Picnic

PICNIC spring 2021

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

After a long frigid winter, a few sunny weekends have filled us Cornellians with wild optimism. As soon as the weather hits 50 degrees, I take every opportunity to be outside.

With classes on zoom, there’s absolutely no need to be inside for a moment longer. I’ll take all of the vitamin D I can get, please!

That’s why this semester, Creme is bringing you along on our Picnic Edition. What better way to eat than soaking in the sun with friends in a COVID-safe way? In this issue, our E-board and Creative Staff tell tales of dreamy dinners, local entrepreneurs, birthday bashes, and springtime snacks- all enjoyed while out and about.

Pack your basket, spread out your blanket, and enjoy!

Abby Reing Editor in Chief

PHOTO: Hailey Schwartz

CONTENTS

4

The Joys of a Pandemic Picnic

6

Aloo Achar: Kamala’s Potato Salad

8

Niçoise Charcuterie

10 Kimbap 김밥 12

Ithaca Hummus

14

Twenty-One, Twenty-Fun: Strawberry Lime Mojito

16

Stolen-Ingredient Sangria

18

Hanami With Me

20

Red Bean Bread

Designed by Muffin Laosirichon, Helen Sturman, Ashley Jian Photo Cover by Abby Reing

The Joys of a Pandemic Picnic

by Hannah Rosenberg Nothing says pandemic-social-life quite like an outdoor picnic on a snowy January day. Home for winter break and eager to socialize

in a Covid-safe way, my friends and I set out to craft a comforting cold-weather menu and lay on beach towels, in a rebellious act of finding joy in the thick of the pandemic.

After a few days of deliberating the food, location, and optimal time, we decided on our location: Rockwood Hall State Park, only the finest yearsovergrown park that lies adjacent to a hospital and overlooks the Hudson River. Its eeriness, infrequent visitors, and scenery made it the perfect spot for a socially-distanced sojourn.

Lunchtime on a below-freezing day arrived, and Jacob, Ab, Madeline, and I filled our canvas bags with an assortment of cheeses, crudités, and desserts. Sticking to the now-ingrained pandemic protocols, we drove separately. We lugged our pounds of goods up a dirt path, mugs clinking against our sides, and journeyed to the top of the hill. Peak winter golden hour, the Hudson shimmered beneath us, orange huges streaked the trees, and an atmospheric haze drifted above the water. Snow fell, wind blew. It was exquisite, and I soaked in the moment.

Once we landed at a flat plot of grass (grass is the new sand), we spread out beach towels (fake summer until you make it), arranged the food, and began the feast. I had made a quinoa salad, filled with fresh herbs and chopped vegetables, rounded out with a citrus-balsamic vinaigrette, a bright dish for a cold day. We scooped that on our paper plates.

Alongside this healthfood classic, Ab had brought a collection of cheeses, salt-flecked olives, roasted

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red peppers, and a baguette, begging for us to rip it with our hands. Not a picnic without this classic combo, we took turns ladling Ithaca Hummus with carrots and gruyère-infused breadsticks. The food melded in our plates and danced in my mouth. All the dishes complemented each other, even the generic-brand Nutella, and the love I had for my friends in a time of isolation during that moment heightened the rich flavors of our picnic. We chatted, laughed, and interrupted bites of food to express the exuberance we felt enjoying the food together, the views, and our commitment to finding joy with each other during a time with so many restrictions.

When the cold whittled our fingers numb, we packed up, and headed back down the hill to the hospital parking lot, full of food and an abundance of happiness.

As we left, I reflected on how our friendship had evolved since the early days of the pandemic.

From early May, when we rounded up our cars in a train station parking lot, sitting in trunks and on the warming concrete, as kids rode bikes past us. Over the summer, we would spend hours each week lying in each other’s backyards, gazing at the stars, engaging in deep, questioning conversations about each other and life in this new world. The connection we yearned for roamed free. Crickets would chirp, dewy grass would embrace us, and 2:00 a.m. would soon arrive.

PHOTO: Hannah Rosenberg

So thank you, to my picnic pandemic pals, for helping me to remember to devour the small joys in the world, one quinoa salad and star-filled night at a time.

