Rice Pudding Paletas

Rice Pudding Paletas
Original recipe courtesy of Paletas by Fany Gerson. Adapted by The Paddington Foodie

Makes 8-10

Ingredients
1/2 cup short or medium grain rice
3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon quill
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Method

  1. Combine the rice, milk, cream, half the sugar and the cinnamon quill in a large saucepan. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the pan then add the pod.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture comes to a simmer.
  3. Lower the heat. Add the remaining sugar and continue to simmer for 45 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring often so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
  4. Discard the vanilla bean pod and cinnamon quill and let the mixture cool slightly.
  5. Transfer half the mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth (don’t worry if there are still some bits of rice remaining).
  6. Pour the puree back into the mixture, stir thoroughly and refrigerate until completely chilled.
  7. If using conventional moulds, divide mixture evenly among moulds, snap on lid, insert ice cream sticks and freeze until solid, about 5 hours.
  8. If using glasses or other unconventional moulds, freeze until paletas are almost set then insert ice cream sticks and freeze until solid.
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Too Late for Lunch, Too Early for Dinner – It Must be Linner!

What’s not to love about lazy Sunday mornings – late morning sleep ins, lingering over coffee and newspapers, the Bondi to Bronte walk, a quick dip in the ocean. Before you know it, its midday. Time to contemplate lunch and what to feed a hungry crowd.

With the troops descending at 3pm, it wont be lunch, it wont be dinner, so as my teenagers like to say, it must be linner!  And today linner definitely proved to be a winner.

On lazy Sundays I love to cook Slow Oven Roasted Pork Belly complete with a crispy and crunchy crackling. An easy dish to prepare, which requires very little fuss – just a couple of hours in a slow oven.  To cut through the richness of the pork belly I served a crunchy coleslaw dressed with a simple vinaigrette and fresh picked herbs.  Simply delicious.

For dessert we had a very special treat. Homemade Mexican Paletas! They may look like your ordinary garden variety icy poles but these intense flavour bombs bursting with fresh fruit, sugar and spices are truly heaven on a stick.Thank you Fany Gerson(of NewYorkina fame) for sharing your authentic paleta recipes. I tweaked the recipes a little to accommodate ingredients available here in Australia – but the end results were divine! The flavours we sampled today were Strawberry with Balsamic and Lemon, and Raspberry with Hibiscus and Rose hip. This was such a successful first foray into paleta making that this evening I was inspired to try out  another two flavour variations – Roasted Banana with Chocolate and Rice Pudding with Cinnamon. They are sitting in the freezer as I type and am sure they wont last long tomorrow.

 

As soon as I get the opportunity, I will be sure to share these glorious recipes with you. No rest for the wicked!. Watch this space.

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What’s for Dinner? Karaage! Fried Chicken Japanese style!

ばんごはんなんですか?日本チケーンからげ!

Mmm, I love this recipe, and so does my family. Its quick. Its easy. It’s absolutely delicious. Crunchy, tender morsels of  chicken thigh fillets. Marinated in  soy, garlic and ginger. Drenched in cornflour. Shallow fried to perfection. Garnished with lemon.

Granted it’s not exactly a weight watchers special, but  I do try to balance out the naughtiness of this  meal with a side serving of steamed vinegared rice, green beans and butter lettuce.

I’m sure that every Japanese household has its own special recipe for Karaage handed down through the generations, but  this is the  version that I use and love.

Karaage Japanese Fried Chicken

Feeds: 6 Hungry People

Ingredients

1 kg chicken thigh fillets; diced into bite sized pieces
1  cup cornflour
Vegetable oil for frying
Lemon, cut into wedges to serve

Marinade

4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, finely grated
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon white pepper

Method

  1. Combine marinade ingredients in a large glass or ceramic bowl.
  2. Add chicken and mix thoroughly to coat evenly. Cover bowl with clingwrap and refrigerate for a minimum 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.  Overnight is better.
  3.  Heat wok and add vegetable oil to reach a depth of about 3 cm. Heat oil to 180C over a medium heat. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the temperature with a small cube of bread. When dropped in the oil it should turn golden brown in about 40 seconds.
  4. Working in 4 or 5 batches, drain chicken from the marinade and drench in cornflour, taking care to shake off any excess. Fry each batch for about 5 minutes until chicken is golden and cooked through. Drain well on paper towels.
  5. Serve with lemon wedges.
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About Me

Welcome to my recipe journal. I am a long time resident of Paddington. I love to cook. I love to eat. Along the way I love to explore new tastes and flavours.

I believe anyone can cook – all you need is beautiful, fresh ingredients, a wonderful recipe and an open mind. For as long as I can remember I have been sharing recipes, and have lost track of the number of times friends and acquaintances have asked “Where’s the blog?”

After much procrastination, I’ve finally taken the plunge and created my first ever blog. It’s a brave new world and I hope you stay with me on my journey. After all, the first step is always the hardest….

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