Ready for Dessert (26 page)

STORAGE:
The soufflé mixture, once divided among the ramekins, can stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour before baking.

VARIATIONS:
You can make a less rich version of these soufflés (that also happens to be gluten-free) by simply substituting 4 teaspoons of sugar for the pastry cream when making the soufflé base.

For
CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA SOUFFLÉS,
add about 2 ounces (60 g) chopped dark or milk chocolate to the soufflé base when folding in the egg whites.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Panna cotta quickly became a popular restaurant dessert for many of the same reasons that make it an ideal dessert to serve at home: it can be prepared well in advance and it tastes good. It’s a win-win dessert if there ever was one.

I used to refer to this as “ranch panna cotta” because it was inspired by a tangy buttermilk-based drink that I had at a south-of-the-border spa. But because people said that moniker brought to mind ranch salad dressing, I decided to keep the name simple and straightforward—just like the dessert.

1⅓ cups (330 ml) half-and-half

½ cup (100 g) sugar

Grated zest of 2 lemons, preferably organic

2 cinnamon sticks

3 tablespoons (45 ml) cold water

1 envelope (7 g) unflavored gelatin

⅔ cup (160 ml) buttermilk

Blueberry Compote

Lightly grease four 4- to 6-ounce (125- to 180-ml) ramekins or custard cups with unflavored vegetable oil.

In a medium saucepan, heat the half-and-half, sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon sticks, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once warm, remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.

Pour the water into a medium bowl and sprinkle evenly with the gelatin. Allow the gelatin to soften and swell for 5 minutes. Set a mesh strainer across the bowl.

Reheat the half-and-half until it’s quite warm, but not hot, and pour it through the strainer over the softened gelatin. Stir the mixture until the gelatin completely dissolves. Let the mixture cool slightly, then stir in the buttermilk. (If the half-and-half mixture is too hot, the buttermilk may separate when it’s added. If it does, whisk vigorously and it will become smooth.)

Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

To unmold, run a sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the panna cotta, invert a serving plate over the ramekin, and turn them over together. Shake a few times to release the panna cotta, then lift off the ramekin.

Spoon the blueberry compote over and around the panna cotta.

STORAGE:
The panna cotta will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

VARIATION:
Instead of serving with blueberry compote, toss any mixture of fresh berries with some sugar and crème de cassis, let them sit for a while to soften, then spoon them over and around the panna cotta.

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

My grandmother used to throw a fit if I ordered something as simple as fruit salad or soup in a restaurant. “Why pay for that? You can make it at home,” she’d say in a voice that made you feel like a fool if you had the temerity to disagree. “Order something else!” Anyone who met my grandmother knew it was best not to cross her. Otherwise, you’d hear about it, repeatedly, for the next three to five years. Minimum.

I feel that way about bread pudding. It’s something I want at home, not in a restaurant. My version mingles orange and almond and is a much more refined and luxurious than the usual bread pudding. Enjoy it in the comfort of your own dining room, but pretend you’re eating it in a restaurant, without anyone to harp on you about it. In case any of your guests decides to leave a tip, I’ll gladly accept my 15 percent.

2 cups (500 ml) whole milk

2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream

Grated zest of 4 oranges, preferably organic

½ cup (100 g) sugar, plus more for sprinkling

6 large egg yolks

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg white, at room temperature

7 ounces (200 g) almond paste, crumbled

1 loaf (1 pound/450 g) firm-textured white bread (such as
pain de mie),
cut into ½-inch (1.5-cm) slices

In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, cream, orange zest, and the ½ cup (100 g) sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.

Reheat the milk-cream mixture until it’s quite warm. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then gradually whisk in the warm milk-cream mixture, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the eggs from cooking. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts, orange liqueur, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a bowl or large pitcher. Set aside.

Butter a 2-quart (2-liter) shallow baking dish or soufflé mold.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg white and almond paste until smooth. Spread a spoonful of almond paste over one side of each bread slice. Layer the bread slices in the prepared baking dish, almond paste side down. (If you are using a round or oval dish, halve each slice of bread diagonally to form triangles, then make layers of triangles arranged in a pinwheel pattern.) Pour the milk-egg yolk mixture over the bread and gently press the bread down, submerging the layers in the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the pudding for at least 1 hour or up to overnight, pressing down the bread from time to time so that it becomes completely saturated.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Sprinkle the top of the pudding very liberally with sugar. Set the baking dish in a larger roasting pan and pour warm water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the bread pudding is puffed in the center and the top is rich golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool until warm.

