Review: New Planet Beer's Belgian and Amber Ales

It's been more than 7.5 months since we've posted a product review. This has been a deliberate shift on our part. As this blog and our recipes evidence, our focus is on from-scratch cooking and baking. Regularly posting gluten-free product reviews was inconsistent with our perspective, because frankly, we don't buy or use most of the products we were reviewing.

But we're coming out of retirement, so to speak, this week with a review of New Planet Beer's two new offerings: Belgian Ale and Amber Ale. Why? For one, gluten-free beer is something that we buy on a somewhat regular basis. Sure, we homebrew gluten-free beer, too. But our current capacity means that we have one—maybe two, under best-case scenario—batches of homebrew on hand. Commercially available gluten-free beer is a great way to add variety to our options. Plus, it's both National Celiac Awareness Month and National Craft Beer Week.

We have a long history of reviewing New Planet's beers. We've twice reviewed their Blonde Ale (once called Tread Lightly Ale) here and again here. When their Raspberry Ale came out, we reviewed that too. Ditto for their Pale Ale, which remains one of my favorite gluten-free beers. We've also featured New Planet in a blind tasting against other gluten-free beers, as well as in another blind tasting against barley-based pale ales. (New Planet is also a long-time supporter for my annual Gluten-Free Ultramarathon Challenge, which in three years has raised more than $9,000 for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.)

With the addition of the Belgian and Amber ales to their lineup, New Planet now offers five—count 'em, five!—gluten-free beers. Most gluten-free beer companies are one-trick ponies ... think Redbridge or New Grist, which offer a single brew. Omission offers two. Only Green's, which brews six varieties in Belgium but only imports three to the United States, rivals New Planet for variety.

So how do New Planet's new offerings stack up?

Belgian Ale

My maternal grandmother was from Belgium, and so Belgian beers hold a special place near and dear to my heart (and taste buds). New Planet's Belgian Ale is brewed with water, sorghum and brown rice extract, honey, orange peel, cinnamon powder, vanilla extract, sterling hops, and yeast. It weighs in at 5% ABV.

That they call it a Belgian Ale isn't terribly informative, however. It's like calling a beer American. What does that mean? Belgian beers are incredibly diverse: from the sour lambics to the fruit beers, from the wild farmhouse ales to the saisons and wits and Trappist ales. What style of Belgian beer was New Planet actually going for?

The inclusion of ingredients such as orange peel and cinnamon suggest a saison. But for me, New Planet's Belgian Ale largely misses the mark. Its defining characteristic is an overly yeasty flavor. The orange, cinnamon, and vanilla are nowhere to be found. Despite high hopes, this one left me disappointed.

Amber Ale

New Planet's Amber Ale is brewed with water, sorghum and brown rice extract, molasses, tapioca maltodextrin, sterling and simcoe hops, and yeast. It also weighs in at 5% ABV. I must admit, I've been craving darker gluten-free beers. After years of having mostly lighter gluten-free beers as options, the prospect of a darker amber ale got me really excited.

I'm happy to report that New Planet's Amber Ale more than delivers. It has rich, complex flavors. In my opinion, it's one of the best new additions to the gluten-free beer landscape in a long time, perhaps since New Planet's own pale ale came out a while back. The Amber Ale has earned an instant spot alongside my regular rotation of gluten-free beers. Grab a six pack and enjoy.

–Pete

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a classic Middle Eastern salad traditionally made with bulgar (wheat!), tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. There are, of course, many variations on that theme, including versions that sub couscous (more wheat!) for the bulgar, as well as gluten-free versions that use quinoa in place of bulgar. For our version, we've gone with brown rice that we ground in a food processor to give a shape and texture closer to what you'd expect if you made this dish with bulgar.

Tabbouleh
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1/3 cup brown rice
2/3 cup water
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp chopped mint
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, diced small
1/2 shallot, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 2 tbsp)
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps
1. Grind the brown rice in a food processor until you have small pieces. This takes a few minutes. Use a fine mesh strainer to remove any "rice powder" and retain only the broken rice grains.
2. Add to a saucepan with 2/3 cup of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 35 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the rice, then spread out (such as on a cookie sheet) to cool.
3. Combine the cooked rice with all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Toss to mix well. Refrigerate and serve cool.

