the idea of having a gluten free pizza on hand in the freezer ready to go.

Ingredients:
Mozzarella cheese (cultured pasteurized part-skim milk, salt, enzymes, cellulose gum), water white rice flour, tomato sauce (tomato puree [water, tomato paste], soybean oil, salt, modified food starch [corn], dried onions, high fructose corn syrup, spices, natural flavors), egg whites, tapioca flour, tomato paste (tomatoes), potato flour, canola oil, evaporated cane juice, romano cheese (sheeps milk, enzymes, rennet, salt), yeast, salt, spices, guar gum, garlic powder

"Manufactured in a facility that produces products that contain milk, eggs, tree nuts and soy".

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 pizza (185 g)
Servings per container: 1
Calories: 400
Calories from fat: 130
Total fat: 15 g
Sat fat: 8 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 30 mg
Sodium: 860 mg
Total carb: 44 g
Dietary fiber: 2 g
Sugars: 5 g
Protein: 20 g

Pizza: Glutino Spinach and Feta

We've always been very impressed with Glutino's gluten free products and the Spinach and Feta Pizza is no exception.

Available in the frozen section, simply remove packaging, place in a pre-heated 400 degree oven and bake for 17 minutes. Nothing could be easier. Admittedly I did add some additional cheese as the feta mostly fell off the frozen pizza. It's tiny square shape was apparently not conducive to a round frozen pizza. Go figure.

Out emerged a celiac safe, decadent-looking pizza. The taste of course was wonderful. The crust was crunchy, substantial and almost buttery in flavor. Certainly not a low-carb, low fat or low sodium food, this gluten free goody was a real treat.

Ingredients:
Water, corn starch, tapioca starch, spinach, mozzarella-brick cheese blend (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, bacterial culture, salt, microbial enzyme, calcium chloride, cellulose), feta cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, bacterial culture, calcium chloride, microbial enzyme, lipase, salt, natamycin, lactic acid), ricotta cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, lactic acid, salt), safflower oil, evaporated cane juice, glucono-delta-lactone, dried egg whites, salt, guar gum, yeast, garlic, pectin, sodium-bicarbonate, spices, sodium alginate, modified cellulose.
This product contains eggs and milk ingredients. May contain traces of soy, fish and sesame seeds.

Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 pizza (175 g)
Servings per container: 1
Calories: 430
Calories from fat: 140
Total fat: 16 g
Sat fat: 5 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 25 mg
Sodium: 1000 mg
Total Carb: 62 g
Dietary fiber: 4 g
Sugars: 0 g
Protein: 10 g

Pizza: Orgran Natural Foods Pizza & Pastry Multimix

Pizza remains one of Rob's favorite meals, so I didn't hesitate to try Orgran Natural Foods wheat free, gluten free Pizza & Pastry Multimix.

The celiac safe mix can be made in 5 minute and only requires water. I was a bit puzzled however by the multimix part. For us pizza has a distinct flavor that is completely different than pie or pastry. The package does point out that yeast may be added to enhance pizza flavor, and cane sugar may be added to enhance pastry flavor. Hmmm an all-in-one mix that is many things to many people.

I followed the directions, made my well and added 250 ml water and stirred. But what I stirred soon became the gloopiest mess ever. My hands were so covered in dough, I couldn't feel my fingers. Finally able to scrape the dough back into the bowl, I miraculously formed a ball. This stuff is no joke! I was slightly put off too, I should note, by the "oaty" grain smell that emanated from the bowl.

After coating a pan with olive oil, I rolled the dough out, sprinkled some salt and pepper on the crust and examined it. The dough had a nice yellow hue and looked appetizing enough. Even though the directions didn't say to, I baked for 10 minutes then added Sundried Tomato Tapenade, ricotta, fresh basil and fresh sundried tomato-infused mozzerella. I topped with a drizzle of olive oil and baked the additional 20 minutes.

What emerged was a fantasy for celiacs and non-celiacs alike. The cheese had melted beautifully and the basil gave a fresh shock of color to the gluten free pizza.

