May 20, 2014May 22, 2014 by Rachel Sally

Mellow As the Month

Mellow as May might be, the end of this month holds much serious significance in my life.

“Many things have changed, some for the better, some the worse.

People have moved in and out of my life;

things I always took for granted as constants fell away: cliffs sheared off, leaving me teetering on the edge;

new experiences, new relationships, have nested snugly, precariously, on the crags and crannies left behind;

triumphs have been trumpeted, flags left proudly waving on distant planets;

losses have been suffered, sending me cowering in a corner, covered with tears and blood;

I survived even those which I thought I could not.”

–from Merry Happy, last year’s blogiversary post

It is my brother’s birthday (last year’s cake); it’s this blog’s birthday; it’s the anniversary of Chris’ death.

I cannot believe that in two days it will have been a year.
It will have been a whole year since that dark, blinding night.

Chris, you are dearly beloved and missed.
The people whose lives you touched are all the better for it, will never forget it, will always be grateful.

It is quiet around this blog lately. I am busy. I am trying to balance.
This, you know. I’ve made that abundantly clear with all my whining and whinging.

Still, exams be damned, count on a big, delicious cake for my second (?!!?) blogiversary, marking the third year of La Pêche Fraîche.
Also on the docket: pie and two types of cupcakes and more cake. Always, cake.

These are dark chocolate coffee pots de crème.

The recipe is so so easy and quick– no bake, gluten-free, and perfect when hit with a little extra salt and powdered sugar over top.

The recipe is from the Pioneer Woman (oh, dear, wonderful, hilarious Ree), and I’ll leave you with a link if you’d like to check it out.

Here. I skipped the orange and topped mine with unsweetened whipped cream and Maldon sea salt.

It comes with high recommendation from me and praise from my taste testers!

P.S. Like the beautiful stationary that I used in the background of this post?
Check out Mockingbird Paperie. They’re fab!

May 14, 2014May 15, 2014 by Rachel Sally

FOTA

CHIAROSCURO

blackberry caviar, coconut mousse, coconut crumb, coconut yolk, blackberry puree

Hi! To any newcomers, welcome to my blog, and welcome to my project for UChicago’s spring Festival of the Arts!

(I’ll post more explaining this post-presentation, for all you laypeople.)

////// Okay! SO Hi! Yes! Presentation went off without a hitch. \\\\\\

I gave a 7-ish minute spiel about molecular gastronomy, this here blog, my weird love of reverse frozen spherification, and the three desserts you see here, which were funded by FOTA.

Hopefully I didn’t embarrass myself too badly (I definitely did). Chiaroscuro SMALL I

Contrast, made edible. Fruity, creamy, crunchy, chewy.

Why are there so many seeds in blackberries? Getting ultra-smooth puree is a pain in the ass.

FRAGOLA

black pepper cheesecake, lemon curd, lemon sorbet, ginger black pepper sand, walnuts, candied lemons, creme fraiche, honey

Early summer on a plate. Spicy, sour, rich, fresh.

PSA: candied lemons are so incredibly addictive. So is lemon curd. OMg.

For my live presentation, I made a deconstructed strawberry pie: strawberry yolk, yogurt cream, 5-spice milk sand.
Simple, delicious.

TUORLO

mango yolk, watermelon tartar, avocado mousse, lime curd, creme fraiche, grapefruit

A play on tuna tartare with raw egg yolk. Tropical, crunchy, herb-y, tangy.
(There is nothing quite like cold watermelon on a hot day, amirite?!)

Happy to provide any of the recipes pictured for my fellow molecular nuts!

February 18, 2014February 18, 2014 by Rachel Sally

Soie

Time and patience change the mulberry leaf into silk.

I have to come clean with a recent addiction.

I am hooked on The Sopranos.
It finally happened. I started watching, and now I can’t stop.
Season 3 and still going strong.

I wouldn’t have expected myself to enjoy it as much as I do.
The complexities and fine details are what make HBO shows so great, and seeing as The Sopranos arguably started this vein of television (plot intrigue, very nuanced characters, lots of action and violence and detail), it is no exception.