Degrees of Free-dom
This recipe is: gluten-free/wheat-free, dairy/lactose/casein-free, fish-free, shellfish-free, peanut-free, tree-nut-free, soy-free, vegetarian, vegan.

Enjoy!

–Pete and Kelli

Celiac Awareness Infographic

Today is May 15th, which means we've officially reached the halfway point through National Celiac Awareness Month. There is much to potentially celebrate—awareness is up, rates of diagnosis are up (or so I anecdotally hear), food companies and restaurants are increasingly offering gluten-free options.

But clearly there's much more work still to be done. Rates of successful celiac disease diagnosis are still far below the actual prevalence of the disease in the population. "Gluten-free"—for better or worse—is an in vogue fad at the moment. And misconceptions about forms of gluten intolerance and the gluten-free diet persist.

A sobering reminder of the challenge still before us is hopefully encapsulated in this basic infographic I've created, which compares the Google search popularity of "gluten" vs. "celiac." Click on the image to enlarge it, and if you find it of value, please share it widely. The take-home message is painfully clear: while gluten and the gluten-free diet are surging in popularity, awareness about celiac disease in particular—at least as measured by Google searches—has remained dead flat for the last decade.

–Pete

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Bacon Demi Glace

It's been an interesting spring here in Colorado. We thought winter was over, and then—wham!—we got nailed by several major snowstorms, all in the past few weeks, including a blizzard of sorts that closed portions of I-70 for several hours ... on May 1.

All of this wintry weather has had a surprising effect on our cooking. We are well into spring, at least as far as the calendar is concerned, and so I'd expect our seasonally-inspired cooking to gravitate towards fresh fruits and vegetables that are coming into their prime. But frankly, the cold snowy weather has had us craving soul-warming foods more indicative of fall and winter. And what's more evocative of fall than apple cider? (Okay, maybe pumpkin pie would give it a run for its money, but you know what I mean...)

Instead, we're embracing apple cider (and bacon!) this spring to make a richly flavorful sauce that pairs wonderfully with grilled pork tenderloin rubbed in some basic spices. Plus, we're borrowing the amazingly successful technique from our filet mignon recipe earlier this year, and pre-warming the pork to an internal temp of 100 degrees before searing (or in this case, grilling) to finish it.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Bacon Demi Glace
Makes three 1-pound tenderloins

Ingredients

For the pork:
Three 1-pound tenderloins
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp brown sugar

For the demi glace:
6–7 strips of bacon
75 g shallots, diced
5 large garlic cloves, minced
3 cups apple cider
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp GF Worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
20 black peppercorns
1 large sprig rosemary

Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 250 deg F.
2. Combine the salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and brown sugar to make a rub.
3. Divide evenly among the three tenderloins, rubbing to coat.
4. Place the tenderloins on a wire rack over a baking sheet or pan and pop in the oven until the internal temperature reads 100 deg F.
5. Meanwhile, start to prepare the demi glace: Slice the bacon into 1–2-inch pieces and cook in a medium saucepan (~2 L) until well done and the fat is rendered.
6. Remove the bacon and set aside. Pour off excess fat from the saucepan, retaining only 1–2 tbsp. Sweat the shallot and garlic in the retained bacon fat until soft and translucent.
7. Add the bacon back in, plus all remaining ingredients for the demi glace.
8. Bring to a boil and reduce by 1/3 (a volume of ~1.5 L should become ~1 L).
9. Pour the demi glace through a fine mesh strainer, then return the liquid to the saucepan and continue reducing by half. (An original volume of ~1.5 L should finish at a little less than 0.5 L.)
10. If the flavor of the demi glace becomes sufficiently intense but the sauce is still very runny, thicken with just a bit of cornstarch dissolved in water (or similar).
11. Heat your grill to medium-high.
12. Grill the pre-warmed pork tenderloins. Rotate periodically to get good grill marks on all sides, and remove from the grill when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the pork tenderloin reads 155 deg F. Let rest for at least 10 minutes.
13. Slice and serve with the demi glace.

