Bon Appetit Desserts (100 page)
Read Bon Appetit Desserts Online
Authors: Barbara Fairchild
Cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and cloves give this crème brûlée a spicy kick. Think of it as a crustless pumpkin pie with a crunchy burnt-sugar topping. Raw sugar is available at most supermarkets and at natural foods stores, but golden brown sugar works well, too.
Makes 8
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
½ cup sugar
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups heavy whipping cream
8 tablespoons raw sugar or golden brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk pumpkin, sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl. Whisk in egg yolks and vanilla, then cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, and salt. Bring cream just to boil in medium saucepan. Gradually whisk hot cream into pumpkin mixture.
Divide mixture among eight 5-inch-diameter, 1-inch-deep ramekins. Divide ramekins between 2 large roasting pans. Add enough hot water to roasting pans to come halfway up sides of ramekins.
Bake until custards are just set in center, about 35 minutes. Remove custards from water. Cool slightly. Refrigerate custards uncovered until cold.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon raw sugar over pumpkin custard in each ramekin. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar until deep amber color. (Alternatively, use broiler. Place ramekins on rimmed baking sheet. Press 1 tablespoon brown sugar—not raw sugar—through sieve over each custard and broil until sugar melts and is deep amber color, turning baking sheet for even browning and watching closely to avoid burning, about 3 minutes.) Refrigerate custards until topping hardens, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
The Secret of Smooth Custards
To ensure smooth custards that don’t curdle or overcook, our recipes often recommend baking them in a water bath, a gentle method of baking the delicate custards. Here’s the easiest and safest way to do it: First, place the soufflé dishes in a roasting pan with about 2-inch-high sides. Pull out the oven rack partway—it should still be stable and level—and place the pan on the rack. Next, fill the pan with enough hot water from a tea kettle or spouted cup to reach halfway up the sides of the soufflé dishes. Being careful not to slosh water into the custards, slide the rack back into the oven and bake the custards. Keep an eye on the water: If it starts to bubble, the custards may overcook and become tough; so throw some ice cubes into the water to cool it down a bit. Custards are done when the edges are set but the centers still tremble slightly. Bake the custards any longer and they’ll be too firm when cold—not nice and creamy. Remove the pan from the oven. Slide a spatula under each dish; hold sides with tongs and lift the dish from the water.
Vanilla Rice Pudding with Dried CherriesDried tart cherries make a nice contrast to sweet vanilla- and cinnamon-scented rice. This pudding is equally good served warm or cold. But if you want to serve it cold, you’ll have to plan ahead so that it has time to chill completely.
6 servings
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
½ cup medium-grain white rice
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
3 large eggs
½ cup dried tart cherries or cranberries
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Combine 4 cups milk, rice, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
Whisk cornstarch and remaining 1 tablespoon milk in large bowl to blend. Add eggs; whisk to blend. Whisk in hot rice mixture. Return to same saucepan. Add cherries; stir over low heat just until mixture comes to boil. Mix in vanilla and lemon juice. Serve warm or pour pudding into buttered medium bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours or overnight. Spoon pudding into bowls and serve.
Rice Pudding with Cream SherrySome rice puddings rely on an egg-based custard for their thick, creamy consistency. This one doesn’t need it. Instead, the rice is cooked very slowly in a lot of milk (5 cups for just 1 cup of rice) and thickens gradually like a risotto.
4 servings
5 cups (or more) whole milk, divided
1 cup short-grain or medium-grain white rice
½ cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cream Sherry
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar, plus additional for topping
Combine 5 cups milk, rice, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender and pudding is thick, stirring frequently, about 50 minutes. Add Sherry and ½ cup brown sugar and stir until blended and sugar dissolves.
Thin with more milk by ¼ cupfuls if pudding is too thick. Discard cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean. Spoon pudding into bowls. Press additional brown sugar through sieve over puddings and serve, or cover and chill up to 1 day and top with additional brown sugar before serving.
Ingredient Tip:
The Right Sherry
Sherry (a Spanish fortified wine) can run the gamut from very dry to super-sweet. The type called for in this recipe—cream Sherry—is on the sweet side. You’ll also see it called oloroso or golden Sherry. It’s darker in color and fuller in flavor than the drier varieties Amontillado would be a fine second choice; it’s somewhat sweet and rather nutty. Don’t use fino or manzanilla Sherries—they’re much too dry.
Warm Jasmine Rice Puddings with Passion FruitFor a light and fluffy pudding, rinse the jasmine rice with cool water until the water runs clear. This will help prevent the grains from sticking to each other as they cook.
Makes 8
½ cup raisins
3 tablespoons Malibu rum or other coconut-flavored rum
1½ cups nonfat milk
1¼ cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
¾ cup whole milk
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon salt
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1¼ cups jasmine rice
10 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
2½ teaspoons finely grated lime peel
6 passion fruits, halved, pulp, seeds, and juices scooped into small bowl
Market Tip:
Passion Fruit
A ripe passion fruit looks like a wizened old face—impressively wrinkled. Cut the fruit in half and scoop out the intensely flavored pulp and seeds from the center.
Combine raisins and rum in small bowl. Let stand at room temperature while preparing pudding.
Combine nonfat milk, coconut milk, whole milk, cinnamon, and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer; remove from heat. Let steep uncovered 1 hour. Strain coconut broth into medium bowl.
Place rice in another medium bowl. Add cold water and drain. Repeat 2 more times or until water runs clear. Combine 1 cup coconut broth and rice in heavy large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Add remaining coconut broth; reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is tender, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 6 tablespoons sugar (pudding will be thick). Transfer to large bowl and cool.
Using electric mixer, beat cream in large bowl until peaks form. Fold half of whipped cream into cooled rice. Drain raisins. Fold raisins and lime peel into rice. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Divide pudding among eight ¾ cup ramekins or custard cups. Place puddings on rimmed baking sheet.
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of remaining sugar over each pudding. Broil puddings until sugar caramelizes, watching closely to avoid burning and turning sheet for even browning, about 3 minutes. Spoon passion fruit over puddings and serve.
Caramelized Mango-Lime TapiocaAs this moist pudding is broiled, the brown sugar on top melts into a sweet, sticky syrup. Underneath that warm syrup and the lime-flavored tapioca is diced fresh mango.
8 servings
3¾ cups whole milk
¾ cup sugar
⅓ cup quick-cooking tapioca
2 large eggs
1½ teaspoons finely grated lime peel
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, diced (about 1 cup)
⅓ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
Stir milk, sugar, tapioca, eggs, lime peel, and salt in heavy large saucepan to blend. Let stand 5 minutes. Place over medium-high heat and stir until pudding thickens and just comes to boil, about 10 minutes. Transfer pudding to large bowl; mix in vanilla. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of pudding and cool to lukewarm.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Stir to loosen before continuing.
Preheat broiler. Divide diced mango among eight ¾-cup ramekins or custard cups. Spoon pudding atop mango, dividing equally. Smooth tops with spatula. Place puddings on rimmed baking sheet. Press 2 teaspoons brown sugar through sieve over each pudding. Let stand until sugar begins to dissolve, about 10 minutes. Broil puddings on sheet until sugar is bubbling all over, watching closely and turning sheet frequently for even browning, about 4 minutes. Serve puddings warm.