Happy New Year! Everyone is welcome to celebrate if you love good food and cherish time with friends and family! I spent many a holiday during my childhood enjoying elaborate feasts and watching lion dances, while generous adults gifted lucky red envelopes.
You know I love to throw my own spin on tradition, so I took a few of my favorite flavors of the season and gave it a marshmallow or jammy twist.
"Tang Yuan" are sweet dumplings in a cloud dough filled with a creamy black sesame paste that you eat with your family. They symbolize unity and togetherness because of the occasion for which they are enjoyed. I made a handmade black sesame marshmallow version with toasted black and white sesame seeds and freshly ground paste I made. If you eat these with friends, you might stick together!
Mandarin oranges are symbolic of fortune and prosperity because their phonetic pronunciation of them sounds like "gold." Giving them in pairs represents doubling the good luck. Me? I celebrate everything with a cocktail, and wanted a mandarin citrus sipper to bring in the Year of the Snake. Turns out, mandarin oranges also make a great fruit spread. I simmered the oranges with vodka, ginger and elderflower. The jam also pairs with with green tea matcha desserts. You can use the Mandarin Martini Jam on baked goods, as a dessert sauce, cocktail mixer or just scoop out of a jar.
The Year of the Snake symbolizes growth, passion and resilience in a time where we could use all of the above. Enjoy and get lucky!
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