Candy

Growing up, sweets was something very special. Unlike my parents' generation or older, I actually had sweets fairly regularly. Of course, "regularly" is a very subjective term. I remember having chocolates, candies, even pastries and ice creams. But more likely, I would have some sort of fried dough soaked in stick sugary syrup. "Sugary ears," they were called. There used to be a stand between school and home where I can grab one as a after school snack. Not that I was or am addicted to sweets, but once in a while, it was a nice little treat.

Chinese was/is not known for its sweets. Desert is definitely a western idea. Of all the traditional Chinese "pastry" that I have tasted, very few contained dairy. Almond tofu, it was called, is something that I was introduced to right before I left China. When my aunt made it at home, it was made from a powder. She then added milk, brought it to a broil, chilled, and served. I remember her teaching me how to make not only almond tofu, but chocolate tofu using corn starch as the congealing agent. You can still buy almond tofu powder in Chinese supermarkets, or you can make an almond panna cotta. I have come to the conclusion that they are the same thing. Here is my version:

Almond Panna Cotta

2 cups half and half
1 envelope of gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp almond extract
2 Tsp cold water

1. Place the water in medium bowl and sprinkle gelatin over, let gelatin bloom for 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary 1 tsp at a time.
2. Heat the half and half in a small sauce pan until scolding hot.
3. Pour the hot liquid into the bowl containing bloomed gelatin, whisk until all gelatin has dissolved.
4. Add almond extract.
5. Pour the mixture into serving containers, chill the mixture until set and serve.

You can vary the recipe in many ways. Last year, after I gave this recipe to a friend of mine, she made 4 or 5 different flavored ones. If you like something creamier, replace the half and half with heavy cream. If you like something acidic, you can use butter milk or yogurt. If you like something firmer, add more gelatin. There is no rules. I even made a version with butternut squash soup. Well it didn't taste too good, but it worked. You can also spray ramekins with non-stick spray and serve the panna cotta on a plate without a container. The possibilities are endless. The only thing I would like to mention is that if you would like to make lemon and lime flavored panna cotta, use the zest not the juice.

Summer

Growing up in China, beginning of summer was always marked by two things: watermelon tent along side of the road and mound of peaches grandma used to bring back from the market. It was a simpler time. Often, I was send off with 50 cents in my hand to get a watermelon for "desert" from a particular vendor. The size of the watermelon wasn't particularly big. Seedless watermelon was unheard of. I still remember the thrill of hearing the gentle sound of the watermelon crack as the knife sliced it into halves. Grandma always cut the melon in perfect wedges that looked like red sails glistening in the setting sun. And if we were very lucky, we would find the watermelon with the golden yellow flesh. Maybe this is why I have this obsession with growing ice box watermelons, specially varieties from Asia.

My memory of peaches in China is always associated with gluttony. Yes, my gluttony. Peaches I grew up with were always the white ones. They were the size of my fist. When bitten, the sugary juice gushes into the mouth, then dripping down the chin. Needless to say, I have ruined quite a few shirts/dresses that way. I always had a heap of peaches in my room. Usually, it lasted me 2 days max. Here in the states, I can find the white peaches in local market, but somehow they don't quite match those from my childhood memory.

Going back to watermelon. I remember watching a TV cooking show LONG LONG time ago while I was still in China. The host was making some sort of watermelon custard. Well, I haven't tried to make watermelon custard yet, I guess I really should try it sometimes. Here is a simple recipe for watermelon granita that anyone can make, perfect for a hot summer day.

Watermelon Granita

4 cups of watermelon (enough to fill the blender to the top)
1/2 cup of sugar or more to taste
1 Tsp of lime juice
chopped mint for garnish

1. Blend the first 3 ingredients together until smooth.
2. Freeze the watermelon puree for about 40 minutes. Scrape the mixture and break up the large chunks of ice crystals
3. repeat step 2 until everything is frozen.
4. Garnish with chopped mint and serve.

So the recipe is super simple, unless you forget to scrape the mixture every 40 minutes or so. If that happens, just break up the solid to small pieces (hammer required) and throw them into the blender.