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Picnics have been synonymous with all my childhood memories — from potluck parties to picturesque picnic spreads with my parents. I can recall countless afternoons spent lounging on chequered blankets, surrounded by baskets and coolers filled with delightful treats, and close company to bring it all together.

When I was younger and my parents were still graduate students, my family lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our cozy community, part of a university housing neighborhood, was made up of many other international families. Every month, we’d all come together to have a potluck picnic, brimming with diverse and delectable dishes from cuisines around the world.

One of the most popular and savoured dishes was my grandmother, Kamala’s, aloo achaar, which is a traditional Nepali potato salad. Without fail, her serving dish would be completely empty and wiped clean, not even half-way through our picnics.

The zing of schezuan pepper combined with the roasted aroma of the sesame and heat of the chili, all infused into the comfort of potatoes, make this dish a spectacular sensory experience. It’s undoubtedly a necessary addition to any picnic, so go ahead and try it out!

Aloo Achar:

Kamala’s Potato Salad

by Priya Pradhan 6

Ingredients: 8- 10 small-sized potatoes, use waxy potatoes for the best result 3 tablespoons mustard oil ½ cup finely chopped fresh green cilantro ½ cup sesame seeds, brown sesame seeds preferred ¼ cup lemon juice ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi) ½ tsp turmeric powder ¼ tsp Szechuan pepper (timur) Water Fresh green chilies, add depending on your spice tolerance Salt, to taste

Instructions: 1. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Season with salt and add in unpeeled potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are tender, around 20 minutes.

2. Peel and dice boiled potatoes into bite-sized, one-inch cubes and set aside.

Optional ingredients:

3. Optional: Add in water-drained cucumbers, radish, or carrots at this step.

Thinly sliced carrots, radish, cucumber, or ½ cup peas If adding cucumber, marinate with salt to draw out the water for about 10 minutes. Drain the water out before adding it to the potatoes.

4. Dry roast sesame seeds and Szechuan pepper on a pan until aromatic or sesame turns a nice toasted brown shade, around 3 minutes. Grind roasted sesame seeds in a spice mixer or using a mortar and pestle.

5. To the potatoes, add salt, chili powder, cilantro, sesame seed powder, and lime juice. Also, add ½ cup of water and mix until well combined.

6. Heat the mustard oil, add in fenugreek seeds and leave in hot oil until blackened. Remove from the heat, add turmeric powder into the hot oil and pour hot oil over the potatoes. Savour the sizzle, but be careful with the hot oil!

7. Toss the potatoes until each piece is well coated.

If the achaar looks dry add a tablespoon or two of water and mix again.

PHOTO: Priya Pradhan

8. Set aside the salad for around 30 minutes at room temperature to allow the potatoes to absorb all the delicious seasoning!

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Niçoise Charcuterie

by Abby Reing

Salade niçoise (pronounced nee-swaz), perfectly captures the beauty of spring. The fresh vegetables, acidic dressing, and vibrant yellow egg yolks are impossible to resist snapping a photo of. Typically served cold, the blanched green beans retain their crunchy texture, and the potatoes won’t wilt the salad greens. Tuna or anchovies are traditionally included, but for a vegetarian picnic, I prefer to omit them.

Soft boiled eggs are a delectable protein, without the hint of the sulfuric chalkiness that often plagues hard boiled eggs.

Don’t believe my praise just yet? Gordon Ramsey himself has declared this dish as

“the finest summer salad of all”,

recounting making it on a yacht south of France.

Talk about summer paradise!

While this dish makes a wonderful salad, it also makes a lovely charcuterie-style spread at a picnic or barbecue. Drizzle or dip into the salad dressing, and enjoy sides of olives, bread, and nuts!

8 and a half minutes is golden, literally. The resulting yolks are canary yellow and creamy, without any drippiness.

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Dressing:

2. Add green beans to the water, along with a small handful of salt, cooking for 2-4 minutes. The beans should be slightly tender but still crisp and bright green. Plunge beans into an ice bath.

1 lb green beans 1 lb fingerling potatoes, halved 4 eggs Handful of cherry tomatoes Handful of mixed nuts Olives Fresh bread

1 Tbsp dijon mustard 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add eggs, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Plunge eggs into an ice bath to stop the cooking.

3. Add potatoes to the water, flet boil/simmer for about 10 minutes. You should be able to cut through one with a fork. Plunge into cold water.

