A Mixed Berry Clafoutis to Welcome Julia Child to IHCC

We had already decided to select Julia Child as the next featured chef at I Heart Cooking Clubs before the Coronavirus made it more of a challenge to get particular ingredients for recipes. So for at least the next month, we have adpoted a "Needs, Must" theme at IHCC--meaning that you can cook any recipe from any of our past and present featured chefs (20 with Julia) and modify the recipe and ingredients as needed to accommodate what you have available.

I still wanted to make a welcoming dish for Julia and picked something easy, her Clafoutis recipe. If you aren't familiar, (according to Wikipedia) "Clafoutis, sometimes spelled clafouti in Anglophone countries, is a baked French dessert of fruit, traditionally black cherries, arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm, sometimes with cream."

I have posted two on this blog: 

Blueberry & Elderflower Clafoutis: 

Cherry Clafoutis:

I didn't have fresh cherries so I used blueberries and a few sliced strawberries I had on hand for my fruit. I also had just brown sugar on hand and no powdered sugar. Finally, I don't thnk this is my finet effort as I was distracted by a work call while I was making it. Luckily, a clafoutis is a very forgiving dessert and it was delicious, especially with a generous drizzle of cream.   

The New York Times says, "This recipe is for a delicately sweet dessert whose elegance should not distract from its ease (it can be made while the rest of dinner is in the oven). Make sure you have fresh berries, and serve the result warm. We call for blueberries or blackberries here, but feel free to try it with whatever seasonal fruit catches your eye."

Julia Child's Berry Clafoutis 
Slightly Adapted from TheNewYorkTimes
(Yield 6 to 8 Servings)

butter for pan
1 1/4 cups whole or 2% milk
2/3 cups granulated sugar, divided (I used brown sugar)
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 cup flour
1 pint (2 generous cups) blackberries or blueberries, rinsed & well-drained (I used blueberries & strawberries)
powdered sugar in a shaker (I did not have)
cream to serve, optional
 
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a medium-size flameproof baking dish at least 1 1/2 inches deep.

Place the milk, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour in a blender. Blend at top speed until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute.

Pour a 1/4-inch layer of batter in the baking dish. Turn on a stove burner to low and set dish on top for a minute or two, until a film of batter has set in the bottom of the dish. Remove from heat.

Spread berries over the batter and sprinkle on the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth with the back of a spoon. Place in the center of the oven and bake about 50 minutes, until top is puffed and browned and a tester plunged into its center comes out clean.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving. (Clafoutis need not be served hot, but should still be warm. It will sink slightly as it cools.)

Notes/Results: I probably should have used a little less fruit for the size of ceramic casserole I used but this was delicious and really hit the spot as I have been craving something sweet and baked this week. Because I'm not a baker, I love clafoutis because they really are low fuss and effort desserts. I liked the tartness of the blueberries I used with the mellower strawberries even though the more traditional cherry clafoutis will always be my favorite. I will hapily make this again. 

Linking up to Bon Appétit, Julia! at I Heart Cooking Clubs.

 
I'm also sharing it at the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

 

Ina's Peanut Rocky Road Chocolate Bark + 7 Other Favorite Chocolate and/or Vanilla Recipes

Chocolate bark is one of those great candy recipes--it's easy with quick preparation time, it tastes fantastic, it can be customized to your preferences, and it looks pretty on a plate or in little gift bags for a holiday treat. 

I have posted a couple of variations of bark on the blog (Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark, Dark Chocolate Bark with Almonds and Sea Salt) and Ina Garten has a few different recipes, but once I saw her Peanut Rocky Road Bark, I was pulled in by the combination of flavors and the fact that I had leftover vanilla vegan mini marshmallows and a can of cocktail peanuts in my pantry. 

Peanut Rocky Road Bark
From Ina Garten, via FoodNetwork.com
(Yields Abut 16 Pieces)

12 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup salted peanuts
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini chips)
1/2 cup mini marshmallows (I used these)
2 oz good white chocolate, finely chopped

Using a pencil, draw an 8 x 11-inch rectangle on a piece of parchment paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the pencil mark doesn't get onto the chocolate and place it on a sheet pan.

