Mango and Coconut Rice Pudding

It's been a while since I've updated my blog. With the encouragement of my friend Natalie I've finally returned.
This isn't a original recipe, I've adapted if from a video I saw on YouTube. It's basically a cross between a rice pudding and that sticky mango rice that you get at Thai restaurants. This recipe calls for coconut milk, if you don't have any or don't like coconut milk feel free to use regular milk.

You will need for 4 serving
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Italian style rice
1 14oz can of coconut milk
2 cups milk (I used 2% but what ever milk you have is fine)
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar or more depending on how sweet you like it
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 mango diced.


1) In a sauce pan heat the coconut milk and regular milk.
2) In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the rice and saute for about a minute, make sure you don't brown the rice.
3) Add 1/4 of the milk to the rice and stir until evaporated.
4) Repeat the above step 3 more times.
5) Once the fourth addition of milk is evaporated, add the remaining milk and let simmer until the rice is cooked to your taste.
6) Remove the rice from the heat and add the sugar. Stir to combine.
7) Add the beaten egg, stir quickly to combine.
8) Add the vanilla
9) Place the rice pudding into serving bowls and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until completely cool. The rice pudding will thicken once it is cold.
10) To serve, add a fourth of the diced mango to the top of the rice pudding.
ENJOY!

Eton Mess

I'm home alone on a Sunday night (well technically Monday morning). Adam has gone out for the night, something called Wrestlemania is tonight and he is watching it at a theatre with a friend. He could of come home after it but decided to spend the night at his friend's. I have no interest in wrestling or any sports for that matter. Well beside boxing but only because a part of me thinks I could be an amazing boxer, I've seen all the Rocky movies after. So here I am alone and sitting on the couch watching Keeping up Appearances. I hate to admit it but I've become very used to Adam's presence. Last summer we spent a lot of time apart, mostly because all of my theatre contracts where out of town. I have however not gone anywhere for more then a day or two since September (and  have become quite bored with that, but that is a different story). There has been a few occasions when he would stay out with a friend or I would go to my mums and we would be a part for the night or a weekend. Today is one of those days. Recently I've been missing him more. It's true that I don't sleep well without him but I think the real reason is because I know we are going to be separated again. I've been preparing myself for whats to come, 6 weeks a part. May 2nd is the day I'm dreading, I'm finding it very difficult to imagine not waking up next to him every morning or bugging him while he is trying to sleep, not to mention cooking for him. I get such pleasure cooking for him, I like to keep him well fed. I like to believe that Adam looks forward to my creations, I think he does.

 On Wednesday I attempted to make a Pavlova, I figured that I had seen it done enough times that I didn't have to read a recipe. Well I was wrong, sort of. With the meringue cooking in the oven and Adam going on about how he doesn't like meringue which is why he hates lemon meringue pie I decided to look up Pavlova on the Internet. Where I was slightly horrified to learn that I should of added vinegar and cornstarch. I had also forgotten to turn the heat down on the oven after I had popped it in. I decided to abandon my Pavlova and just eat the whipping cream and fruits. But then it happened, I remember a dish called Eton Mess. It is whip cream mixed with crumbled meringue and fruit. Now you are more then welcome to use a store bought meringue but if your like me and have at least a dozen frozen egg whites in your freezer and want to get rid of them. I suggest making your own. I also highly suggest making your own whipping cream, all that ready made stuff isn't good for you and doesn't taste nearly as good as the home made stuff.

You will need for 2 dessert loving  people

For the Meringues
6 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

For the Whipping cream

1 1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
vanilla

1/2 pound strawberries sliced or fruit of your choice, reserve 2 strawberries-sliced.

1) Pre-heat the oven to 450. Place the egg whites in a bowl or mixer and whip until until soft peaks form. Then add the sugar and whip until firm peaks.
2) Using a dinner place trace out a circle on a sheet of parchment. Place the parchment on a cookie sheet. Using a spatula shape the meringue, using the circle as a pattern.

3) Place in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 300 and cook for 45 minutes or until crusty on the outside. Let cool
4) Meanwhile add the cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl or mixer and beat until fluffy. Do not over mix or you will have a sweet butter.
5) Once the meringue is cooled crumble it into the cream, then add the fruit and mix to combine
6) Scoop into serving dishes and garnish with the reserved strawberries.

