Dining-Out 101: Kennebec Tavern

This weekend has been a cause for great celebration in my family: my youngest brother graduated first in his class from high school! To celebrate we made a reservation at a popular local eatery, the Kennebec Tavern. I was pleasantly surprised by the gluten-free options available, especially since I completely forgot to call ahead and quiz the staff about their menu. On the appetizers menu, we quickly discovered calamari with a rice flour coating and opted to order those with the usual safe-bet, nachos. I used to really love calamari, but there was this unfortunate dissection incident and I just don't care for it anymore. But, I sampled a few pieces and didn't notice any difference between Kennebec Tavern's rice flour coating and more traditional calamari preparation.


Growing up in coastal Maine, enjoying lobster is practically mandatory and while I'm happy to pick a lobster at home, I prefer to order a lobster roll minus the bun when I'm in a restaurant- anything to avoid wearing a plastic bib in public, plus it's easier. The Kennebec Tavern had just the right amount of mayonnaise (just a light coating) mixed with a substantial portion of lobster meat and no added crunch (personally, I feel celery or onion mixed with lobster is just so very, very wrong).

Quite possibly the best part of the meal was dessert- Flourless Chocolate Torte! With chocolate mousse, whipped cream and a strawberry.

Kitchen Experiments: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

It's a peanut butter themed week here at Madison Paper's and rightly so- I LOVE peanut butter. I might have a problem. I like to say I run because I love peanut butter. But, anyway. . . earlier this week we had no food in the apartment and because I couldn't be bothered to go grocery shopping, I decided to make pancakes. I was mixing the batter and wondering to myself "what would make these pancakes more interesting?" I found some chocolate chips in the cupboard and decided to add those, but wanted something a little different. The jar of peanut butter (Skippy is my brand of choice and, yes, it's GF) on the counter was calling to me and I had a crazy, brilliant thought: peanut butter chocolate chip pancakes! Because what's better than peanut butter and chocolate?? Quite possibly the greatest flavor combination. I added a heaping spoonful of peanut butter to my Pamela's Pancake Mix and enjoyed the delicious scent of peanut butter and chocolate while I cooked. The pancakes had a light, subtle peanut butter flavor, not strong enough for my taste (go figure) and next time I'm thinking about two heaping spoonfuls. But, this is the start of something amazing.

Product Review: Glutino Dark Chocolate Candy Bars

Candy bars can be deceptively dangerous for the celiac, many companies use wheat flour in manufacturing to prevent the newly chocolate coated candies from sticking to the equipment. So, the ingredients won't mention wheat- but it could be there. The best bet is to call the manufacturer of your favorite candy bar and ask them about their manufacturing process.

In the meantime, a great substitute is Glutino's Dark Chocolate Candy Bars. This combination of chocolate cream, wafers and dark chocolate makes a delicious snack and is just the right size for a little chocolate fix. I'm looking forward to trying the chocolate-peanutbutter bar very soon.

Afternoon Tea

I was delighted this past Sunday afternoon to have nothing to do. The past two months of weekends have been busy, busy, busy. It was wonderful to brew a pot of tea and settle into the couch with a good book for an hour or two. The perfect accompaniment to my afternoon tea: croissant de chocolate. These croissants have been hoarded in my freezer since last year and it seemed like a perfect day to enjoy them. My sister discovered these while studying in Spain last spring. Mom and I went over to visit her and she kindly stocked up for my breakfast.
I think I might move to Europe solely for these croissants. They are (drum roll, please) flaky! A definite rarity in gluten-free baked-goods. And are filled with a delicious dark chocolate filling.

These croissants (along with many other delicious looking gluten-free products) are produced by Proceli Turull, a Spanish company headquartered in Barcelona. Their products are available throughout Europe, but sadly not in the States. You can visit their website for some drool-worthy pictures (baguettes, yum). And, if you every find yourself in Europe, be sure to bring home enough to stock your freezer!


A lovely afternoon, but I'm so sad to only have one croissant left! Anyone planning a European adventure?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's only fitting to begin my blog with my favorite gluten-free cookie recipe. This is my go-to gluten-free recipe, whenever I'm going to an event and need to bring food these cookies are always a hit. I even commissioned my Mom to bake these to serve at my thesis defense, I got highest honors and I think the cookies deserve some of the credit! Usually, people don't even realize these cookies are gluten free. They're always moist, not crumbly like some gluten-free baked goods often are. Best of all, they have an intense peanut flavor because there's no flour to get in the way of the peanut butter taste.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 9 oz chocolate chips (be sure to check the label, gluten sneaks into the funniest things.)
  

Yes, that's really all the ingredients! Cream together all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Add chocolate chips. Make small balls of the batter and smush onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow cookies to cool before removing from sheet (or they will fall apart).

Enjoy!