Place three-quarters of the bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl and put it in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. (Time it carefully.) Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula, return it to the microwave for another 30 seconds, then stir again. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted. Immediately stir in the remaining bittersweet chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. (If you need to heat it a little more, place it in the microwave for another 15 seconds.)

Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly to fill the drawn rectangle. Sprinkle the top evenly with the peanuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Press them lightly so they will set in the chocolate.

Place the white chocolate in a small, heatproof glass bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds. Stir with a rubber spatula and return to the microwave for 15 seconds, then stir again. Continue to heat and stir in 15-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted.

Using a spoon, drizzle the white chocolate onto the bark in straight lines.

Set aside for at least 3 hours until very firm. (Note: It's still pretty warm and humid here for chocolate to set properly, so I covered it well and popped it in the fridge for about 20 minutes to set up. I will have to store it there too, so I keep it well wrapped with waxed paper and a layer of paper towels on top under the lid of the airtight container to keep any condensation away from the chocolate. I take out the pieces I plan to eat or serve a few minutes before enjoying--if I can wait that long!) ;-)

Cut or break the bark in 16 pieces and serve at room temperature.
 

Notes/Results: If you love Rocky Road and/or its components, you will love this chocolate bark. It is rich and decadent and the contrast of the sweeter vanilla marshmallows and white chocolate drizzle, combined with the bittersweet chocolate and salty peanuts is really tasty. Because I like a salty-sweet combination, next time I would sprinkle some flaked sea salt on top too, but that is the only real change I would make--other than using a bigger pan. I used my half-pan and my bark was a bit thick. Nothing wrong with that but a thinner bark would be nice too. I would happily make this bark again.

This post is for our Monthly Featured Ingredient Challenge at I Heart Cooking Clubs. December's ingredients are chocolate and/or vanilla. Besides making a dish with the ingredients from our current or past IHCC chefs, it's always fun to go back and highlight some of my favorite recipes with those ingredients from our IHCC chefs. 

There were two recipes that featured vanilla (where it was a standout ingredient in the recipe) from past IHCC chefs that stood out to me:

Nigella Lawson's Doughnut French Toast

Ellie Krieger's Very Vanilla Rice Pudding

When it came to recipes featuring chocolate, I had just picked my third Donna Hay recipe to feature and decided to just go with her for my chocolate favorites--so here are five of her recipes that I enjoyed. (The deconstructed tiramisu and the grilled pineapple are both dipped in good chocolate--shavings or melted.) Donna's recipes are always so quick and good--she does chocolate simply and she does it well.

Donna Hay's Deconstructed Tiramisu:

Donna Hay's White Chocolate Candy Cane Truffles

Donna Hay's Cheat's Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

Donna Hay's Chocolate French Toast "Sandwiches"

 Donna Hay's Caramelized Pineapple Skewers with Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce

I'm linking this post up with I Heart Cooking Clubs. You can see what chocolate and/or vanilla dishes everyone made by checking out the picture links on the post. 

 
I'm also sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

Happy Aloha Friday!
 

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "The Art of Calm" by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh, Served with a Recipe for Warm Vanilla (Coconut) Milk

Looking to find your zen happy place, or a bit of calm in a crazy stressed-filled world? Today's TLC Book Tour Stop has the answer with The Art of Calm: Photographs and Wisdom to Balance Your Life by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh. I'm reviewing this little inspirational book, full of beautiful photographs, inspiring quotes, and tips and ideas for relaxing and leading a happy and harmonious life. Accompanying my review is a recipe from the book for a soothing cup of Warm Vanilla (Coconut) Milk--a sweet bedtime treat to sip and savor. 

