an open cupboard

Here’s a little snack I put together the other day:

1 ginger biscuit or ginger snap
a shmear of almond butter
2 little squares of dark chocolate with ginger bits

• Shmear almond butter on cookie, top with chocolate. Eat with a glass of milk or tea.
• Optionally, toast (if you can wait that long), and spread the melted chocolate over the almond butter.

It’s like an open-faced s’more, but not quite. This little number combines the best features of the dessert genre—it’s richly chocolatey, creamy, nutty, and crunchy. Sweet, but not too sweet, with a sharp bite of ginger that awakens the palate. In a word, delightful. You could use regular chocolate, particularly if you don’t like your chocolate to wear sexy footwear.

Using the edible roses I bought at Berkeley Bowl, I made a sweet topping/compote that complements vanilla ice cream or yogurt. I’ve always been intrigued by the slightly floral taste of litchi, which is accentuated here by the rose petals and rounded out by the anise flavor of fennel. These were all combined in a base of light honey syrup. You can play around with the texture by adding less water for a heavier syrup. A and I ate this atop vanilla goat’s milk ice cream. Yum.

fennel, litchi, and rose petal topping

1 TBS honey
3 TBS water (plus 1 TBS if necessary)
1/4 small fennel, cored and diced
3 litchi nuts, peeled, stone removed, and diced
4 small edible roses, petals only
~1 tsp fine lemon zest

• In a small pot, bring the water and honey to the boil. Let the water evaporate somewhat so that you have a light syrup, and turn down the flame to medium.
• Add the fennel and simmer until the fennel softens. If the syrup doesn’t cover the fennel, add an additional tablespoon of water. Simmer uncovered to let some of the water evaporate if the syrup looks too watery.
• Add the diced litchi and stir. Turn off the heat.
• Toss in the rose petals and grate in the lemon zest.
• Toss, place in a cool, non-heat condusive container, and chill in the refrigerator.

Serves 2 over ice cream or yogurt.