paçoca and PW

[asakiyume]

I have a pen pal in Brazil (we have a great story of how we became pen pals, but I'll save it for another day) who told me about this dessert, paçoca, which is served during Festa Junina, in June. It's *very simple*: ground peanuts and sugar and a touch of salt, ground to the consistency of wet sand (as one recipe I read described it), and then pressed together in a form.

Eating the foods of faraway places that I'd like to visit but can't is one of my favorite things to do, so just now I made some.

At first I tried to pack it into a star-shaped cookie cutter, but it didn't work too well--the mixture was maybe not ground-up enough (I re-blender-ified it--but you don't want to blender-ify it too much, or you end up with peanut butter), but also all those points are tricky.



Wakanomori suggested I try this little press-thingie that we got at a tag sale forever ago and which I've never used.



So I did, and it worked very well indeed!





Wakanomori tried one, then came back for another. "Very more-ish" was his verdict. Here is the exceptionally easy recipe I used.

And here's something else that's nice--a pre-release review of Lagoonfire in Publishers Weekly. It starts out "Regret, perseverance, and love drive Forrest's sparkling second Tales of the Polity Fantasy" and ends with "this evocative and ultimately uplifting story is sure to please" which--well, I hope so!

It reveals a little bit more of the plot than is maybe ideal? So if you don't click through and read it, I won't mind ;-).

Oh what the heck, I need also to link to this great song I'm listening to because the video is a delight to look at and the song is, as they say in brazil, otima!

Comments

[sartorias]

Huzzah on the review!

[asakiyume]

Thank you! I was delighted!

[sovay]

ground peanuts and sugar and a touch of salt, ground to the consistency of wet sand (as one recipe I read described it), and then pressed together in a form.

I suspect the consistency means I couldn't digest it, which is a shame, because "wet sand" is an attractived descriptor. I am glad, however, they are treating you and Wakanomori well!

It starts out "Regret, perseverance, and love drive Forrest's sparkling second Tales of the Polity Fantasy" and ends with "this evocative and ultimately uplifting story is sure to please" which--well, I hope so!

Congratulations again. That's so cool. I can't wait until I can buy a copy.

[asakiyume]

I'm sorry you can't digest it too--it seems like it would be a great thing to make with non-allergic small children--the fact that you can both mess around with it and also eat it is very appealing. And thanks for the second round of congratulations :-)

[mallorys_camera]

Whoa! High praise from PW! Lots of libraries will be buying this one! Way to go, sis-tah! 😊

[asakiyume]

Well, in the way that one can always seize disappointment from the jaws of happiness, I will note that it's not a *starred* review--the highest praise--but I'm very happy with what the reviewer said!

[anna_wing]

Oh yes! I've had those! Not in Brazil, but in Indonesia. It would probably exist anywhere that grows peanuts. It also sounds and looks very much like a Mediterranean/Middle-eastern sweet, usually made with ground hazelnuts or almonds, and coated liberally with icing sugar. There's an Indian version with cashewnuts too. They are all absolutely delicious. I've never tried making them myself, but it does look like a really fun thing to try. Thank you for sharing it!

[asakiyume]

Now you're reminding me of the little packets of roasted peanuts that I saw in Timor-Leste :-)

--And also about how all these nuts have such different flavors, and how **good** they all are.

It was definitely fun to do, and it would be a fun thing to do with little kids... provided they didn't have allergies, of course!

[ladyherenya]

That sounds delicious! For a moment I thought, how odd that the recipe is basically just peanuts -- but then I remembered how good homemade peanut butter is. (My family makes that every so often, using just peanuts and an ancient juicer.)

[asakiyume]

I have to say, this has increased my interest in making my own peanut butter. Also in buying a serious mortar and pestle.

[missroserose]

Aww, congratulations! On both the new recipe and the review!

Also, I has a sad—your card showed up on my virtual mail preview on Saturday, but has not shown up in my mailbox. I've reported it as missing but who knows where in the bowels of the Chicago mail system it's ended up. :(

[asakiyume]

Oh that stinks about the card! I had a letter that never showed up for osprey_archer once, too. "Something there is in the middle of the country that does not love my mail," to repurpose Frost.

If it ends up back with me I'll take a photo of it and send it to you that way :-|

But thank you for the felicitations ^_^

[missroserose]

Good news! It showed up last night. And I'm so glad it did, because it was full of small effervescent delights, as your messages so often are. <3

[asakiyume]

Yay! Delighted.

[mount_oregano]

I think I'll make this.

[asakiyume]

Oh excellent! Please tell me how it turns out.