Publisher's Blurb:

Let’s face it: the more we rush around, the shorter the days can seem. Packed with page after page of inspirational ideas to help you bring your life back to center, this is the perfect antidote to reducing the chaos of everyday life. Filled with exquisite photographs and insightful quotations, this elegant book offers an opportunity to enjoy guilt-free “me” time, as well as easy suggestions for a more peaceful existence—from keeping a bud vase on your desk to tucking yourself into bed an hour early with a book you love. The brilliant images are a reminder to savor the world’s natural beauty—and ease the mind in an instant. This enriching, beautifully illustrated book is an inspiring guide to relaxation and harmony. Simple tips for how to unwind, ideas for spending quality time with loved ones, and illuminating quotes offer ideas on how to slow down and savor life’s simple moments.

Hardcover: 192 pages  
Publisher: National Geographic (March 29, 2016)

My Review:

The Art of Calm is one beautiful book. It's a compact hardback with a pretty purple ribbon book marker so you can place it on your nightstand and read a few pages at night before bed, escaping into the words and the soothing photographs that illustrate it. Or, dip into it after you wake up to ease into your day (the book recommends you start every morning with beautiful words rather than checking your email first thing). I find little self-help books like this one to be hit or miss--are they useful, or do they just take up space? I found The Art of Calm to be a definite hit with its balance of quotes, useful advice, and gorgeous color photos. The suggestions are pretty simple and could easily be incorporated into daily life--there were things that I already do, reminders of things I know I should do, and some good ideas I never thought about. One example is brewing yourself a cup of herbal tea before bed (I do this often in the afternoon or evening) while making enough to put the remainder in the fridge for a quick iced tea the next day (why have I never thought of that?) Or looking at your calendar on Sunday night and making sure there is one thing in the week you are looking forward to and if not add one because "Anticipatory anxiety is terrible, anticipatory happiness is joy."  The quotations, mostly from women, include wisdom from Jane Austen and Ethel Barrymore to Michelle Obama and Sheryl Sandberg. Some made me think, others made me smile; all were insightful. (I especially liked "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."--Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married.) 

There is a little bit of everything in the just under 200 pages and the advice and quotations are versatile enough to fit any busy woman. A copy of The Art of Calm would make a lovely gift for a friend, family member, or co-worker--especially when paired with a favorite herbal tea, soothing bath salts, a pretty potted plant or flower, a favorite scented candle, or some good dark chocolate. Or, do yourself a favor and get a copy of your own and follow the book's advice to "Once a week, turn off your phone and computer at 8 p.m. Get into bed with a book and stay there until lights out." 

Another Favorite Quote from the Book:

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Author Notes: Rebecca Ascher-Walsh is a journalist who covers celebrities and lifestyle. She contributes to many newspapers and magazines, including Entertainment Weekly, The Wall Street Journal and The L.A. Times.

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Food Inspiration: 

There is actually plenty of food inspiration in The Art of Calm with suggestions to frequent your local farmers market, or "do something that scares you in the kitchen" by cooking and mastering something you didn't think you could. There are recipes for brownies, a simple pantry pasta dish, pancakes, even a banana, honey and yogurt face mask. I decided to keep it simple and make the recipe for Warm Vanilla Milk.

I usually try to drink a warm "golden milk" with turmeric and spices at night before bed but decided to take the advice in the book: "At bedtime, make yourself a soothing warm vanilla milk: It has all the comfort of hot chocolate without the caffeine." I made a few changes to the recipe below--swapping in unsweetened coconut milk for the dairy milk, upping the vanilla to 1 tsp, and using about 1/2 Tbsp of maple syrup in place of the sugar.

Warm Vanilla Milk
Adapted from The Art of Calm from Rebecca Ascher-Walsh
(Serves 1)

• In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of milk with 1 to 2 Tbsp of sugar, depending on your taste; once sugar is dissolved, stir in 1/2 tsp. of vanilla.
• For a caramel-like flavor, you can also make a version with brown sugar.
• Either way, top with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.  

Notes/Results: Sweet, soothing and delicious, you can't go wrong with a soothing sipper before bed to end your day on a sweet note. You can use any milk or alternative milk here but I love the creaminess and natural sweetness that coconut milk brings to the party. I reduced the sweetener and used maple syrup instead of processed sugar and upped my vanilla too. Simple and warming, put it in a favorite cup or teacup and relax while sipping.

