some culinary alchemy
and a book giveaway
and a book giveaway
Gigi Pandian is the USA Today bestselling author
of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mystery series (Artifact, Pirate Vishnu,
and the forthcoming Quicksand) and
the new Accidental Alchemist mysteries. Gigi’s debut mystery novel was awarded a Malice Domestic Grant, and her short fiction has been short-listed for Agatha and Macavity awards. A cancer diagnosis in
her 30s taught her two important life lessons: healing foods can taste amazing,
and life’s too short to waste a single moment. Gigi spent her childhood being
dragged around the world by her cultural anthropologist parents, and now lives
in the San Francisco Bay Area with an overgrown vegetable garden in the
backyard.
Gigi’s latest
novel, The Accidental Alchemist, is
the first in a new cozy mystery series set in Portland, Oregon, featuring a
centuries-old female alchemist and her French chef sidekick – who happens to be
a gargoyle who was accidentally brought to life by a stage magician. The book
involves plenty of culinary alchemy and includes recipes!
Read an
excerpt here.
And read
on to win a copy of The Accidental
Alchemist.
***
I learned
how to cook in earnest after a cancer diagnosis left me with frustrating food
restrictions. I wanted to take care of myself, but at the same time I refused
to eat boring food! My solution was to take cooking classes and learn how to
cook delicious meals from scratch.
Through my
culinary journey, I discovered that simple tricks could create the most
delectable meals that had the added benefit of being healthy. Learning how to transform
simple foods into something greater than the sum of their parts influenced my
writing of The Accidental Alchemist, because
cooking from scratch was fast becoming a central part of my life. I explored my
own life transformations through the book, which was a lot of fun.
Below is
my adaptation of a classic Scottish dessert, Cranachan, a rich pudding that
usually gets its core flavor from heavy cream. In my version, you don’t lose
any of the rich taste with a simple substitution. By putting in a little bit of
effort to make cashew cream the day before you serve the dessert, you can have
a mouth-watering treat that’s good for you – and it also looks beautiful to
serve to guests. It was a big hit at my last dinner party!
Gigi’s Cranachan Scottish Pudding
Ingredients
- 1
cup rolled oats (aka old fashioned oats)
- 2
Tbsp honey
- 1
cup homemade sweet cashew cream (see
recipe below)
- 1
Tbsp whisky (a bourbon works wonderfully here)
- 1
cup raspberries
Directions
Make your cashew
cream the day before, so it thickens in the fridge. When you’re ready to put
together your Cranachan, mix 1 Tbsp of whisky (or more, to taste) into the
cashew cream.
Toast the uncooked
oats in a skillet with the honey until the mixture smells toasty, approximately
5 minutes. Once it cools, layer the raspberries, cream, and toasted oats into 4
dessert cups.
Cashew Cream
Make this the day before you make
Cranachan, so the cream can thicken in the fridge.
Ingredients:
- 2
cups raw cashews
- 1
cup filtered water (plus extra for pre-soaking)
- 2
Tbsp maple syrup
- Dash
of salt or spritz of lemon juice
Directions
To soften the
cashews, soak them in cold water for 8 hours, or in hot water for 2 hours.
Rinse and drain. In a blender, blend all the ingredients together. A high speed
blender works best to get the creamiest consistency, but any blender should do,
as long as you give it enough time. (NOTE: You only need half of this cream for
the Cranachan, but making this larger amount works best in a blender,
especially if you aren’t using a high speed blender. Plus it’s always nice to
have extra!)
I love using
cashew cream as a substitute for heavy cream in all sorts of sweet and savory
dishes, from cheesecake to macaroni and cheese.
Do you have a favorite
culinary alchemy trick? If you’d like to win a copy of The Accidental Alchemist, which includes recipes, include your
email address in your comment below.
Find out more about Gigi and her books on her website gigipandian.com, and connect with her on Facebook facebook.com/GigiPandian ,Twitter @GigiPandian, and Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/GigiPandian/.