Unfortunately the pizza did not taste as satisfying as it looked. Rob and I decided the crust lacked flavor and had a poor mouth-feel. It was not crusty or chewy- or rather it was chewy for a moment before breaking down quickly. It seemed more like a pastry crust than a pizza in truth.

In sum, I plan on trying this again but making a pie crust instead. I won't be using this for gluten free pizza.

Ingredients:
Maize starch, tapioca, rice flour, soya flour, glucona delta factone, sodium bicarbonate, guar gum, fruit pectin.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1.4 oz/ 40g Dry
Servings per container: 9
Calories: 135
Calories from fat: 8 g
Total fat: .8g
Sat fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 220 mg
Total Carb: 31 g
Dietary fiber: .8g
Sugars: .2 g
Protein: 3.7 g

Pizza: Barkat White Rice and Brown Rice Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Last week I was shopping in Wegmans and came across ready made pizza crusts on the shelf, not requiring any refrigeration or freezing. They come from Europe under the Barkat brand and they come either as white rice or brown rice pizza crust.

I bought a package of each and tonight my wife and I had a cook off between the two of them. We bought some fresh mozzarella and pre-cooked gluten-free chorizo sausage to top them off.

Preparation:
Take the crusts out of the bag, add toppings, and bake in an oven for 10-15 minutes at 350-400 degrees.

Taste:
Both types of crust (brown and white rice) seemed extremely similar.

I re-checked the ingredients list and it seems as though a celiac shim-sham has taken place. Both are made with the exact same ingredients except the brown rice crust has caramel color added. So in reality it's not made with brown rice, it's made with rice that is colored brown with caramel color.

Level of realism:
The pizza crust wasn't too real, seemed more like a Domino's or Pizza Hut style crust versus a real New York style pizza. My wife felt the crust was near the edge tasted great, the flavor of the crust under the toppings had no flavor or texture.

In the future we are going to try pre-baking the pizza crust before adding the toppings.

Pizza - Amy's Cheese Pizza with a Rice Crust

On the continuing theme of pizza, one of my favorite foods I can't eat. I found Amy's pizza in the Wegmen's frozen food area.

It comes totally ready to eat once you throw it in the oven. Preparation requires a pre-heated oven of 425 and about 13 minutes of cooking time. You'll find it in the freezer at your grocery store.

The Results:
Excellent tasting, although the crust tasted as if it was made out of corn meal. The crust did not have a real pizza like consistency, it was much more similar to something made from rice.

Based on the complete ease I rate this as a great buy.

NYC Restaurant - Risotteria

Risotteria
270 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
212-924-6664
www.risotteria.com

My wife and I recently made it over to Risotteria for dinner after hearing about it for a long time. It's a nice corner restaurant, which means the seating is minimal and packed in.

Who cares?

They've got a menu that has almost everything available in a gluten-free version. That might not sound like much, but this is an Italian restaurant.

We were hungry, so we ordered three entrees.

1. Arborio rigotti (w/ calamari, roasted red peppers & olives) $12.25 - Diana wasn't blown away by this dish. She's wondering if it was just the unusual ingredients (calamari). Next time she'll try something else.
   
2. Panini (w/ Italian sausage, mozzarella, peppers & olives) $13.25 - This sandwich was AWESOME - I've always been jealous since I've missed out on the grilled sandwich fad. Not this time! The sausage was sliced thinly making the sandwich easy to eat.
   
3. Olive Puree Pizza (w/ soppressata, mozzarella & hot peppers) $12.75 - This was ok, I think the problem was the fact that I ate the entire pie and that's a lot of olive paste to eat. The soppressata was so thinly sliced, I was reminded of the Seinfeld episode with the meat slicer. I'm looking forward to ordering a regular pizza next time I visit. The crust was nice and thin with great texture.

Overall Rating: FIVE STARS - Both of us were very impressed with the menu and the food. We just need to explore more. There was nothing terrible, just two entrees that weren't our favorites.

