30 September 2011

Speed demon

I cannot yet confirm this works, but... damn!


How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

Edit to update: @drricky forwards this post that describes how this technique may work. More as soon as I have a chance to attempt this technique.
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06 September 2011

Lavender rice pudding with blueberries

Rice pudding with blueberry goop

Holy moley, with Labour Day come and gone, the summer's over. And I didn't smoke any meat. The combination of moving cross-country and changing jobs means that I've eaten a lot of PBJ sandwiches this summer, and done precious little cooking (and even less blogging). But we have taken a little of the local delicousness into our (sub-let) kitchen. Fresh-picked blueberries. Lobster.

And as we frantically pack our things to move to our fourth temporary home in Boston, we empty out the remaining frozen blueberries from our picking trip. I modified a rice pudding with blueberry sauce recipe. For the pudding:

2 ½ cups leftover cooked short-grain rice
½ tsp salt
2 cups milk milk
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ tsp culinary lavender, in a tea strainer
Mix the rice with all the other ingredients except the vanilla. Bring to a simmer.

Rice pudding

Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes. It'll still be pretty soupy. That's okay, it will solidify considerably when you chill it. If you overcook it, it'll solidify into cement. Stir in the vanilla and remove from heat.

Rice pudding

Pour into individual servings, and chill in the fridge, at least 2 hours.

Shortly before serving, make the blueberry sauce:
2 cups frozen blueberries
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water

Blueberries

Mix the blueberries, sugar and lemon zest. Heat over low heat until they simmer gently.

Blueberry goop

Add the corn starch slurry, and continue to stir over low heat until you get the desired level of thickness. Serve hot over the rice pudding.

Rice pudding with blueberry goop

Delicious.

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