I will be linking up this review and recipe to the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

Note: A review copy of "The Art of Calm" was provided to me by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.

You can see the stops for the rest of this Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here.

 

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "The Girl in the Red Coat" by Kate Hamer and a Recipe for Vanilla Date Caramel in Apple 'Sandwiches' + a Book Giveway! {#TLCBookTours}

How did Monday get here so soon?! At least there is a cure for the Monday doldrums--a TLC Book Tour stop with a review of an absorbing debut novel The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer. Accompanying my review is a recipe inspired by my reading--Vanilla Date Caramel--here sandwiched in between red apple slices. And, there is also a giveaway for a chance to win a copy of the book at the end of the post. Happy Monday!

Publisher's Blurb:

Newly single mom Beth has one constant, gnawing worry: that her dreamy eight-year-old daughter, Carmel, who has a tendency to wander off, will one day go
missing.

And then one day, it happens: On a Saturday morning thick with fog, Beth takes Carmel to a local outdoor festival, they get separated in the crowd, and Carmel is gone.

Shattered, Beth sets herself on the grim and lonely mission to find her daughter, keeping on relentlessly even as the authorities tell her that Carmel may be gone for good.

Carmel, meanwhile, is on a strange and harrowing journey of her own—to a totally
unexpected place that requires her to live by her wits, while trying desperately to
keep in her head, at all times, a vision of her mother …

Alternating between Beth’s story and Carmel’s, and written in gripping prose that
won’t let go, The Girl in the Red Coat—like Emma Donoghue’s Room and M. L.
Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans—is an utterly immersive story that’s
impossible to put down . . . and impossible to forget.

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publisher: Melville House (February 16, 2016)

My Review:

The plot of a missing child and a mother desperately looking for them and fighting the guilt of having let them out of their sight for only a moment is not a new one, but The Girl in the Red Coat feels fresh, different, and special. There is a bit of a misty, mysterious fairy-tale feel to this story that starts with Carmel vanishing at a storytelling festival, but remains throughout the book with the authors beautiful and descriptive words. Told in past and present, through the views of Beth, the mother, and Carmel, who disappears at age eight, it immediately drew me in and made me care deeply about both of them. Carmel's voice is of a child, intelligent for her years but often distracted, with a vivid imagination that makes the reader wonder what is real and what is in her mind. I have no children myself, but my heart went out to Beth, who for all of her worries about Carmel going missing and her vigilance so that it won't happen, loses sight of her in a foggy field of tents. A single mother, still reeling from her husband leaving her for a younger woman, Beth is crushed by her guilt and it is the thought of finding Carmel that causes her to push on for months and then years. I don't want to go too much into the plot of the story but it is made clear who has Carmel (and why they do) fairly early on and the premise felt realistic and chilling--how this child could so thoroughly disappear without a trace. Since there is no real mystery, the book is about the love between mother and daughter, the journey that each takes, and the anticipation of finding out if they make it back to each other. 

I was reading The Girl in the Red Coat while busy with work, house guests and life stuff and it was tough to read in the short bursts whenever I had a free moment simply because I wanted to keep reading it and not set it down. Although tagged as a psychological thriller and mystery, it's more a family drama that builds more angst and tension than being a roller coaster ride of thrills, but that makes it no less engrossing. My only complaint was the ending, which without divulging spoilers, left me partially satisfied but still longing for an additional chapter or two from Carmel's viewpoint. After so much emotional buildup and becoming so attached to her, I wanted to hear her feelings about the resolution. I would happily read a second book about the lives of this mother and daughter going forward.

-----

Author Notes:  
Kate Hamer is a winner of the Rhys Davies Short Story Prize. Girl in the Red Coat is her first novel. It is shortlisted for the Costa Book Award for First Novel and a finalist for The Dagger Award. She lives in Cardiff, Wales with her husband and two children.

