Fragrant Rice Pudding with Rose Water and Earl Grey tea

I just finished watching the sappiest love film ever...and couldn't stop watching until the very end.  I've done the bad thing, and allowed myself to be consumed by the cheesy TV specials geared to warming everyone up for the big climax- the Valentine's weekend of l'amour.

And speaking of predictable...with Valentine's Day only a day away, one can hardly count the number of web and newspaper articles relating to chocolate.  I agree that really excellent chocolate tastes truly amazing; in fact I love chocolate and take it very seriously, but just like one's love for another, should it not be celebrated every day?

Amazing as it is, chocolate is not the only senses- arousing ingredient out there.  What about orange and rose water, saffron and tea, mint and honey, and the taste of a perfectly grown honeydew melon freshly picked in the morning sun?

Alright, now I might be dreaming of warmer days, but I do believe that my best friend chocolate well deserves to take the day off.

Now, perhaps it's because I've taken some time away from Asian and Indian cuisine that my past love of infusing food with teas such as jasmine and Earl Grey, and spices like fenugreek and mustard, has once more gallantly leapt to the fore of my attention.

For the last few days, I've been having a lot of fun playing with traditional Indian dishes and techniques, turning them into more modern, fresh, and (scary as this may sound) healthier meals.  I can't say it necessarily took much less time than creating traditional dishes, although I didn't go so far as to marinate or ferment anything for 24 hours, but the finished products tasted great, and made the most of the ingredients I had around me.  Dishes such as crêpes filled with south-Indian style turmeric potato and lentils topped with cumin-spiced Greek yoghurt, and lightly pickled cauliflower salad with cucumber and wild boar bacon bits, all made for an exciting return to Indian-style food, but this time using the classic recipes as a guide and not the rule.   

Inspired, I made a dessert that aroused the senses many more times than I believe the finest chocolate ever could.  So much so that I was quietly giggling at the table; luckily my boyfriend was equally enjoying it, or maybe he was just amused...  A simple rice pudding- who would have thought right?  But taken to the next level, infused with coconut milk and Earl Grey tea, cardamom and rose water, its perfumed essence was simply uplifting.

I recommend trying this, or something equally non-chocolaty, for something different this Valentine's Day.  Presented in a martini glass, topped with honey roasted nuts, or even a few organic red rose petals nestled on top, this exotic creamy pudding could likely transport you and your loved one to exactly the place where you want to be (wink, nudge, say no more!)

Earl Grey and Rose Water Rice Pudding

Big pinch (almost 1 tbsp) of Earl Grey tea leaves – put inside a square of muslin/cheesecloth and tie tight
1/8 cup cane sugar
1/2 a cap-full of rose water
1/4 tsp ground cardamom (from whole pods it will be almost 1/2 tsp once ground: smash open 3 green cardamom pods and remove the seeds- grind in a mortar and pestle until fine)
1.5 cups milk plus 1/4 cup coconut milk (optional- add extra milk if omitting coconut milk)

1/2 cup Basmati rice, cooked in 1 cup water (if you'd like it even creamier then use Arborio short-grain rice)

Bring the rice to a boil, cover with lid, and lower heat to just above minimum and cook for 10 minutes or until water has evaporated.

About 5 minutes into the rice cooking, place everything else in a small pot and bring to a boil.  Then remove the lid, add the cooked rice to the milk and reduce the temperature to medium heat- just high enough to keep the milk and rice at a low boil.  After about 7 minutes, reduce heat once more to medium low and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove the bag of tea and stir to release some of the heat.  I suggest serving this fragrant rice pudding in small bowls, or alternatively, allow the pudding to cool a little and pour into clear serving glasses.  Garnish with rose petals, honey-roasted nuts, or dried rose hips and cardamom.

Enjoy and Happy Valentine's!

Easy Buckwheat Pancakes

Here's a little something for your weekend breakfasts and brunches. If you're anything like me, and turn into a 5 year old on Saturday mornings wishing to be awoken by the smell of pancakes on the griddle, then you'll appreciate the fastest gluten-free pancake recipe I've yet to come up with. This is immediately satisfying and won't take you the whole morning to make.

Serves 2- double or triple the recipe as needed.