It’s so bad. I can sit and watch 3 episodes in a row and forget where I am.
It is an incredibly immersive show.

(In other Rachel-TV-addiction news: watching this and this and now this makes me want to cry and pee myself because I cannot wait one minute longer for Season 4 of Game of Thrones. I. Am. So. Fucking. ~~Impatient.~~ Excited.
Currently reading A Sword of Storms… and… I just can’t even any more. GEORGE.)

Anyways, let’s talk panna cotta. A true Italian masterpiece.
Panna cotta = “cooked cream.”
This delightfully simple dessert originated in Northern Italy, and consists of cream, milk, and sugar being cooked together with a touch of gelatin (fish bones, in ye olde days, but, um, ick).
The resultant custard is softly set and light on the tongue, each spoonful melting to nothing.
It’s fast, easy, versatile, impressive and a great make-ahead dessert.
I clearly have nothing but good to say about panna cotta.

A note: a good panna cotta should be smooth and silky, not gelatinous or rubbery.
Especially panna cotta that won’t be turned out of its mold.
It shouldn’t be too firm: this is not Jell-O, people. Thank god.

Since panna cotta has no eggs to dull the flavor, it’s a great foil for fruits, nuts, and other flavors.

This panna cotta is made with buttermilk, which cuts the cream and sits super clean on the tongue.
It adds a certain je-ne-sais-quoi, so that the base itself has some personality, and the dessert isn’t all about the toppings.
(I’m looking at you, fro-yo.)

You can let your imagination run wild; the flavor of the pudding itself is only slightly tangy, and not overpowering in the least.
While it’s refreshing on its own, I have a million and one ideas of toppings or mix-ins.

Here, I’ve topped each panna cotta with a splash of thick, round Grade B maple syrup, sweet and earthy,
a few fresh, plump, tart blackberries,
a smattering of crunchy, nutty pepitas,
and a hefty sprinkle of Maldon salt.

A few more ideas: add chopped fresh peaches to the base before it sets, then top with caramel and pecans and more thinly sliced peaches.
Stir some melted white chocolate into the base, top with pomegranate seeds and chocolate ganache.
Zest a lemon into the base, top with honey, hazelnuts, and raspberries.

IMG_7774_01

While we’re talking about addictions, I also need to mention Maldon sea salt.
It’s been a craze for a long time, but I never felt the urge to give into the fad.
I refused that little white ~~rock~~ box during many a grocery trip. Then one day, I gave in.

And thus did it begin, my love affair with this stupid salt.
I put it on everything, from chocolate to broccoli.
I love the crunchiness; I love the pure sea flavor; I love the look of those flakes.

You saw it on these tarts and these chocolates, and now, here, on panna cotta.
A little dusting of salt can truly make the difference between a blah dessert and a lively, exciting one.

How amazing are these little teacups?

I purchased them from a girl who lives in my house, at our house auction.
I fell in love at first sight and was willing to outbid anyone who dared go against me.

They are seriously precious; the color palette could not be more my aesthetic. (Seriously, just take a look at my Pinterest color board.)
In addition, I love that they’re different sizes and shapes. So dainty and adorable!

I want to (re)learn how to throw, so that I can make more plates and cups and cake stands… Oh my.
This cannot be good.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta
adapted from Donna Hay
makes 4 small ramekins
2 teaspoons gelatin
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
pepitas, maple syrup, berries, flaky sea salt, to garnish

directions:
Mix the gelatin with 2 tablespoons of the cream and set aside to bloom.
In a small saucepot, combine buttermilk, heavy cream, and sugar.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent a skin from forming.
Remove from heat and vigorously whisk in the gelatin, ensuring that all of it dissolves.
Pour into molds and set in the fridge until firm, at least 2 hours.
Garnish with berries, a splash of maple syrup, and a sprinkle of pepitas and flaky sea salt.

November 30, 2013December 3, 2013 by Rachel Sally

감사합니다

I’m thankful for home.

I’m grateful to be surrounded by love and warmth and family.

This brief respite has been much needed, and much appreciated.

It saddens me to leave (tomorrow), but I am comforted with the knowledge that I will be back in just a few short weeks.

I love my home: my house, my friends, my family, my town.