In the meantime, mix together the dressing to taste.

4. Drain the vegetables, peel the eggs, and cut them in half using a lightly oiled knife.

5. Assemble all of the ingredients on a plate, charcuterie board, or over fresh salad greens.

Bon appetit!

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PHOTO: Abby Reing

9

Kimbap

김밥

by Janice Jung

Moms always told you not to play with your food, but when it comes to kimbap, exceptions need to be made. Kimbap, traditional Korean rolls, are a staple to any Korean picnic; they’re delicious, clean, portable, and most importantly, a delight to make. This playful finger food is endlessly customizable and is a treat to not only your tastebuds, but also your eyes.

The harmony of all the ingredients wrapped warmly in rice and seaweed creates a vibrant burst of flavors and colors that will surely steal the spotlight at your next spring picnic.

Making kimbap has always been a mother-daughter activity for me. My childhood is full of fond memories of summer days spent with my mother competing for the prettiest kimbap, laughing over burst rolls, and always eating a few too many while slicing them up. Below is a recipe for the most classic version of kimbap, but they can be filled with whatever your heart desires.

PHOTO: Janice Jung

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Ingredients: 2 Seaweed sheets (김 gim, nori) 3 Eggs 1 cup Spinach 2 Korean yellow picked radish (단무지 dan-mu-ji) 2 Crab sticks 4 Sesame leaves 2 Kimbap ham (ham cut into long strips) 1/4 cup Carrot 2 cups Rice 2 tablespoons Sesame oil 1 pinch Salt 1 teaspoon Cooking oil

Preparation: 1. Season the rice with a tablespoon of sesame oil and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly.

2. Blanch the spinach and squeeze out all the excess moisture. Season to taste with sesame oil and salt but make sure not to season too strongly.

3. Beat the eggs. Pre-heat a pan over medium-low heat and add a small amount of cooking oil to coat the pan.

4. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and cook the thin egg sheet evenly on both sides. Once cooked, slice the sheet evenly into long, thin strips.

5. Chop the carrots into short, thin slices and slice the ham into long strips.

6. Cook the carrots and ham lightly in the same pan over medium heat.

Assembly: 1. Place the seaweed sheet shiny side down in front of you and spread approximately one spatula of rice onto the seaweed sheet. You want to fill the sheet from the bottom and leave the top third empty.

2. Place all your prepared ingredients across the seaweed sheet, leaving about an inch gap from the bottom. To create a black seaweed border around your individual ingredients, simply cut your seaweed sheet into quarters and wrap each ingredient around with seaweed before placing it on your main seaweed sheet. Make sure to take your time and be careful! It might take some practice to get the kimbap to look the way you want them to but you’ll be able to do it.

3. Roll the seaweed carefully from the bottom, making the kimbap tight but not squeezing too hard which might tear the seaweed.

4. Apply a little bit of water to the top of the seaweed sheet so that the kimbap is closed seamlessly.

5. Get a sharp knife and slide the roll into bitesized pieces.

6. Admire the beautiful cross section and serve!

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Ithaca Hummus

by Connie Le

The Ithaca Farmers Market, filled with vibrant and diverse vendors selling everything from fresh honeycomb to hand painted pottery, is a beloved attraction for foodies and tourists in our own college town. It is also where Chris Kirby and his team sold their first cups of fresh hummus, focusing on flavors such as lemon and dill, lemon and garlic, and smoked chipotle. Kirby’s healthy snacking alternative found its way from its little stall at the Market into other Cornell spots in 2013 like Collegetown Bagels, GreenStar, and the Ithaca Bakery. But this is no longer a local brand tucked away in various Ithacan shops. Now, Kirby’s amazing and delicious flavors can be found in major grocery stores across the country.

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Indeed, the nation-renowned Ithaca Hummus brand, which has sold thousands of tubs of garbanzo bean goodness, started right here in our little college town.

Kirby began his journey in Rhode Island at Johnson and Wales University, where he earned his culinary degree. After working in the food industry, he then travelled to Ithaca to earn his bachelor’s degree in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell.

His passion to grow his hummus company led him to study the business aspects of the culinary industry while he perfected his recipes. From those first cups at the local Market, Kirby has built a successful and healthy snacking brand that can be bought from shelves in every corner of the country.

