These Are Not The Macarons I am Looking For

Have you tried the macarons at Aldi? These were not the macarons I was expecting.  I previously bought the ones that were in raspberry, vanilla, pistachio, salted caramel, lemon, and chocolate.  The box said may contain wheat.  It was a risk I was willing to take because none of the ingredients were actually wheat.  Usually, this means they are processed in a facility or possibly shared equipment.  I've had several boxes of these.  They didn't seems to have any negative effects on me.  And just so we're clear, macarons are supposed to be gluten free.

One day at Sam's club, I saw macaron's in the freezer section.  I picked up the box & started reading.  I was disappointed that they listed wheat as an ingredient pretty high up.  Put them back immediately.

Aldi has always amazed me.  Things that don't say gluten free, but are a lot of times don't bother me, like the potato skins.  But the gluten free flour, I can't stomach, if you know what I mean.  It tastes fine, but it is not gluten free in my book.  Don't cheap out.  Get Bob's Red Mill.  They have a dedicated plant & know what they are doing.  So... Back to the macarons.

When I opened the box to snap a few photos, I noticed that these were definitely a different color than I was expecting.    I looked at the box & saw the flavors - Coconut, lemon curd, lime, raspberry, blackcurrant, and apricot.  Huh?  Where was salted caramel and chocolate?  Eh. I'll eat some while I'm shooting photos.  Big mistake.

After feeling mildly uncomfortable and not knowing why, I sat down to write this blog post.  I looked at the ingredients & saw the glucose syrup was made from wheat.  This is a common thing.  You have to watch out for glucose syrups.  But this time it was clearly labeled on the box & because the other flavors seemed fine, I didn't bother to read this one's box.  The other flavors were too delicious to care if I have a mild irritation. I don't think I did, though. Maybe it was worth it. 

My mild irritation with these ones are not bad. Really, it's more like a mild cross contamination, but I still must warn you against these treats. And they are not as good as the other flavors. Just not worth the risk. 

I'm pretty sure the other flavors were not labeled as such or I wouldn't have even bought hem in the first place.  Well, coconut isn't a big enough temptation to me to risk feeling sick.  I guess I'll have to gift the remaining macarons to a friend.  Good thing I didn't eat too many. 

Maybe I'll make my own.

Gluuteny Pizza Crust Mix

Gluuteny Pizza Crust Mix

For my birthday this year, a couple of the guys at work bought me some gluten free items.  One was Gluuteny's Pizza Crust mix.  I finally got a chance to try it.

First I must mention that not only is it gluten free, but it is dairy & egg free also.  The pizza crust I make from scratch usually has both.

The package says the only thing you need is 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water.  Sounds simple.

The instructions say to beat all the ingredients together, roll it on a pizza pan, add the toppings and bake.  That's not usually how I make my crusts.  I like doughy crusts.  I don't like flat cardboard or flatbread crusts that gluten free pizzas are usually associated with.

To make a doughy crust, I usually proof my yeast, let my dough rise in a ball, punch it down, shape it in the pan, let it rise again, prebake the crust, then add toppings & bake again.  But okay, I'll follow the directions on the package, even though I'm not good at following directions.

The package contains a white powered mix & a package of Red Star Active Dry Yeast.  That's a good yeast.  I'd use that in my own pizza crust.  Pretty pleased there.

I was going to use a pizza stone to cook my pizza.  After mixing in the yeast package, adding 1 1/2 cups of warm water to the mix, it seemed to runny for the pizza stone.  I questioned the amount of water added.  It looked way too runny.  But okay, I'm following the directions.

I oiled my large cast iron pan with my favorite olive oil, Oilio.  I love supporting local companies & they are Pittsburgh based.  The Olive farm is in Greece, but they are based here in Pittsburgh.

I preheated the oven to 450 -a bit hotter than I would normally.

I slopped the dough into the oiled pan.  I spread it around.  At this point, it seemed to flow better than my homemade crust.  I added sauce, cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, and more cheese.

When the oven was heated, I put the pie in the oven & hoped for the best.  I set the timer for 18 mins, waited & pulled out a surprizingly doughy pizza from the oven.

It was pretty darn good.  It was doughy.  It didn't fall apart.  It held its shape.  And it tasted delicious.  Thanks guys for the pizza!  If you get a chance, try Gluuteny's Pizza Crust mix!

Gluuteny Backery
1923 Murray Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
www.gluuteny.com