I love this place.

I was dearly missing this place.

I thought I’d share some snapshots of home with you; the first photo is of my beloved bed, where I haven’t been spending enough time this break. (Too many things to do! People to see! Places to go!)

You get a preview of our holiday cards (blech) and some cute photos of my kitten and pup.

Also, THANKS GUYS, for being awesome and reading these stupid posts of mine on this silly little blog.

You rock. Thanks for that. I sure do appreciate you.

Now, food.

Thanksgiving Menu 2013:

Roasted roots: herbed sweet potatoes, parsnips, and carrots with honey mustard aioli (GF)

Roasted brown butter and maple Brussels sprouts (GF)

Honey glazed turkey with giblet gravy (GF)

Maple and apple cranberry sauce (GF)

Cornbread stuffing with spiced sausages, pecans, sage, and celery (GF)

Goat cheese, buttermilk, and olive oil mashed potatoes (GF)

Whole wheat butternut squash mac and cheese

Mixed green salad with pomegranates, walnuts, shaved fennel, apples, and Parmesan with pomegranate dressing (GF)

Butterscotch and thyme apple pie (GF)

Maple kefir brûlée tart (GF)

Pumpkin roll with Frangelico and mascarpone whipped cream, brown butter glaze, chopped pecans (GF)

Yes, I made all of that myself. Boy, was it a marathon. A very, very, very, long and delicious haul.

My photos were all very rushed and poorly lit; I had hoped to show you pictures of all the gluten free goodies I made, but no such luck.

At least I got a picture of the pumpkin roll cake… So I can torture you with yet another pumpkin recipe!

This will be the last pumpkin recipe of the year.

It’s one to remember: light, fluffy pumpkin sponge cake rolled around mascarpone and maple whipped cream, topped with brown butter and Frangelico glaze and chopped pecans.

You might just be inspired to pull out one last can of pumpkin.

Happy Thanksgiving (weekend), y’all.

Pumpkin Roll Cake

ingredients:
for the cake:
powdered sugar, for sprinkling on towel
90 grams (3/4 cup) flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, coriander
pinch salt
3 large eggs
200 grams (1 cup) sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
for the filling:
1 cup whipped cream
1 cup mascarpone
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
pinch salt

for the glaze:
4 tablespoons butter, browned
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup powdered milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons Frangelico (optional)

For garnish:
Chopped pecans

Directions:
For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a sheet pan very well; line with parchment paper.
Sprinkle a dishtowel with powdered sugar.
Whisk the flour, leaveners, spices, and salt together.
Beat the yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar very well, then stir in pumpkin.
Sift the flour mixture over the yolks and fold in gently.
Whip the egg whites and remaining sugar to stiff peaks.
Fold into the pumpkin mixture, then spread the batter out onto your prepared pan.
Bake for 15 minutes, until set.
Flip over onto towel and let cool for 5 minutes.
Gently roll up the cake and set aside to cool completely.
For the filling, beat the whipped cream to soft peaks, then gently beat in the other ingredients.
Spread onto the cooled, unrolled cake, then reroll the cake.
For the glaze, mix everything together until no lumps remain; drizzle over the rolled cake.
Garnish with chopped pecans.

September 16, 2013September 16, 2013 by Rachel Sally

16 September

It’s my 18th birthday, today.

Today is the only day of the year

where everyone writes

on my facebook wall.

Rejoice.

I ~~secretly~~ hate my birthday.

This may seem trite coming from a teenager, but I’ve always been acutely aware and afraid of growing older.

Each birthday that passes, a wave of fear and anxiety passes over me. I’ve always been the baby.
I’m the baby of my family; I’m almost always the baby among friends.

Getting older ~~makes me feel uneasy~~ scares the shit out of me.

Birthdays have hung heavy with regret, especially as I come close to adulthood. (Am I an adult yet?)

I’m a worrier. It’s my nature.

I worry that I haven’t done enough
haven’t enjoyed enough
haven’t appreciated enough
haven’t taken each and every last moment of my life, this precious and fleeting thing, and lived it to the fullest.

It’s futile, of course.