Although I had always passed by the vivid Ithaca Hummus tubs in our local Wegmans, a friend studying at Wake Forest University first recommended that I try their lemon beet variety.

His enthusiasm for the brand and excitement that it had begun at Cornell convinced me to finally stop in front of the dip sections of the grocery store and pick up my first batch of the once-local dip.

As I opened the packaging, the brilliant red of the hummus struck me first, which was quickly joined by a beautiful yet subtle smell of lemon.

Its creaminess and slightly tart flavor immediately entranced me, and I spent the next few days spreading it on every cracker, bread, and sandwich that I could get my hands on. After I had scraped every corner of the tub for the last bits of deliciousness, it took little persuasion to try the brand’s other flavors. I brought the zesty lemon and dill flavor to charcuterie lunches and shared the roasted red pepper variety with friends, who all vehemently agreed with me. Chris Kirby’s hard work in the early 2010s led me to my newest food obsession, and although I was not around to support his journey at that first booth at the Market, I feel proud to support his creation that started just a few blocks away from my college apartment.

PHOTO: Connie Le

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Twenty-One, Twenty-Fun:

Strawberry Lime Mojito

by Chase Lin Turning twenty-one is no longer what it used to be. Ever since the pandemic hit, what was once a glorious occasion to celebrate legal drinking has become a sour reminder of this drawn-out health crisis.

I happened to be part of the unfortunate bunch who were not able to carry out the birthday bash of our dreams. Nonetheless, I was able to salvage my birthday by holding a most memorable picnic over the summer with my dearest friends. Under the blanket of the night sky, we convened in a park along the Hong Kong harbor and dined on a selection of cheeses and fruits, Shake Shack burgers, a boba milk tea lava cake, and champagne (of course). While you can always keep it classy with bottled champagne, I thought I would share one of my favorite picnic cocktails, which will certainly make you feel all the fun of being twenty-one:

Ingredients: Serves 10 cups

2 ½ cups Bacardi Superior Light Rum 2 liters club soda 2 cups lime juice 1 cup granulated sugar 1 water 2 limes (sliced) strawberries (diced) a handful of mint leaves ice

Instructions: 1. Start by making a simple syrup solution, stirring granulated sugar into water in a saucepan over medium heat until fully dissolved. Let cool before using.

2. Put diced strawberries and mint leaves in a large pitcher and muddle with a big spoon to extract juices.

3. Squeeze lime slices over the pitcher before putting them inside.

4. Pour Bacardi Superior Light Rum, club soda, and lime juice into the pitcher. Stir until well combined.

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PHOTO: Chase Lin

5. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve in cups over ice and enjoy!

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Stolen-Ingredient Sangria

by Robert Brooks

This recipe was born out of necessity.

By November of my freshman year, I had spent all of my BRBs, which meant I could no longer rely on Nasties’ bountiful array of Pepsi Co. products to make drinks. I had to become resourceful.

And like many freshmen, I resorted to stealing from the dining halls.

At Appel, I stuffed my backpack with fruit. At Okenshields, I filled empty water bottles with juice.

And at Risley, I concealed a week’s worth of dessert in tupperware. Wanting to make a cocktail that utilized many of these stolen ingredients, I realized Sangria made the most sense, primarily because I could throw whatever I wanted into red wine and it’d still taste good. My goal with this recipe is for you to apply the same mischief to your meal plans.

There’s an unspoken thrill of taking more than what you should from a dining hall.

So, I hope you all have a little fun as you come up with your own ways of thefting these ingredients from Cornell Dining.

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Servings 2 people tipsy or 1 person significantly inebriated

Ingredients 1 bottle red wine 1 tbsp. cinnamon 16 sugar packets (about ⅔ cup) 1 apple, diced 1 pear, diced 4 oranges, squeezed (about 1 cup of juice) Optional but recommended: ½ cup of schnapps (peach or apple)

Equipment Pitcher - Using a Brita Filter (without the filter attachment) works great.

Microwave-safe mug Knife and cutting board

Steps 1. Empty sugar packets into a microwave-safe mug. Add ⅔ cup of water. Mix and microwave for 2 minutes. Mix cinnamon into sugar syrup.