If you have celiac you must visit Risotteria.

Pizza - Shiloh Farms Bread & Pizza Crust Mix

We're back! (This is Diana writing under Rob's account)

Continuing our pizza theme, we thought we'd try Shiloh Farms brand pizza crust. This was purchased at the local health food store in Maryland for $5.29 + tax.

The Shiloh Farms mix is made out of white rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, sweet rice flour, corn meal, cream of tartar, and baking soda. To make the crust you'll need egg white, olive oil, honey, water and sea salt.

Unfortunately the package does not offer any nutritional information so I'm inclined to think it's not packed with vitamins.

Directions: Preheat oven to 450F. Beat egg white, oil, honey for 1 minute. Stir in the water. Combine salt with mix and add to liquid. Blend using a large spoon until the dough begins to form a ball. Roll out between waxed paper to a 11 inch circle. Place on an oiled cookie sheet. Bake the pizza shell for 8 minutes. Add sauce and your favorite topping. Bake 7 to 10 more minutes.

Ease of Preparation: The only issue I had was the actual mixing of the ingredients with the large spoon. It was a pain in the neck to stir- I think a mixer would work better but I'm not sure how it will affect the crust. I did not roll it out on waxed paper, instead I rolled it out directly on the pizza stone with plenty of corn meal spread over the stone. I then brushed the crust with olive oil, and added a few sprinkles of sea salt before I pre-baked it. After 8 minutes I checked it and it was not nearly finished. It took an additional 10 minutes and the results were impressive. I had a nicely browned and crisp looking pizza crust. Please note that the additional cooking time could have something to do with our poorly calibrated oven and not with the mix but who knows?

After the pre-baking process, I thought I would try some Mediterranean flavors this time. I added oregano, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, feta and olives and I couldn't resist a bit of mozzarella. I then baked for 12 minutes and took it out after 10 in a 350 degree oven.

Level of Realism - high
Shiloh Farms was a smashing success. The crust was light, had a good texture (I think the olive oil and sea salt helped!) and bordered on focaccia. I was very impressed. Rob liked it but still prefers Whole Foods.

Taste: Very delicious- though I think the toppings helped.

I will definitely be purchasing Shiloh Farms again.

Be back soon!

Pizza - Gillian's Foods Pizza Dough

The latest GF pizza we tried was Gillian’s Foods Wheat Free – Gluten Free – Lactose Free Pizza Dough. The dough comes frozen in a 1 lb pack. The directions say to defrost in fridge overnight, though we left on stove top for 30 minutes. Preparation was easy and only required a roll-out once thawed. We rolled right onto a corn-meal covered pizza stone and baked for 6 minutes. This time we used regular Classico Basil tomato sauce, added shredded mozzarella cheese and olives. It was a low maintenance night.

Baking time was 15 minutes.

Results: Gillian’s was tasty, but don’t expect a bread-like texture. It had more of a sweet, thin crust that broke easily. The sweetness is without a doubt due to the tapioca and raw cane sugar in the recipe.

Ingredients: White Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour, Water, Soy Flour, Guar Gum, Egg Whites, Soy Oil, Yeast, Salt, Raw Cane Sugar.

Nutrition Facts: Serving size: 1 slice (76g), Servings Per Container: 6, Calories: 130

Total Fat: 0.5 g

Sodium: 330 mg

Total Carb: 25 g

Sugars: 3 g

Protein: 5 g

Directions: Remove from freezer and let sit in refrigerator over night. Place dough on a crusted table until room temperature. Roll out and place on a 12” pizza tin, crimp edges and place your favorite sauce and topping. Mfd. By Gillian’s Foods Inc., Lynn, MA 01905 www.gilliansfoods.com

Ease of Preparation:

Besides the need to defrost the dough a day before hand, the crust is relatively easy to prepare. Not as easy as the Whole Foods crust, but easier then mixing up the dough yourself.

Level of Realism:

The crust is not that similar to regular gluten pizza. It’s worthwhile trying it out.