In this order whisk together:
1 egg-preferably free range organic
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon neutral-flavour oil (canola/sunflower/safflower)

1/4 cup buckwheat flour, sifted
1/4 cup corn starch
2 teaspoons baking powder

Be sure to add the baking powder right at the end as it works best if not beaten too much. Bring a pan to medium heat and in it melt equal quantities of butter and oil. Wait until a little water flecked on the pan makes a sizzling sound, then add your batter.

Serve with whichever toppings you most enjoy- I recommend butter or yoghurt with some fresh fruit and several different syrups. Saskatoon berry or boysenberry syrup is incredibly good, and then of course, there's always the trusty maple.

Enjoy!

It's Time for English Custard

Where to start? Where to begin?!

Firstly with a hope that everyones' holidays were filled with the love and laughter that sometimes you can only experience with the closest of friends and family...with the help of some seam-splittingly rich foods of course! 

I have to say that, on reflection, the best moments of the holiday season for me were honestly the simplest and the most rustic.  Assuredly, the few culinary achievements I was able to pull-off were much enjoyed, and at their best they had me drooling on my plate...but even the simple meals, like nachos "with the works" after a long day of skiing, found us delighting in their easy-bake nature and instantly filling qualities, as we played board games and sipped thick, Euro-style hot chocolates opposite the flickering log fire.

That said, without fault, every Christmas our family's combined multicultural experiences find their way into our meal planning (yes, we actually create entire menus just to give a sense...).  Steamed Christmas puddings shipped straight to our home from England, different takes on Mexican molé inspired by my sister's time in Mexico, my Uncle's version of a type of Chinese soup using varieties of seaweed and fungi found only in the deepest, darkest sections of the one (decent) Asian shop in town, platters of Italian antipasti, and French-inspired wintery sides of caramelised chicons or Belgian endives; not to mention the plethora of goodies on the silver goodie tray.

Now that the days of 'goodie-rading' have past, and helped along by the Okanagan's mild winter this year, my mind is already drifting ahead to warmer days, when the ice is melted, when the kitchen potager is no longer covered in snow, and when the days of sowing the first of the seasons' seeds begin, with early crisp lettuces and radishes only a few weeks away. 

But enough of that dreaming....we must be practical! To keep you from going into a serious sugar-withdrawal coma I'll leave you with my favourite recipe for the richest (well...almost) English custard I dare present you with right after Christmas. It's perfect for drizzling over lightly cooked chunks of spiced apple or pear (at it turns out nutmeg goes extremely well with custard), or whichever fruit you may have on hand; my advice though is to steer clear of citrus fruit.  As tempting as the new arrivals of blood oranges may be they may just curdle your custard.

Vanilla Bean English Custard...or Crème Anglaise if you'd like it to sound even better*

1 + 1/8th cup whipping cream
1/2 a vanilla bean, halved lengthwise to reveal the seeds
1 + 1/8th cup 1% or semi skimmed milk
4 egg yolks
(just over) 1/2 cup granulated/caster sugar or organic cane sugar

Heat the milk and cream with the vanilla pod halves until heated through.  Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl that ideally has a pour spout.  Add the heated milk to the egg mixture (keep the pot at hand) whisking until completely combined then return to the stove top.

Stir constantly on low heat (about 10 minutes of attention required but it's well worth it) until the custard thickens.  Now this is where some patience is required...you must not leave the pot's side for more than a few seconds otherwise the eggs will scramble and it will ruin the custard.

You'll know the custard is done when it coats the bottom of the pot; just tip the pot to reveal the bottom and, with a wooden spoon, draw a line through the custard- if it reveals the bottom of the pan then it's ready!

Enjoy

*Now, take this moment to find, and then release with abandon, the Bird's custard tins or any other type of instant custard alternative hiding in the back of your cupboards.  I'm not sure how, but in Canada we seem to have forgotten the beauty of truly home-made, from scratch, traditional custard. In fact, this is one of the few good things to have come out of England (sorry guys).  It's so good, that the French have given due respect to its neighbour's efforts by calling it crème anglaise to this very day.  Few things can compare to this custard's creamy, vanilla-infused richness, and ribbon-like texture.  Especially not the 19th century powdery substitute whose only raison d'être is to replace eggs as the traditional thickening agent.  Of course this is a great alternative if you happen to be allergic to eggs but in no other case should a custard substitute be used...except for maybe in Nanaimo bars...where no other icing will do.