Degrees of Free-dom
This recipe is: gluten-free, dairy/lactose/casein-free, shellfish-free, peanut-free, tree-nut-free, soy-free.

Enjoy!

–Pete and Kelli

Mother's Day Recipes by Moms for Moms

Throughout my life I have held many roles, but never have I been in one that has felt more fulfilling, more right, and more challenging than the role of mother. I am fortunate and feel very blessed to have two beautiful children that I get to spend every day with, and this time while they are young is a gift I genuinely savor.

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, now is the time to think about how to celebrate our moms. As a child, every year we would take my grandmothers out to lunch. As a mother myself now, we have celebrated in different ways, but there is always the common theme of eating together with as many family members as can gather. There is something so fundamental about sharing food and time together that make holidays special.

For this Mother’s Day I am thrilled to be included with seven other gluten-free mom bloggers in an e-book compiled by Attune Foods, A Gluten-Free Mother's Day: Recipes for Moms by Moms. The book includes gluten-free dishes with simple ingredients for breakfast in bed, brunch, recipes designed specifically for cooking with kids, and those you can make ahead of time.

The recipes include:

• Blueberry Breakfast Pudding with Granola Topping from Kim Lutz (vegan, tree nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free)
• Turkey Strata Muffins with Orange Slices and Balsamic Glaze from Beth Hillson (tree nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free)
• Corn Flake Quiche Lorraine from Karen Morgan (tree nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free)
• Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Tart from Kelli Bronski (vegetarian, tree nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free)
• Blueberry Scones with Vanilla Lemon Sweet Cashew Cream and Homemade Blueberry Chia Seed Jam from Maggie Savage (vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, peanut-free)
• Peanut Butter Crunch French Toast with Maple-Peanut Butter Syrup from Alta Mantsch (vegetarian, dairy-free, tree nut-free)
• Chocolate or Carob Tart with Dairy-Free Whipped Topping from Adrienne Urban (vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free)
• Strawberry Streusel Oatmeal Breakfast Cake from Kim Maes (vegetarian, dairy-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free)

Download your FREE copy of A Gluten-Free Mother's Day: Recipes for Moms by Moms.

Enjoy!
Kelli

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Two months ago we posted a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. As you may recall, there was some debate in our household about whether to include the raisins. I won that "battle." This time around, Kelli's preference won the day, I must say the recipe is better for it.

As you can see, the recipe is cinnamon swirl bread, and as you might easily surmise, the debate in this instance was whether to make it cinnamon raisin bread. We've gone for a straightforward cinnamon bread, and the result is a moist yeast bread packed with cinnamon sugar goodness.

The bread doesn't have the nice domed top we'd like (perhaps we'll continue tweaking to get that result), but in the meantime, this version is too good not to share. There's not much more to be said. Get baking!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups milk
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3 egg whites
1 tsp GF pure vanilla extract
3 cups Artisan Gluten-Free Flour Blend*
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Steps
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk with the honey, butter, and salt, stirring occasionally until the butter melts. Remove from heat and allow to cool to about 120 degrees. (You don't want to scramble the eggs in step 2, or kill the yeast in step 3.)
2. Add the egg whites and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the yeast and let set for about 5 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and xanthan gum. Add to the saucepan, and stir until well-mixed.
4. In another small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
5. Transfer half of the bread batter/dough into a greased loaf pan, add 2/3 of the cinnamon mixture and top with the remaining bread batter/dough. Use a knife to swirl the bread. Pat down the top of the bread with a spatula and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon mixture on top. Cover, and let rise for 40 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 deg F.
6. Bake for 40 minutes. (When done baking, allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the loaf pan before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.)

Notes
* Living here at altitude in Colorado, we made this recipe with 1/4 cup more flour than we're calling for in this recipe to account for the elevation. This is a fairly standard altitude adjustment in our recipes, but we haven't had an opportunity to "down-test" the recipe as written at sea level.

Degrees of Free-dom
This recipe is: gluten-free, peanut-free, tree-nut-free, fish-free, shellfish-free, soy-free, vegetarian.

