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Okay, I have been teasing you enough with the product I have spent the last few days eating in order to provide a comprehensive review of almost an entire product line.  The secret product was…Earth Café’s Gluten-Free cheesecakes.  Well, not just gluten-free but raw, vegan, wheat, and cholesterol free as well.  Did that pique your attention?  I know, you are probably thinking gee, that is great that they are basically everything-free but I bet they are free from taste as well.  Au contraire mes amis...that could not be further from the truth.  Well, to be honest, I too thought exactly the same thing when Craig from Earth Café reached out to me and wanted to know if I would be interested in trying them out.  Yes, I was very skeptical because the concept of a dairy free, raw cheesecake just did not seem appealing.  Quite frankly had Earth Café not reached out to me this would have been one of those things that I likely just would not have tried.  I mean let’s face it cheese-less raw cheesecake seems to be a contradiction of terms.

Thankfully I took Craig up on his offer and he and the fine people at Earth Café actually overnighted a sampling from the O.C. on the West Coast to me here in N.Y.C. and everything arrived perfectly intact due to careful packing.  But I digress…I received five of Earth Café’s most popular flavors: Blueberry Thrill; Rockin’ Raspberry; Cali Style Lemon; Cherry Dream; and Peach Passion.  Let’s just say I knew what I would be having for dessert over the upcoming evenings.  Ah, see why this review took a bit longer than usual?

I am, however, only human so I enlisted the help of my non-GF other half so that I could eat one myself and taste a portion of another to better expedite the tasting process.  I started with the Rockin’ Raspberry.  As I took the first bite, I am not sure what I was expecting but it was certainly not the creamy deliciousness that first hit my palate.  I was confused and looked at the container which the slice came in to read the ingredients.  Where was the cream cheese, the butter, the sugar?  Not here and believe me when I tell you NOT missed.  Just twelve simple, vegan ingredients that somehow Earth Café had managed to turn into a rich, creamy, downright delicious cheesecake that’s not a cheesecake. 

The raspberry variety was chock-full of fresh raspberries that packed a welcomed sweet and tart bite.  The “crust” was nothing more than fantastically soaked chopped nuts that added overall flavor and added complexity but did not distract from the filling itself.  The crusts are finely chopped nuts and appear to be cashew, pecan, and walnut mixes.  I say appear because I am going by the ingredient list on the packages but clearly Earth Café are magicians in the kitchen so I am not sure if any of these comprise the body as well or just the crust.  The filling was so complex with the real raspberry taste paired with zesty lemon and cinnamon undertones all in a creamy base from coconut and sweetened with agave nectar.

Now here’s where it gets interesting…my other half is not a cheesecake fan by any stretch of the imagination – but I needed help and was dying to taste the Blueberry Thrill variety.  He was still not quite sold but dug in and all I can say is he now likes cheesecake (well, Earth Café’s).  So if your home is divided by the cheesecake fans and non-believers, these products meet everyone’s needs.  The blueberry pie was just as rich and decadent as the first – just chock-full of fresh blueberries.  It is the fruit in these decadent treats that really helps you to understand the taste benefits of raw eating.  The fruits tasted as though it had just been picked and thrown into the cake right then and there.  I know, you are thinking sure it did but I was as shocked as you will be at how vibrant and flavorful the ingredients were – and they never set foot anywhere near an oven.

The next evening I continued to work my way through the flavors with the Cherry Dream version.  Once again, same fabulous base with wonderfully ripe red cherries that were…wait for it…still crisp to the tooth.  By this point in time I had resolved myself that I needed to just stop wondering how they are able to do this and embrace the concept raw vegan cheese-less cheesecake.  The following evening it was time to crack open the Cali Style Lemon (lemon has always been a personal favorite of mine as flavors go) and it did not disappoint.  We are talking some serious tang here.  This was indeed my personal favorite of the lot – so light and creamy packing a tart punch that still did not take away from the overall flavor itself.

Sadly (only because I was now out of slices) the Peach Passion was last in the line-up and it did not disappoint.  The sweet fresh peach taste was crisp and delicious and again paired perfectly with the creamy base and subtle spiciness of the nuts.

If you think raw desserts are going to be boring, I encourage you to give these cakes a try.  I was probably one of the hardest sells but am so glad I gave it a try.  I don’t know how they do it – nor do I question it.  The bottom line is that Earth Café makes a more healthful gluten-free option that tastes, in a word, AMAZING.  My thanks to Craig and all of the folks over at Earth Café for making a believer out of me.

For those of you on the West Coast, you can find their products in many Whole Foods and other markets based on your location.  Check out their Store Locator to find out if they are at a location near you.  If not, there is always mail order.  You can view their online storefront to check out all the delicious options that abound. 
 
 
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The number 10 spot on my Gluten Free Mike's Favorite Things goes to another company with a fantastic and delicious gluten-free product portfolio.  I can honestly say that I absolutely love EVERYTHING I have tried from Shabtai Gourmet.  Their decadent desserts are the real deal – made from simple, high quality ingredients.  If you are entertaining this holiday season that do yourself a favor and stock up on some of these delicious goodies.  Best of all they freeze (and defrost) like a dream making your dessert course super simple.  You can check out their entire sweet portfolio on their Web site where you can also place an order to arrive at your front door in time for the holidays (and they are even offering free shipping for the holidays).