Excellent recipe; and I would love to win the book! EMS591@aol.com
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe. I had some health problems this year and have also been learning to change recipes to make them healthier. poohwine1217@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI hope you're enjoying cooking more healthily. One of the pleasant surprises for me was that I enjoy food *more* now! By taking charge myself, I can experiment and create whatever I'd like :)
DeleteCashew cream: what an interesting idea. Makes sense, since the nuts are slightly sweet anyway. Does the cream keep well in the fridge? And love the name Cranachan!
ReplyDeleteThe cream stays well in the fridge for several days. At least three, but sometimes more. You'll see it start to separate once it's starting to break down. I make many different nut creams these days, both sweet and savory.
DeleteInteresting recipe and book. Thank you for the opportunity to win.
ReplyDeletedmskrug3 at hotmail dot com
I don't think I have many cooking tricks, altho I often use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream in some of my recipes. Many people do this, so it's really not unusual but it works well for me and just seems healthier.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post and recipe. Looking forward to reading your latest book!
Jane R
jrobinson12 (at) austin (dot) rr (dot) com
Another good replacement for sour cream is cashew cream flavored with lemon juice instead of the maple syrup of this recipe. I make a vegan "cheese cake" with lemon-flavored cashew cream that nobody realizes is vegan!
DeleteThis sounds delicious! We love cashews as a snack, so we must try this!
ReplyDeletemisstree1963@gmail.com
The only cooking trick I have is to use lots of spices so the food has a taste.
ReplyDeletetxmlhl@yahoo.com
I love spicy food of all kinds, but my husband doesn't. I try to sneak added flavor through spices, but he always notices when I use cayenne -- ha! Luckily we both agree about loving spicy Indian food.
DeleteGigi, I love this cover! It draws me in!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of cashew cream. Never would have imagined that you could make a cream out of any nut. Thanks for introducing me to something new!
Krista, I never would have realized unless I was forced to change my diet! Now I wonder how I ever lived without nut creams and cheeses.
DeleteHello Gigi,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good, I've just been trying to eat healthier to get healthier. I've made chia pudding which is really good. Thanks for the chance to win this book. It sounds like a good read! annelovell12@yahoo.com
thanks again, Anne
Chia pudding is one of my favorites! As love as I follow the *trick* of letting the chia seeds expand by soaking them for several hours or overnight. Before I learned that trick, I was constantly scraping chia seeds off the side of my blender when I made smoothies ;)
DeleteAnne -- You're the winner of the book! I'll send you a separate email to get your mailing address.
DeleteWelcome to MLK, Gigi! This is such a terrific post. I look forward to your series!
ReplyDeleteBest,
MJ/VA
Thanks so much for hosting me today!
DeleteI've never heard of making nut cream.
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(dot)net
What a delightful and informative post and great recipe. I use herbs and no spices since they are too strong for me. Best wishes. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteIt sounds delectable and unique. My healthy cooking has been increasing due to health concerns and feeling better. Your writing and cooking is wonderful. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI was pleasantly surprised that once I learned to cook like this, I now feel both healthier and more satisfied with food than before cancer.
DeleteNut cream is new to me too! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. Kuzlin at aol.com
ReplyDeleteWhat a great recipe. I have never heard of cashew cream but sounds worth giving a try. I don't have any culinary alchemy tricks but I enjoy cooking from scratch and make substitutions when it seems healthier or more to our liking. Congrats on the new series, on my TBR. Love all your books. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletesallycootie@gmail.com
Thank you for the note about my books! And I hope you enjoy trying out cashew cream. I'm soaking cashews right now for making "mac and cheese" for dinner tonight.
DeleteWhat a great recipe. I'm trying to eat more healthy, too----but have only tried using a lot of spices so far. Thanks for the contest.
ReplyDeletesuefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
I'm so happy to hear I'm introducing the idea of nut creams to so many of you! I love that they work well in both sweet and savory dishes.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's not only cashews that works well. Sunflower seeds work almost as well (for people with nut allergies who can eat seeds), and I also make a lot of tahini sauces with sesame seeds. But I find cashews are the most versatile.
Culinary alchemy! Brilliant!
