(no subject)
Oh my goodness, I have never in my life before had freshly grated nutmeg, and it simply one of the best smelling and tasting things I have ever experienced in my life! I also just found the recipe for one of the simplest and most delicious desserts I've ever had - which uses said freshly ground nutmeg.
Delia Smith's Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding
This is the real thing - a mass of creamy rice and a think brown speckled nutmeg skin. Don't forget to take a sharp knife and scrape off all the bits of caramelised skin that stick to the edges - my grandmother always did that and gave everyone as equal amount.
Serves 4-6
6 fl oz (175 ml) pudding rice (I used koshikikari sushi rice and it seemed to work just fine)
14 1/2 fl oz (410 g) evaporated milk
1 pint (570 ml) whole milk
1 1/2 (40 g) golden granulated or caster sugar (use brown sugar rather than white if you don't have caster - you really want the caramel flavour)
1 whole nutmeg
1 oz (25 g) butter
You will also need a round oven proof dish with a diameter of 9 inches (23 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) deep, lightly buttered.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300 degrees F (150 degrees C)
This is simplicity itself, because all you do is mix the evaporated milk and whole milk together in a jug, then place the rice and sugar in the ovenproof dish, pour in the liquid and give it all a good stir. Grate the whole nutmeg all over the surface (it may seem a lot but it needs it), then, finally, dot the butter on top in little flecks.
Next just carefully pop the dish in the oven on the centre shelf and leave it there for 30 minutes, then slide the shelf out and give everything a good stir. Repeat the stirring after a further 30 minutes, then pop the dish back in the oven to cook for another hour, this time without stirring. At the end of this time the grains of rice will have become sowllen, with pools of creamy liquid all around them.
Serve with plums baked in marsala, or any other type of poached/preserved fruit. Or fresh fruit I suppose. Or just cream - but it is pretty rich, even I couldn't handle a bowlful. But that might have had something to do with the fact that I made it entirely with evaporated milk (because it's such a novelty - milk in a can!) and it evaporated even more (well, duh) and got way too concentrated - it was still nice, but yeah, way rich. So don't do an Amarena: make sure you follow the recipe to the letter! Also, I didn't need to cook mine for the given 2 hours, 1 1/2 hours was plenty - but really pudding rice might take longer, and I do have a fan forced oven, and I think they're meant to be hotter (some cook I am)
Anyway, while I am extolling the virtues of fresh nutmeg - I shall give you my recipe for Chai-Tea! It's not too bad, if I do say so myself, so please give it a go and let me know what you think.
The amounts are fairly vague - but it's all based on personal taste - so feel free to mix and match!
Put a mugful of milk (dairy milk is creamier, but soy is nicely nutty in this drink) in a saucepan with 3/4 of a teaspoon of dried powered ginger, 1/2 a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a few grates of freshly ground nutmeg and two or three whole cloves. Slowly bring to simmering point then put the hot milk into your mug (add a teaspoon of honey if you like it sweet) and dunk a black teabag in there 'til you reach your desired strength. Yum!
And one more thing, that isn't a recipe: it hit me this evening, I find that I am missing Dr Who an awful lot. :(
Delia Smith's Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding
This is the real thing - a mass of creamy rice and a think brown speckled nutmeg skin. Don't forget to take a sharp knife and scrape off all the bits of caramelised skin that stick to the edges - my grandmother always did that and gave everyone as equal amount.
Serves 4-6
6 fl oz (175 ml) pudding rice (I used koshikikari sushi rice and it seemed to work just fine)
14 1/2 fl oz (410 g) evaporated milk
1 pint (570 ml) whole milk
1 1/2 (40 g) golden granulated or caster sugar (use brown sugar rather than white if you don't have caster - you really want the caramel flavour)
1 whole nutmeg
1 oz (25 g) butter
You will also need a round oven proof dish with a diameter of 9 inches (23 cm), 2 inches (5 cm) deep, lightly buttered.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300 degrees F (150 degrees C)
This is simplicity itself, because all you do is mix the evaporated milk and whole milk together in a jug, then place the rice and sugar in the ovenproof dish, pour in the liquid and give it all a good stir. Grate the whole nutmeg all over the surface (it may seem a lot but it needs it), then, finally, dot the butter on top in little flecks.
Next just carefully pop the dish in the oven on the centre shelf and leave it there for 30 minutes, then slide the shelf out and give everything a good stir. Repeat the stirring after a further 30 minutes, then pop the dish back in the oven to cook for another hour, this time without stirring. At the end of this time the grains of rice will have become sowllen, with pools of creamy liquid all around them.
Serve with plums baked in marsala, or any other type of poached/preserved fruit. Or fresh fruit I suppose. Or just cream - but it is pretty rich, even I couldn't handle a bowlful. But that might have had something to do with the fact that I made it entirely with evaporated milk (because it's such a novelty - milk in a can!) and it evaporated even more (well, duh) and got way too concentrated - it was still nice, but yeah, way rich. So don't do an Amarena: make sure you follow the recipe to the letter! Also, I didn't need to cook mine for the given 2 hours, 1 1/2 hours was plenty - but really pudding rice might take longer, and I do have a fan forced oven, and I think they're meant to be hotter (some cook I am)
Anyway, while I am extolling the virtues of fresh nutmeg - I shall give you my recipe for Chai-Tea! It's not too bad, if I do say so myself, so please give it a go and let me know what you think.
The amounts are fairly vague - but it's all based on personal taste - so feel free to mix and match!
Put a mugful of milk (dairy milk is creamier, but soy is nicely nutty in this drink) in a saucepan with 3/4 of a teaspoon of dried powered ginger, 1/2 a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a few grates of freshly ground nutmeg and two or three whole cloves. Slowly bring to simmering point then put the hot milk into your mug (add a teaspoon of honey if you like it sweet) and dunk a black teabag in there 'til you reach your desired strength. Yum!
And one more thing, that isn't a recipe: it hit me this evening, I find that I am missing Dr Who an awful lot. :(