I recall my mother’s rice pudding with much fondness. It was a creamy pudding with raisins and a nice cinnamon flavor. Although, as a kid, raisins didn’t really appeal to me, they seemed to belong in this pudding. My father was a ‘meat and potatoes’ kind of man with an inherited love of sweets. I rarely ever remember my mother preparing a meal that didn’t end with some kind of dessert. It didn’t have to be anything elaborate. To this day, I still think a meal isn’t complete without a little sweetness at the end. Not a good thing as we get older.
Rice puddings are found in nearly every corner of the world. Milchreis is the German version, made by cooking short grain rice on the stove top in milk with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.
Due to the mildness of this pudding, you can change the flavor significantly by just making a few changes such as nutmeg or cardamom instead of cinnamon, adding fresh or dried fruits and/or nuts.
That brings me to rhubarb — I love everything about the plant — how good it tastes, the beautiful huge foliage in the garden and how it can keep on producing all season long. The uses of rhubarb are endless, both sweet and savory.
Bordering one side of my mother’s large country garden grew six or eight rhubarb plants. I can’t even remember all the things she made with it but one thing still remains and that’s my love for it.
Today, January 22, our family celebrates the birthday of my sister, Marilyn. Birthdays were always made to be special as we were growing up. Not so much as to gifts but in regard to the family acknowledgement of ‘your’ day especially food wise.
For something I think holds a special nostalgic memory and to mark the occasion even if we can’t be together, I have prepared a German rhubarb crumble rice pudding.
BRION & I ARE THINKING OF YOU MARILYN & SEND OUR LOVE & BIRTHDAY WISHES.
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German Rhubarb Crumble Rice Pudding
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Instructions
Rice
Place the milk, rice & sugar in a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat & bring to a simmer. Cook 45-55 minutes on medium low, stirring occasionally so bottom doesn't scorch, until it reduces by about half.
When thickened, remove from the heat, let it cool. Pour into a bowl or 4-6 individual custard cups you will serve from. Pudding can be served warm or cover & refrigerate.
Rhubarb Compote
Add rhubarb, sugar & ginger to a small pot. Over medium heat, cover & bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes at a simmer until rhubarb has softened but still keeps its shape. Set aside to cool.
Crumble
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In a bowl mix all the ingredients & bring it together with your fingers or a fork. When fully mixed, spread it on a lined baking sheet & bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned & crispy. Remove & cool.
Serving
Spoon a generous portion of the rhubarb compote on top of the pudding, followed by a generous portion of the crumble mixture.
Crumbles have everything. They are sweet/tart, yielding, crunchy and caramelized. Another beauty of crumbles is that they have so few ingredients, sometimes as few as four – fruit, flour, butter and sugar – which, with the addition of heat, transform themselves into puddings of sublime comfort.
The most likely origin story for crumble is that it originated in the United Kingdom in the 18th century. At that time, crumble was known as ‘cottage pudding’ and was a more accessible and simpler alternative to pastry-based pies, which required more ingredients and time to prepare. Crumble gained popularity in Britain, Ireland, and across the Commonwealth of Nations, becoming a ‘national institution’.
While the exact origin of ‘banana’ crumble is less clear, the dessert is a variation of the traditional crumble, featuring bananas as the main fruit component. Have you ever wondered why you see crumble recipes for berries, pears, apple – just about any fruit but bananas? Generally, bananas don’t come to mind when we think about fruit desserts like crisps or crumbles. We naturally assume that they would not hold up to being baked. However, it all comes down to the ripeness of the bananas being used. You want the banana to be ripe as far as being a nice bright yellow without any green on it or any signs of starting to over ripen.
I think you will find banana crumble is extremely good all by itself but is made even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Banana Crumble
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Instructions
Topping
Combine all the topping ingredients ( except pecans) in a medium size bowl & work them together with your fingers until they become crumbly. Add the toasted pecans to the bowl. Stir to mix. Refrigerate the topping while you make the filling.
Filling
In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar & stir until it dissolves, about 3 minutes. It will become a wet looking mass of sugar that slides around the pan. Stir in the cinnamon, cardamom & salt. Add the orange juice, be careful it will sizzle up & splatter a little bit. Cook about one minute until it thickens slightly.
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Add the banana chunks & toss gently until they are coated. Divide banana chunks with sauce evenly between 6 ramekins. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the bananas.
Bake until topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
The term ‘mandarin’, sometimes called ‘kid-glove oranges’, is characterized by deep orange skin with easy peeling and separation of sections. This popular widely known fruit goes by a variety of names, creating some possible confusion at times as to which plant one is dealing with. Commonly known as mandarin in much of the world, the fruit is most often called tangerine in North America.