Taste:

The thin, slightly sweet crust certainly lends itself to many toppings- but it’s just not that substantial a crust. Your toppings will control the flavor of your pie.

Pizza - Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse Pizza crust

Review of Whole Foods Market's Gluten Free Bakehouse Pizza Crust

Their crust is made with: tapioca starch, white bean flour, sorghum flour, non-fat dry milk, yeast, xanthan gum, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, gelatin, sugar.

Each crust was 12 ounces and came two to a package. Total calories of one crust is 720. We paid $6.49 at Whole Foods.

Well we are still at it- trying out gluten-free pizza crusts that is. Whole Foods has a great crust that we've had much success with. The crusts come 2 to a package in the freezer section of the store. Basically all you need to do is thaw completely, which takes about 15 minutes if you leave on top of your stove top while pre-heating the oven to 425 degrees.

Once defrosted, you can either add your toppings and bake 15 minutes, or for a crisper crust, pre-bake the crust about 7 minutes and then add toppings and bake for 12 minutes.

Please note: we use a pizza stone which we highly recommend for preparing any gluten-free pizzas.

Last night I pre-baked the crust for 7 minutes, then added tomato basil pasta sauce, yellow peppers, green olives, onion and scallions and topped with fontina cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

I let it bake on the pizza stone for 17 minutes. Apparently 17 minutes was too long though as the crust was a bit too crispy, and I had some trouble cutting through it. It was still quite tasty however and I would highly recommend giving Whole Foods crust a try.

Ease of Preparation: As with all pre-made gluten-free crusts, preparation is easy. Meaning: defrost, add toppings, and bake.

Level of Realism: Compared to other gluten-free pizzas the level of realism with regard to regular pizza is high. The crust is not like Dominos or Pizza Hut, it's closer to a savory pie or boutique pizza.

Taste: The crust was similar to real pizza, although the crust is heartier than a normal pizza. It has a crisp outside and soft inside type texture. In itself the crust doesn't have a lot of flavor- but on par with non-GF pizza. But then there's no detracting from the flavor of the toppings.

We love to hear other's ideas and comments on the products we review or suggestions for new products to review.


We're experiencing a mad rash of discipline and we will be back next week with another review.
Keep the comments coming!

Diana

Pizza - Nature's Hilights Brown Rice Pizza

Review of: Nature's Hilights Brown Rice Pizza

Nature's Hilights pizza crust is made with whole grain rice and is yeast, wheat and gluten-free.
The crust was 10 oz. and came with 2 to a frozen package. We paid $4.99 at Whole Foods.

Preparation is a four step process:
1. Defrost the crust - about 15 minutes if you put it on the stove top while the oven preheats to 500 degrees
2. Prebake for 4-5 minutes at 500 degrees before adding toppings
3. Add toppings
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees

Please note: we use a pizza stone which we highly recommend for preparing any gluten-free pizzas.

Over two nights I prepared one pizza and my husband made the other one.

The pizza I prepared was topped with Sacla Italia Olive and Tomato Pasta Sauce, fresh mozzarella, asparagus, and red onions.

The pizza my husband made was topped first with Tomato Basil sauce, shredded mozzarella from a bag, red onion and ground ostrich meat.

Both were delicious, although the level of authenticity to real pizza is relatively low. What's interesting is the only ingredient is whole brown rice which gives it a non-bread like texture. It did however have a super crispy crust. The brown rice gave it a slightly sticky aftertaste which bore a resemblance to sushi rice.

Ease of Preparation: Compared to other gluten-free pizzas preparation is easy because the crust is already made. You do have to defrost completely and pre-cook though. Most others require you to actually mix up dough and roll it out- which is always time consuming and a bit messy.

Level of Realism: Compared to other gluten-free pizzas the level of realism with regard to regular pizza is rather low.

Taste: The crust was super crispy but very low in taste which allowed the toppings to really make or break the pizza.

More to come: As we review the other pizzas we'll put up a comprehensive comparison of all the products we can get a hold of.