That doesn’t stop me from thinking about it, waking in the dead of night, sweating, crying, scared, worried, tangled in the sheets, blinking like a bird roused from its nest.

So, yes. But birthdays come with cake.

And I love cake.

So.

This was my birthday cake.

It’s a pavlova, which means it’s a baked meringue base, topped with whipped cream and fruits.

Mine is a simple French meringue, baked until the outside is crispy but the inside is still billowy and marshmallow-y, topped with a coconut/mascarpone whipped cream and pucker-inducing passion fruit sauce, and finished with raspberries and coconut flakes.

I love meringue cakes; this one is exactly how I like my cakes: light, airy, but packed with a walloping punch of vibrant flavors.

It was divine.

It almost made me like my birthday.

Pavlova

ingredients:
4 large egg whites
pinch cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 cup passion fruit purée, liquid
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 can of full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated and UNSHAKEN (see here)
1 cup of heavy cream, cold
2 tablespoons mascarpone
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

1 pint of raspberries
coconut flakes, optional

directions:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees F.
Draw a 8 inch circle on a piece of parchment with a pencil and place it pencil side down on a sheet pan.
Combine egg whites and cream of tartar.
Beat until soft peaks form, then slowly stream in the sugar while beating at high speed.
Beat until stiff peaks form, then beat in the cornstarch and vinegar.
Spread out on the parchment, staying within the circle.
Bake for 2 hours, then turn the oven off and allow to cool completely in the oven.
Meanwhile, make the passion fruit sauce.
Place passion fruit, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch in a saucepan and whisk to combine.
Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using.
Make the coconut whipped cream by beating the separated coconut fat (detailed instructions here or here) until soft peaks form, then beating in the mascarpone and confectioner’s sugar.
Beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks separately, then beat it into the coconut/mascarpone mixture.
Chill until you need to use it.

Assemble the pavlova no more than 30 minutes before serving (don’t worry, it’s really simple).
Place the meringue on a serving dish, then pile the coconut whipped cream high on top of it.
Drizzle with the passionfruit sauce, and top with raspberries and coconut flakes, if desired.
Enjoy!

P.S.
As you may have noticed, you can now pin my photos simply by rolling over them and clicking the Pinterest symbol.
In addition, there are social media buttons at the bottom of each post.
You can share posts via twitter, linkedin, Google+, instagram, Pinterest, facebook, and email.
(Right below this!)

July 27, 2013September 13, 2013 by Rachel Sally

Early Golden

These plums are so juicy sweet.

Out of this world juicy sweet.

My mama and I went fruit picking this morning.

It was the perfect day- breezy, sunny but slightly cloudy, and warm without being overbearing.

We returned a few hours later with two quarts of sour cherries, two quarts of delicate raspberries, a 1/2 peck of peach “seconds” and a quart of yellow summer plums.

Quite a haul.

(We only picked the raspberries and cherries, though. Cheaters.)

We quickly threw the raspberries in a pot with some turbinado sugar and honey, something that was to become a jam, but, upon realizing that we could not for the life of us find that damn pectin, would have to be a thickened compote.

Oh well- I shall eat it swirled into thick, creamy Greek yogurt with hazelnuts and flax seeds.

A fine breakfast, if you ask me!

Then, we picked over the cherries and threw them in a pot with sugar and a spent vanilla bean.

I took charge of the plums.

After hastily eating 3, I decided to bake them into a quick cake.

This whole thing took, start to finish, about 45 minutes.

I swirled some (measurements are not precise, here, people: I free pour. Sorry.) maple syrup, honey, and a little nub of butter together, then nestled the plums among it.

I topped it with a quickly thrown together almond-olive oil cake batter.

The most wondrous thing happens with upside-down cakes: the caramel-syrup mixture melts into the fruit, creating jammy little pockets of heaven, and the cake, while crisp at the very top, absorbs some of the fruity, maple-honey syrup and becomes wonderfully perfumed.

These plums (called Early Goldens) turned from a pale yellow to an apricot orange.

The almond and vanilla pair just beautifully with these sweet little nuggets of summer.

If you can get your hands on some fresh, sweet stone fruit- I would suggest pluots or plums- make this cake.

