Santa Cruz Tasting Notes, Part Deux

Back in Banana Slug-ville to continue my exploration of what’s to eat. Oh yes, and to visit my grandkids, too.

First stop, the newest member of Santa Cruz’s culinary shops, Nut Kreations. My grandson was anxious to point out all the roasted and raw nuts, nut oils, nut milks, nut butters, and nut coffee blends that this pleasant shop offers. We inspect their nut bar with 120 varieties and flavors and our eyes start to glaze over with all the choices. The solution: Javier custom blends his own granola and off we go.

Across the street is my favorite downtown eatery, Asana, where I once again order their “Lavender Love,” a diet-busting milkshake that I have described before in this blog. This time, someone in the kitchen added an extra spoonful of lavender buds and I was surprised it didn’t look purple in the glass. It’s a good thing I love all things lavender.

 Lavender Love, the world's most exotic milkshake.

My son splurges on their Lemon-Cashew Mousse, made with cashew milk, almond liqueur and whipped cream, topped with a puree of peaches and mango. I think Nut Kreations could prosper by adding a selection of nut-based puddings to their offerings but having just opened in May, they have enough to worry about now.

 Cashew Mousse with Mango-Peach Puree, garnished with Lemon Zest and edible flower petals.

Next stop: lunch at Samba Rock Acai Café, a Brazilian joint that specializes in huge bowls of ice cold acai mixed with granola and topped with fresh fruit. Locals park their bikes inside the restaurant where the samba beat is just a prelude to the energy boost you get from the fresh organic ingredients.

So it turns out that someone has already put together a Santa Cruz food tour, a 3½-hour stroll to five local drinking and dining spots with a lot of local history thrown in. That’s what I’ll do next time I visit.

In the meantime, here’s a recipe for cashew mousse from an old issue of Gourmet magazine:

Cashew Mousse

1 Cup salted roasted cashews (4½ ounces)

½ Cup sugar

1 Cup plus 1 tablespoon cold water

½ Teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1 Teaspoon almond-flavored liqueur

2/3 Cup chilled heavy cream

Blend cashews, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a blender until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour mixture into a fine-mesh sieve set over a large glass measuring cup and let drain (gently stir if necessary but do not press on solids) until 1½ cups cashew milk accumulates in cup (discard solids).

Sprinkle gelatin over remaining tablespoon water (cold) in a 1- to 1 ½ -quart saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat over low heat until gelatin is melted, then add cashew milk and liqueur and heat, stirring, until mixture is thickened (do not simmer), about 6 minutes. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Whisk cream until it just holds stiff peaks, then fold cream into cooled cashew milk mixture gently but thoroughly and divide among serving bowls. Chill, covered, until set, at least 3 hours. Serves 4.

Your vegan/vegetarian friends will think you are so clever.