Taro Rice Pudding

One of the best desserts ever: Taro Rice Pudding (special) from Sunda

cPe 2011

Fancy Bread Pudding

Does the title sound healthy enough for you? :-p

Bread pudding is a dessert that I will forever love. I grew up with my Mom, Aunts and Grandma's constantly whipping up some bread pudding for a quick dessert and sugar fix. It is definitely a budget-friendly dessert as well, and if you're like me... you can have it as a breakfast treat as well ;-)

The traditional way my Mom used to make this pudding is by using slices of bread, buttering each slice, and spreading apricot jam onto each slice, then cutting it up into cubes. Add the same custard mixture (recipe below) on top and add raisins (if you like them). It's still my favorite way to make bread pudding.

However, as more ingredients become available and our palates evolve little by little, we've added various things into our basic bread pudding - everything from different fruits to nutella (nutella makes everything better), but I had never tried marshmallows in mine and thought I'd give it a try. The result was absolutely delicious and a recipe I'm glad to share with all of you because I know you'll love it too.

Basic Bread Pudding Ingredients:

1 loaf of italian bread, slices then cut into 1" cubes (you can use regular white bread too, but i like the texture italian bread gives)

2 tablespoons of melted butter

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups of milk

3/4 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

pinch of nutmeg

My additions to this recipe:

1/2 cup of chocolate chips

1/2 cup of fresh blueberries

1/2 cup of mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350C

2. In a casserole dish, spread out the bread cubes and drizzle the melted butter over it, then sprinkle your (optional) additions and mix to even out.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients

4. Pour the custard mixture over the pudding, making sure to get to all pieces of bread.

5. Bake for approx 30mins, or until a quick inserted knife comes out clean.

Traditionally, we have warm custard with our pudding, but you can add a dollop of fresh whipped cream or ice-cream. Enjoy!

cPe 2010

traditional clafoutis

well, here i am... very late on the clafoutis train :) however... i searched out the traditional cherry clafoutis recipe (a la julia child) and decided to make it one friday evening. it's so light, subtle, just sweet enough, and with a little punch of tartness from the cherries. it was perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. and... i feel guilty in admitting that i had a few pieces for breakfast as well. ok i don't feel guilty. ha!

now on to the recipe i used.

Julia Child's Clafoutis

ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 cups cherries, pitted
1/3 cup sugar
powdered sugar

steps: heat oven to 350F. blend the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour in a bowl using an electric mixer. pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered baking dish (lightly buttered). place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan. then remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. pour on the rest of the batter. place it back in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour.

you'll know it's done when the clafouti is beautifully puffed and brown (see above) and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. sprinkle with powdered sugar (generously!), and serve it warm or room temperature with a cup of tea.
and save a slice for breakfast the next morning. :)

cPe 2008

julius meinl kaffeehaus

julius meinl is a leading manufacturer of coffee, based in vienna, austria. i was first introduced to meinl while meeting up with a good friend for a 10day vacation in austria. not only was the flagship store beautiful (and impeccably clean), but the little cafe section was lovely. on my last day in vienna, we made it back to meinl so that i could buy a few gift items, and to catch our breathe with a cup of melange and a pastry. yum!
back in chicago, on southport & addison ave, sits one of two meinl locations in the city. even though i live in the suburbs, and it's a good 40-50 min drive away, when i want meinl, only meinl will do.
so we make our way to the southport location and sit for an hour or so, enjoying peace and quiet conversation.. or live music if it's a weekend evening. it's just the perfect place.
now! to the food of course.
when i'm hungry for more than coffee and sweets, and we've made our way there around lunchtime or early evening, i pretty much get the same thing every time: frittaten soup & a pate finger sandwich. the combo just hits the spot. then comes the best part: dessert
if there isn't an interesting special going on, i get a small melange and the ever-popular mohr im hemd (think: chocolate lava cake, but better).
the melange is half coffee (or espresso), half milk. it's perfect and just the way i like my coffee - milky! :)
the mohr im hemd... you just have to try it. it's chocolatey, warm, gooey molten core, powdered sugar dusted on top. it's divine.
not only is the coffee selection perfect, but the pastry and cake selection is more than enough. even the cupcakes are delicious!

the photo below is of a special coffee they had recently. it's similar to a caramel macchiato, except a tiny version of what you order at your local starbucks. it's the right amount of bitter espresso, frothy milk and a punch of caramel sweetness.