Enjoy!

Creme Brulee

I've been making Creme Brulee once every two weeks or so ever since January. It is surprisingly easy, I remember watching Dinner Party Wars and this couple made it, theirs was runny. So when it came time for me to make mind I was really worried that I would mess it up. All Creme Brulee is a chilled custard with sugar on top. If you have ever made a custard on the stove top you can make this. Now if you want to get creative you can substitute the vanille extract with a different extract or even a liquior....banana creme brulee anyone?

You will need
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 3/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or flavoring of your choice

1) In a mixing bowl combine the egg yolks and sugar, mix until pale yellow and slightly creamy
2) In a sauce pan, heat the cream.
3) Add 1/8 cup of the heated cream to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Add the cream to the eggs 1/8 cup at a time, whisking for 20 seconds or so before the next addition.
4) When the cream and eggs have combined pour the mixture into the sauce pan. Cook over low-medium heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Do not over cook.
5) Portion out into creme brulee molds or into ramakins. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
6) To Serve: sprinkle the top with sugar, using a blow torch caramlize the sugar. Make sure not to burn the sugar. If the sugar burns it will taste bitter.

7) Enjoy!

Tips
If your custard become lumpy, remove from the heat right away and whisk it. If it is still lumpy you can pass it through a fine seive before pouring it into the molds.

Homemade Strawberry Ice cream

My mom. niece and I made it. For my last birthday I got an ice cream maker, I think it is safe to say that it was the best gift ever. I love it. Making ice cream is pretty easy, the only thing you need to remember is to freeze the bowl the day before you want to make ice cream. I used to keep the bowl in the freezer all the time but I ran out of room. This recipe started off as vanilla and ended up strawberry, I ended up making one half vanilla and the other strawberry. If you want to make only strawberry add the strawberries in when you start the machine. I tend not to measure the amount of vanilla I use, really if you add more or less then a recipe calls for it doesn't really matter.

You will need for 2 quarts
3c half and half
2c milk
1c minced strawberries
1c sugar
Vanilla to taste

1) In a bowl mix everything.
2) Pour into frozen ice cream bowl and turn machine on

3) Let mix for 20- 25 minutes or until mixture is the consistency of soft serve ice cream

4) Put ice cream in a air tight container and let chill for at least 2 hours or until hard.

Enjoy!!

Tips
1) If you want to make more then one flavor it vanilla and strawberry once the ice cream is ready remove some of the ice cream and put in the freezer. Put the minced strawberries into the ice cream maker and let the ice cream mix for 2-3 minutes more.
2) If you don't like strawberry ice cream use whatever fruit you like.

Strawberry Torte

I went strawberry picking with my sister and niece over the weekend. It was amazing!! I got so many strawberries, so be the next few days will most likely be all about strawberries. I had read a recipe for a strawberry torte a few days ago. I couldn't find the exact recipe when I went to make this today so I just made it up from what I remember I had read. It is a pretty simple recipe, the only thing I would change about it is the use of puff pastry. It was good with the puff pastry but I think that I would like to make this with a pie dough instead.

You will need:
1 package of puff pastry
2c strawberries, washed stems removed and cut in half length ways
1/8 cup sugar
1c whipping cream or ready made whip cream
1tbs icing sugar

1) Roll out the puff pastry and place inside a pie dish. Cut off any extra dough, you can save the extra dough and use in a another recipe. Score the puff pastry with a fork, this will let steam to come out when baking.
2) In a oven heated to 350 degrees, bake the pastry until it starts to turn golden brown. About 15 minutes. Let cool.
3) Place the strawberries in the pie dish, you can arrange them to make them look nice. It is up to you. Bake for 20 minutes.
4) Put the whipping cream in a bowl and whip until soft peeks form. You can use either a whisk or a electric blender. Do not over whip, over whipping the cream will result in butter.
5) Sieve in the icing sugar to the whip cream, stir to combine. Place whip cream in fridge to firm up.
6) When the pie is cool, serve with whip cream.

Enjoy!!