Welcome guest author Gigi Pandian with
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/.
