Roll #2. A smash hit at a birthday potluck badminton croquet party in the park yesterday. DESSERT spring rolls, delicious, with a spicy fruity dipping sauce to go with. What a beautiful day it was….it truly is finally spring time here in Paonia. Spring ROLL time.

I’ve been on a spring roll roll the last few days, and had the fun idea for these when I couldn’t sleep one night. I took the Thai style dessert of coconut rice and mangos to a slightly more local level with sliced Paonia peaches from the deep freeze, added fresh chopped ginger and plenty of toasted organic coconut. I love to cook with what grows in these parts, (the North Fork Valley of Colorado, that is) and especially if it’s from my own backyard. I wanted to offer a dipping sauce, and had a jar of homemade elderberry honey syrup that I spiked with reduced-down-to-it’s-very-thickest-tartest-level peach juice, and, naturally – Sriracha, Vietnamese hot sauce. If you happened to see my last post on spring rolls, you know I love it. By the way, did you know Lay’s Potato Chips has a Sriracha flavor?! Haven’t tried them….have you?

This Sriracha comes without warning in a rich purple fruit sauce on a dessert platter. And it’s so good. The mint isn’t quite big enough yet to pick and garnish with, so I plucked a few lemon balm sprigs to garnish the plate.

You could use mangoes – I know they will be tasty. And you could make a blueberry, or blackberry sauce instead of elderberry….my bushes were absolutely FULL with so many elderberries  (see here, and find the recipe for elderberry honey syrup) last fall that between me and the birds and giving away to friends, I still froze 5 or 6 quarts.

The coconut rice, made with sticky sushi rice, cold pressed coconut oil and a dollop of honey, is perfect in these fresh spring rolls. And you’ve got a gluten free dessert that really will receive raves. These did!

Coconut Rice, Peach and Ginger Dessert Spring Rolls

Makes 9 or 10 spring rolls, perfect sliced in half for a party.

• 1 c. dry sushi rice
• 2 c. water
• 1/4 – 1/3 c. quality cold pressed coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. or to taste honey

Bring rice in water to boil in a medium uncovered saucepan. Lower heat to simmer, cover, and cook rice – about 20 minutes, until tender. Stir in coconut oil and honey, and set aside.

• 3 – 4 c. sliced peaches, or mangoes (nectarines would be lovely, too!)
• 1/4 c. finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 c. toasted dried coconut (unsweetened)
• 9-10 sheets (or until the ingredients run out) round rice paper

Assemble all the ingredients at your kitchen work space. In a wide flat cake pan, or other dish, pour in about an inch of warm water. Soak one sheet of rice paper at a time, a minute or two, until very pliable. Rice paper, though tender at this state, is remarkably durable. Lift from the water, and assemble like this (I made a little “trough” in the rice to hold the peaches – mine were frozen/thawed):

– then roll up burrito style, folding the ends over the filling “log”, then, beginning closest to you, roll up and over the filling, tucking everything tightly, until the roll is complete.

Make a fruit sauce by simmering (with a little water), mashing and straining your Purple (or otherwise) Fruit Of Choice, 2 or 3 cups worth, adding honey to taste ( at least a 1/4 cup or so,  and a few drops of Sriracha, Sambal Oleek, or other Asian hot sauce. Lift, dip and enjoy!