I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be beginning a new dessert series… the Gems of Steven Universe!
The Sailor Moon dessert series was such an amazing experience for me. I got to get to know lots of awesome fans and revisit techniques I hadn’t done in a while. Your response was so overwhelming and wonderful! I really got to be creative in a regular and structured way, which was incredibly rewarding. I’ve wanted to do a new dessert series ever since I finished. Like the first one, it won’t be ALL series posts for the next months. There will be other recipes and features in there, but most will likely be the series. I’m really excited about this; thank you for all your support!
My goal for these desserts will be different. Rather than constructing a cafe style dessert for each one, I’m going for much simpler items that can be combined into delicious desserts for the fusions. I feel like this is a much better fit for this show.
Starting off with the most obvious first character… Steven Universe himself!
“Peach or pear or strawberry
Any kind is fine, you see!
Come on and share this jam with me!”
Connie Maheswaran, singing with Steven
“GIMME THE BITS! THE BITS! “
Steven demanding Fry Bits at Beach Citywalk Fries
“Donuts!
At the Big Donut.
They make the world go ’round,
A treat when you are down.”
Do or Do Nut, a song sung by Mr. Smiley in Big Donut’s training video
In a show filled with great characters, Steven is especially nuanced and wonderful to watch. He manages to be at turns earnest and childishly optimistic. The creators of Steven Universe absolutely nail his development; we are watching Steven grow in real time, and we see this in every detail.
At the end of the day, though, Steven is still a kid. A kid that loves donuts and fry bits (the leftover french fry bits bagged up for him by the owner of Beach City’s fry shop) and jam on biscuits shared with his best friend Connie. I wanted to create a dessert I know Steven would love… so what manages to capture all these things? Why not funnel cake topped with some tasty peach preserves?
Steven’s “Fry Bits” Funnel Cake with Peach Jam
Peach Jam
500g (about 4 cups) fresh peaches, peeled and chopped roughly
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp pectin
1. This recipe will be a little different since the jam is intended for immediate use, not for being preserved. In a small saucepan, combine the peaches, pectin and lemon. Heat them over medium heat, mashing some of the peaches, until they begin to release juice and boil. Once boiling, add in your sugar and boil the entire mixture for a good 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bowl and cover in saran wrap, allowing to cool completely. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Funnel Cake (Adapted from this recipe)
1 egg
30g (just over 2 tbsp) sugar
240ml (1 cup) milk
225g (1 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp) flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
vegetable oil, for frying
powdered sugar, for dusting
1. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, egg, and milk. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, and stir into the wet mixture until smooth.
2. You’ll be piping the batter into your hot oil, but if you overfill your bag you’ll end up with a mess, so only fill the bag with about 1/2 cup of batter at a time. Fill your bag with some of the batter and use a twist-tie to close the end of the bag. Don’t snip the bag until you are ready to pipe.
3. In a large skillet or pan, pour in about 2″ of oil and bring it up to 375F. To test if the oil is ready, drop in just a bit of batter… if it bubbles and rises to the surface after a few seconds, the oil is ready. Begin making your funnel cakes. Snip the tip of your piping bag and be ready to pinch the end closed again once your design is finished. I chose to pipe small stars, but this is a bit difficult; if you want to pipe round squiggles or any other shape that’s fine too! If you do choose to pipe a star shape, keep in mind you’ll have to work very fast. Once you’ve piped in a few cakes, allow them to fry until lightly golden brown around the edges, then flip over and allow to cook until light golden brown on the other side. Scoop out using a slotted spoon and allow to cool on a layer of paper towels. Repeat until you’ve used all your batter. While the funnel cakes are still warm, dust them liberally with powdered sugar. Serve fresh and still warm, with the preserves on the side.
This recipe was so, so delicious. I’m a lover of funnel cake to begin with, but the fresh peach jam put it over the top. My husband and I polished off way too much of this combination the past two days. I hope you love it half as much as we did!en.
