Red Rice Pudding with Almond Milk and Chantilly Cream

I remember when I was a child and didn’t feel well, my dad would make for me a warm bowl of rice with milk and a sprinkling of sugar, and sometimes a dollop of butter.  I’m not sure if it was the rice or the fact that dad made it, but somehow it made me feel good.  This red rice pudding brings back those childhood memories and warms my soul. 

Experimenting with rice has never really been on my to-do list and I hadn’t planned on making this dish so soon, but I happened to have all the ingredients on hand.  It’s rich, delicious and not only did I enjoy it after dinner but again the next day for breakfast.  The red rice pudding was super simple and had big flavor.  The use of unsweetened almond milk in place of cow’s milk works well for those who don’t use dairy, and gave the pudding an extra richness.  I love the fact that it’s not sweet, a subtle balance between savory and sweet.  With or without the Chantilly Cream the Red Rice Pudding was delicious.  However, I had NO intentions to leave off the cream.  This is another “do again”, Thumbs up Rachel, delicious!

Potato and Pear Galette with Roquefort

This was indeed effortless and so delicious.  Who doesn’t love potatoes and melted cheese? 

 

It was a challenge to slice the potatoes into 1/16” slices; I should have used the mandolin.  This may have been the reason it took much longer to bake and brown than indicated.  I ended up putting the galette under the broiler for 4 minutes to brown it up a bit and add a little crispiness.  With baking and broiling it ended up taking a whopping 45 minutes to cook.

At first I thought the chopped pears were lost in this dish. But after the second bite I discovered it was the sweetness of the pear that balanced the sharpness of the Roquefort.  The pear definitely added to the smooth creaminess.  With the galette I prepared a lightly floured and browned chicken breast, finished in the oven for 15 minutes and a veggie loaded salad.  We had my mom over for dinner; I think she liked it because all I heard out of her was mmm mm mmmmm.  Great job Rachel, I will do this one again.

Cheese and Potato Nests

Let me start by thanking Laura at Wedge Cheese Shop in Reno.  With this recipe I needed a rich and creamy Reblochon but soon found that it was one not available in the U.S. So, Laura recommended Douceur du Jura, a "Reblochon-style" cheese.

Here’s what I learned; it’s as close as we can get here due to the fact that traditional AOC (Applellation d’origine Controle – protection by geographic location of strict production rules for food and beverages) cheese is made with raw milk.  In the US, we cannot import or sell raw milk cheeses that are less than 60 days old and Reblochon will ripen closer to 30 days, therefore, they make a similar product with pasteurized milk for the export market.

Whewww, I’m so glad Laura knows these things so I don’t have too.  And boy, does she know her cheese.

Once the potatoes were cut into match-stick size pieces the assembly was a piece of cake.  Before I knew it the cheese and potato nests were in the oven and moments later the whole house smelled of the cheesy goodness.

 I watched Rachel prepare this dish on her cooking show.  I knew it was going to knock my socks off.  And indeed it did.  For some reason I thought these nests would be a touch crunchy, but instead very creamy.  My nests didn’t look exactly like Rachel’s but I bet they tasted just as cheesy and yummy.

Dulce de Leche Brioche Buns

I was so excited to see this recipe and with great excitement I couldn’t wait to get started.  Probably because it consisted of two of my favorite things, Brioche and Dulce de Leche, Yummo!  I’m not much of a baker but I figured I could handle it. 

I began by proofing the yeast, but it never activated.  I don’t think the butter and milk mixture was warm enough.  There was no reference made regarding the temperature of the milk mixture, but I know from past bread making experience that it should be about 114 degrees.   So I tried again.  The yeast proofed this time, and then I added the rest of the ingredients.  I placed the dough into a bowl and popped it into the frig overnight.  Next morning, nothing, it didn’t rise.  Hmmm.  I tried the whole process a third time.  This time I put the dough into the oven (turned off) for several hours.  The dough didn’t double but it did increase in size.  So I kneaded it and rolled it out, and loaded it up with the dulce de leche, apples and hazelnuts, rolled into a log and sliced into 2” pieces then covered it and placed them back into the oven to rise again.  5 hours later they still hadn’t risen….. What the heck!!!  I decided to bake them off anyway just to see what would happen.  They were dense and not light and buttery as they should have been.   I followed the directions to the letter.  Could it be my altitude of almost 5000’?? Or the recipe? Or both? I don’t know but I was so disappointed.  So for now I’m moving on and perhaps come back to this recipe at a later date.  

Side note: I text my daughter who is currently attending The Cordon Bleu in Portland for a little feedback.  She spoke with her Chef and it was suggested I try instant yeast and bread flour next time.