tastes of the season

You already know that I made it past Halloween without my double-stuffed, neon orange Oreos. I'm now here to report that I bypassed Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie, pecan pie, or even those little Italian cookies (a Brooklyn favorite) that decorate the after-dinner table each year. I survived Thanksgiving, sugar-free. (Well, almost. I found out later that the mashed turnips had a bit of sugar in them. Live and learn.)

My Thanksgiving this year consisted of apple cider, kissed with the tartness of pomegranate juice and a splash of fizzy water. A two-year old's sniffles when she couldn't find her Christmas tree figurine ("Where my Christmas tree?"). A surprisingly moist and flavorful slice of turkey breast, accompanied by a silken puree of mashed potato. Trying to stay out of the way as eleven other people maneuvered their way into seats around the expanded dining room table. Falling to sleep in a quiet home tucked within New York City, totally content.

I need to tell you that Thanksgiving without sugar blew other Thanksgivings out of the water. This year, instead of anticipating the cloying rush of sweetness at the end of the meal, I savored each bite, noticed the sideways glances around the table as the grandmothers squabbled and the couples squeezed hands. I woke up this morning with more energy than I can usually muster on Post-Turkey Friday, and I gazed out the window at barren branches swaying in the wind. I was happy.

While Thanksgiving was great and all, for me, it's simply the Christmas season's gatekeeper. I'm sure my contentment this morning is due in no small part to the fact that I can now admit that I'm listening to Christmas carols without shame, don some red sweaters, dash to the nearest holiday office party, and start consuming things that contain peppermint.

While I'm perfectly content with passing up Halloween candy and pumpkin pie, I will not be deterred from the familiar tastes of the holiday season. Thus my proudest achievement of the year so far, my refined sugar-free peppermint hot chocolate. Tasting this for the first time a few nights ago, I sighed in contentment. This is everything I always loved about the holiday drinks at Starbucks, and I don't even have to waste a paper cup to get it. Even better, I can drink it in the evening without experiencing what I now call a "sugar hangover" the next morning. Sipping my proud creation as I write, I'm convinced there is no more perfect way to spend a morning and kick off a season.

-Kylie

P.S. Big news! Remember how we were giving away a book way back when it was Thin Crust Deep Dish's birthday? Well, our very lucky winner (selected scientifically from a baking dish of names) was Caitlin of Roost. Congratulations to you! We can't wait to find out which book you'll chose. And thanks to all who participated and showed your love here. It was a blast to hear from you, and we appreciate your kind words of encouragement more than you know.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Serves 2

2 cups whole milk

4 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Ghirardelli)
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1 Tbs. raw honey
6 drops liquid Stevia (or less, depending on your taste)

Warm milk over low heat in a small pan. In a mug, combine cocoa powder, peppermint extract and honey. Once the milk has warmed, pour about two tablespoons of it into the cocoa mix. Stir briskly with a fork until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Pour mixture into pan of milk and whisk until it incorporates fully. Taste the hot chocolate with a small spoon. If it isn't sweet enough for your taste, add Stevia one drop at a time, whisking and tasting as you go. Once the sweetness is to your liking, continue to heat hot chocolate until it is hot but not boiling. Pour into mugs to serve.

To make a peppermint mocha, simply pull a shot of espresso into the bottom of the mugs before serving. To make an alcoholic hot chocolate, replace the peppermint extract with a shot of peppermint schnapps.

my baby mama

Did I tell you yet? I adopted a baby from Adriana. No; not that kind of baby. Don't go all bonkers on me. I have some serious respect for people who have children in this city. No, my baby is of the yeasty variety, and her name? Kombucha.

In my opinion, Jennifer Adler says it best when she calls Kombucha the "soft drink for the 21st Century". It's a beverage created by fermenting prepared tea, a bit of sugar, and a colony of bacteria for about a week. Because I consider myself much better at making and drinking kombucha than explaining how it works, I'm just going to refer you to the link above so that Jennifer can explain it all to you.

Here's what I can tell you, though. Kombucha is an adventure. The first time you taste it, you'll be excited and maybe a little scared. You'll be like a curious cat, investigating the sensory situation with your palate-whiskers. Your first kombucha experience might be with GT Kombucha, bottled and readily available at Whole Foods, Garden of Eden, or your local coop. If that's the case, I highly recommend the mango flavor, which incorporates an ounce or so of juice into a big bottle of the tonic. Or your first taste might be at a friend's house, somebody adventurous and earthy who is a seasoned explorer of all things fermented. Whatever your introduction, soak up the experience. Try it more than once. Why? Because when we deal with fermentation, we're dealing with the natural world, incorporating variables like terroir and weather and light, things that will affect the taste and texture of the finished product.

I'm lucky enough to have an adventuring friend of my own who acquired a culture that I was able to adopt. I smuggled this baby in my carry-on luggage back from Chicago (please don't tell JFK Airport), and she made it back unscathed. I proceeded to brew my tea and sugar and float her on top of it all, making sure to cover the whole batch with a towel to keep bugs and debris away. I then waited impatiently for a week to try my homemade brew.

I'll admit that my baby (now considered a mother because she was birthing a new baby as she fermented) didn't produce as fizzy a brew as I had been hoping. I've now discovered that to get more fizz, you must place your brewed kombucha in an airtight bottle or jar and leave it out at room temperature for a week or so longer. You can also add herbs or roots to the jar for flavor. When you like the taste and texture and decide your kombucha is ready to drink, put it in the refrigerator. It will keep for quite a while, though it usually gets more vinegary as time progresses. I like to float frozen berries in glasses of my kombucha when I'm ready to drink it.

I highly recommend that you try making kombucha, or at least buy it and give it a taste. Its bacteria helps your body to extract and use the nutrients in the food you eat. Plus, it tastes good. To obtain a culture, ask around at the local coop or natural foods store to see if anyone has extras (they produce a new baby with each batch). You can also find one easily online.

Now my last question I have to ask about my baby: What should I name her?

Kombucha
Adapted from Sandor Ellix Katz's Wild Fermentation

About 7 days for fermentation to occur
1 quart filtered water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon of loose black tea (or 2 teabags)
1 cup (or so) mature kombucha
1 kombucha mother

Mix the water and sugar, and bring to a boil in a small pot.

Turn off the heat, add tea. Cover and steep for about 15 minutes.

Strain the tea into a glass container (do not use plastic or metal; both of these can leach chemicals into the kombucha). Allow tea to cool to body temperature.

Add mature acidic kombucha and kombucha mother. It might float, or it might sink. Doesn't matter. Cover it with a clean cloth and store it in a warm spot, ideally 70 to 85 degrees, undisturbed (the top of the fridge is a good place, in my opinion).

After a few days to one week, you will notice a skin forming on the surface of the kombucha. Taste the liquid. If you like it, pour into bottles to carbonate or store it in the fridge. If you leave it sitting longer, it will become more acidic.

You now have two kombucha mothers: the new one and the old one. You can use either for your new batch and pass the other on to a friend.

-Kylie