Into the dark

I've been slowing down with the encroaching darkness, holding onto sleep, struggling to keep up the energy and slight panic that usually move me productively through my days. I had forgotten, as I always do, how hard it is to wake up in full darkness. Even early mornings in the summer hold the hint of dawn, but now I can easily go into the kitchen before the sun rises, and not emerge till after it's set. To spend whole days without a touch of real light is strange and disorienting. 

I've been working on the new recipes I've built over the last few weeks, tweaking and taking notes. They're getting better! Though, as always, I welcome your feedback to improve them further. If you didn't try any last week, come by today to explore my adventures in blue corn. I've made the blue corn nixtamal bread again, as well as the blue corn, almond, and honey poached quince cake. ​

blue corn: dry, cooked in cal, ground

And to top it off, I'm bring a few air pots of blue corn atole to market. Atole, if you haven't spent time in Mexico, is a hot drink made from masa (or, at least in Oaxaca, any other flour within arms length of the blender, but the Oaxacans will blend anything they can get their hands on, so that may not be true in other regions). It exists half way between the comfort of hot milk and the satisfaction of porridge on a cold morning. If you bring your own cup, I might even give you a taste for free!

See you soon.