The tangerine has a long history. Its name comes from Tangiers in Morocco, the port where the fruit was first shipped to Europe and Florida in the United States in the 1800s. But prior to that, tangerines had been cultivated in China and Japan for over 3,000 years.
This light, summery dessert combines the ever-popular flavor pairing of orange and chocolate. Elegant and easy at the same time. Perfect for a summer dessert!
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Mandarin Jelly w/ Chocolate Mousse
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Instructions
Jelly
Soak gelatin in juice for 10 minutes. Heat until gelatin & sugar dissolve. It is important not to bring to a boil, otherwise everything will deteriorate. Strain & pour into serving molds to 2/3 of the height. Cover jellies & place in the refrigerator.
Chocolate Mousse
IMPORTANT NOTE: This shortcut mousse sets quickly so wait to prepare it when your jelly is set.
In a medium bowl, combine cocoa powder & instant pudding powder. Add the heavy whipping cream & mix with an electric mixer on medium-high for 1 minute.
Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip & make a large swirl on top of jelly. Garnish with zest if desired.
Recipe Notes
- I just used some simple syrup to candy the tangerine zest but they are fine just left plain.
Cobblers are simply delicious desserts. Often made with in-season fruit—from strawberries in the summertime to apples in the fall. Pairing pomegranate with apples seems like a good choice except when it’s already March. Fresh pomegranates are available usually from September through January. But then if you’re using pomegranate juice that makes it feasible.
The pomegranate is a unique fruit with distinct edible seeds. The brilliant color and odd shape are eye-catching. Because of their high amounts of these antioxidants, pomegranates have gained a reputation as a superfood.
Yet, despite its health benefits, the consumption of pomegranates is relatively low in our country in comparison to other fruits for several reasons. First is its limited availability. In addition, they are expensive, and it also takes a bit of work to get through to the sweet fruit.
But nevertheless, the popularity of pomegranates seems to be growing. They have crept into salads, main courses, smoothies and even alcoholic mixed drinks. Now there is even pomegranate-flavored candy and gum.
These nice little individual cobblers are some of that comfort food we all like to enjoy but with a healthy twist.
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Pomegranate Apple Cobbler
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Instructions
Apples
In a large pot over medium heat, simmer pomegranate juice for 5-8 minutes.
In a small dish, combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, spice & salt. Add prepared apples & sugar/cornstarch mixture to pomegranate juice.
Simmer apple mixture for 10 -20 minutes or until apples are soft. Remove from heat & divide evenly between 8 ramekin dishes. Set ramekins on a large baking tray.
Biscuit Dough
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In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt & sugar. Add cold butter, then using a pastry blender or your finger tips, work butter into flour mixture until it resembles small peas. Add cold milk & combine with a fork ONLY until mixed.
Top each ramekin with dough, dividing it evenly between them. If you wish, you can sprinkle them with coarse sugar.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until biscuit dough test done with a wooden pick.
When baked you can serve them right in the ramekins or flip them upside down on serving plates. If you wish you can serve them with whipped cream or ice cream & top the with pomegranate seeds.
Autumn is upon us and love it or hate it, pumpkin spice season is well underway. It all started with the introduction of the famous Starbucks ‘Pumpkin Spice Latte’ in 2003. Strangely enough, as a kid, I wasn’t crazy about pumpkin at all. But that was then, now I’m one of those who loves everything pumpkin.
The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling and the air is filled with the ‘flavors of fall’. With both apples & pumpkins in season right now its hard not to enjoy making use of them.
As usual, this recipe started out with a simple little no-cook pudding but got an upgrade with some spiced, caramelized apples. Yum!
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Pumpkin Spice Custard w/ Caramelized Apples
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Ingredients
Caramelized Apples & Cranberries
Ingredients
Caramelized Apples & Cranberries
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Instructions
Caramelized Apples & Cranberries
In a medium pot, melt butter then add water & sugar. When the caramel is golden brown, add the cranberries, swirling them into the caramel. When the cranberries begin to burst, add the apple & orange zest, then sprinkle with the spices. Lower the heat & simmer 5-10 minutes to thicken. Do not over cook the compote as it will thicken when cooled.
Transfer to a heat resistant glass bowl & cool to room temperature, then cover & chill.
Pudding
In a large bowl, beat pudding mix, pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar & spices until smooth & creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Chill for an hour before assembling with fruit.
