A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

From Goodreads:
In 1710, a girl and her mother in Lyme, England, prepare a blackberry fool, picking wild blackberries and beating cream from their cow with a bundle of twigs. The same dessert is prepared by a slave girl and her mother in 1810 in Charleston, South Carolina; by a mother and daughter in 1910 in Boston; and finally by a boy and his father in present-day San Diego. 

A Fine Dessert, written by prolific children's book author Emily Jenkins, is told from an interesting perspective. Instead of a character, it is told from the perspective of an age-old dessert: blackberry fool. And what the reader is likely to notice as they progress through the story is that as life changes and society changes, the dessert stays the same.

Kids will notice obvious societal changes throughout the story such as the evolution of kitchen utensils, going from a wooden whisk, metal rotary beaters, and finally an electric mixer. But there are also subtle changes in the narrative that might be less obvious to kids, such as how the roles of women and men in the home have changed. There is also a greater emphasis on equality and diversity by the end of the story as one notices that the interaction between people of different backgrounds and races is vastly different. This type of progress might be obvious to adults, but to kids it is likely less so, which would make it a great book for discussion in an intermediate classroom. But what I most love about A Fine Dessert is that it is another reminder to us all that food, like family, is steeped in story.

Sophie Blackall's illustrations are soothing and pleasing to the eye and while visually the emphasis is not on the dessert per se, but more on the people, the book is still likely to make you want to run to the store to gather ingredients for blackberry fool. Luckily, the book includes the recipe at the end, and it is simple enough that it would be perfect to make with your kids.

A Fine Dessert:  Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Published: January 27, 2015
Publisher: Schwartz and Wade
Pages: 44
Genre/Format: Picture Book/Historical Fiction
Disclosure: Library Copy

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound.   

Slurping Turtle Ann Arbor

Last night my husband and I drove to downtown Ann Arbor, as we often do on Friday nights, and decided to give a brand new restaurant a try. And when I say brand new, I mean brand new. It only just opened on April 21st in what used to be the Borders flagship store. The restaurant is called Slurping Turtle, a unique, memorable name for a unique, memorable restaurant.

Chef and owner Takashi Yagihashi who has competed on shows like Iron Chef America and Top Chef, opened the original Slurping Turtle in Chicago but decided to expand his concept to Michigan. The menu consists of Asian tapas, ramen, and sushi. Just like the communal tables at Slurping Turtle, the menu is designed to be shared, as evidenced by their gigantic bowls of ramen that easily serve two. My husband and I decided to order a few tapas and then shared a bowl of ramen and I was more than satisfied with the amount of food we had. Of course, that might also have something to do with the fact that we ordered THREE desserts as well. But with a dessert menu like this, it was really hard to choose just one:

Well, I'm not so sure about the Iron Chef Egg Shooter, but everything else sounds delicious. ;) 

All of the dishes we ordered at Slurping Turtle are ones that I will crave until the next time we eat there. The pork belly bao were soft and pillowy and had just the right amount of sweet and sour. The homemade ramen noodles were perfectly al-dente. And then there was the desserts. We ordered the macarons, black sesame ice cream, and the green tea cream puffs. All three of them were delicious, but my favorite were the green tea cream puffs. More than anything else, those cream puffs are what I will be craving until  our next visit.

Left to right: Slurping Turtle, green tea cream puff, roasted chicken shoyu ramen, my husband slurping said ramen, black sesame ice cream, macarons (kafir lime, sesame chocolate, and raspberry-wasabi), and bao (shrimp, chicken, and pork belly)

Slurping Turtle isn't quite up to full speed yet: they currently only have a dinner service and they have yet to procure their liquor license, but even operating at less than 100%, the food and service were wonderful. I would go back in a heartbeat, and most likely will over and over again. If  they continue with their wonderful food and great service, most likely Slurping Turtle will be added to my list of favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I have mentioned on this blog many times before that I like the idea of being vegan better than the practicality of it. Due to some major digestive issues I've been trying to sort out, I've recently toyed with the idea of doing a 21-day detox that includes a 3 day juice cleanse followed by a completely plant-based, gluten-free diet for the remainder of the time. I haven't mustered the courage to put this plan into action as of yet, but I have tried some of the recipes in the detox, which come from the book The Detox Prescription by Dr. Woodson Merrell.

One of the recipes I recently tried that was absolutely delicious was a vegan chocolate pudding (Merrell calls it a mousse in the book but it has more the texture of a pudding than a mousse).

One thing I have to point out here is that technically the original recipe isn't vegan since it includes honey, but if you want to follow the letter of vegan law, I suppose you could use agave nectar or maple syrup instead.

The main reason this is classified as vegan in the book though is because the recipe calls for using coconut milk and avocado to create its creamy texture instead of milk and eggs. As someone who can spot a substitute a mile away and is very finicky about texture, I am here to say that this recipe is perfectly creamy and satisfies your chocolate craving.The best part about this pudding is that it's actually easier to make than a traditional mousse or pudding because it involves absolutely no cooking. Just throw the ingredients in the food processor, refrigerate for a few hours and you're done. I have to say though, I'm going to assume the reason my version turned out more like a pudding than a mousse is because I just threw all the ingredients in at the same time, rather than just starting with the avocado and gradually adding ingredients. So if you prefer a mousse-like consistency, be more patient. If you don't care, just throw everything in at once.

What's also great about this recipe is once you have the base down, you could get creative with it, using almond extract instead of vanilla and sprinkling some slivered almonds on top, or making a spicy Mexican version with cinnamon and chile pepper.


Moo-less Avocado-Chocolate Mousse (or pudding in my case)

2 ripe large avocados, pitted and scooped
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 teaspoons orange zest, divided
2/3 - 1 cup coconut milk

Optional toppings:
1/2 cup sliced strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened toasted coconut flakes or chopped nuts

In a food processor, blend the avocado for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.

Add the honey, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of the orange zest (reserve the remainder of the zest) and process until mixed through.

Add 2/3 cup coconut milk and process until smooth. If the mousse is too thick, add the remainder of the coconut milk to desired consistency.

Spoon into three small ramekins, top each serving with 1 teaspoon of orange zest, and chill for 2 hours. Serve alone or with optional toppings.