>> a very important side note: meinl serves rooibos tea, in not only the plain traditional way, but also the following varieties:
* rooibos vanilla
* rooibos fitness
* rooibos caramel - my fave
* rooibos nougat
* rooibos orange-quince
* rooibos plum
* rooibos rising sun
* rooibos strawberry cream
* rooibos wildkirsche

enough variety for you? :) i love the fact that they serve my favorite tea leaf, from my south africa. and what's even better is that you can purchase bags of the loose leaf, a box of tea bags and replicate it at home.
if you can't make it to meinl (and, at best, the vienna location), think about ordering a gift basket for yourself to give it a try. i promise it will brighten up your morning routine.

cPe 2008

peach cobbler

this is hubby recipe #2 ... for our love of peach cobbler, and our love of paula deen.

this was done word for word from paula's recipe, so i will just copy and paste it here:

Show: Paula's Home Cooking
Episode: Peaches

4 cups peeled,

sliced peaches

2 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup water

8 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Ground cinnamon, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.
Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

RESULT: here's a photo of my hubby's peach cobbler. YUM!

cPe 2008

peanut butter cheesecake minis

don't we all love paula deen? not only is she the the cutest and sweetest foodnetwork personality, but the food she cooks always looks so good. i was down in charlotte in january, visiting the hubby while on business, and i even mapped out the trip from charlotte to savannah... just to be able to eat at "lady & sons"... well, ok, it would've been a 3hr drive, and we didn't go. so until i find myself down in savannah, i'll continue to drool at her food on tv, and then attempt to make a few things afterwards.
yesterday's show (4.23.2008) entitled "game night appetizers" included hogs in a sleeping bag, etc. but what really caught my eye was what she made for dessert: peanut butter cheesecake minis. yum!
since it was a beautiful spring day in chicago, my sis, hubby and i took a walk to supertarget (my savior) and picked up what was missing from the ingredients list: mini reese's cups, 2 packs of cream cheese and cupcake liners.
i've never made cheesecake before, so i was hoping these mini cheesecakes would give me the courage to try a full-sized one soon!
anyway, here's the recipe, from the foodnetwork:

Peanut Butter Cheese Cake Minis Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Show: Paula's Home Cooking
Episode: Game Night (Appetizers)

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
12 bite-size peanut butter cups

Filling:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a standard muffin pan.
To make crust, in a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Press crust into bottom of each muffin cup. Put 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each crust.
Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Spoon cream cheese mixture over peanut butter cups and graham cracker crusts. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

> result: my sis and i couldn't wait for them to cool "completely" and tried one within 5mins of it coming out of the oven. yum! but... the cheesecake wasn't sweet enough for me. maybe it's because i used 1/3 fat cream cheese? i don't know.

so i took out some caramel creme sauce, warmed half a cup of it in the microwave until it was pourable... then added a dollop of it onto each mini cheesecake.
that did the trick! the peanut butter cup on the inside is a nice surprise too! :) thanks paula deen!

cPe 2008

toasty bananas foster

i have never been a huge fan of bananas, or anything banana-flavored. however, when i did a trial run of bananas foster for dessert, i was hooked. so maybe i only like syrup-y bananas. :)
after a dreary day at work, this fast, simple and decadent dessert will bring you lots of comfort - especially if you have a gigantic sweet tooth like mine.
i modified the recipe a bit, and also added some toasted coconut for an added texture and flavor.

ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamon
1 jigger of banana liquer
1 jigger of dark rum
3 bananas, peeled and sliced crosswise and lengthwise
1/2 cup fine coconut
french vanilla ice-cream

steps:
set the oven to 350ºF and pour the coconut onto a clean baking sheet. once the oven's ready, pop the baking sheet in and monitor the coconut as it toasts. mine took about 5mins i'd say (i wasn't monitoring too well). when it's toasted, let it cool on a cooling rack.
while that's going, get out a medium saucepan and start melting the butter over medium heat.
add the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamon to that and allow it to melt. once it's beginning to bubble, add the banana liquer and bananas. once the bananas are softening, add the dark rum. using a kitchen torch, light the alcohol and allow it burn off. hello flambé!
once the flames are out, scoop some ice-cream into a bowl and pour the sauce over it. (or spoon on the side).

add some toasted coconut to the top, and you're all done.

if you manage to have leftover sauce, store it in a small container and pop it into the fridge. you can warm some up the next day. :)

cPe 2008