NOVEL NEXT Raw Chocolate Drops Recipe
RAW CHOCOLATE DROPS
1 cup raw macadamia nuts (sub walnuts or almonds, if preferred)
1/3 raw, fresh vanilla bean, cut into bits
15 pitted dates, torn into pieces
optional: 1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon raw cocoa butter, diced
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add the macadamia nuts to a high speed blender and process until they start to turn smooth. We are making nut butter, so you'll need to scrape down the sides of the container.
Once the nuts are starting to turn buttery, add the vanilla bean, dates, and honey. Process until smooth.
Add the cocoa butter. Your nut mixture is likely going to be warm at this point which will help the cocoa butter to melt. Cocoa butter is ornery, and if it gets too warm, it will separate. If this happens, don't worry about it. Your chocolate will still taste amazing and have a lovely nougat texture. It will just be a little waste since once separated, the cocoa butter won't mix in with the rest of the ingredients. Yeah, it's a mess. We're experimenting here. Perfection isn't the goal.
Add cocoa powder and blend until mixed well.
Transfer chocolate to parchment paper or a silpat. Shape into an inch-thick little block with your fingers or the back of a spoon or spatula. Refrigerate for an hour or until cool. Slice into bite-sized drops of deliciousness. Store in a container the refrigerator.
- Sibsil Creed, Stories of Shurwinn, (2764)
RYST'S UNCOOKED MUSHROOM CURRY
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 4 cups fresh tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 3 tablespoons dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and cubed
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon red kashmiri chili powder or pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 6 ounces green peas
- 2 cups white button mushrooms
- 1 large or 2 small zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
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- You can eat the curry cold, but I prefer it warm. If you'd like to experiment with warming your curry, preheat your oven for only 4 minutes. Then turn the oven off. Turn the oven light on, because it will give off warmth. You don't want your oven hotter than 100 degrees. You can also use a food dehydrator to warm the final dish if you have one.
- Cover the cashews with water and soak overnight. If you are short on time, soak them at least an hour. When you're ready to prepare the curry, strain off 2/3 of the water.
- Wash mushrooms, and remove stems. Break them into bite- sized chunks. If you have time, put them in the sun to boost their vitamin D levels.
- Put the cashews, tomatoes, garlic, onion, ginger, cumin, chili powder, salt, turmeric, garam masala, and coriander in a high speed blender.
- Blend for 1 minute or until creamy and the gravy is beginning to warm to the touch.
- Put the mushrooms, zucchini, and peas in a large serving dish. Stir in the tomato gravy and fenugreek. Garnish with cilantro. Put the dish in your preheated oven for around 20 minutes to gently warm it while you clean up your kitchen. Serves 4.
CHEF AMRAN'S CHEDDAR SPREAD AND SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 dried guajillo chile (or sub 1/2 small chile de arbol or other dried red chile. We want the color, but not heat.)
- 1-5 capsules of probiotics. For quicker cheese culturing, you want 15,000 colony forming units (CFU) of probiotics. So, if your probiotic only has 5,000 CFU, use 3 capsules. You can use one capsule, but it will take longer for the cheese to get the tangy flavor of sharp cheddar.
- 1-2 zucchini for noodles. And optional garnish of green onion and chopped tomatoes.
CHEDDAR INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place the mushrooms and cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak overnight.
- When ready to prepare cheese, drain half the water off of the cashews.
- Remove stem and seeds from guajillo chile and discard. Slice the chile into strips with kitchen scissors or a knife.
- Add mushrooms, cashews, garlic, onion, salt, chile, and probiotics to a high speed blender. Open the capsules of probiotics and dump the powder in the blender. Discard the empty capsules.
- Blend until the mixture is completely creamy and starts to get warm— usually about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides if needed and add a tablespoon of water at a time if it is too thick to blend.
- Transfer cheese to a bowl and cover with either a cheesecloth, a tea towel, or a paper towel. Secure the cover with a rubber band. You want the probiotics to get oxygen from the air, so DO NOT COVER IT WITH A LID. Leave it sitting out on the kitchen counter for 24 hours. Then put it in the fridge for 3-7 days to sharpen. The longer it sits, the sharper the flavor. Never cover it with a lid. It needs to breathe. A dry crust may form on the top. Just scrape it off and add water to it to rehydrate it or eat it straight— it's cheese, people!
- The cheese will thicken as it cultures and will become a thick cheddar spread. You can thin it with as much water as you would like to make a dairy-free cheese sauce or dressing.
CHEF'S NOTES:
- Ryst's favorite variation: For zucchini noodles, thin with a little water, and add two dashes garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon chili powder, a dash of cayenne pepper, a dash of sea salt, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms and 1/2 cup thawed peas.
- Peydran's favorite variation: For zucchini noodles, add 1/2 pressed fresh garlic clove, 3 dashes sea salt, 1 tablespoon fresh sliced basil, 1/4 teaspoon oregano, and extra tomatoes.
- Chef's favorite: Make a peppercorn dressing by thinning 4 tablespoons cheddar with 1-2 teaspoons water. Add 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, 2 dashes garlic granules, 2 dashes kelp granules, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper. Drench lettuce with it— it's the only way to make lettuce taste edible. Make sure to have a bottle of peppercorn dressing ready to go in case of emergency trips to J's Ale House.
Oh, wait, why am I lying? No one will see this. The truth? All those "salads" at J's? As soon as Ryst and Peydran left, J brought out pints, a crusty sourdough, and bowls of linguine. We downed the best ale in Media and slathered bread with cheddar spread, then drowned linguine in peppercorn dressing and ate it hot. Good times, those were. Raise a glass to J!
- Sibsil Creed, Stories from Shurwinn (2844)