-----

Food Inspiration:

Between a mother looking and grieving for her missing child and a young girl now living a nomadic and somewhat hand-to-mouth existence, there is not much time for food inspiration in The Girl in the Red Coat--but there are some mentions. The day she went missing Carmel and her mother had hot dogs at the storytelling festival and before she went missing there was pizza after a school conference. When there is money in Carmel's new world, they eat chicken stew, a long sausage that Carmel thinks is a snake--that is heavily spiced because "we like our food with fire in it" and beans, ham sandwiches and apples. Beth's friends come to help her 100 days after Carmel is gone, bringing "a strange banquet" of cake and wine, soda bread, goat cheese, and plump purple grapes. As Beth becomes friends with her ex-husband and his new wife, they eat together and have asparagus risotto. 
  

For my book review dish, I decided to take inspiration from Carmel's name and the color red. Carmel does everything she can not to lose herself and holding on to her name is a big part of that, as is her love of the color red and her desire to wear a red coat, like the one she was wearing when she was taken.

'My name,' I say slowly, but trying not to be upsetting, especially as I liked the way she rubbed my head so much. 'is Carmel. Mum said it's a name of a place that's supposed to be like paradise and it's Catholic like her mum and dad. Dad liked it because it sounds like caramel.'

--The Girl in the Red Coat

Always interested in a little food magic in the kitchen, I have been wanting to try a vegan caramel made from dates that I have seen on Pinterest and some different sites. I thought it would be fun to make snack 'sandwiches' out of red apple slices with the date caramel spread in between and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top--kind of a healthier, deconstructed caramel apple.
 

Vanilla Date Caramel
by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen, inspired by Healthy Happy Life and Veganosity
(Makes about 1/2 cup caramel)

10-12 fresh medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk) + extra as needed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
large pinch of sea salt, to taste

Place dates, 1/3 cup non-dairy milk, vanilla and sea salt into a high speed blender or food processor, adding additional non-dairy milk as needed and blending until dates are thoroughly blended, smooth, creamy and a dip-able/spreadable consistency. 

Place in fridge for an hour or so to firm up caramel, then spread on apple slices or use as a dip or topping as desired. 
 

Notes/Results: I had my doubts of how caramel-like the dates would taste, but it definitely has a caramel feel and flavor and was quite delicious when paired with the apples. I think I needed to let my caramel firm a little more and maybe thinner apple slices, as these sandwiches were messy to eat (the caramel oozing from in between when taking a bite), but they were worth a bit of mess. ;-) Using it as a dip/spread was a bit neater but maybe not quite as fun. ;-)  Although this isn't a low calorie or low sugar treat by any means, it is natural sugar from fruit and rich enough that a little goes a long way. If you don't have a high speed blender, use a food processor if you want a thicker caramel--a low-speed or low-power blender will require more liquid to blend successfully, resulting in a thinner caramel. This date caramel was quick, easy, and fun to make and it has lots of different uses--I'll make it again.

I will be sharing this book review and food pairing with Beth Fish Reads: Weekend Cooking Event, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

 ***Giveaway!***

The publisher has generously offered a copy of The Girl in the Red Coat to one of my readers as part of this TLC Blog Tour. (Open to US/Canada addresses)

To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway below, leave a comment please (Because I like to read them!) ;-) telling me why you are interested in reading The Girl in the Red Coat.

There are a couple of other optional ways to get entries 1) Tweet about this giveaway (you can do this once per day if you like) or 2) follow me on Twitter (@DebinHawaii) or get free entries if you already follow me.

The Giveaway runs until 3/14/16. Good Luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Note: A review copy of "The Girl in the Red Coat" was provided to me by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.

You can see the stops for the rest of this Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here.

 

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "What the Waves Know" by Tamara Valentine, Served with (2-ish Ingredient) Banana Panckes with Maple Syrup and Fresh Blueberries

On today's TLC Book Tour stop I am reviewing What the Waves Know by Tamara Valentine, a novel about secrets, love and family, accepting the truth, and finding your voice. Along with my review of this charming and slightly magical story is a book-inspired recipe for pancakes made from banana, eggs, baking power and flavored with vanilla and cinnamon--seems like there's something just a bit magical in pancakes made from just banana and eggs.

