Archive for January 16th, 2007
This is the perfect dessert, or a sweet breakfast to start off your day. I used brown rice since we didn’t have any white, but I imagine it’d be fantastic with white jasmine or basmati rice instead. The lemon flavor in this pudding is solely from the lemon peel. It dissolves as it cooks and gives the lightest lemon taste and scent to the pudding. Delicious. I made it in four individual ramekins - they are each four inches in diameter, two inches high, and hold one cup of liquid.
Coconut Lemon Rice Pudding
Four petite dessert or light breakfast portions
3/4 Cup Coconut Milk
1 1/4 Cup Soy Milk
1 1/2 Tbs Sugar
1 Lemon (organic if possible)
1/2 Cup Brown Basmati Rice
Preheat oven to 250º. With a vegetable peeler, peel four strips of zest from a lemon, each about 1×3″. Chop the zest finely, and divide equally among the ramekins. Place 2 Tbs of dry rice in each ramekin.
Mix coconut milk, soy milk, and sugar together, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Pour about 1/2 cup into each ramekin. Bake for 90 minutes uncovered, stirring halfway through. A thin skin will develop while cooking, but this is normal, simply stir it back into the rice. The rice pudding is done when the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft.
Allow to cool, or eat warm - either way, it’s divine.
January 16th, 2007
Kale Salad with Orange-Blackberry Vinaigrette
I toyed with the idea of a blackberry tart, or pie, but when I looked into my refrigerator, a bunch of kale an a single orange begged to be used. I enjoyed this off-the-cuff salad so much that I went out to buy the ingredients again today so I could share it with you.
The dressing, in my opinion, is fantastic. It’s not too sweet, nor too vinegary - a problem that usually turns me off to vinaigrettes. The oil gives it a rich mouth feel, but still the freshness of the oranges and berries shine through. I have to try hard not to make a fool of myself by licking the bowl of my food processor and anything else this heavenly dressing touches.
I adore kale, but perhaps the idea of eating an entire plate of it turns you off a little. I wish I could invite you over to try it first, but if kale isn’t your idea of good time, I’m sure this dressing would go well over whatever leafy green you’re more desirous of. Try the kale if you can, though. It’s fantastic.
Kale Salad with Orange Blackberry Vinaigrette
Makes two to three salads
1 Large Bunch Kale, Washed and de-stemmed
1 Orange, zested and supremed
10 Blackberries, plus more for decoration
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
2 1/2 Tbs Oil (I used canola)
Steam the kale until tender, then shock it in ice water. Drain well, drying the leaves between layers of paper towel.
In a food processor, combine 10 blackberries, 3 orange segments, vinegar, sugar, salt, and 1/2 of the orange zest. Blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the oil while blending, emulsifying the dressing.
Plate the kale and top with the vinaigrette, the rest of the orange zest, and extra orange segments and berries. Serve.
January 16th, 2007
I’ve always marveled at the perfect orange segments that sit atop food at fancy restaurants. They are wonderfully juicy and don’t have a hint of rind, pith, or skin on them. The technique that produces these pretty slices is easy, provided you have a sharp knife and a few extra minutes.
Step One
Slice the ends off your orange, so you can see a little bit of the fruit below. Peel off the rind, exposing the stringy white pith. Working carefully with a very sharp knife, slice off the pith, being careful not to remove too much of the orange meat as you go. Your orange should now look like this:
Step Two
You should see the divisions between each segment as little white lines. Use the length of your knife (not the point) to slice in towards the center of the orange, as close to the membrane as possible. Stop when you reach the end of the segment - you should feel resistance when you get there. Repeat the process for the other side of the segment. You might need to turn the knife towards the middle of the segment to release it from the orange. You should now have a perfect wedge.
Step Three
Repeat for all the segments, working your way around the orange, folding the empty membranes back under your had as you go.
You should just have the orange membranes left over. Be sure to squeeze this for the juice before you toss it.
Perfect orange segments. That wasn’t that hard, was it?
January 16th, 2007
