Eat Free. Live Free. G Free.  

Using Dairy Substitutes in Gluten-Free Cooking by Carol Fenster

by info@gfreecuisine.com 16. February 2010 08:37
Nearly 60% of American adults can’t digest milk products. Many gluten-free folks are also dairy-sensitive, so dairy substitutes are critical to us…. especially sour cream, cream cheese, and cheese.
    
As for sour cream and cream cheese substitutes, I use the brands of Tofutti (a little easier to find) and Vegan Gourmet in place of dairy-based versions on a 1:1 basis. However, both contain more thickeners (such as xanthan gum) than their dairy counterparts. So, if you’re making a cheesecake, for example, you might not need to add a thickener like you do when making a traditional cheesecake.

If you’re stirring sour cream into a sauce or stew (perhaps Beef Stroganoff) you might need to whisk it a little longer because it won’t dissolve as easily as dairy-based sour cream. The same holds true for cream cheese. Bringing the cream cheese to room temperature makes it easier to work with or stirring a teaspoon of hot water into it helps as well.

When it comes to dairy-free cheeses, I don’t think there’s one on the market yet that is perfect. But I think the Vegan Gourmet cheeses come closest. Although the label on the package assures us that it melts, I didn’t have the best of luck with that promise. It needs a little coaxing….
    
If you are baking a casserole that has cheese on top and you want to melt it just cook it (covered) at the temperature specified in the recipe and when it's almost done remove the lid and turn on the broiler at 450 degrees for a few minutes until the cheese is browned a little bit… I found that it actually does melt with this technique. How far away from the broiler is something you’ll have to experiment with in your own particular oven. The company also says it melts great in the microwave, a saucepot, or in sandwiches and quesadillas. However, I’ve made grilled cheese sandwiches in a skillet and found that the cheese gets warm, but doesn’t melt.

So, here’s an alternative idea: make open-faced cheese sandwiches. Put the cheese on top of the bread, covering the bread completely. Turn on the broiler at 450 degrees, at least 8-10 inches away from the heat source (experiment with your oven and see what distance works best), and then watch carefully until it just starts to brown and melt. We use this method to make open-faced tuna salad or chicken salad sandwiches, topped with cheese.

Try this technique with pizza. Grate frozen cheese over the pizza using the largest holes on your grater and bake at the regular temperature. (It’s too soft to grate so I keep a frozen package on hand for this purpose.) When the pizza is nearly done, cover the crust with foil so it doesn't burn (you might make a circle of foil beforehand), leaving the center of the pizza uncovered so the cheese is exposed to the heat. Broil the pizza (again, decide how far away is necessary with your oven so you don't burn the crust) at 450 degrees just until the cheese starts to brown and melt. Then remove it from the oven and eat immediately.

Be the first to rate this post

  • Currently 0/5 Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Tags:

E-mail | Kick it! | DZone it! | del.icio.us
Permalink | Comments (201) | Post RSSRSS comment feed

Comments

Add comment


 

biuquote
  • Comment
  • Preview
Loading



About the Authors

Ann Bender & Karen Hutcherson
Marketers by profession, both Ann and Karen have a fondness for good food and healthy cooking. They understand the importance of the nightly family dinner and developed Relish! a premier menu-planning service (relishrelish.com). Relish! received hundreds of requests to offer the same type of service but to make it gluten-free. Because of the complexity of the product, they solicited the help of gluten-free cooking expert, Carol Fenster, to provide all of the recipes and many of her famous bread and dessert recipes!