It’s quick, moderately healthy, and delicious!

Psst… It’s also naturally gluten-free!

Upside-down Plum Cake

cake proportions adapted from Comfy Belly

ingredients:

8 small plums, halved and pitted

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon butter

pinch sea salt

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

scrapings of 1/2 a vanilla bean

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup oil (I used olive)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 eggs

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1/3 cup honey, maple syrup, butter, and sea salt in a small pot and bring to a boil.

Pour into the bottom of an 8×8 pan.

Arrange the plums in the syrup mixture.

Make the cake: whisk almond flour, baking soda, salt, and vanilla scrapings.

Make a well and add the honey, olive oil, vinegar, and eggs into the center.

Whisk the entire batter together and then spread over the plums.

Bake until the top is deeply tanned and a cake tester comes out clean.

Allow to cool, then slide a knife around the edge and invert onto a serving platter.

July 23, 2013September 13, 2013 by Rachel Sally

Food For Thought

The other day, someone politely informed me that I was a terrible writer, with a sneer and a laugh.

Um… Thanks?

I had no response.

I spluttered and mumbled.
“Oh.”

I was saddened by the fact that I felt so bothered and upset by such breezy criticism.
I was sad that I was sad.
A cheery circle of life, no?

Anyways, this prompted me to sit down at my computer, poised and ready to write a beautiful post, one that would surely impress this person, should they ever bother to read my blog again.

I’ve been sitting here ever since.
Sort of.
I have been dwelling on this, more than I really should be.
This post has lain blank, while my mind churns with all the things I want to shout say.

What better place to rant than here on my very own blog, on the ever-so-private internet?
Actually, I don’t want this to be private.
I want it to be shared and sent around, all around, despite its intimate and private contents- I want it to make its rounds through people’s inboxes and readers.
This is because I want it to have some impact.
I want people to remember how others feel when they make them feel bad about themselves, because sometimes we just don’t think before we speak.
We all forget too soon how we have felt when we are sad and broken.

We’ve all been on both ends of a less-than-kind comment, and I won’t hear otherwise.

I mean, honestly, as if I needed yet another thing to pick at inside me.

Another sore place where I feel I’m not good enough- another place which I scratch until it bleeds, until I drown in all of that bloody sorrow and regret and self-loathing.

I struggle to grasp at confidence; I do my best to act it, even when I don’t feel at all confident within.

There are a few things that I am (was?) confident about, and one is my baking and my blog.

I toil here, probably more than you think, to create a product of which I can be proud.

I love my blog. And I love my readers.

And frankly, I put enough work in here that I don’t really care if someone thinks I’m a terrible writer.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt when they tell me that.

To be honest, I’m not confident enough that it doesn’t make me doubt myself and my intentions.

I still came back to this blog with the thought that perhaps it’s not worth it, or not good enough, that people don’t like to read it.

I worried about this blog, and I worried about myself.

For days.

So couldn’t that snide comment have been left to the wayside?

Because where exactly did it leave me?

Extra critical and picky over this blog.

Worried and worrying about what others think of me, not only myself, now, but also my blog.

Worried not only about how other bloggers receive me, but also my readers.

Self-doubting.

If we spent half as much time loving and appreciating as doubting and critiquing ourselves, don’t you think we- and this world as a whole- would be that much more satisfied and happy?

Wouldn’t we be that much more willing to love others? To overlook their faults and embrace them?
Don’t the majority of our criticisms and anger stem from our own sadness?

I lay in bed last night, feeling the cool air from my open window wash over me, wrapping around my ankles and resting in the crook of my elbows, flooding my nose and cooling the back of my throat, thinking about self-appreciation and love.

My thoughts- harboring hate self propagates; sow seeds of love and harvest happiness.

The happier we are with ourselves- the more comfortable in our own skins- the brighter and happier our futures will be.

I want my future to glow- to shine- bright enough to blind.
That starts with loving myself.
That starts (anew) here.

Phew.

To conclude this, I’m giving you the recipe for a cake that loves you back.

It’s raw, vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, and much lower in fat than most other raw desserts.