2. Dice apples and pears. Juice the oranges.

3. Add sugar syrup to the pitcher and mix in about ¼ bottle of wine. Add the rest of the wine, orange juice, fruit, and schnapps (if using).

4. Let sangria sit overnight in the fridge so the flavors can infuse the wine.

Notes This recipe was developed pre-covid when it was much easier to steal large quantities of items from a dining hall. Since dining halls are no longer selfserve, you will need to abandon all sense of shame to ask for 16 sugar packets.

It shouldn’t be too hard to find oranges, apples, and pears. But cinnamon is a tricky ingredient to locate. Becker always had cinnamon pre-covid.

PHOTO: Melissa Shao

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hanami with me

by Madi Yeh

Hanami（花見/はなみ）directly translates to mean “flower viewing” in English, and is an annual tradition of picnicking in the warm, lush Japanese springtime. Early April marks the beginning of hanami season in Japan. Denoted by the blooming of beautiful, pink cherry blossoms (桜/さくら) throughout both urban and rural regions in Japan, it is tradition for families, couples, friends, and individuals to gather under the blossoms to picnic and appreciate nature’s beauty.

At its core, hanami is a celebration of new life and beginnings. Even without the beautiful scenery of cherry blossoms, you can still celebrate hanami by appreciating the natural beauty of your own surroundings, and participating in a hanami picnic of your own.

Here is a breakdown of the most essential traditional hanami foods that you’ll need in your hanami picnic basket: sakura mochi and hanami dango.

Ingredients:

(桜餅/さくらもち）

Sakura mochi combines the sweet taste of red bean paste with the chewy texture of mochi.

Decorated to look similar to a cherry blossom bud, sakura mochi is a type of traditional Japanese confectionery that is a must-have during hanami season.

Recipe:

7. Pound the sweet rice with a pestle until sweet rice is very sticky, but still maintains some rice grain shape. Divide the mixture into six portions.

2. (Optional) Soak the sakura leaves in water for 15 minutes to remove salt. Then dry the leaves with a paper towel.

8. On the prep surface, place a sheet of plastic wrap and spray a bit of water to ensure that the sticky rice does not stick to your surface. Place one portion of sweet rice and spread it into a rectangular shape (approximately 2x3 inches).

1. Rinse the sweet rice and soak it for at least 1 hour to overnight.

3. In the meantime, with wet hands, roll the red bean paste into 6 small balls.

4. Drain rice well and place in a large bowl. Add water and red food coloring to the rice, and mix until combined.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave twice in 3 minute increments. Mix well between increments.

Uncover the plastic wrap and mix. Then cover with a kitchen or paper towel for 5 minutes.

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6. Add sugar to the slightly cooled sweet rice and mix it all together.

9. Place one red bean paste ball into the center of your rice, and use the plastic wrap to help roll the rice over the bean paste, creating an ellipse shaped rice ball.

10. Finally, if choosing to use sakura leaves, place the leaf over the mochi ball, stem side down. Serve at room temperature.

Note: Mochi cannot be refrigerated, and is best enjoyed on the same day.

PHOTO: Anabel Maldonado

Sakura Mochi

¾ cups sweet glutinous rice (もち米/もちごめ） ¾ cups water Red food coloring 1 tbsp. sugar 5 tbsp. red bean paste (あんこ） Pickled sakura leaves (optional)

Hanami Dango

(花見団子/はなみだんご)

Representative of the arrival of spring, hanami dango is a colorful, chewy, and sweet treat that is most associated with hanami season. While there are many explanations for hanami dango’s pink, white, and green color, one of the most common beliefs is that it represents the life cycle of cherry blossoms—pink buds, white flowers, and then green leaves.

Recipe:

1. Combine mugwort powder and 2 tbsp. hot water in a small bowl and mix until combined. After 5 minutes, strain the mixture, discard the strained liquid, and set aside the mugwort paste.

2. In a large bowl, combine the Japanese rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and sugar. Mix until combined.

3. In small increments, begin adding the ¾ cups hot water to the dry ingredients, mixing after each addition. (Note: Do not pour all of the hot water at once) 4. Once the mixture reaches a thick, sticky consistency, stop adding water, and separate the dough into thirds. Mix one with red food coloring for a pink color, mugwort paste for green, and leaving one white.

