The first part of the book starts out like most realistic fiction would, a new college graduate gets her first real offer in the world of coding and technology and it is a good one. Working for a major robotic firm, the main character, Lois, meets Beoreg and Chairman, brothers who open an illegal restaurant in their apartment, when she orders delivery from a flyer she finds at her apartment. The food is magical, and thus the book digs into the land of fantasy, starting slowly and then jumping off the cliff talking about bacteria and other tiny creatures.
While I enjoyed the realistic parts very much, and found the main characters interesting and enjoyable, I started to find the second part of the book not to my liking, but then, I am not a reader of fantasy fiction.
As the books spins off into the sci/fi/fantasy world of bacteria and new biomes, you do pick up a sense of the science behind making sourdough starter. I did some googling and learned a bit more from the King Arthur website. It is an interesting science.
The point of the club is to be inspired by the book to cook something. As many of you might think, sourdough might be the inspiration, I am actually going to do something else. I made a nutrient dense food source: Nut Butter Stuffed Dates.
In the book, Lois meets a woman who is trying to create the perfect "fast food" that people can consume instead of our regular fast food. She wants it to be delicious, portable and nutrient dense. In honor of this part of the book, I introduce you to ...
Nut Butter Stuffed Dates
12 Barhi dates
1/2 c nut butter
2 T sugar free dark chocolate chips, chopped
1 T sunflower seeds or chia seeds
Pit the dates and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the nut butter, chocolate chips and seeds. Pick up a date and open up the center. Scoop up 1/2 t of the nut butter mixture and stuff the date. Set it on a plate and continue with the rest of the dates. Place uncovered in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve cold.
I was introduced to the Barhi date while we were in Palm Springs. This date is sweet and chewy, with a caramel taste to it. The flesh is smaller and rounder than most dates. This is the date in its rutab ripeness, which is brown with a fine skin cracking off it. The brown sugar chewiness is addictive and since these dates are only around for a short season, get two boxes when you find them!