I’ve swapped in low-fat coconut milk and coconut, reduced the amount of nuts used in the crust and filling, and added a vegetable.

Zucchini! That magical veggie which we are all guaranteed to have too much of in the coming weeks, as the plants churn out hundreds of little green squashes.

This cake boasts healthy fats from coconut, avocado, and walnuts.

It gets all of its sweetness from bananas, mangoes, dates, and a touch of stevia.

It’s pretty, and it’s yummy.

It’s a hug for your stomach, which is pretty much as close as I can get to giving any of you a hug.

A Cake That Loves You Back

ingredients:

for the crust:

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup coconut (I used reduced fat)

6 fat and juicy dried medjool dates, pitted

2 tablespoons coconut oil

for the banana layer:

2 bananas, peeled and chopped, then frozen

1 avocado

1 medium zucchini, peeled

1 scant cup of cashews, picked over and soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours

juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1 teaspoon stevia extract

for the mango layer:

2 cups chopped, frozen mango

1 cup light coconut milk

directions:

Make the crust: pulse all of the crust ingredients together in a food processor until they form a uniformly coarse meal.

Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Make the banana layer: in a blender or food pro, puree the cashews until very smooth.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and puree until very, very smooth, at least a couple minutes.

Spread over the crust and chill in the freezer until set.

Meanwhile, make the mango layer: in a blender or food pro, puree the mango and coconut milk until a thick, sorbet-like mixture is formed.

Spread over the frozen banana layer, then chill again until the whole thing is set.

Before serving, allow it to sit at room temperature to temper, then cut and serve.

June 27, 2013September 13, 2013 by Rachel Sally

Zaftig

Zaftig blueberries, people. Get your minds out of the gutter.

I think zaftig is the perfect adjective to describe blueberries, especially those which have been blanketed in delicious crumbles and baked until just about ready to burst.

Pleasantly plump.

Outrageously juicy.

This is a vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, white-tee-staining, antioxidant-bursting, blueberry crisp.

(Well, vegan until I added a dollop of cold and creamy Greek yogurt. Sue me.)

This crisp is sweet enough, even without any refined sugar, to serve with unsweetened plain Greek yogurt.

Forget the crisps and crumbles served with ice cream.

This one is healthy enough to eat for breakfast,

satisfying enough to eat for lunch (ahem),

moreish enough to eat for a snack during a movie, and

tempting enough to still call you back for an evening sweet.

It’s good. Real good.

The only sweetener in this crumble is maple syrup, a few good glugs of it.

I was just in Vermont/New Hampshire and bought some maple syrup. I promptly came home and put it to good use in this crisp.

JK I used my already opened quart of syrup that was in the fridge. Let’s just say it was inspired by my trip.

(Note: I still haven’t found/bought/even tried any Grade B… Who knows where I can get my sticky, grubby paws on some?)

While in New Hampshire/Vermont, I went on a long hike in the pouring rain.

Pouring as in so wet that you throw out your socks after the hike.

Pouring as in so wet that your baseball hat had its own rain cloud directed straight in between your eyes.

Pouring as in so wet that everything in your waterproof backpack is soaked.

I wrapped my camera up in two plastic bags and braved the cold, bone-soaking rain.

I loved it! I love the rain; I figure, once you’re wet, you’re wet.

My camera… not so much. Although the body didn’t get wet at all, there were a lot of raindrops that I ended up having to edit out of my photos. Some were too impossible for even the clone tool to fix. Sigh.

(I was right along the Connecticut River, and was in both states multiple times. I don’t know whether to say VT or NH. Both seem misleading. I’ll go with NHVT. Nahv-t. Then I’ll sound really intelligent.)

The photos you see here (photovomit, sorry!) were taken in the Quechee State Park, which has a breathtaking gorge.

Unfortunately, later in the day, just as I was driving out of Vermont, the sun came out and the lighting was perfect, unlike earlier, when it was raining buckets.

That’s life for you.

The park is gorgeous- I found a large swath of dead forest, which seems to have been burned out.

It was hauntingly beautiful in all the mist.

I also found a lot of discarded garbage from disrespectful campers.

Seriously?! Take out what you bring in.

