It all started with a tweet. Phi of Princess Tofu asked if I would make her some pistachio milk, and I said yes on the condition that I get to try the mysterious finished product. I've been following Phi's culinary creations for a good while now and her flavor combinations never fail to blow my mind. She may have thought that the act of pistachio milk-making was a selfless one on my part; au contraire, I simply wished to score some Princess Tofu grubs.
Plus I made her squeeze the nut milk herself.
So it was that Phi and Nik of A Brown Table came over bearing Mickey Mouse waffles and fresh lychees, respectively, to make some boba tea. Having other food bloggers around to squeal over mason jars, scrutinize light, and geek out on lenses made me feel a little less alone in my crazy world.
Watching Phi expertly block and bounce light as she arranged props on various surfaces was an inspiration, and I'm continuing to take guidance from her aesthetic.
When the pistachio milk was made and sweetened with a bit of sugar, Phi whisked it into agar agar dissolved in boiling water to make a firm panna cotta of sorts. The first was so softly set, we ate the silky custard with spoons; little bites of creamy heaven.
The second batch was solid enough to cut into cubes and slurp up in cups of black tea infused with fresh lychees and a splash of rose water. The lychees added just enough natural sweetness while giving the tea a soft fruitiness that blended beautifully with the delicate jelly. I'm not sure I've ever tasted anything so exotic.
Check out Phi's post, including the recipe and her exquisite photographs and writing, here.
More Nut Milk Recipes:
- Curried Roasted Eggplant with Smoked Cardamom and Coconut Milk
- (Vanilla-Maple) Almond Milk, and a smoothie
- Hibiscus Rhubarb + Haupia {Coconut Milk Pudding}
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this boba recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
How fun!! That pistachio milk sounds delicious. : )
Thanks Crystal! Yes, it was hard not to drink it all by itself.
I like Catamus' new face…a big Cheshire cat grin!
Totally! :)
oh man, pictures of me on the internets.... :/
I think you look amazing but of course I'll take them down if you prefer!
You look beautiful and adorable, Phi! And you totally showed that nut milk sack who's boss.
*love* everything; from super-adorbs Phi to the mouseketeer cat! Ah, and how savagely awesome is the act of squeezing nut milk. Nut.Milk! xo
Hi, Nik! :-)
Thanks Valerie! Yes, savagely awesome indeed!
So much goodness.. I wish I was there with ya'll!!
We would have loved that! Next time!
Catamouse!! Too cute!
I was super psyched when Phi posted a little teaser photo on facebook about your get-together (and grumpy about being all the way out on the east coast — I want to have fun blog friend hangouts with you guys!!). I was in NYC a couple weeks ago and I got to meet up with Linda (from The Tart Tart) and Cynthia (from Two Red Bowls). We just ate a ton of BBQ and some ice cream and didn't actually make anything ourselves, but it was SO much fun. It's wonderful hanging out with people who totally get the food blogging thing, and I imagine it's even better having the chance to make foods and geek out on photography and styling with them. :)
Now I'm the one who's jealous (and craving BBQ)! I want to hang out with you and Linda and Cynthia - three of my very favorite food bloggers! Obviously we just need to all move to some culty food blogger compound somewhere. :)
This is an adorable post, and sounds like the best (tastiest) brunch party!
Thanks Nora!
This was so much fun, Alanna! Thank you for having me over :)
Of course! We must do it again very soon!
What a time you must have had together! Thanks for sharing this with all of us. Also, I think I need pistachio milk in my life.
It was so lovely, and yes you do! ;)
I love seeing collaborations between bloggers - it's such a great way to learn some new tricks and open your eyes to other ways of working. So fun!
Too right!
So fun! I love bloggers and love even more when I can talk to them off of computer screens. This is such a testament to the connections blogging brings. Love it.
Agreed! I've only recently started cavorting with other bloggers and there is really nothing like it. No one else quite understands our kind of crazy. :)
Hi there,
saw this post on Phi's blog and it is SO interesting how you have both photographed and interpreted your day completely differently, each with your own creative angle. Just a joy to read both posts and drool over that amazing pistachio jelly! Thanks so much for sharking.
Kimberly
Omg, what a sweet thing to say, Kimberly. Thank you for reading!
What a fun day and gorgeous snaps. Love the cat! :)
He's always the life of the party. :)
I love love love these action shots! So dramatic. You have such a talent for capturing movement, Alanna! I love it -- and I love this collab!!!! It looks like it was such a blast, and this dessert is perfection from start to finish. Thoroughly inspiring :)
Awww, thank you Cynthia!
I love lychee jelly. They add that nice fruity and fragrant flavor to any drink. Especiallylove it in tea! Great post! ☺
Yeah, I wasn't expecting it to work so well but now I'm addicted!
Loved reading yours and Phi's posts about this! This pistachio milk looks fantastic – I have been making mine using the Tartine Book recipe, and I like it, but I am all ears for a new recipe...Do you have any favourite? Thanks!
Ooh, I didn't know Tartine had a pistachio milk recipe - fascinating! My recipe is on Phi's site and it is super simple. We made it extra rich for this jelly, but you could thin it with more water if you wanted to. It's a super treat!