The Bojon Gourmet • seasonal recipes from a recovering pastry chef

Tart Cherry Eton Mess with Poppy Seed Almond Meringues

Tart cherry compote, tangy whipped yogurt, and caramelized crunchy meringue studded with toasted nuts and seeds makes this tart cherry Eton mess an easy summertime dessert winner.

Pavlova, Eton Mess, macarons, and other meringue-based desserts are usually on my no-fly list – I almost always find them overly sweet, bland, and texturally lacking. Unfortunately for me, meringues are cheap, easy to make, and naturally gluten-free, so I’m often stuck with the aforementioned sweets as the only dessert option at restaurants and bakeries.

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Green Goddess Potato Salad {updated}

This green goddess potato salad gets a kick from pickled shallot, crunchy vegetables, and an herbaceous, creamy dressing. Originally posted here in 2011, I’ve updated the recipe with a few changes and new photos.

When you’re a vegetarian, it’s essential to have an array of tasty, hearty side dishes at any given barbecue or potluck. Bonus points if the side dish could serve as your main dish, just in case it’s slim pickings in the veg department. Enter this green goddess potato salad packed with crunchy vegetables, kicky dressing, and some custardy eggs for extra protein.

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Matcha Mint Chip Popsicles {vegan}

These Vegan Matcha Mint Chip Popsicles burst with the flavors of green tea, fresh mint leaves, and dark chocolate all wrapped up in a creamy cashew coconut base.

I’m in the middle of a busy week of family visits, video shoots, and being horrified/enraged at our government, but I’m popping in (see what I did there?) to quickly share the recipe for these soothing green matcha mint chip popsicles. The chocolate is for therapy, the matcha is to fuel your fight for justice, and the mint will hopefully cool the burning hot rage that bubbles up inside. (And if you’re looking for a tangible way to help reunite immigrant families, you can donate here.)

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Mushroom Cheddar Dutch Baby {gluten-free}

This savory cheddar dutch baby topped with golden mushrooms and wilted pea greens makes an easy weeknight meal or weekend brunch. Vegetarian and gluten-free.

If anything is good for pounding humility into you permanently, it’s the restaurant business. –Anthony Bourdain

I’ve worked in kitchens since I was in high school. I waited tables through college. And my first job post-graduation was in a gluten-free wholesale bakery. I’ve never held an office job, never owned anything suit-like, just a chef’s coat. I always thought that cooking seemed extremely glamorous. But it really wasn’t. I read Kitchen Confidential when I first moved to San Francisco in the early 2000’s and it helped me to see the restaurant world with open eyes.

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Corn Flour Waffles with Whipped Honey Ghee and Berries {gluten-free}

These gluten-free corn flour waffles slathered in whipped honey ghee and topped with juicy strawberries and fresh mint make dessert & brunch dreams come true. Made in collaboration with Sarah of Snixy Kitchen and sponsored by Organic Valley.

I’m extra excited to share today’s recipe because WAFFLES. You see, up until last week, I didn’t own a waffle iron. I had major waffle envy, and tried several times to make myself buy one, but the thought of storing another piece of cooking equipment I’d only use occasionally kept putting me off. Our San Francisco apartment has little storage space, and every incoming item means that something else has to go. But when Sarah and I teamed up with Organic Valley to show off their ghee, I pulled for us to make waffles together so that Sarah could teach me her ways.

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One-Bowl Teff Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting {gluten-free}

This stupid easy, gluten-free, one-bowl chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting gets big flavor from roasted peanut oil, malty teff flour, brown sugar and buttermilk all crowned with swirls of salty frosting. Thanks to La Tourangelle for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

Chocolate peanut butter lovers rejoice! I’m so excited to share today’s recipe because it changed my mind about three things I used to feel “meh” about: cake, peanuts, and frosting. In my book, cake is better than no dessert at all, but I’d take pretty much any sweet (pie, tart, crisp, cobbler, custard, ice cream, or good bar of chocolate) over it. Peanuts and their byproducts are only acceptable when chocolate is involved. And frosting has to have cream cheese in it to be rendered edible. And yet I would gladly eat this cake and all its offending components every day of my life and be perfectly happy.

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