I was immensely saddened by all the rubbish lying about.

How could such a pristine place be downgraded like this?

Pick up after yourself. Nature doesn’t appreciate slobs.

Dietary-Restriction-Friendly Blueberry Crisp

ingredients:

2+ pounds (900 grams) fresh blueberries, picked over (enough to fill/heap up in your baking dish)

drizzle of maple syrup (depends how sweet your berries are)

100 grams hazelnut flour

100 grams oats (make sure they’re certified gluten-free if you intend on serving this to gluten-free guests/friends)

80 grams cornmeal

120 grams maple syrup

80 grams coconut oil

pinch kosher salt

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the blueberries in a 10×6 inch pan.

Drizzle maple syrup over them, if desired (I used 2 tablespoons or so).

Stir the hazelnut flour, oat, cornmeal, and salt together.

Add the maple syrup and coconut oil and stir until combined.

Sprinkle the crisp topping over the berries.

Bake for 25 minutes, until the top begins to brown deeply.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

Allow to cool slightly.

Serve with plain Greek yogurt.

January 26, 2013September 10, 2014 by Rachel Sally

Moelleux

Have you ever had dduk?

(More commonly known in the Western world by its Japanese name, mochi.)

Dduk are rice cakes.
They can be sweet or savory, baked or pan-fried or shaped or steamed.
They come in all sorts of pretty colors and delicious flavors.
Some come with sweet adzuki bean filling, some rolled in sesame seeds or honey or dried beans.
They are made with glutinous rice flour (A misnomer, as it is gluten-free.), which is the flour which comes from sticky, short grained rice.
Dduk are soft, squishy, with a pleasantly chewy texture. There is no other food I have encountered with quite the same mouthfeel as “mochi”.
They are velvety but marvelously toothsome: a real joy to bite into!
They are, in short, delectable!
Sorry to shout, I’m just so excited!
And so happy to be sharing these adorable little confections with you!

Mochi!!!

Dduk/mochi are very easy to make. Hello, bonus! Even if they were incredibly hard to prepare, I don’t think I could stay away.

They can even be made in the microwave, a method that is tried and true and super quick. I have encountered many problems in the past using this method, however, because the mixture is so hot when it comes out of the microwave that it burns your hands when you try to shape it, and if you let it cool, it will be stuck in place forever.
It is entirely possible to use the microwave to make less-than-perfect mochi, but I wanted some clean photos and non-burned hands, thankyouverymuch.

So this time, when inspiration struck me to make a coconut-flavored version, I knew I had to try a different method of cooking the batter.
I discovered, after some online perusing, that they can be easily baked up and then cut into perfect little cubes: just the uniformity I was previously lacking.
It is the simplest recipe; mix three ingredients together, pour into a greased pan, and bake for one hour. The coconut flavor really shines in these dduk, and although I didn’t dye them, they turned out a lovely cream color.

Go make these! They’re so easy! And delicious!
Wait! Why did I eat all of mine so quickly?!
Oh! I am sad. And mochi-less.
Now to remedy that…
[insert cheesy Japanese emoji here] (^.^)y

Coconut Dduk
ingredients:
300 grams of sugar
240 grams of glutinous rice flour (found at most grocery stores, and at all Asian markets)
1 can of coconut milk, plus enough water or milk to bring to 2 full cups of liquid
cornstarch, for dusting (have plenty on hand!)
directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9 by 13 or similarly sized pan.
Stir your sugar and flour together, then add in your liquid and mix vigorously to combine. The mixture should be nice and smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for one hour.
Take the dduk out of the oven and allow to cool for just a few minutes; then use a knife, spatula, and determination to pull the entire cake out of the pan. It will be extremely sticky and it is likely that you will have to do a lot of prying to get it out of the pan in one piece.
Place it on a clean surface which has been dusted with cornstarch.
Cut the dduk however you would like; take note that the edges are extremely crispy and chewy, as is the bottom.
I cut my dduk into rectangles, then trimmed the bottom edge off to make soft, squishy squares. My mother and I ate all of the crispy edges- I personally love them, but people with delicate dental work will not.
Toss the finished pieces in a little cornstarch, and enjoy!