Dining with the Bloggers - January 3rd., 2007

It's been a while, hasn't it? So with no further apologies or ado's, I bring you DwB - once more, with feeling!

This week, it's Shauna, or as you might better know her, Gluten-Free Girl that's in the spotlight. It's not like she needs her horn tooted - c'mon, the woman's got herself a bookdeal, people! - but well - this dish (and several other on her blog - and just the blog in general, m'kay?) certainly deserves a brass band with matching chorus. This is a woman with a passion for food - taste, smell, texture and just plain writing about it. It has to be gluten-free, but that certainly doesn't leave nothing left to wish for for the gluten-eaters among us. Oh yes, and she's a little passionate about the Chef, too ;-)

But this is about the food - to be more specific, it's about Chicken Thighs in Pomegranate Molasses.

Ah - the dish, the dish!

I'm telling you - it's good! And it was pretty fast in the making, too. I had a bottle of pomegranate syrup in my cupboard - okay, it had been lounging in there for quite some time - so when I saw this recipe, I bookmarked it immediately. (if you want to go all the way and make your own, there's a recipe for it here)

Amazing organic chicken...

Good thing I did, too. A wholly sublime taste, and a perfect combo of sweet, sour, bitter and salt (even though I almost forgot to add salt!) The nuts take on a funny texture once they've boiled with the sauce, so I might just roast them on the side next time, and then add them at the end, just before serving. I'm not sure the taste of the sauce will be exactly the same then, though, and I wouldn't want to miss out on that. Also, I'm pretty sure I remember what I used to be the upper part of the thigh, and not thigh as such - it worked wonderfully, either way. Braising really works with chicken, I agree, Shauna.

I served it, sliced, alongside this salad (somebody aren't too keen on livers, but the whole beast goes down well) waaaaaay back in August, but I can just imagine what it will be like now, when it's all grey and rainy and winter-y outside, topping a big bowl og creamy mashed potatoes... Mmm.

Nuts for the sauce..., well, nuts in the sauce and I'm pretty nuts about the sauce, too

Now, I have to dash - that bacon vinaigrette is calling me...