Miami to Chicago: Arroz Con Leche

 I finally did it. I made a dessert that I grew up eating and it actually tasted just like the dessert my mom used to make. I grew up eating Arroz Con Leche and have great memories of standing by the stove in the kitchen watching the rice cook into a sweet and sticky dessert. The last time I tried to make Arroz Con Leche it took forever and my rice was hard so I gave up on this dessert. Then, shortly after moving to Chicago I went to my aunt's house and she made it and I was inspired to try again. I ended up making this recipe because it was so simply and simple is what I remember my mom doing with few ingredients. The end result was amazing and everyone in the family was singing my praises the day I made this Arroz Con Leche. Making this dessert was a reminder that traditions and culture are not limited to a physical place, but are actually something we can carry with us wherever we go.

Arroz Con Leche
Source: Taste of Home
Serves 4

1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
Ground cinnamon, to taste

In a small saucepan, combine the water and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Stir in milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until thick and creamy, stirring frequently.

Serve warm or cold. Add cinnamon to taste.

For more on my move to Chicago and my baking adventures, follow me on Facebook and Instagram @thecookierunner 

TWD: Chocolate Pots de Crème

I couldn't resist the prospect of making an orange whipped cream to go with these Chocolate Pots de Crème. Something about the orange flavor really seemed to offer the luxurious taste I wanted for these already luxurious sounding and tasting chocolate sweets. A little bit of Cointreau (or Triple Sec) added to the heavy cream before beating did the trick and the desserts had a wonderful taste dynamic between the freshness of the citrus and the richness of the chocolate. Dorie describes the Chocolate Pots de Crème as a cousin to pudding and I agree in terms of technique, but when it comes to taste Alex and I both thought this dessert was closer to a mousse. However, that could be because I think I overcooked mine a bit. Oops, as usual.

Thanks to Christine of BlackCatCooking for making such a great selection this week. Make sure to go to her blog for the recipe and to go to the TWD site to see what everyone else did this week.

TWD: Bourbon Bread Pudding

I never thought I would be a bread pudding fan but Dorie has turned me into one. Alex and I both enjoyed this week's Bourbon Bread Pudding selection. I will admit, however, that I cheated a bit because I wasn't in the mood to wait around while the pudding sat for an hour. Instead, I stuck the pudding in the oven right after I pour the liquid over the bread without a water bath and baked for about 25 minutes. The pudding looked gorgeous right when it was taken out of the oven because it was all puffed up like a soufflé. The pudding itself was delicious and I thought the bourbon actually gave the pudding a bit of a coconut flavor.

Thanks to Sharon of Simply Southern for a fantastic selection. Make sure to stop by her blog for the recipe and the TWD site to read what everyone else thought about this pudding.

Nutella Panna Cotta

Oh Nutella, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: I love to eat you on a spoon, on bread, with a banana, on my french toast, in brownies, and basically with anything and on everything. This chocolaty hazelnut spread is a real treat and perfect for satisfying the sweet tooth when regular chocolate won't do it.

I made this Nutella Panna Cotta recipe to celebrate World Nutella Day. I didn't get to participate in last year's celebration so I wanted to make sure to participate this year. I completely agree with World Nutella Day creators Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso that Nutella is so amazing it deserves a day to itself. This panna cotta is so easy to make that it's reason enough for everyone to indulge in a little Nutella celebration today. It is creamy and silky and full of that hazelnut flavor that makes Nutella so amazing.

Nutella Panna Cotta
Source: Technicolor Kitchen
Serves 8

1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
1 cup Nutella
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) whole milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the gelatin and 3 tablespoons cold water.

Put the Nutella and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and vanilla to a boil. Pour 1/3 of the hot cream mixture over the gelatin and whisk it well. Then pour the gelatin mixture back into the remaining cream.

Pour about 1/3 of the cream mixture over the Nutella. Whisk well to form a smooth paste. Add the remaining cream mixture and whisk well to combine. Whisk in the milk.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, then divide it among eight ramekins, glasses or cups. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours – the panna cotta can be kept, loosely covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

They can be served in the ramekins or dipped in hot water and unmolded onto a serving plate.

{Cuban} Eggnog Bread Pudding

Yes, I am a little late posting this recipe. There probably isn't any eggnog at the store any longer, but hopefully you have some in the fridge that's begging to be used up. We aren't big eggnog drinkers but I do love the flavor adds to baked goods so when I saw my reader flooded with eggnog related recipes I knew I had to give one of them a go. I didn't have any challah bread as the original recipe called for, but I did have half a loaf of Cuban bread that had gone stale. Perfect! The bread pudding came out delicious, but I will warn you, this recipe is for those that are eggnog lovers. Served with a scoop of ice cream, this dessert was perfect for our post-holiday dinners.

Eggnog Bread Pudding 
Source: The Small Boston Kitchen
Serves 8

1/2 loaf of Cuban bread, stale and cut into chunks
2.5 cups eggnog
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp nutmeg
A pinch of salt

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the bread chunks in an oven-proof bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the eggnog, milk, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the bread chunks, making sure that a good portion of the bread is submerged and only little bits are sticking out.  If it's a little dry, just add more eggnog or milk.  On the flip side, if it's too wet, just drain some of the liquid.

Bake until the top starts to puff up and brown, about 60 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm, preferably topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

TWD: Butterscotch Pudding

This week is another rewind week for us TWD bakers. I wanted to go with something I could dress up for our Christmas Day meal so I made the Butterscotch Pudding selected back in December 2008 by Donna of Spatulas, Corkscrews, & Suitcases. I made the entire recipe and filled up 11 little jars with this pudding dessert. I tried to bypass all the back and forth between the saucepan-food processor by making everything in the saucepan. This definitely made the dessert more manageable and quicker to make but I think I'm going to suffer through the back and forth next time I make this because the pudding didn't come out as smooth as I remember it. It was still good though and a delightful after-dinner dessert shot.

 

Don't forget to check out what the other TWD bakers did this week!

Chocolate Croissant Pudding

I love my crock pot. I rediscovered its awesomeness and now I'm hooked. I made this dessert because I really wanted to try to make a dessert in the crock pot. The dessert itself was a success. The preparation? Not so much. It was all my fault though because I didn't have the proper equipment. I ended up losing quite a bit of my custard because I used a springform pan instead of a casserole dish. I guess the dish didn't need as much custard liquid because it was pretty darn good. The croissants soaked up just enough fluid and the chocolate chips added bitterness to the sweet croissants and added a different texture to the dessert. Served with homemade whipped cream and you can honestly do no wrong.

Chocolate Croissant Pudding
Source: Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes by Crock Pot

1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 plain croissants, cut into 1" pieces, divided
1/2 cup chocolate chips, divided
Whipped cream

Prepare 1-quart casserole, souffle dish or other high sided baking pan that will fit in your slow cooker by coating it with nonstick cooking spray.

Beat milk, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Layer half of croissants, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, and half of egg mixture into prepared casserole. Repeat layers with remaining croissants, chocolate chips, and egg mixture.

Place a rack or trivet into slow cooker; pour in 1 cup of water. Place casserole on rack. Cover; cook on low 3-4 hours.

Remove casserole from slow cooker. Spoon bread pudding into bowls. Top with whipped cream.

TWD: Apple-Apple Bread Pudding

The baking gods decided to be kind to me. Somehow my bread pudding came out good after I royally messed up the recipe. I went into the recipe planning on making a third of it but I got distracted or my brain just stopped functioning and I ended up halving the liquids while I added a third of the eggs. Then I used regular butter and I didn't toast the bread to make it stale. Then I put the pudding in the oven right away instead of letting it sit for 30 minutes as the recipe calls for. It tasted great though and the bread pudding was gone the very same day. The bread pudding itself had a delicious vanilla taste to it and the apples added a nice tart punch to the dessert.
Thanks to Elizabeth of Cake or Death? for this week's selection. Make sure to head over to her blog to get the correct and full recipe. Also, don't forget to stop by TWD to see what the other bakers thought of this week's selection.

TWD: Split Level Pudding

I came to a realization this week. One that was met with some serious questioning from Alex. What was my realization? I don't like pudding. I told Alex this and his response was, "But you've eaten pudding before." I told him he was correct but if he remembered I only took a couple of bites of the butterscotch pudding and the chocolate pudding and then left the rest for him. Then he asked me the question that has kept my mind occupied since I made the pudding, "Custards are similar, why do you like them?" I was stumped. I rambled off about egg-based versus milk-based but he didn't buy it and I wasn't satisfied. Why can I eat creme brulee for days but not pudding? I can barely make an argument based on consistency because the truth is, the consistencies of puddings and custards are similar. So it's a mystery and maybe this just goes into that category of weird likes and dislikes. Any explanations?

Aside from my general dislike of pudding, Alex loved this dessert. He is a huge fan of puddings and thought this one was "brilliant." He loved the two layers and thought they complimented one another perfectly. The rich ganache was a perfect match for the light vanilla pudding.

Thanks to Garrett Flavor of Vanilla for this week's selection. Make sure to check his blog for the recipe and don't forget to stop by the TWD site to see what everyone else thought of this pudding.

Finished pudding.

It really was a pretty pudding.

TWD: Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

I almost forgot I hadn't posted this week's recipe. I'm down to the wire! I made this dessert last night and it was a hit. I've never made nor had bread pudding before so I didn't know what to expect. Alex thought I threw some bananas in this and I actually thought of doing that but decided at the last minute not to. He enjoyed it a lot and was caught off guard at first because he's never had a chocolate bread pudding. As for the bread pudding virgin? I thought it was great! It kind of tasted like french toast drenched in chocolate syrup, which probably explains why I had it for breakfast this morning. I must say I am loving the chocolate streak we've been on lately :)

Thanks to Lauren of East Side Chronicle for making a great selection this week. Don't forget to check out Lauren's blog and the other bakers on TWD!

I love the look of powdered sugar. Would you like some?