Cornbread Buttermilk “Mush”

Directions

1. Make the coconut buttermilk: Place the ingredients in a re-sealable container, secure the lid and shake to combine the coconut milk and lemon juice. Let the container sit for five minutes. Place it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use the buttermilk. Makes 1 cup; it should keep for up to a week.
2. Make the rescued dried fruit: In a small saucepan place the dried apricots and cherries, orange juice and honey, and stir to combine. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid just comes up to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat. Scrape the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and scraped bean to the saucepan. Stir the mixture to separate and distribute the vanilla seeds then let it cool in the saucepan.
4. Once the mixture has cooled, transfer it to a bowl, cover its surface with plastic wrap and press a plate or smaller bowl on top of it, as a weight. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, ideally, overnight.
5. Drain the soaking orange liquid from the bowl, reserving it for another use, or, if you like a sweeter dessert, you can add some to the “Mush.” Any fruit that isn’t used for the “Mush” can be used for yogurt parfaits or an ice cream topping. Makes 1 ¼ cups.
6. When you’re ready to eat, preheat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on the stove, gradually raising the heat from low to medium high. When the pan is hot, add the coconut oil, and once that’s hot, add the cornbread cubes and the coconut chips. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and gently, to make sure the cornbread cubes get toasted on all sides and that the coconut chips don’t burn (although you do want them to brown). Divide the toasted cornbread and coconut into two bowls. Pour half the buttermilk over each bowl and top each with half the dried fruit. Sprinkle the crushed sesame candies over both bowls. These amounts should be taken as suggestions. How much of each item you put in your bowl is entirely up to you. If you don’t want it too sweet, use less fruit and more of the coconut buttermilk—you can even leave the dried fruit out and maybe just add some extra sesame crunch.