Ingredients:

1 cups Japanese rice flour (上新粉/じょうしんこ） 1 cups glutinous rice flour (白玉粉/しらたまこ) ½ cups sugar ¾ cup and 2 tbsp. hot water 1 tbsp. mugwort powder (蓬/よもぎ) Red food coloring

5. Begin sectioning the dough into 8 even sized balls of each color, and roll into spheres.

6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the white dango in boiling water until they start floating, about 8 minutes. Stir in the beginning so the dango won’t stick at the bottom. Once floating, cook for another 1 minute. Remove dango from the water and immediately cool in iced water for 1 minute.

Then transfer to a plate.

7. Repeat to cook the pink and green dango.

8. Once all the dango are cooked, put one of each color dango onto a skewer, in the order of green, white, and pink. Serve at room temperature.

Mochi cannot be refrigerated and is best enjoyed on the same day!

Note: Cooking the dango in the order white, pink, and green can help to avoid color contamination

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Red Bean Bread

by Alex Castroverde

Growing up, my family would make a big deal of going to Chicago for two things: obviously the family, but also getting amazing Korean dishes. It was our once a month little vacation to grab all the essentials - kimchi, seaweed, spices, rice, etc.

However, my favorite thing to grab is this Red Bean Bread.

After grabbing all the groceries, my family would drive by the nearest Korean bakery to buy 10 of these and share it amongst our extended family as an outside picnic treat.

No matter how cold or how hot it is, we will all huddle together eating these Red Bean Bread and talking about life.

Filling Ingredients One can adzuki red beans 1-2 cups sugar, to taste 1 tbsp. bread flour

Dough Starter Ingredients 4 tbsp. bread flour 6 tbsp. water 6 tbsp. milk

Dough Ingredients 2 ½ cups bread flour, plus more for rolling 2 tsp. fast-acting yeast ½ cup milk ⅓ cup milk powder 1 stick unsalted butter, cubed 1 tsp. salt ½ cup sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk, for egg wash 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash Sesame seeds, optional

PHOTO: Maria DiGiovanni

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To Make the Dough Starter

To Make the Buns

1. In a small saucepan, add the water and milk, heating on medium heat until you can see steam rising from the pot.

2. Add the bread flour into the pan and stir together until thick paste forms. the saucepan from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

9. When the dough has finished rising,, lightly flour a clean surface with bread flour. Cut the dough into 10 small pieces. Roll out the dough into a circle (as big as your hands) and place the filling (as big as a golf ball) in the center. Seal the buns by pressing together the edges of the dough, making a sphere.

Place the buns on a greased baking sheet.

To Make the Dough

10. Let the buns rest for 30-40 minutes uncovered.

3. In a bowl, heat up the milk to about 110-115 degrees F (43.3-46.1 degrees C), then add the sugar and yeast. Let the mixture sit until frothy, about five to ten minutes.

11. Fill an extra pot with water and place it on the bottom rack of the oven, to create a water bath.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)

4. In a bowl or stand mixer, add the rest of the bread ingredients except for the butter and egg.

Mix.

12. Once the buns are finished resting, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C.)

5. Add the bread starter, the milk mixture, and egg into the dry ingredients. Mix until the ingredients look well-incorporated and the dough looks smooth. If using a stand mixer, mix with a dough hook on medium speed.

13. Cover the baking sheet with some aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Make sure the aluminum foil is air tight with no gaps. (I wrapped the buns twice with the aluminum foil.)

6. Add the butter, one cube at a time, mixing thoroughly between additions.

7. Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl. Cover with a rag or plastic wrap and rest in a warm area for one to one-half hours.

To Make the Filling 8. While the dough is rising, make the filling. Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan, set to high heat, and bring to a boil. Stir often to prevent the mixture from burning. Lower the heat to medium heat and continue to stir every 2 minutes at a simmer until it becomes a thick paste.

14. In the meantime, mix egg yolk with water to make an egg wash.

15. After 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil from the baking sheet, brush the tops of the buns with egg wash, and sprinkle the buns with sesame seeds. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the buns are golden brown.

16. Serve warm. I usually eat on its own, but my friends like to enjoy it with a glass of warm milk.

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C R E` M E de cornell