Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- If using gelatin, reserve half of the measured filtered water in a small bowl and put the other half in the saucepan. At 1×, that is ½ cup in each. Do not sprinkle in the gelatin yet. Without gelatin, put all the measured water in the saucepan.
- Add the strawberries, homemade coconut milk, cocoa butter, raw honey, homemade vanilla and sea salt to the saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the cocoa butter has melted completely and the liquid is steaming but not boiling. The berries should soften and release color.
- Remove from the heat and let the entire base cool completely to room temperature before using the Ninja. Stir occasionally. Leave it in the saucepan or a heat-safe bowl while cooling, never in the Ninja while hot or warm. A cold-water bath around the metal saucepan can help; keep that water out of the drink.
- Once the base has cooled, sprinkle the optional gelatin evenly over the reserved cold water. Let it bloom for about 5 minutes, until swollen and softly set with no dry mound. Skip this step if omitting gelatin.
- Install the stacked blade assembly in the BN801 pitcher, add the completely cooled base below MAX LIQUID and lock the lid. Start on low, then increase to medium until the strawberries are finely puréed and the drink is evenly pink. Stop and wait for the blades before opening. For 2×, use two original-size blending runs; for 3×, use three.
- Return the blended base to the saucepan and warm gently while stirring or whisking. If using gelatin, whisk in the bloomed mixture until fully dissolved. Keep below a boil. When the cocoa-butter flecks have melted and the drink pours freely, pour into heat-safe mugs and serve warm. Never return the hot or warm drink to the Ninja.
Notes
GAPS: An occasional Full GAPS treat after diarrhea and abdominal pain have settled and all ingredients have been introduced and tolerated. Not an Introduction Diet recipe. Use homemade coconut milk and homemade vanilla without added sugar or non-GAPS additives.
Ninja temperature: Cool the entire heated base completely to room temperature before transfer. Rewarm only in the saucepan after blending. Never blend hot or warm liquid in the BN801.
Optional gelatin: Use the measured 1 tablespoon at 1×. Reserve half the recipe water for blooming; no additional water is added. At 1×, ½ cup goes in the pan and ½ cup is reserved. At 2×, reserve 1 cup and put 1 cup in the pan. At 3×, use 1½ cups in each. Bloom shortly before final warming, then whisk it into the warming drink until dissolved.
Time to allow: Let the base cool completely before blending, then warm it again. Cooling varies with the pan, batch, and kitchen temperature.
Other blenders: If your manufacturer specifically permits hot liquids, bloom the optional gelatin while the base heats, follow its hot-blending directions, then return the drink to the pan and whisk in the bloomed gelatin. The Ninja cooling pause is mandatory for the BN801.
Serving and storage: Best freshly warmed. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered container. Cocoa butter firms when cold, and gelatin increases the set. Rewarm gently and whisk. Cool completely again before any further Ninja blending.