Sunday, May 16, 2010

Finds and Food

If you're visiting Portland OR, or if you live here, I've got a find for you: The Hawthorn/Corbett Fish Houses.

Thinking I'd eat lots of Mexican in the West, I put off going to one of these gluten-free legends until my third night in town. Now, after two visits, I wonder why I waited. The breaded fish, and almost everything else, is GF - and wonderful. I've had fish tacos with excellent corn tortillas and the best fish and chips since traveling in New Zealand 10 years ago. Even the desserts are GF (though all I had the capacity for was a small ice cream). You can click here to reach their website. No, they're not "Upscale" but I certainly don't care. The food is just too good.

Speaking of good food, we made plenty at my Sourdough Bread Workshop today. After chowing down most of the afternoon, participants continued to munch my peanut butter millet bars even as we headed for the door. So for those of you who want to know what all the fuss was about, here's the recipe:

Peanut butter-chocolate millet bars (to see a photo, click here)

Ingredients:
 
2 cups Arrowhead Mills millet puffs
3/4 cup chopped nuts – pecans, cashews, etc. Mixed nuts OK. Salted or unsalted both OK.
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/6 cup corn syrup

Coating:
3 oz. Caramel
3 oz. Bittersweet chololate

1)    Line a 9” square baking pan with parchment, or, alternatively, butter it well. (These bars are difficult to cut – it is easier if they’re out of the pan and onto a cutting block)

2)    Put millet in a large bowl. Add nuts and chocolate chips, if using. Stir to distribute ingredients equally.

3)    Mix sugar, honey and corn syrup in saucepan.  Heat slowly, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Mix thoroughly. Add to millet/nut blend and stir until all puffs are equally coated. Pour out of bowl and into lined pan. Press into a relatively smooth layer.


4)    Place a small saucepan on very low heat. Break bittersweet chocolate into chunks and place it plus caramel in pan. Heat slowly until ingredients are melted. Pour over millet mix and spread into an even layer.

5)    Refrigerate. When chocolate sets completely, remove from refrigerator and cut into bite-sized bars.


6)     Store in a cool place or refrigerate.   

No comments: