Cardamom Rice Pudding

I had a couple of bags of milk that needed to be used up before their expiry date and decided to make rice pudding on this cold and blustery day. I usually make rice pudding in a double boiler with short grain rice, milk, eggs and raisins but decided to try a version I had tasted in an Indian restaurant. After reviewing a few online recipes I used these ingredients to make a very comforting and aromatic pudding.

• 4 cups milk- I used 1% cow's milk but a combination of cream, coconut milk and other milks can be used

• 1/2 cup white basmati rice

• 8 cardamom pods crushed with pestle. Remove the seed hulls and crush the black seeds. You could use 1 teaspoon ground cardamom instead.

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup white sugar or other sweetener to taste (optional)

Combine ingredients and cook them over boiling water in a double boiler until rice is very soft. This takes about an hour. Stir mixture occasionally. When it is starting to thicken up add:

• 1/4 cup diced apricots or raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds or pistachios
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut (optional but tasty)
• a dash of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Let the pudding simmer for another 10 minutes or so without letting it get too thick and dry. Remove from heat and let it cool before serving. I like it warm or chilled.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

This is creamiest chocolate pudding ever! Put four ingredients in a blender and dessert is ready in less than 5 minutes.

Serves 4

2 large ripe avocados peeled and quartered
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)

You can also add a little vanilla or flavouring of your choice.

Blend until smooth and serve.

Plum Streusel Cake

This recipe is from Anne Lindsay's first cookbook. I could not find my copy of it tonight and I wanted to use up some prune plums that were languishing in the fridge. Thankfully this is a popular recipe and it has been reposted several times on the internet. There are a few minor changes from the original in this version. Any fruit can be used instead of the plums including drained canned fruit.

For the cake
¼ cup butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup milk
8-10 small plums 

grated rind of one lemon (optional) 

For the streusel topping
½ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon

For the cake
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan or a springform pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat eggs until foamy and combine with butter mixture.. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and lemon rind. Add to egg mixture alternately with milk. 

Turn into prepared pan. Halve and pit plums and arrange over top.

For the streusel topping
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and cinnamon; mix well and sprinkle over fruit.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until top is golden and toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. 

Creamy Rice Pudding

I have had this recipe for years and it is our favourite rice pudding. I do like baked rice custards too but they are more time consuming and require cooked rice. This is ready in about 45 minutes if you use white rice.

In a double boiler combine:

1/3 cup short grain uncooked rice (long grain will work too)
2 cups milk of choice
1/4- 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit if desired

Cook over boiling water for 40 minutes until rice is tender and mixture is thickening.

2 eggs
1/4-1/2 cup sweetener of choice
1/2 tsp vanilla or other flavouring

Separate eggs in 2 bowls. Add sweetener and flavouring to egg yolks, stir well and add gradually to hot rice mixture. Beat egg whites until peaks form. Remove pudding from heat and add egg whites to mixture. Stir gently until blended. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg if desired.

Serves 4

Black Forest Trifle

This light trifle has only 1/2 cup of sugar in the entire recipe and except for the whipped cream is very low fat.

Cake: Make a hot milk sponge cake following the variation with the cocoa. Use 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of Splenda in the cake. ( I used whole wheat flour for the cake but would not recommend that unless you are make trifle as pudding moistens the cake)

Fruit: I used 2 cups of sour pitted cherries which I froze in the summer. Thaw the cherries, add 1-1/2 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/2 c Splenda to the juice and cook in the microwave stirring frequently until thickened. You could use sliced fresh fruit like strawberries or canned fruit instead.

Pudding: Make a single recipe of chocolate pudding following the variation of blanc mange with the cocoa. I used Splenda to sweeten the pudding. You could also make an instant no-sugar chocolate pudding.

Whipped Cream: Whip 250-500 ml (1-2 cups) of heavy cream with 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 c Spenda until soft peaks form. I don't use Cool Whip or other fake creams but feel free to do so if you like them.

Assemble Trifle: Place 1/2 the cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl. Add half the pudding and fruit. Top with half the whipped cream if using the larger amount. Repeat layers ending with whipped cream. I grated one small square of 70% cocoa dark chocolate on top and added 2 fresh cherries for garnish. Let it sit a few hours before serving.

Trifle is very easy to make and the type of cake, pudding, and fruit used can be changed easily. You can make all parts of the recipe with sugar and higher fat ingredients if you wish.

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

If anyone wants to know my favourite kind of dessert, look no further than this. I love cheesy, dense treats with fruit, nuts, pumpkin, carrot, etc. (carrot cake and cheesecake also fall in this category). My daughter bought a pumpkin roll at a local farm store and I immediately searched the internet for a recipe. I reduced the sugar in this version and did not add maple icing on the top. It is still perfect and is fast and easy to make.

Preheat oven to 375F
Grease a 15"x10" jelly roll pan, line with wax paper and then grease and flour the wax paper.
Sprinkle a clean tea towel with 1/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar).

In a small bowl combine:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

In a medium bowl beat until thick (I used hand beaters):
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree

Add dry ingredients to egg and sugar mixture and combine well. Pour batter evenly on prepared pan and bake for 13-15 minutes until sponge is set. Do not overbake.

Remove from oven. Turn cake upside down on prepared towel and remove wax paper. Roll the cake and towel up into a firm roll starting with the short side of the cake. Put on a rack and let it cool. (It cools fairly quickly)

In the meantime, prepare the filling with:
8 oz (250 g) of regular cream cheese (light cream cheese tends to be too runny)
1 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Beat until smooth. You can add 1 cup of chopped pecans, walnuts, or pralines if you want. When cake is cool, unroll it and spread filling evenly over the entire surface. Re-roll the cake without the towel, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Slice and serve.

You can sprinkle it with icing sugar before serving or add glaze/icing with chopped nuts on the top for a richer dessert.

This recipe freezes well.

Bean Pie

This dessert pie takes the prize for economy and nutrition. Beans are used in desserts many parts of the world. I found some recipes for very rich versions of bean pie, much like pecan pies, which are popular in southern United States. This recipe is similar in taste and texture to pumpkin pie and can be served with whipped cream.

Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie shell (9 inch)

In a blender combine:

• 2 cups cooked beans, preferably light, smooth beans such as peruano beans (or white kidney, navy or pinto beans)
• 1 cup milk of your choice (I used unsweetened soy milk)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger
• add 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and cloves if you like them
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt if you have not used canned or salted beans
• 3/4 cup brown sugar or sweetener of your choice

Blend together and pour into prepared pie shell. Bake for 10 minutes at 425F and then reduce heat to 350F and bake until set, about 25-30 minutes.

Strawberry Shortcake Sliders

I saw these little shortcakes on Simply Recipes. The mini cakes above were made with our regular biscuit recipe instead of the richer ones featured in the first link (a 2 inch biscuit cutter was used). Cut the biscuits in half, add 1-2 strawberry slices and a dollop of cream. Store in the fridge. They may keep for a few hours depending on how many people are in the house. They do "slide down" very nicely!

Grandma's Lemon Cake

I love lemony desserts...lemon pie, lemon curd, lemon cake...

Grandma made this lemon cake for special occasions and it was a family favourite. I once decided to figure out the calories and fat in the recipe and was shocked at the numbers I came up with. So they will remain a secret. If I am wanting a lemony tasting treat, I make these lower fat Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. But I have to add Grandma's recipe to this family recipe blog. It is good to take to a potluck or other event where other people will eat most of it before you have a chance to get started.

1 package Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
1 package Lemon Jello (4 serving size)
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs

Mix cake, jello, eggs, water and beat with beaters for 2 minutes. Add oil and beat for another 2 minutes.

Bake in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.

While cake is still hot, pierce top with a fork and pour a glaze made with 2 cups of icing sugar and 1/3 cup of lemon juice over the top.

Serve when cool.

Swedish Apple Pie

My sister-in-law Shirley made this delicious fruit dessert for us last weekend. It lends itself to modification and I made it with a mixture of fruit (apples, frozen raspberries and blueberries) as I find that storage apples can be bland by this time of year.

Slice 5 cups of apples or 5 cups of fresh fruit and place in a 9 inch pie plate with

1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar or sweetener
1/2 tsp nutmeg if desired
pinch of salt if desired

In a separate bowl combine

1 cup flour or mixture of flours
pinch of salt
1/2 -2/3 cup brown sugar or other sweetener
1 egg
1 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts
1/2 cup melted margarine or butter

Place topping evenly over fruit.

Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes or until top is browned and fruit is tender.

Fruit Bouquet

Ingredients for this bouquet: (enough for two arrangements)

1 mini watermelon
1 fresh pineapple, core intact
6 kiwi fruit
1 pound whole fresh strawberries
1 pound of grapes
1 head of iceberg lettuce or florist foam

(you can use any firm fruit which does not discolour when cut)

Cut the watermelon in half and scoop out the fruit. Reserve for another use. You can cut a decorative edge on each watermelon if desired. Cut lettuce head in half and put it in the watermelon, rounded side up.

Slice pineapple in 2 cm rings and cut round or flower shapes with a metal cookie cutter. Peel and slice kiwi fruit the same thickness. Wash grapes and strawberries and trim tops of the berries.

Assemble the fruit on bamboo skewers. I cut 1/3 to 1/2 of the skewers off as they were too long for the size of the base. You need to put a firm fruit behind the pineapple ring as it tends to slide down. I found a ring of kiwi worked perfectly. Some people suggest using a gummy candy for support. Cover the pointed end of the stick with a grape or melon ball.

Caution: If doing this with children, I would cut off the sharp end of the bamboo skewer before threading the fruit.

Fruit Bars

This recipe was in our newspaper earlier this month and featured raspberries and peaches for the filling. I have modified the recipe and doubled the size. These bars are not sweet and make a good breakfast-on-the-run on a busy morning. Increase the sweetener if you prefer a bar that is more dessert-like. Experiment with different combinations of fruit in season.

Prepare 6 cups of fresh or frozen fruit. I used 2 cups each of strawberries, peaches and blueberries.

Combine fruit in a medium sauce pan with:
4 tbsp cornstarch
2/3 cup orange juice

Cook until filling is thickened. (I cooked the strawberries and peaches in some of the juice for a few minutes and then added the rest of the juice with the cornstarch and blueberries)

Mix together in a large bowl to make crumbs:
3 cups large flake rolled oats
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar ( I used 100% Splenda in the squares pictured above, but they do brown better with at least half sugar. You could also use honey or maple syrup)
1 cup soft butter

Reserve 1-1/4 cups of the crumbs in another dish
Add one egg to the remaining crumbs and press batter into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Spread thickened fruit on top and sprinkle with reserved crumbs.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly. Cool at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

The local strawberry season was disappointing this year due to the cool, wet weather this summer. But my rhubarb has thrived in the same conditions. I extended the strawberries and made several strawberry rhubarb pies.

Prepare a single pastry crust and line a 9" pie plate, fluting the edge.

Combine in a large bowl:
2 cups strawberries (cut large ones in half)
2 cups diced rhubarb
1/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup white sugar

Mix together and dump into the crust.

Crumb topping:
1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix together until crumbly and place over the top of the fruit.

Bake at 425F for 12 minutes, then turn heat down to 350F until filling is thickened and clear, about 45 minutes. (glass pans may be done a bit sooner)

It is a good idea to place a cooking sheet under the pie as it usually runs over a little.

Butter Tarts

This recipe was in the Christ Lutheran School cookbook that was published in in the 1990's. It was contributed by Mrs. Scott and has become a favourite treat in our family.

Crust: We use our own recipe found here or you can use Mrs. Scott's

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
4 tbsp water

Cut shortening into flour and add water to hold together in a ball. Roll out onto a lightly floured surface, cut into rounds and place in muffin tins. (We use mini muffin tins)

Filling: 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
raisins, nuts if desired

Combine all ingredients except raisins/nuts. Mix well. Divide raisins/nuts evenly among muffin cups. Fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes or until just set. Do not overbake.
Makes 12 large tarts.

Here is an easy variation from the Canadian Living Website

Butter Tart Squares

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

(based on 7 ratings)

Rate this recipe »

Servings: 16

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter
Topping:
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
Pinch salt
1 cup (250 mL) raisins
1/2 cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation:

In bowl, combine flour with sugar; with pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly. Press into 9-inch (2.5 L) square cake pan; bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 15 minutes.

Topping: In bowl, mix together butter and eggs; blend in sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Stir in raisins and pecans; pour over base.

Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Let cool on rack before cutting into small squares.

© CanadianLiving.com

Apple plus Crisp

I was using up old apples and frozen fruit after I cleaned up the fridge and modified the recipe I posted for Rhubarb Crisp. This combination was a winner.

8 cups diced fruit
I used apples (I leave the skins on), 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and 1 cup frozen raspberries.
Cook fruit on high in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Topping

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp soft butter

Mix ingredients together and sprinkle over the fruit.
Cook on high in microwave for 10-12 minutes until the fruit is tender.

Magnolia Cupcakes

See this post on Body Soul and Spirit and read about these cupcakes. The picture above is of cupcakes we made using the recipe below.


Here's the recipe that put cupcakes back on the map. It's from the Magnolia Bakery in New York, a small bakery with such a huge demand for cupcakes that customers are limited to a dozen.

Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes about 2 dozen large cupcakes

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) self-rising flour*

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour

1 cup (250 mL/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups (500 mL) sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (250 mL) milk

1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract

*To make your own self-rising flour, use 2 teaspoons (10 mL) of baking powder and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of salt for every two cups (500 mL) of flour.

(For 1-1/2 cups of flour use 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until ingredients are incorporated, but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon batter into cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full (a large ice cream scoop does this job well). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of cupcake comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Vanilla Butter cream Icing

Note: This makes a LOT of icing. I used about a third of it to generously ice about 20 cupcakes, the number made from the recipe above.

Technically, this is not butter cream but an old-fashioned frosting made with confectioner's sugar and butter. Be sure to beat the icing for the time called for in the recipe to achieve the desired creamy texture.

1 cup (250 mL/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6-8 cups (1.5 to 2 L) confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

2 teaspoons (10 mL) vanilla extract (I left this out and just put vanilla in the cake)

Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups (1 L) of the sugar, then the milk and vanilla. Using an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat until smooth and creamy, about three to five minutes. Gradually add more sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about two minutes), until icing is thick enough to be a good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food colouring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature; it will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.

Approximate nutritional content per cupcake: Calories 420. Protein 3 g. Fat 18 g. Carbohydrates 64 g. Dietary fibre 0 g. Sodium 125 mg.

Lemon Bread

This was my Mother's Day dessert and it was delicious! Homemade lemon bread was thinly sliced, layered with Devon Cream (vanilla pudding or custard would work too), whipped cream and fresh strawberries. The flavours mixed so well! This combination would also work as a trifle, layering the bread, pudding, cream and fruit in a bowl and letting it sit overnight. Other berries such as blueberries go well with lemon too.

Lower Fat Lemon Bread (less guilt with the cream fillings!)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar (Splenda)

Cream together and add

2 eggs, beaten

Add
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
rind of one lemon, finely grated

Place in a loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes at 325 F.

Glaze: juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup sugar. Drizzle on top of hot baked loaf.

Graham Wafer Pie

My sister-in-law, Shirley, made this pie when I first knew her in the 1970s. It is easy and economical to make. I made it today for the first time in years. There is one piece left. The recipe has been adapted for the microwave oven.

Crust: 1-1/4 cups graham wafer crumbs
1/4 sugar (optional, I don't add sugar here)
1/4 cup melted butter

Mix ingredients together and press into a 9 inch pie plate. Chill in the fridge or freezer. You can use a prepared graham cracker crust from the grocery store instead.

Filling: In a microwave proof bowl combine

2-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar or Splenda
3 beaten egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
pinch of salt

Cook on medium or high in the microwave for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Stir the mixture well every 45-60 seconds to make sure it doesn't lump. Pour into prepared crust and chill well.

Meringue: Beat 3 egg whites with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff (add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar if you want) Spread over top of pie and bake in a 350 F oven until browned nicely. Watch it carefully.

Dessert Crepes

There are endless possibilities when it comes to filling basic crepes for dessert. We tried this simple and delicious end to our crepe experiments and the warm fruit and ice cream was quite perfect. The Becka assembled and photographed the finished product.

Cook two sliced bananas on high in a frying pan with a little butter until slightly browned and soft. Drizzle the inside of a crepe with chocolate sauce and place bananas inside. Fold crepe in thirds over the fruit. Place a scoop of ice cream on top and drizzle with a little chocolate sauce.

Blanc Mange

This is Blancmange playing tennis in a Monty Python movie.
(Monty Python is too bizarre for me, but I will never forget this very random scene...but then, the entire movie is random!)

My daughter asked me for this recipe so it is posted for her. She ate a lot of this when growing up. I seldom bought boxed puddings and made this instead with a number of variations.

Blanc Mange is a traditional European dish that started as a bland, milky meal with chicken that was served to invalids. It then evolved onto a dessert like flan, made with milk and egg that was set in a molded dish. It now refers to a pudding made with cornstarch or flour. It could be made stiff enough to be molded, but we like ours to be creamier. Here is the basic idea for a modern version using a microwave oven.

In a microwave proof dish combine

3 tbsp cornstarch (or flour)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sugar or sweetener

Add 2-1/2 cups milk (regular or soy)
It is easier to blend if the milk has been warmed, but I don't do this.
You can thin the pudding with extra milk after it has cooked to reach the desired consistency

Cook in microwave. I set it at 50% power for about 3-5 minutes.
Stir the pudding every minute. Remove after it thickens.
Add 1 tbsp butter (optional) and 1/2 tsp vanilla to the thickened pudding.

Variations:

Chocolate: Add 2-3 tbsp cocoa to sugar and cornstarch mixture. Use the greater amount of sugar.

Maple: Add 1/2 cup maple syrup instead of the sugar

Rice pudding: Add 1-2 cups cooked rice to thickened pudding. Add raisins and cinnamon if desired.

For a richer pudding with a custardy flavour, add one well beaten egg to the hot mixture. Stir a little of the hot pudding into the egg before adding the egg to the dish. You may have to return the pudding to the microwave for 15-30 seconds to set the egg.