Publisher's Blurb:

On the sharp crags of tiny Tillings Island lies the secret of Izabella Rae Haywood’s sixth birthday. That night, her father vanished, taking her voice—and the truth of what really happened—along with him. 

In the autumn of 1974, after eight long years of unsuccessful psychiatrist visits and silence, Iz’s mother packs up the tattered remains of their life, determined to return to Tillings in one last attempt to reclaim Iz’s voice—and piece together the splintered memories of the day her words ran dry. But when the residents of Tillings greet them with a standoffish welcome, it becomes clear that they know something about Iz, and the father she adored, that she does not.

Now, as the island’s annual Yemayá festival prepares to celebrate the ties that bind mothers to children, lovers to each other, and humankind to the sea, Iz must unravel the tangled threads of her own history . . . or risk losing herself—and any chance she may have for a future—to the past.

Paperback: 352 pages  
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (February 9, 2016)

My Review:

What a beautiful book, with a fourteen-year-old narrator that you can't help wanting to hug. Izabella (Iz to her mom) is wounded from the night of her sixth birthday, when her father went away. Iz thinks her strong and angry words were what made him go so she hasn't spoken since. Her mother Zorrie, among the walking wounded herself, can't seem to reach her and brings Iz back to Tillings Island in Rhode Island in hopes of reaching her; getting her to remember what happened and begin to heal and speak again. Although secrets are alluded to in the description, there is not really a big mystery or huge twists in the story. It becomes clear fairly quickly to the reader what happened and we watch as Iz begins to unblock it from her mind. The beauty of the story is in the relationships--especially between the four women--Iz, her mother Zorrie, Grandma Josephine and neighbor Remy. It is the things that tie them together, the love they have for one another, and especially how the three older women work to protect Iz and help her work through her trauma that are the heart of the book. Grandma Jo was my favorite character, the loving crunchy-granola grandmother that everyone would love to have--with her humor, acceptance, and tofu macaroni and cheese--overlooking her penchant for nudity of course. She adds her wisdom and is a bright spot that both Iz and Zoe, and even Remy, desperately need in their lives. Remy is the outspoken older friend that Iz needs, blunt but caring, covering her own issues with sarcasm and bravado. Although distant at first (her own protection from the world), Zorrie grew on me too. I could happily hang out with these strong and well-drawn characters.

Sometimes books tagged as magical realism can be a little 'woo-woo' for me but the magic in What the Waves Know, is wound primarily around the mysticism of Tillings Island and Yemayá--a goddess and the patron saint of women and the ocean according to Santeria and Yoruba beliefs. In the story, the community of Tillings Island is celebrating Yemayá, the Great Mother, through an annual festival with people coming from all over to leave offerings in hopes she will help them find what is missing. Yemayá, a strong and fierce protector, fits with the characters and the island setting and is skillfully woven into the story. As a side note, my interest piqued, I had to do a little research to learn more about Yemayá. About Santeria had this to say:

"Yemaya is the great mother who lives and rules over the seas. Water is essential to life, so without Yemaya, life on earth wouldn't be possible.  Although she's maternal and nurturing, she's also fierce. Her punishments can be terrible when she's outraged, but she's fair minded and forgiving when proper remorse is shown. Yemaya is clever and brave.  When she goes to war on behalf of her children, she wields a machete with expertise and no one can defeat her." 

Image and text from AboutSanteria .com

Tamara Valentine knows how to tell a great story, poignant, hopeful, and ultimately full of love. I wanted the best for these characters, caught up in their lives and the island community. The 350+ pages were over before I knew it (or wanted). What the Waves Know is an immensely pleasurable read and a great book to curl up with. 

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Author Notes: Tamara Valentine obtained an M.A. with distinction from Middlebury College and has spent the past fourteen years as a professor in the English Department at Johnson & Wales University. Presently, she lives in Kingston, Rhode Island, with her husband and three children.
 