ReplyDeletelibbydodd at comcast dot net
By the way, for those who use dairy, evaporated milk can substitute for cream without losing the mouth feel.
DeleteDo you have any favorite cook books?
Favorite cookbooks! Great question. Here are 3:
DeleteIsa Does it -- awesome vegan recipes from the creator of the Post Punk Kitchen website
Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison -- more of a vegetable lesson than cookbook, but it includes recipes and is a great foundation for creating your own
The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz -- the recipes include lots of good ones for people going through chemo, but it has remained one of my favorites long after going through chemo
This is on my Amazon wishlist ....and I think I tried to win it on goodreads too. So yes, I'd love this book. dcgirl919@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI use spaghetti sauce as a base for my vegetable soup and stews. It starts off with a good flavor to build from.
ReplyDeletekarenlalsip@gmail.com
DeleteThank you for this giveaway and the delicious recipes! areewekidding@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI'd love to win this new book!! rebarger@bellsouth.net
ReplyDeleteWould love to win!
ReplyDeletelittleone AT shaw DOT ca
This book sounds intriguing! What a wonderful pair of characters. I'd love to win it and be the first to tell my book club about it dbahn@iw.net
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI love cashews, I never thought of them as a replacement for cream...although I do use almond milk. Culinary alchemy indeed!
ReplyDeleteI love cashews for creams, but almond milk is definitely my favorite nut milk. I used to make it from scratch, but now there are some great brands out there that make fresh (refrigerated) almond milk.
DeleteI've really enjoyed your Jaya Jones novels and am looking forward to reading this one, too. I think my book club would also be interested in it. Would love to win a copy. mackisa at gmail . com
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to hear you're enjoying the Jaya Jones treasure hunt mysteries! The next one, Quicksand, comes out in just a couple of months, on March 10.
DeleteThe Accidental Alchemist sounds like a cute mystery. I am off to Amazon to get a sample.. Thank you for a chance to win! Doodlesink@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteA brilliant recipe, Gigi, thank you for sharing it with us today and thanks especially for telling us about the debut of your stellar new series. Culinary tricks are great fun to learn and even more fun to try, aren't they? Now and then, I use a commonly known one: replacing some of the fat in baking with applesauce--a good way to cut down on the fat and calories in some cake recipes, for instance. Cheers to you again, and may you have a delicious week!
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me today, Cleo! Yes, that apple sauce trick is a great one.
DeleteLove, love, love, your stories!
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you, Joann!
DeleteThanks for the recipe - sounds delicious!
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
Your book sounds fascinating! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds fun. I have always liked gargoyles. They are interesting to look at, yet scary looking at the same time. I am interested in reading this book and try out the recipes. crossxjo@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe. And thanks for mentioning "The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen" by Rebecca Katz. My nephew recently finished one round of chemo and has another round to look forward to after his surgery in a few weeks. I will let them know about this book!
ReplyDeleteElaineE246(at)msn(dot)com
I hope your family gets as much out of that wonderful cookbook as I did!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGreat title which I ca't wait to read. Zeta@iwon.com
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this book. Thank you for the contest.
ReplyDeleteCandace7399@aol.com
Your book sounds like great fun and I loved the recipe and culinary trick you share here. Am afraid I don't have a culinary alchemy hint of my own to share. little lamb lst at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteI am not good at culinary tricks but when in doubt add butter.
ReplyDeletegibsonbk at hiwaay.net
My trick is that when I don't have butter milk which I never do, I add vinegar to the milk to make it. Works great and less expensive then running to the store,
ReplyDelete---Rae
raco774(at)yahoo.com
Vinegar is a fantastic substitution for sour foods like buttermilk. I use almond milk with a splash of vinegar as a dairy-free buttermilk substitution.
DeleteThanks so much to Mystery Lovers' Kitchen for inviting me, and to all of you who read with interest and commented! I hope you enjoy the recipe here and the ones in the book :)
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who stopped by to comment this weekend. Anne L is the winner of a paperback copy of The Accidental Alchemist!
ReplyDelete