Happy New Year!

We followed the Japanese tradition of eating mochi (rice cakes made of pounded sticky rice) to bring in the New Year. Roasted in the oven for eight minutes at 450 degrees, our mochi pieces puffed up and became crispy and golden on the outside, and gooey and sweet on the inside. We use a dipping sauce of soy sauce and maple syrup mixed in about equal parts.

This year, we decided to try brown rice mochi. Somewhat unexpectedly, they were a huge hit. The whole grain provided a slight nutty flavor and a more robust texture to the treat. Many of the mochi pieces didn't even make it to the dipping sauce before being devoured!