Sweet Gnocchi Lullaby

As a stylist, I spend countless hours perusing blogs, magazines, and any other eye candy I can get my hands on in order to feed the creative machine. Today, as I drank my coffee and sought inspiration, I stumbled upon a recipe for butternut gnocchi on bonappetit.com. The recipe sounded good but I wanted something different than the brown butter sauce they were suggesting. Unsure if I was actually going to follow through with this recipe plan, I headed out to the store to see what I could find. I decided to pick up a variety of fall ingredients which included honeycrisp apples, fresh sage, and a butternut squash. With the intermittent rain and a dreary gray sky, it was the perfect day to get caught up in a culinary escapade so I began my gnocchi production. After rolling and cutting these delicate little pillows, I tossed them in a pot of salted, boiling water and waited for them to pop up to the top. After being scooped out of the water, they landed on a lined baking sheet where they awaited their second act. Opting to forgo the original bon appetit brown butter sauce, I began formulating my own plan to accompany the sweet squash. While the gnocchi sat patiently on the parchment, I chopped a fresh honeycrisp apple and a small red onion that I then sauteed in a skillet with some butter that had been steeping with garlic and sage. Once the onion and apple had softened, in went the gnocchi. A few minutes later the gnocchi had a crispy golden shell. They were sufficiently coated in the sweet and savory mixture and were ready to be devoured. I happily obliged, which lead to the need for a nap. Wake me when it's spring again....

Dessert For Breakfast

Chickpea flour is my latest muse in the kitchen. Originally purchased for some experimental pasta making, it has turned out to be a versatile, go-to ingredient. One of my favorite recipes, so far, is eggless chocolate french toast. To be perfectly honest, it's a dessert disguised as a breakfast item. A nod to those who believe "life is uncertain, eat your dessert first", it is a delicious mixture of french toast texture and brownie decadence. A pinch of cardamom in the recipe adds a unique taste and the warm strawberry drizzle takes it over the top. Go ahead... eat your dessert first. I won't judge.

French Toast Batter:

1/2 C chickpea flour

1/2 C cocoa powder

1/4 C sugar

1/2 C almond milk or water

1/4 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

pinch of cardamom

sliced bread of your choice ( I used nine grain for a hearty taste )

In a bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients to create the batter. Heat oiled griddle or skillet to medium. Coat bread slices in batter. Cook slices until crispy on each side. Drizzle with warm strawberry jam.