KOSHER RECIPES FOR GLUTEN-FREE LIVING



Friday, November 10, 2006

Gluten-free grilled cheese

There's nothing like real grilled cheese, made in a pan with extra-sharp cheddar cheese and butter. I only make grilled cheese a few times a year, and for me it is a special occasion truly worth its weight in LactAid pills.

The best gluten-free grilled cheese I've had was made with Ener-G Tapioca Loaf, which runs a bit dry but works well for sandwiches and is amazing when pan-grilled in butter. I hear it's also great for making gluten-free stuffing for Thanksgiving. The second runner up is I Can Eat That bread which is available only in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. It is purchased frozen and has to be baked at home. The sandwich in this photo is made on Food for Life Brown Rice Bread, which has to be well-toasted before using it for grilled cheese, since like most of Food for Life's loaves it has a good flavor but a tendency towards gumminess. I look forward to venturing into the world of breadmaking this winter. I haven't tried baking my own bread yet, and I have a feeling it won't be hard to outdo storebought gluten-free breads!

For a more sophisticated grilled cheese sandwich, I sometimes add a slice of tomato and kalamata olive tapenade.

8 comments:

jocelyn said...

EnerG tapioca makes the best grilled cheese with American cheese slices. It's reminiscent of school cafeteria sandwiches, made with cheap white bread and government issue cheese.

Sure, I loved my various designer multigrain breads with fancy cheeses back in the old days, but on a cold winter day, there's nothing like tomato soup and simple grilled cheese.

You may like mock reubens made with EnjoyLifeFoods mock rye.

Unknown said...

dag that pictures loosk so, so good. I feel the same way about grilled cheese: not too often, but when I do, it is all about the butter in the pan.

Gili Warsett said...

i wasn't sure if i was hungry. then i looked at your blog. now i'm starving. no joke.

Mike Eberhart said...

A classic sandwich. I have not made one of those in a while. I have a homemade egg-bread recipe I really like to use for the grilled-cheese, but I need to take time to make the bread. So, no grilled cheese for me today, but I am glad you have such a nice looking sandwich to eat :)

Shannon said...

Oh man, that looks so good! I am jealous. Now I am craving grilled cheease...and tomato soup!

Anonymous said...

Just saw your blog via The New York Times.
The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread by Bette Hagman is a great book. There's a recipe for french bread that's not too difficult to make and it's really good. I also made pizza shells from that book and the pretzels- when I discovered that a small bag at Whole Foods was more thah $5. The bread stick recipe was another easy one, they were convienent to take to restaurants.

Nice grilled cheese, by the way!

Driftwood said...

I can't wait to see any bread recipes that you come up with. I started a GF diet in Feb. of this year and I have yet to eat a sandwich that tastes good and leaved me comfortably satisfied. I'm also trying to get my kids to eat GF. It seems thatthey are less moody and conjested. Packing lunches is the most difficult. Luckily they like cornchips and cheesewhiz. I makeup for the lack of nutrition with fresh-fruits. I wish I knew of a GF bread that packed well in a lunch?

ByTheBay said...

Driftwood: None of the packaged breads I've found are good without toasting. however I did develop a recipe that is awesome and soft/pliable without toasting. Here is the recipe:

Gluten-Free Multigrain Miracle Bread

Keep in mind some people have found they need to reduce the liquid slightly depending on their ovens and altitudes.

It's the only bread I will make sandwiches on... unless I am around a toaster in which case the frozen manufactured breads are (barely) edible.