To make this recipe corn-free, substitute another starch for the cornstarch in our flour blend.

Enjoy!

–Pete and Kelli

Red Snapper Veracruz

Sometimes life delivers unexpected surprises. Case in point: discovering a fabulous seafood dish 1,000 miles from the nearest ocean.

I was having dinner at a new restaurant in the town of Basalt, not far from Aspen in Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley. The menu included a dish called tilapia Veracruz. I normally steer clear of ordering tilapia in restaurants, but our server—after consulting with the chef—confirmed the dish could be prepared gluten-free, and the description of Veracruz flavors was enough that I decided to take the plunge.

I'm sure glad I did. It was perhaps the best piece of tilapia I've had. Ever. The Veracruz flavors in particular were vibrant and complex. I just had to know more about it, so I could try to create our own version here at home. I implored our server: "I don't expect your chef to give up any secrets to his recipe, but please send my compliments, and if he'd be willing to share any insight into the dish, that'd be very much appreciated." The server obliged and disappeared into the back kitchen.

He returned a short time later, carrying the chef's immigration card (or something along those lines). A sly grin broke across his face. "The chef says that it's a Veracruz sauce because he's from Veracruz," pointing to the chef's Mexican hometown on the card. In other words, I wasn't walking away with any insider info.

Left to my own devices, I scoured the Internet searching for a variety of authentic (or seemingly so) Veracruz recipes, off of which I'd create my own interpretation. Soon a number of consistencies bubbled to the surface: the dish was most often made with red snapper, and included ingredients such as tomato, onion, garlic, pickled jalapenos, capers, and green olives. I added some white wine and lime juice to brighten the flavors, plus a few other ingredients to round out the flavors.

And what luck: our local fish monger—who sources fresh seafood from seven or so markets around the country—frequently carries red snapper! A couple of iterations later, and this recipe is ready for public consumption.

Red Snapper Veracruz
Makes 4–6 servings

Ingredients

For the rice:
1 cup uncooked rice
1–2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 small ladle (about 1/3 cup) Veracruz sauce

For the Veracruz sauce:
1/2 white onion, chopped
4–5 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups (one 14.5-oz can) tomatoes with juice, pureed until smooth
1 cup white wine
Juice of 1 lime
10 green olives, pitted and chopped
2 heaping tbsp non-pareil capers
4 tbsp chopped pickled jalapenos plus 2 tbsp pickling juice
1–2 bay leaf
2–4 sprigs marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano

For the fish:
1 pound red snapper (about 3 fillets)
1/4 cup Artisan Gluten-Free Flour Blend (or similar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
olive oil

Steps

To make the rice:
1. Cook the 1 cup rice in 1.5 cups water (bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and let cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered for an additional 10 minutes.) Then fluff the rice, transfer to a bowl, and let cool on your kitchen counter or in your fridge.
2. In large skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the spices and cook for 1–2 minutes to remove the "raw" flavors.
3. Add the rice to the skillet, toss to coat in the spices, and saute for 2–3 minutes.
4. Transfer the rice back to the bowl and set aside. Then make the sauce.

To make the Veracruz sauce:
5. In a saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft, translucent, and aromatic.
6. Then add all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook uncovered for 20 minutes, until reduced by about 50%.
7. Remove the bay leaf and marjoram sprigs. Then ladle about 1/3 cup of the sauce into the rice and toss to mix well. Next cook the fish.

To make the fish:
8. Mix the flour and seasonings together in a shallow bowl.
9. Rinse and pat dry the fish. The lightly coat with flour on both sides.
10. Pan sear over medium-high heat, about 3–5 minutes per side, until the fish is opaque throughout and flakes easily.

To finish the dish:
11. Plate a piece of the fish and a serving of rice. Ladle a generous portion of sauce over the fish.

Degrees of Free-dom
This recipe is: gluten-free, dairy/lactose/casein-free, egg-free, shellfish-free, peanut-free, tree-nut-free, soy-free, pescetarian.

Enjoy!

–Pete and Kelli