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“The most common variety of elven rations, this vegetarian trail food is made up primarily of dried fruits, but regional variations can include seeds, nuts, legumes, and beyond.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 57
The best way to describe Quith-Pa from Heroes’ Feast is as a fruit truffle instead of a chocolate one. Packed with refreshing, fruity sweetness, toasty flavours, and no added sugar, it’s a great snack or dessert for those looking to try something new!
Additionally, they're small enough that you can easily pack them into a mini tupperware container and bring them with you for easy snacking on the go!
See below for my notes on the results and for some helpful tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast
Prep: 10 mins Cook: 1h Total: 1h 10 mins
Ingredients (makes 12 ish):
1 orange
6 ounces (1 cup) (170 g) dried apricots, coarsely chopped
¾ cup (70 g) unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted*
¾ tsp. (4 ml) pure vanilla extract
Kosher salt
* To toast the coconut: spread out the coconut in an even layer in a large, flat-bottom pan on medium-low heat. Stir frequently until almost all of the coconut has reached a toasty golden brown colour, about 8-10 mins.
Using a microplane, grate the orange peel to yield 1 ½ tsp. (8 g, about half the rind of a large navel orange) of finely grated zest. Squeeze the orange to yield 1 ½ tbsp. (15 ml) of juice.
In a full-size or mini food processor, combine the apricots, ½ cup (25 g) of the toasted coconut, the orange zest and juice, vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt.
Process until the mixture is very finely chopped, uniform, and cohesive, pulsing and stopping to scrape down the sides of the work as necessary.
Put the remaining ½ cup coconut in a wide, shallow bowl.
Roll scant 1-tablespoon (~18 g) portions of the apricot mixture into 1-inch balls, gently pressing as you roll to help them cohere (you should have 15 or 16 balls).
Working with three or four balls at a time, roll them in the remaining coconut, pressing them gently to help the coconut adhere.
Place the balls on a plate and rest them (to firm up and dry out slightly) for 45 minutes.
The balls will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for about 3 days.
TIP: They will be incredibly sticky while forming them. I recommend pressing the mixture together with your fingers to create the shape of a ball and then gently rolling them between your fingers (not your palms!) to finish shaping them.
You may need to brush off any mixture clinging to your hands a couple times while rolling it into a ball because the remaining stickiness from your hands will cause formed balls to break.
NOTE: If rolling them in a deeper, smaller bowl like I was, you may only be able to work with one or two at a time.
Overall, I would give this recipe a 4/5. Although the taste is great and they make a fantastic sweet snack for anyone trying to avoid added sugar, I feel like the effort/dishes to yield is a little low. Definitely at least double the recipe if you plan on making these yourself.
BONUS picture that didn’t make the cover photo: