Chocolate Rice Pudding

The other day I was invited to dinner so I offered to bring dessert as a way of working my way through PH's Chocolate Desserts. But it was a hot day (well, not as crazily hot as recent days) so baking something was out of the question. So I decided to make rice pudding, for the first time. It turns out better than I expected, but I guess I have to ask the other dinner guests to know if it's  any good. 

This recipe is simple, and comforting, which makes it a great choice when it comes to entertaining friends and family, or on a day when you feel too lazy to make something more elaborate.

INGREDIENTS:

Make about 5-6 servings

3 3/4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup Arborio rice

2 1/2 Tsp sugar

Pinch of salt

2 Tsp unsalted butter, at room temp.

7 oz bittersweet chocolate, Valrhona Guannaja preferred, melted

1/2 cup golden raisin

2 Tsp water

2 Tsp rum

METHOD:

In a small sauce pan, cook the raisin in the water-rum mixture until the liquid boils. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let the raisins absorb the liquid until they are plump. Drain.

Put the milk, rice, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then lower the heat so that the milk is at a slow and steady simmer. Stirring now and then. Allow the milk to simmer for about 12-15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through. Arborio rice, when cooked, still retains a slightly al dente texture so it will be firm in the center. 

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the butter. When the butter is incorporated, pour a little of this hot mixture into the melted chocolate and stir gently. Scrape the chocolate into the pot and stir it into the rice mixture until the ingredients are just combined. Mix in the raisins and spoon the pudding into serving vessels. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding to create an airtight seal, this prevents both water condensation and a solid chocolate layer to form at the top. Once the pudding reaches room temperature, put it in the refrigerator to chill.

Serve with slightly sauteed fruits like apples or pears, or caramelized rice crispies, or like I did, with raspberry coulis. 

Bon appetit!

Scrambled Eggs and Nova Lox on Rye

Have you ever woken up thinking "what am I going to have for breakfast/brunch?" Okay, so you could always go out and order something from your favorite neighborhood joint but if you live in Hyde Park, Chicago, the options are limited. And they are not even worth the money and the effort to get out, imo. It's a terrible college town!!!! (I could put more exclamation marks but you get the idea.) Of the four years that I've lived here, I went out for brunch once! Yes, you read that right, once! But that's partly because I'm a lazy bum who regular skips breakfast. Until I started making my own granola, but that's another post. My point is, sometimes I wake up during the weekends and go through a list of possibilities in my head: nothing, pancakes (which I sometimes make but unless someone comes up with a recipe that will make just enough pancakes for one, it's not something I go to regularly), omelets. That's about it. I know there are many more options out there but things like frittata and quiche take too long to make.

Anyway, this past weekend I decided to make something slightly different. I should credit the place where I get the idea from. I bet it's served in many other places but what did I tell you? I rarely go out for brunch. Technically, when I had this dish I wasn't ordering brunch either but oh well, it seems like a brunch item to me. Oh let me get back to the point, I had this at Marmalade Pantry in Ion Orchard, Singapore. I know you are going "What? You are in Singapore and you order something non-asian?" And I see your point, but hey, my friend took me there so who am I to say no??? 

So this dish is very simple, here's what you need:

INGREDIENTS:

Make 3 servings

6 eggs

1/3 cup milk, half and half, or light cream (clearly you know which choice is healthiest right?)

1 Tsp butter

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Slices of bread

Smoked salmon 

METHOD:

You could use your favorite kind of bread. I usually buy black bavarian rye when I want to make sandwiched. This one also happens to provide the most contrast if you are going to take a picture of your brunch and make your friends drool. Trim the edges of the bread, and cut each slice into halves. Toast the pieces while working on the other ingredients. Please don't ask me how long you should toast your bread or at what temperature. Just toast them until they are crunchy without burning them.

Now, while the bread is toasting away, let's make scrambled eggs. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and pepper. You don't need to add salt, the smoked salmon should be salty enough. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the mixture begins to set on the bottom and around the edge. use a spatula to move and fold the partially cooked eggs so that the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue to cook until the eggs are cooked through but still glossy and moist. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to stop further cooking. 

Arrange the toasted bread slices on a plate. Top them with the scrambled eggs followed by smoked salmon torn into smaller pieces. Garnish with some herbs. Dill is best but I didn't have any so I used cilantro instead. And here is the result:

Enjoy brunching!