Find out more about Tamara at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

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There is not a ton of food in What the Waves Know but there certainly is some. Grandma Joe is the adventurer and cook in the family, "borrowing" a tin bucket of sap, tapped from a sugar maple to boil down maple syrup for pancakes, braving bees for fresh honeycomb for Iz's toast, and her self-described, "mean carrot cake and cheese biscuits that melt right over your tongue." Remy is suspicious about Josephine's famous tofu macaroni and cheese (she blends Vermont Cheddar "so sharp it stings your tongue" with whole wheat pasta and tofu crumbles). On the  mainland wharf there are crab cakes, deep-fried clams, crawfish boils, and popcorn shrimp, and the Tillings Island Yemayá Festival features a variety of baked goods and is known for the curried chicken. Remy bakes apple pies for the festival with Iz, Zorrie has Iz get the ingredients for honey chicken, and then there are mentions of ice cream from the local parlor/soda shop as well as tea, coca-cola, and root beer to drink.

For my book-inspired dish, since I am eating wheat free for the time being, baked goods were out. I was considering a curry--maybe with tofu in honor of Grandma Joe, but it was pancakes with maple syrup that won out. With the no-wheat thing, it seemed like a great time to try the Pinterest-famed "2-Ingredient Banana Pancakes" I pinned a while back. I wanted to see how well pancakes made from a medium banana and two eggs would work.

I did add a few extra ingredients--baking powder (as I heard it makes for "fluffier" pancakes), a pinch of salt and cinnamon and a dash of vanilla extract. So I guess these are 6-ingredient pancakes. ;-)

2-ish Ingredient Banana Pancakes with Maple Syrup & Fresh Blueberries
Adapted from The Kitchn
(Makes About 8 small pancakes)

1 medium ripe banana
2 large eggs

+ optional ingredients:
1/8 teaspoon baking powder, for fluffier pancakes 
pinch of salt
dash of vanilla
large pinch of cinnamon 

coconut oil or butter to for pan
maple syrup and fresh blueberries to serve

Mash the peeled banana with a fork (or toss in blender with other ingredients) until no large lumps remain. Add any extra ingredients like baking powder, vanilla, salt, and or cinnamon. 

Whisk eggs together until whites and yolks are completely combined and mix into bananas to form a loose, liquid-y batter. 

Hit pan or griddle over medium heat and add a little butter or coconut oil to prevent sticking. When hot, drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the hot pan. If it doesn't sizzle slightly, turn up heat. 

Cook until the bottom of pancake looks golden brown when you lift a side--about 1 minute or so. The edges should also be looking set but the middle will still be loose. 

Carefully lift the pancake by gently working a thin spatula about halfway underneath the pancake, and carefully turning over to the other side. If any loose batter spills when you turn the pancake, lay the pan cake on top of the spill and move any excess back under the pancake. Cook pancake for another minute or so until it is golden brown on each side--flipping back and forth as needed to get them evenly browned.

Set pancake aside (keep warm) and cook remaining batter/pancakes. 

Serve immediately while warm with maple syrup, fresh blueberries or other favorite toppings.
 

Notes/Results: Although perhaps not a true pancake, they are pancake-y enough to be pretty darn tasty, especially when covered in real maple syrup and served with fresh blueberries. I was a bit worried they would be fussy to turn with the loose batter but they actually were not that much different or more difficult to flip than a pancake if you make them small and are quick and careful when you turn them. I used the blender for mixing and found that I needed to stir the batter between batches on the griddle to get a consistent quality and thickness. Still, I got eight small decent pancakes out of the mix. I don't make pancakes often but these are really simple to mix up and quite filling. I will happily make them again.

I am sharing this book review and food pairing with Beth Fish Reads: Weekend Cooking Event, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post. 

 
Note: A review copy of "What the Waves Know" was provided to me by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.

You can see the stops for the rest of this Book Tour and learn what other reviewers thought about the book here on the TLC Book Tour Website.