Monday, August 14, 2006

Surprised by Brown Rice Pudding...

I've only had rice pudding once and it came from one of those little ready-to-eat cups... I was not too impressed. Jeff can be kind of finicky when you start adding what would be considered more savory to sweet items, but he gave the go-ahead and said he would try it since he has never had rice pudding before.

Brown Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Dried Cranberries was pretty fun to throw together since I've never made this kind of pudding myself. Because I used brown jasmine rice, it did take awhile to cook, but I used what we normally have on hand. I don't know if using that changed the texture much from a white rice though. Once the rice is tender, evaporated milk, freshly ground cardamom and honey are mixed in. This bubbles away for a couple of minutes and you end up with a thick, creamy and not too sweet pudding. While still warm, dried cranberries are stirred to enliven the dish with a jeweled color and a bit more sweetness. The chewiness they added was a great combination with the creamy texture. I also like how flecks of the fragrant cardamom stand out against the stark pudding. Jeff, who often finds out he actually likes dishes he would never eat before, gave this two spoons up - I agree!

It was a pleasantly cool over the weekend, but the humidity slowly crept up today. Thinking of the cooler temperatures coming got me in the mood to heat the oven up for tonight's dinner, Roast Pork Sandwiches au Jus with Rosemary. To start this off, pork tenderloin is given a good rub down with cracked black pepper, salt, fresh garlic and rosemary. As this sits, a bit of oil in skillet gets heated so you can caramelize each side of the tenderloin. This is then slipped into the oven to finish cooking until just lightly pink in the center - I like to take it out around 140-145 as it will rise a few degrees as it rests. In the meantime, the browned bits packed full of flavor are scrapped up from the bottom of the skillet with some beef broth. Dry sherry and a bit of tomato paste for richness are added in and allowed to simmer and meld together. The pork is sliced thin, and if you want, add them right into the warm liquid for a few minutes to soak up the flavors before you build your sandwich. I served them over the burger buns I made, toasted of course, but crusty torpedo rolls would be more suited to drink up the intense Jus.


14 comments:

  1. Rice pudding is my dad's favorite dessert, so I grew up eating and making it for him! It is super easy to make, but he would always ask for us to make it, and since I always loved to cook, it was always a fun task to do.
    I always wanted to try making it with brown rice, but my dad won't get near it, so it was always white rice for him.
    Your pudding look yummy, and I am glad to know it works with the brown rice, it is certainly time for me to try it using brown rice at my home!
    Ana

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  2. I love your blog.

    I am curious- do you work or are you a stay at home guy? You seem to have alot of time to bake and cook (a very good thing)
    Anyway hope that isn't too nosey.

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  3. I think you need some onions somewhere there :)

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  4. Love rice in dessert. One of my fave desserts is Mango and sticky rice. do you know how to make sticky rice??

    I've tried, it comes out okay but not exactly the same as what i had in thailand

    Teddy

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  5. Joe - Using brown rice in rice pudding is a great idea. (Healthier too.) And cardamom really does work so well with rice pudding, kind of like in the rice pudding that they make in Indian restaurants.

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  6. I know rice pudding since I'm small and I can't say that I particularly liked it, but now that I make it myself, I enjoy it a lot! I do it with many kinds of rices (Basmati, Thai, black glutinous rice, vialone, etc...) and it's always a successful dish. In Switzerland we eat it with apple puree or fruit (plum, apricot, cherry, etc...) compote...

    Your rice pudding looks very fine and that sandwich is gorgeous!

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  7. First of all, I love your blog.

    The rice pudding recipe looks delicious! The ones I've made before bordered on the "too-sweet" side, so I'm looking forward to trying yours out. Thanks!

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  8. That rice pudding sounds amazing! I may have to make some for myself (Justin's not a pudding fan)...

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  9. I've always wondered if brown rice would make a good pudding. i don't really care for the white rice kind. This version sounds so flavorful and substantial. I love cardamom. Thanks!

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  10. I have pork loin just begging to be cooked into some wonderful and you have given me just the right recipe!!

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  11. I'm thinking the rice pudding is a real winner - I'm a huge fan of such desserts. Have you ever tried wild rice in a rice pudding? Not as the only grain, but as a taste, tecture, and colour accent?

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  12. your recipes lately have really been knocking my socks off. is it me or do they seem more & more sophisticated? this one for brown rice pudding is a keeper

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  13. Ana - We both loved it with brown rice, but might have to try it with white to see what the difference is!

    Anon - Not too nosey at all! I am able to work out of the house, so I do have time during the day to get stuff cookin'!

    Wheresmymind - Feel free to add some!

    Teddy - Mango and sticky rice huh? I'll have to look for that!

    Ed - Cardamom was an excellent addition! I'll have to try it in a restaurant to see how it is there!

    Rosa - Thanks!

    Veuveclicquot - I hope it works out for you!

    Crystal - It kept in the fridge overnight pretty well! A little less creamy though.

    Julie - Let me know if you try it!

    Anon - That sandwich was so good!

    Peter - Never had it, but now I am very curious to see how it would turn out with Wild Rice!

    TG - We're just trying to get through the untried recipe piles - I t has been more on the heavy side of dishes that are little more complicated though!

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  14. writercv@aol.com10/13/2009 05:44:00 PM

    This is an excellent recipe. I also make it with plain yogurt, grade A maple syrup, walnuts and raisins....yummy.

    just cook the rice (easy to cook brown rice) and add the other ingredients to your preference e.g. cup of yogurt to 2 cups of rice and a handful or raisins and walnuts with maple syrup to taste.

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