SERVING:
Bread pudding is best served warm. It’s good all by itself, but it’s
great
with a ladleful of
Rich Caramel Sauce
or
Tangerine Butterscotch Sauce
.

STORAGE:
The unbaked pudding should be chilled for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day before baking. Once baked, it can be refrigerated overnight and rewarmed in a low oven, covered with aluminum foil.

VARIATION:
To make a chocolate-studded bread pudding, add 10 ounces (280 g) coarsely chopped dark or milk chocolate, distributing some in the bottom of the baking dish and between the layers of bread as you arrange them in the dish.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

I definitely have obsessive-compulsive baking disorder. I’d hoped to recreate the classic
gâteau de riz,
a French cake made by baking rice pudding in a mold. I tried fourteen times. The first time I made it, it was perfect: custardy and topped with a deep-golden crust, the top and sides bathed with a slick of glossy, thick caramel. When I attempted to reproduce it, it came out completely different with each try. Flummoxed, I sent my recipe to a friend in California. She made it two or three times and each time she also had completely different results.

After a transcontinental tossing up of our hands, in her last anxiety-ridden response she told me, “but right out of the pot, it was the best rice pudding I’ve ever had.” And when I made it again, for the fifteenth time, I realized she was right.

¼ cup (30 g) raisins

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Armagnac or rum

5 cups (1.25 liters) whole milk

¾ cup (150 g) Arborio rice

½ cup (100 g) sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

In a small saucepan, heat the raisins and Armagnac or rum and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the milk, rice, sugar, and salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the saucepan, then drop in the pod. Cook over low heat at a gentle simmer, stirring frequently with a heatproof rubber spatula to make sure that the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom. At first, the mixture will be rather liquidy, but as the mixture thickens, you’ll need to be vigilant and stir almost constantly. When the milk has been absorbed by the rice and the pudding resembles a loose risotto, which will take about 45 minutes, remove the pan from the heat. Remove the
vanilla pod
(it can be rinsed, dried, and used for another purpose) then stir in the raisins and any unabsorbed soaking liquid.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

SERVING:
Drizzle individual servings with
Cognac Caramel Sauce
or
Orange Caramel Sauce
.

STORAGE:
The rice pudding can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If it loses its creaminess, stir in some more milk or cream, until it reaches the desired consistency.

VARIATIONS:
To make
ORANGE-BAY LEAF RICE PUDDING
, add 3 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves in place of the vanilla bean and four 1-inch (3-cm) wide strips of orange zest. Cook as directed, then remove the bay leaves and zest strips before serving.

If you like very rich rice pudding, substitute 2½ cups (625 ml) heavy cream or half-and-half for an equal amount of the milk.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

I feel sorry for people who tell me that their mother’s cooking was terrible: I can’t imagine eighteen years of eating bad food. Fortunately, my esteemed lineage included a mom who was a fantastic cook. Unfortunately, though, she was lacking the baking gene, so cookies and cakes were few and far between.

She did, however, make wonderful tapioca pudding, which she served warm in a bright-red ‘60s-style glass bowl. She always added an entire capful of aromatic vanilla extract to the pudding, stirred in at the last minute. Being hopelessly nostalgic (especially when it comes to desserts), I can still smell it to this day.

Of course, back then there wasn’t much fusion cooking going on, but nowadays Thai coconut milk is readily available, and I use it in my version of tapioca pudding. In addition to vanilla extract, I include a vanilla bean for good measure. I don’t have any children, but if I did, I would hope this pudding would be just as memorable for them as my mom’s is for me.

3½ (875 ml) cups Thai coconut milk

1¾ cups (430 ml) whole or low-fat milk

1 cup (200 g) sugar

1 cup (160 g) small pearl tapioca

Pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

3 large eggs, separated

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Dried unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut or shards of fresh coconut, toasted

In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, milk, sugar, tapioca, and salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the saucepan, then drop in the pod. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula to make sure the mixture isn’t scorching on the bottom, until the pudding thickens and the tapioca pearls are completely cooked through and translucent, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Briskly stir the egg yolks into the pudding, incorporating them quickly. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the
vanilla pod
(it can rinsed, dried, and used for another purpose).

In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or in a bowl by hand), whisk the egg whites on medium speed until they form soft peaks. Fold the whipped egg whites into the pudding, then stir in the vanilla extract.