Sunday, October 31, 2010

Two Washington D.C. Restaurants for People with Soy Allergies

Brasserie Beck, on 11th Street, NW:

http://www.beckdc.com/

We've eaten there several times. The staff is very nice about checking for soy if they're not sure. They use canola oil to make their Pommes Frites, which are thin and sprinkled with salt and dried parsley, and served with a trio of house-made flavored mayonaises. The three flavors are garlic, tomato, and curry--and the mayo is made with canola oil, too!

Pete's New Haven Style Apizza (2 locations, and soon to be a third across the river in the Clarendon section of Arlington):

http://petesapizza.com/

"Apizza", pronounced ah-BEETS, is a dialectical word for pizza, and it's used in the New Haven, Connecticut area. (If you want to read about New Haven-style apizza, go to the Wikipedia page here; it is a good explanation.) I emailed Pete's Apizza and asked about their pizza--it is made with pure olive oil and their sauce is house-made and also soy-free. We ordered sausage and mushroom and it was heaven. Make sure to try the Foxon Park white birch beer; they get it shipped from East Haven, Connecticut, where it's made and bottled. (I grew up in East Haven and the next town east from there, North Branford, and I vouch for the authenticity of the apizza and love the soda.)

I can't vouch for the rest of the menu, but they were nice to me when I asked about the pizza, so I have high hopes for the other menu items also.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Happy Hallowe'en, everyone, and how about some Pumpkin Bundt Cake with a Rum-Brown-Sugar Glaze?

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups fresh or canned pumpkin puree (a one-pound can)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or soy-free margarine
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze
3 Tbsp dark or light brown sugar
1 Tbsp (or more, it's up to you)
1 tsp milk (skim is fine)
3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with soy-free cooking spray or brush with melted butter and coat with flour.

2. Combine dry ingredients, from flour through salt, in a bowl (or sift together onto a piece f waxed paper). Combine pumpkin with applesauce.

3. Cream sugar and butter or margarine together in the large bowl of a mixer. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat some more. Add flour mixture alternately with pumpkin-applesauce mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix again for 1-2 minutes until everything looks combined.

4. Pour (or spoon, it's kind of thick) into your greased pan. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

5. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove cake to a rack.

6. While the cake is cooling, make the glaze.

7. Glaze: Combine brown sugar, rum, and mild in a small pan. Cook over low heat until the brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the confectioner's sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon or a small whisk. Spoon over the warm cake and let run down the sides. (Note: if you want a stronger rum flavor, brush some rum over the top and sides of the cake before you drizzle on the glaze.)

8. Serves 12-16

Note: Sometimes I use a 6-cup Bundt pan and a 8"x4" loaf pan, and freeze the loaf for later. Bake the smaller cakes 35-40 minutes.

SOY-FREE CONSIDERATIONS:
Soy-free margarine, if you use margarine instead of butter; soy-free cooking spray if you decide to grease the pan with spray.