French Toast with Chai Poached Pears & Mascarpone

& why I'm not sharing my child's face online

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

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Ever since Sagan was born, I’ve (obviously) taken a million photos of him (and with him). As his mother, I find him to be incredibly cute, and the temptation to share him on my social media page has been great. However, before he was born, Grant and I decided we wouldn’t be showing his face on social media, beyond his initial newborn photo. After discussing with others and doing some research, we both agreed that sharing an early photo was okay because baby’s faces change so quickly. I even thought maybe I’d continue to share a little more during the first few months while he was still young and shifting, but after we posted that first time, we decided that would be the last. I’ve shared a few since where you can’t directly see his face, but I will likely continue to share less and less of these as he gets older and more autonomous.

Because where do you draw the line? Babies change, children change, even adults change, but I’m a firm believer that any child of mine deserves privacy. And our main reason for hiding Sagan’s face is anonymity. I love my career, and being public-facing is part of it, but it’s actually not my favorite thing. It’s something you have to opt into and be prepared for, and even when you’re prepared, there’s a lot that comes with it: assumption, judgment, commentary. I can’t imagine subjecting my child to that, especially without their consent, and especially when they're young and don’t have the tools to deal with it.

I get recognized in public a good bit, and so does Grant and even our dog, Willow. The thought of someone recognizing Sagan when he doesn’t know who they are makes me uneasy, especially as he starts going to school. I would never want kids or parents to have preconceptions about him or his life as he goes through his formative years. I want him to be free to craft his own image or identity without judgment. It’s hard enough of as an adult to deal with the opinions of strangers, and I would never want to put that on a child, especially when they didn’t ask for it.

Another major reason for keeping Sagan private is, unfortunately, pedophiles and child predators. The internet is not a safe place for children’s photos, and that is just an uncomfortable and sad reality. Images get scraped off the internet all the time and end up on unsavory websites. In this piece by Professor Stacy Steinerberg on “sharenting,” she notes that 50% of pedophile image-sharing sites had originated on family blogs and on social media. Photos that seem innocuous can be manipulated or shared with perverted context. Especially with AI now, you have NO idea how an image is going to be utilized. That is enough for me to say, no thanks.

With the internet changing, AI exploding, tech companies shifting, we just don’t know where these images are going to end up down the line, who will have access to facial recognition, etc. I wish the internet could just be a cute scrapbook and that we could share memories in peace. There are so many photos I wish I could share, adorable family shots that have tempted me to break our promise. But instead, I text them to my friends and family, initiating a direct line of communication. And it forces me to take a step back and realize it’s okay to just have photos as memories. Not everything needs to go online.

I realize this is a controversial topic, and not everyone will share my same concerns. Everyone has a right to their own choice as a parent, and I really, really hope some of the nefarious things I worry about don’t come true, for anyone. Unfortunately, it’s easy not be aware of some of the ugly consequences, especially since sharing images online have been so normalized. I’ve been posting photos of myself since the Myspace days back in middle school, and I imagine most people don’t think twice about where those images could end up. I know I haven’t taken it seriously in the past. But the internet is a different place now, and I wish we lived in a different reality where innocence can just be innocence.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

You know I’m a yuzu lover through and through, and now that I’ve discovered candied yuzu peel, it’s game over for me. I’ve seen this candied yuzu from YuzuCo used as a cookie topping or as a garnish for drinks, but I also just eat it straight out of the bag like candy. There’s just something so special about the flavor of yuzu.

I went to try on my white jeans, but they were definitely too tight (yay, postpartum), so I treated myself to a new pair from Levi’s, the 501 90’s jeans in Ecru White, and I like them even better! The fit is absolutely perfect — not too skinny, not too baggy. I found these fit pretty true to size! And so comfy!

I’m a messy girl, I’ll admit it, and while I initially purchased this stain remover to deal with Sagan’s stained clothing, I’ve found that I’ve also been using it for myself. I’d seen plenty of recommendations for Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater Stain Treater Spray, and I can confirm it works VERY well. It even took out stains that had been tried already, as well as tomato sauce stains I got on our dining chairs!

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RECIPE!

I’ve had this idea for a recipe in my head for WEEKS, and I was so excited to finally make it. As you know, my sweet tooth is still raging, and a winter-inspired French toast just sounded like the ultimate dream. I’ve also been really into mascarpone, so incorporating that into the dish was a must.

You begin by making the mascarpone into a whipped cream by simply whipping it with heavy cream. I didn’t sweeten it because I didn’t want the dish to be overly sweet, and I find the flavor of mascarpone to be perfect on its own.

Then you poach some pears with water, chai tea bags, and maple syrup until they’re nice and soft and infused. Once those are done, you add some brown sugar to the pot to make a light syrup that you can drizzle over the French toast.

I used thick-cut brioche to make the French toast here, but I think it would also work well with sourdough!

This recipe was inspired by a few other recipes: Isabelle Heinken’s Chai French Toast with Caramelized Peaches from over the summer, Snixy Kitchen’s Chai Poached Pears, and Bojon Gourmet’s Mascarpone Whipped Cream.

French Toast with Chai Poached Pears and Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 2 pears, cored and sliced into eighths

• 3 cups water

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 2 chai tea bags

• 3 tbsp brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk (I used oat)

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 4 slices thick brioche

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

• 2-3 tbsp shaved almonds

• Optional: powdered sugar

1. Prepare your mascarpone whipped cream by adding mascarpone and heavy cream to the bottom of a large bowl, and whipping together with a handheld whisk until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over whip.

2. Add water, maple syrup, and tea bags to a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat, and then add pears. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until pears are soft.

3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pears, and set aside. Add brown sugar to the pot, and bring to a boil for 5 minutes to create a syrup you can use on the waffles later.

4. In a large shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Dip the brioche slices into the mixture, letting soak for a few minutes on each side.

5. In a large nonstick skillet, heat up butter on medium heat. Turn heat to medium-low, and add the brioche. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden.

6. Transfer the brioche to plates, and top each with a generous dollop of the mascarpone whipped cream. Top with the poached pears, some shaved almonds, and a few spoonfuls of the chai syrup. Finish off with powdered sugar, if desired.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for an Autumn Sheet-Pan Pearl Couscous with Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage and Goat Cheese! If you want to know what I’m eating these days, it’s meals like these! A great way to get in your veggies quickly.

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