Festive Rice Pudding for a Fairy Tale Feast

Sunday morning and I haven’t made a rice pudding yet. I have been mulling over the ingredients, starting with searching out various recipes around the world. Yes, rice pudding is global!

We often dismiss this dessert as a humble dish, but certain ingredients will make a pudding incredibly more-ish.

My mother’s version was simply to simmer it on the hob in full fat milk, then add sugar if needed, at the table. Nanna would bake hers, including knobs of butter – everyone seems to agree that the skin is best!

Today I will make a Festive Rice Pudding for a Fairy Tale Feast with

 unsweetened almond milk – 6 cups to 1 cup of rice

chopped dates, dried figs would be nice too – no need for sugar

vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest

butter

A dash of Chambord black raspberry liqueur

It will be baked for two hours low heat.

I am anticipating a festive aroma!

The most decadent version was served to me in the Highlands of Scotland. A Lady Claire MacDonald recipe laden with cream and butter!

Persian interpretations are perhaps the most famous – one recipe has milk, one does not. Rose water and cardamon are added, then the dish is adorned with rose petals, almonds and more. See Shir Berenj and Sholeh Zard https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/331999803767086537/

I found another recipe on instagram from Chile with the naughty addition of condensed milk (okay once a year!) Rick Stein has share the Mexican version on his latest jaunt. And please let’s not forget honey, which is made for this sweet dessert.

My culinary reading for the festive season is Nigel Slater’s The Christmas Chronicles.

Other books on the coffee table include:

Marco Polo – from Venice to Xanadau

Norse Mythology

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Plus a couple in the fantasy and magic realism genres arriving in the post soon.

I intend to watch international films throughout winter – the real, the magical.

Links:

Rick Stein’s recipe from Mexico:

https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/mexican-rice-pudding-with-honeycomb

Nigel Slater:

https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008260194/the-christmas-chronicles/

Stitching & Swearing: Interview with Annie Taylor of the Profanity Embroidery Group (PEG)

Might be just what I need! Love it!

#womensart ♀

I’m going to start with an obvious question, how did the Profanity Embroidery Group (PEG) begin as an idea and then form as a group?

The Profanity Embroidery Group came about by accident really.  I shared an old Rino Piccolo cartoon on my facebook feed.  My mum had always embroidered, and years ago I had torn this cartoon out of the New Yorker, I think, and sent it to her.  In the summer of 2014, mum was looking through her books and the cartoon fell out.  My dad then scanned it and emailed it back to me.  I laughed so much when I saw it, I decided to share it.  The cartoon shows a lovely older woman sitting stitching, covering everything with hearts and flowers and ‘Fuck the World’. The catch line is “Mrs Winchester finds a positive outlet for frustrated negative energy”.

‘Real Women Fart’ embroidery by Jan Lewis…

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Letter to Santa

Dear Santa

I don’t need very much at all this year, if anything. But it has come to my attention that you seem to not know what I like lately. Here’s a list of ayes and nays, I know your team take the time to read people’s blogs.

When it comes to booze, only a good red wine will do, nothing else, but I’d rather a darned fine olive oil.

I like dark chocolate cherry liqueurs at this time of year, salt-free pistachios, hazelnuts, brazil nuts. In fact a bag of nuts in shells is fine. I put them in a bowl along with a nutcracker, which has been in the family since the 1960’s.

Dried figs and dates – yum!  I can cook with dried fruit, as well as for nibbling on. No cheeses, sweets, general chocolates.

Have checked the spice cupboard and we could do with star anise, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves and saffron, peppercorns.

Please don’t bring pickles and chutneys, I’m pernickety about vegetable matter in jars!