Assembly
In serving glasses of choice, layer the pudding with caramelized fruit compote. Top with a dollop of whipped cream & a sprinkle of gingersnap crumbs if you wish.
Recently we purchased a bag of apples that turned out to be a bit too mealy to eat fresh. Making them into applesauce seemed like the best solution to the problem. One thing for sure, there’s no shortage of ways to make use it it, from an oatmeal stir-in to a pork meat accompaniment.
Baking with applesauce to replace some or all of the fat adds fiber and reduces calories in cakes, muffins and breads. Because of its water content, it will also help keep baked goods moist and fresh longer. Applesauce acts like the fat because it keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery texture. I’ve noticed that sometimes you need to lengthen your baking time a bit when using applesauce.
Over the years there have been countless recipes for various pudding cakes. While baking, the cake portion rises to the top and a creamy pudding-like sauce forms on the bottom. This fall version does not disappoint.
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Carrot Pudding Cake
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with baking spray.
Using a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar & spices.
In a medium bowl, whisk together applesauce, milk, melted butter, vanilla & grated carrots. Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into dry ingredients; scrape batter into baking dish.
In a small bowl, whisk together white & brown sugar & either chopped walnuts or whole pepita seeds. Sprinkle over batter. Carefully pour the hot water over the top.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until middle is set. After removing from oven, allow to cool for 10 before serving with ice cream or whipped cream.
Pudding cake is kind of a magical concept that lies precisely at the intersection of cake and pudding. When you mix it, it looks like a very light cake batter. But, as it bakes, it separates into two layers. The top is the lightest cake ever and the bottom (in this case) is an intense lemon pudding with some fresh ‘seasonal’ saskatoons.
Of course, overtime, there have been many versions of this classic dessert developed, all of which are no doubt delicious. You have to love a dessert that practically garnishes itself, right?! Sometimes, old recipes really are the best.
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Lemon Saskatoon Berry Pudding Cake
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Instructions
Saskatoon Berry Compote
In a small saucepan, combine berries, sugar & 1 tsp lemon juice; heat until bubbling. In a separate dish, combine cornstarch & water; pour into berry mixture. Stir until thickened & remove from heat.
Pudding Cake
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 6 ramekins (or a 10-inch glass dish). Divide the saskatoon compote between the ramekins; set aside.
Grate 1 Tbsp of lemon zest. Squeeze 1/3 cup lemon juice. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt & 2/3 cup sugar. In another bowl, whisk together YOLKS, milk, lemon zest & juice. Add to the flour mixture; whisk until completely blended.
In a bowl, beat WHITES until soft peaks form; add the 1/4 cup sugar slowly & beat until medium peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of the whites into flour mixture; our this mixture over the remaining whites. Whisk together using a folding technique to keep from deflating egg whites.
Pour the batter into ramekins & place them into another larger pan. Fill the bottom pan with water as high as it can go without floating the ramekin dishes.
Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on the size of ramekin dishes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- I flipped my little puddings over so all those pretty saskatoon berries could sit on top.
Chances are good, you’ve tried rice pudding at least once. That’s because humans have been eating the dish for thousands of years across the world.
Today, rice pudding is considered a humble dessert …. a simple mixture of rice with milk, sugar and spices. But for centuries, rice pudding held a place of distinction in the royal courts of Europe. Because rice did not grew well in the European continent, it had to be imported from Asia along the Silk Road or by water. The extensive trade routes made rice an expensive commodity that only the rich could afford. As the world seemingly grew smaller through the effects of globalization, the import of rice became affordable and common.
Many early rice puddings did not resemble the sweet dessert we think of today. This sweetened version didn’t arrive until the 15th century. Usually rice pudding is sweetened with white or brown sugar, honey or dried fruit, but you can also use maple syrup, jam, date sugar or fruit juice concentrate.
Different varieties of rice lend their own tastes and aromas. I opt for Arborio, which makes the pudding creamy even when I use low fat milk or non-fat milk. Fruit, whether fresh, dried or candied is the puddings perfect partner. Today, rice pudding is considered an easy and versatile dessert which many of us associate with our childhood.
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Baked Apricot Rice Pudding
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Instructions
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In a bowl, combine egg whites, egg, milk, sugar & vanilla. Beat until combined but not foamy. Stir in cooked rice, snipped apricots, cardamom & orange zest.
Place 4 custard cups in a rectangular baking dish. Divide rice mixture among dishes, Place baking dish on an oven rack. Pour boiling water into the baking dish around custard cups to a depth of 1-inch.
Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until just set, stirring after 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled. Garnish with slivered apricots & pistachios.
