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Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Spicebush Gingerbread with Pumpkin Mousse and Butternuts

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Spicebush gingerbread
 I asked people on Instagram what they’re favorite things to do with spicebush (Lindera bezoin) was, and I got a big range of answers. One thing that popped up more than others though, was gingerbread, and, I have to say it’s pretty fun. 

I do think though, that the flavor of spicebush is much more along the lines of white pepper than allspice, so do keep that in mind when considering if you want to give it a shot. The good news is, spicebush is not quite as strong as something like cinnamon, so it’s not going to offend anyone either way. 

Ground spicebush berries

Know your molasses

Typical American gingerbread typically has a large amount of molasses in it. While I do love that dark, nearly black syrup, the flavor can be strong, and I found in the first and second tries I did with this that the molasses completely overpowers the spicebush. It was still good gingerbread, but it didn’t taste like spicebush gingerbread. 

It’s good to know your molasses varieties here. Blackstrap is crazy strong, and using something like 2/3-1 cup like a lot of recipes call for is way too strong for a cake like this in my opinion.

A better option is using light molasses, sorghum syrup, or barley malt syrup, or, you can do as I do here and use a combination of honey for flavor and a touch of molasses for color. Maple syrup contains more water than all of the aforementioned and should not be used here. 

Spicebush gingerbread

Garnished with butternuts and black walnuts, and pumpkin mousse.

Pumpkin mousse 

The best gingerbread I can remember having was in a little cafe near San Francisco, and, instead of whipped cream, it was served with pumpkin ice cream. It was delicious. I love the color that orange brings to the plate here, as well as the flavor, so I made a simple pumpkin mousse instead of pumpkin ice cream (too much effort) or whipped cream (too plain). It’s optional, but it brings it to another level. 

Spicebush gingerbread

Foraged spicebush gingerbread with butternuts and black walnuts
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Spicebush Gingerbread

A simple American style gingerbread flavored with honey, molasses, and ground spicebush berries
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Gingerbread, Spicebush
Servings: 10

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • 1.5 cups cake flour

Spices

  • 3 cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1.5 teaspoons Baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon spicebush

Wet ingredients

  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 2/3 cup honey or 1/3 honey and 1/3 cup apple sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons molasses
  • 4 oz cooking oil
  • 1 egg

Garnishes

  • 1 recipe pumpkin mousse (optional)
  • Lightly toasted butternuts and black walnuts, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat and oven to 350F.
  • Grind the spices until fine in a spice grinder (including the baking powder to break up any lumps if needed) then mix with the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients except the egg and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  • When the mixture has cooled, add the egg and mix in. 30-35 min. Serve warm or gently reheated, garnished with the pumpkin mousse and toasted black walnuts and butternuts, if using.
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Pumpkin Mousse

A simple mousse made of pumpkin or cooked, pureed squash and cream. It's a good substitute for maple syrup.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time5 mins
Setting time5 hrs
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pumpkin
Servings: 10

Ingredients

  • 1 can pumpkin
  • 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
  • 2 sheets leaf gelatin silver grade
  • ½ cup maple sugar or light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons gallium extract or vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes or until softened. Heat the ¼ cup cream and ¼ cup maple or other sugar with the gelatin in a small 1 qt pot and whisk on medium heat until dissolved.
  • Add the pumpkin and whisk to combine, heating until hot throughout. Remove the pot to cool to room temperature.
  • Mix the cream and remaining maple sugar and whip to soft peaks.
  • Fold the mixture into the pumpkin cream mixture thoroughly, then allow to set in the refrigerator overnight or for at least a few hours to allow the gelatin to firm up. Scoop the mousse into a pastry bag with a fluted tip for the best presentation.

More 

Forager’s Guide to Butternuts or White Walnuts

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Alan Bergo
I made vegan fish sauce from ramp juice. You tak I made vegan fish sauce from ramp juice. 

You take the pure juice of the leaves, mix it with salt, Koji rice, and more chopped fresh ramp leaves, then ferment it for a bit. 

After the fermentation you put it into a dehydrator and cook it at 145-150 F for 30 days. 

The slow heat causes a Maillard/browning reaction over time. 

After 30 days you strain the liquid and bottle it. It’s the closest thing to plant-based fish sauce I’ve had yet. 

The potency of ramps is a pretty darn good approximation of the glutamates in meat. But you could prob make something similar with combinations of other alliums. 

The taste is crazy. I get toasted ramp, followed by mellow notes from the fermentation. Potent and delicate at the same time. 

I’ve been using it to make simple Japanese-style dipping sauces for tempura etc. 

Pics: 
2: Ramp juice 
3: Juicy leaf pulp 
4: Squeezing excess juice from the pulp
5: After 5 days at 145F 
6: After 30 days 
7: Straining through Muslin to finish

#ramps #veganfishsauce #experimentalfood #kojibuildscommunity #fermentation #foraging
Oeufs de Gaulle is a classic morel recipe Jacques Oeufs de Gaulle is a classic morel recipe Jacques Pepin used to make for French president Charles de Gaulle. 

You bake eggs in a ramekin with shrimp topped with creamy morel sauce and eat with toast points. 

Makes for a really special brunch or breakfast. Recipe’s on my site, but it’s even better to watch Jacques make it on you tube. 

#jacquespepin #morels #shrimp #morilles #brunchtime
Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each instead of the pound. 

Good day today, although my Twin Cities spots seem a full two weeks behind from the late spring. 2 hours south they were almost all mature. 

76 for me and 152 for the group. Check your spots, and good luck! 

#morels #murkels #mollymoochers #drylandfish #spongemushroom #theprecious
The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natu The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natural secretion of water I typically see with plants. 

I understand it as an indicator that the mushrooms are growing rapidly, and a byproduct of their metabolism speeding up. If you have some clarifications, chime in. 

Most people know it from Hydnellum 
peckii-another polypore. I’ve never seen it on pheasant backs before.

Morels are coming soon too. Mine were 1 inch tall yesterday in the Twin Cities. 

#guttation #mushroomhunting #cerioporussquamosus #pheasantback #naturesbeauty
Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a grocery store. 

#groceryshopping #sochan #rudbeckialaciniata #foraging
Italian wild food traditions are some of my favori Italian wild food traditions are some of my favorite. 

Case in point: preboggion, a mixture of wild plants, that, depending on the reference, should be made with 5-23 individual plants. 

Here’s a few mixtures I’ve made this spring, along with a reference from the Oxford companion to Italian food. 

The mixture should include some bitter greens (typically assorted asters) but the most important plant is probably borage. 

Making your own version is a good excercise. Here they’re wilted with garlic and oil, but there’s a bunch of traditional recipes the mixture is used in. 

Can you believe this got cut from my book?!

#preboggion #preboggiun #foraging #traditionalfoods
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