    Welcome to Book Bites! Please enjoy these pairings of books and recipes for you to read and recreate. From my home kitchen to yours! Let’s start with a delicious Custard Toast topped with Strawberries macerated in Sugar and Black Pepper and Toasted Coconut. The rich yogurt custard bakes on a slice of buttered toast until it is golden and crusty. Strawberries macerated in sugar and black pepper provide a sweet and slightly spicy freshness that complements the coconut custard and toasted coconut crown. Treat yourself to this custard toast while reading one or both of these lovely books. Berry Song by Michaela Goade is a Caldecott Honor Book celebrating the seasons, the land, and the wisdom of our elders. "On an island at the edge of a wide, wild sea, a girl and her grandmother gather gifts from the earth. Salmon from the stream, herring eggs from the ocean, and in the forest, a world of berries. Salmonberry, Cloudberry, Blueberry, Nagoonberry. Huckleberry, Snowberry, Strawberry, Crowberry. Through the seasons, they sing to the land as the land sings to them. Brimming with joy and gratitude, in every step of their journey, they forge a deeper kinship with both the earth and the generations that came before, joining in the song that connects us all. Michaela Goade's luminous rendering of water and forest, berries and jams glows with her love of the land and offers an invitation to readers to deepen their own relationship with the earth." Bookshop.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris is a combination of comfort, magic, and intrigue set in a quaint French town. "Vianne Rocher has settled down. Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the place that once rejected her, has finally become her home. With Rosette, her 'special' child, she runs her chocolate shop in the square, talks to her friends on the river, is part of the community. Even Reynaud, the priest, has become a friend. But when old Narcisse, the florist, dies, leaving a parcel of land to Rosette and a written confession to Reynaud, the life of the sleepy village is once more thrown into disarray. The arrival of Narcisse's relatives, the departure of an old friend and the opening of a mysterious new shop in the place of the florist's across the square - one that mirrors the chocolaterie, and has a strange appeal of its own - all seem to herald some kind of change: a confrontation, a turbulence - even, perhaps, a murder..." Bookshop.org Custard Toast Ingredients: Strawberries: 8 oz fresh cut strawberries, 3 TB sugar, 5 grinds black pepper Custard: 5 oz yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 TB honey, 1 egg, lemon zest from one lemon Toast: 2 slices sourdough, 2 TB softened butter, salted or unsalted Topping: toasted coconut Categories All |