Peanut Muscovado Milk Recipe (by State Bird Provisions)

Nicole Krasinski

Nicole Krasinski is the Pastry Chef/Co-Owner of State Bird Provisions and The Progress in San Francisco, and co-author of State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook. In 2011, Nicole and co-owner Stuart Brioza opened the award-winning State Bird Provisions and The Progress in 2014 to critical acclaim. Both restaurants have held a Michelin star for several years and have received too many accolades to list, but among which are: the James Beard Best Chefs West 2015, Tasting Table's Best Pastry Chefs 2013, and Bon Appétit's Best New Restaurant of 2012.

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Chefs Nicole Krasinski and Stuart Brioza are two chefs unafraid of taking on unconventional flavor profiles. But their wildly successful restaurants are living proof of how experimenting with unique ingredients and flavors can have a huge payoff. While Stuart heads the savory side, Nicole drives the pastry of their restaurants and cookbook, and was kind enough to share her Peanut Muscovado Milk recipe with us.

It's a rich, nutty, and creamy milk, enriched by the fat of the heavy cream and the sweet caramel flavor of the muscovado sugar and rice syrup. When serving, this drink has a "momentary" dramatic element to it, where the syrup and milk briefly dance in unison before blending the dark and light into pale caramel pastel.

Ingredients

Makes a generous 1 quart

Peanut Milk

• 190 grams skin-on Spanish peanuts (6.7 ounces, 1 1⁄3 cups)
• 960 grams whole milk (34 ounces, 4 cups)
• 460 grams heavy cream (16 ounces, 2 cups )
• 480 grams water (16 ounces, 2 cups)
• 100 grams granulated sugar (3.5 ounces, 1/2 cup)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Muscovado Syrup

• 100 grams dark muscovado sugar (3.5 ounces, 1⁄2 cup)
• 120 grams water (4.2 ounces, 1⁄2 cup)
• 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup

Equipment

Make The Syrup

1. Combine the muscovado sugar, water, and rice syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, frequently stirring and scraping the pan, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Make The Peanut Milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread the peanuts on a baking sheet and roast, shaking the pan often, until light golden brown beneath the skins and very aromatic, about 15 minutes.

2. Combine the peanuts, milk, cream, water, and granulated sugar in a large saucepan. Use a knife to scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pan and then add the pod. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring every 15 minutes or so and lowering the heat if necessary to maintain the gentle simmer, until the liquid looks a little creamier, about 1 1⁄2 hours. (Even better, though, is to taste afer 1 hour, then keep cooking until the liquid tastes even more peanutty, about 30 minutes more.)

3. Discard the vanilla bean pod. Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender, working in two batches) to pulse the mixture just enough to break the peanuts into small pieces. Don’t overblend! Let the mixture cool, transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. The longer the better.

4. Strain the mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a large airtight container and skim of the thick foam. Discard the solids. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

5. Spoon 1⁄2 to 1 tsp of the syrup into eight glasses.

Reprinted with permission from State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook by Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski with JJ Goode, copyright © 2017. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photography courtesy of Ed Anderson © 2017

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