NJ SPICE

Brother’s Moon in Hopewell celebrates the season with special peach dinners this time of year, and Chef/Owner Will Mooney just sent me a slew of recipes in an email. From grilled peaches and chicken salad, cucumber-peach soup, quinoa with black beans and peaches, and more, I plucked the recipe below, for a vegan rice pudding, to share with you. Note the large quantities, which, of course, is typical of a restaurant kitchen. So cut back as you like, or take it to a cookout to share. Or hold your own party. Will tells me he used to make this with pawpaw fruit, something I’ve never had. (Looks a lot like passion fruit, doesn’t it?)

The recipe calls for kefir lime leaves, which can be difficult to find. It’s really not the same, but you can use lime zest instead. Look for kefir lime leaves in the Asian market, and I wonder if they ever have them frozen, as I have found frozen ground lemongrass? Dried is a poor substitute, really. When I see them fresh, I buy and freeze them.

I’ll have a couple other peach recipes for you too, from online sources, in my August 8 In The Kitchen column in the Princeton Packet, too, so stay tuned for a galette and an upside-down cake, and make the most of New Jersey peaches while they’re in season.

Vegan Peach Rice Pudding
Will Mooney, Brothers Moon

Servings: “A lot – maybe 16ish”

1 pound Arborio Rice

½  gallon water

2 cans coconut milk (the unsweetened kind)

1 pound sugar

5 kefir lime leaves

2 tablespoons fresh ground ginger (grated should be fine)

1½ quarts peach puree

Combine all ingredients.

Cook over medium heat until rice is very tender, approximately an hour or more. (Be careful not to scorch the bottom of the pot, change the pot if it starts.) Check the consistency of the rice pudding it should not be too thick; add more water if needed. Cool in fridge.