Now on to the products:

Shabtai Gourmet Raspberry Roll
It is no secret that I love Shabtai Gourmet’s products.  So, here is yet another one of their delicious desserts as I eat my way through their entire product portfolio.  Enter the famed jelly roll…This is a moist and spongy rendition that is absolutely indiscernible from its gluten-laden version.  The cake itself is light and filled with delicious jam.  The outer layer is rolled in shredded coconut giving the roll an added textural dimension that makes for the perfect marriage when you take your first bite.  Perhaps the best thing about this product is that it freezes beyond compare and can be quickly thawed when surprise gluten-free friends show up unannounced.

Shabtai Gourmet Mini Black and White Cookies
Perhaps Jerry Seinfeld said it best, “Look to the cookie” when describing the goodness that is known as the black and white cookie.  I am on a roll, and a few pounds heavier, thanks to my discovery of Shabtai-Gourmet products.  So, I have been sampling their dessert offerings back to back over the past couple of weeks.  Most recently I indulged in their black and white cookies.  Now these are the mini version of the infamous oversized variety but every bit as good.The cookie itself is wonderfully spongy in consistency (as a good b&w cookie should be).  The icing is nice and thick allowing for the crunch sensation when you first break it sugary crust.  You can really taste the subtle notes of apricot and orange that make this otherwise simple cookie very complex.  Again, Shabtai-Gourmet has taken an iconic classic dessert (and personal favorite) and perfectly cloned it in a gluten free variety.No, I do not own any Shabtai stock, I just love good quality, good tasting items.  I am particularly fond of Shabtai-Gourmet because they not only use ingredients I can easily recognize, but they managed to replace a huge chunk of desserts that I quite honestly thought were gone with my Celiac diagnosis.

Shabtai Gourmet Rainbow Cookies
Continuing with my Shabtai-Gourmet kick, I had a box of these cookies in my freezer and thought why not give them a try the other evening.  Well, I have been eating the steadily for the past few days.  I grew up loving what is affectionately known as the rainbow cookie.  When I was diagnosed Celiac, a huge and quite frankly delicious, part of my childhood was wiped away.  That is until I came across these delectable gems.For those of you not familiar with the rainbow cookie, it is layers of brightly colored sponge-like cake held together by fruit jam and then…wait for it…covered in rich chocolate.  I mean does it get any better?  Shabtai’s version is the real deal.  While eating them the other evening my non-Celiac other half also was eating them and made the comment, “These taste real”.  They certainly do and it is largely because they are made from real ingredients (as with all Shabtai’s products).  One you remove these cookies from the freezer they return to their soft and moist state.  They are no worse the wear for being frozen and honestly I actually enjoy them frozen as well.  Shabtai-Gourmet excels at taking classic, memorable recipes, and keeping them simple, honest, and real.

Shabtai Gourmet Ring Ting Cupcakes
As many of you know, I love sweets.  I love chocolate, I love cookies, and I love cake.  Unfortunately in the world of gluten free, it is often a challenge to find original creations – well my gluten free friends, your search is over.Shabtai Gourmet features a portfolio of products that would make Willy Wonka weep tears of joy.  Their Ring Ting Cupcakes are, in a word, amazing.  Think the Hostess chocolate cupcakes of your childhood which were full of real ingredients and not corn syrup and preservatives.Shabtai’s cupcakes are a throwback to the glory days of baking where a few simple ingredients combined to make magical desserts.  The cupcakes are rich, devil’s food cake filled with a wonderfully sweet white cream icing center.  Ah, the icing…you can feel the grit of the real sugar between your teeth as you savor every bite.  You are not going to find this in today’s mass produced products.  There is no corn syrup here.  In fact here is a list of the ingredients: whole eggs, sugar, potato starch, organic palm fruit shortening, cocoa, cottonseed oil, tapioca starch, all natural vanilla extract, cocoa butter, and salt.  Each cake is enrobed in a fantastically rich chocolate coating that, when coupled with the moist cake and rich cream, makes for a truly magical experience.Shabtai has broken the proverbial gluten free mold and provided Celiacs (and a range of allergy sufferers) with wonderfully decadent dessert options.  I have a few more products sitting in my freezer and will be posting additional reviews in the very near future.
 
 
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 So, for some yet to be explained reason, my Twitter account has been “temporarily suspended” which seeing as it never really worked correctly might not be such a bad thing.  While I am awaiting a response from Twitter as to why per se I have been blocked I do not hold out much hope for an explanation (though hope to be proven wrong).  I realized that it is a free service but it clearly is still full of bugs and not working properly.  A quick Google search showed I am clearly not alone and let’s just say their customer support is lacking.  As a result,  all of my communication will now go through this site or via Facebook so really not a huge deal.  Also, quite frankly do people really care what each other are doing every waking moment of the day – probably not.  Quite frankly I do not find myself to be all that interesting and cannot really imagine anyone that I would really need to know what they are doing to the microsecond.  Okay, rant over…back to gluten free land.

I made the most delicious gluten free cookies this weekend from Gluten Free Essentials.  Check out my review here.  They were super simple to make (and I mean super simple) and absolutely delicious.  Also, for the amount the cookie mix yields you get a good bang for you buck.