Ginger Rice Pudding Recipe

The last time I made mango rice pudding, the little one of the family (she's only 6 years old) complained that she didn't get any. I promised her I'd make some more the following day but I kept forgetting. I finally had time to make some rice pudding today, which I flavored with fresh ginger. Ginger is a very versatile ingredient that can flavor either drinks, savory dishes or desserts.

If you want to serve this at the end of a dinner party, I would recommend using tuile bowls filled with a layer of ginger chocolate mousse and topped with the ginger rice pudding. It's a great way to serve traditional family desserts and turn them into elegant desserts.

In case you were wondering, I made sure everyone got their fair share of rice pudding this time. That means I’m going to have to find a new excuse the next time I have a craving for rice pudding!

Mango Rice Pudding Recipe

Today, there were no eggs, fresh fruit or flour in the kitchen. I was able to find sugar, a can of Alphonso mango purée, sweet Asian rice and a few cups of milk. Rice pudding is my go-to dessert whenever my pantry is running on empty, and I found just the right set of ingredients to make a batch to satisfy my sweet tooth.

First, I boiled the rice in water, drained it and slowly cooked it in milk until tender. Once the rice was cooked, I sweetened and flavored it with the delicious mango purée. I couldn't stop there, so I finished the rice pudding with a little crème fraîche for extra creaminess and created a sugar crust, crème brûlée-style. All I can say is, yum!

Chocolate Pear Entremet

Un entremet poire chocolat is an ultra-refined dessert made of layers of chocolate cake, pear flavored mascarpone and covered in chocolate cream. The key to this dessert is to use very fragrant and juicy pears. I waited a few days for the pears to reach the peak of ripeness. I baked the mini chocolate cakes in 4-½" diameter pans so we could each have our own serving.

Of course, we ended up sharing one individual cake and feeding each other. Lulu commented that the entremet was almost too pretty to be eaten, but he soon got over his initial reaction. It was the perfect way to end our Valentine's Day dinner, and I'm sure I'll be making more of these in the near future.  There's no reason to wait a whole year to enjoy this decadent treat again!

Chocolate Persimmon Trifle

Chocolate Persimmon Trifle is a unique dessert creation, inspired by my friend Carole's suggestion that I should try using Hachiya persimmons (the soft variety) in puddings and custards. I love Hachiya persimmons and I usually eat them as is, but I'm always up for a challenge. At first, I wanted to play it safe and make a persimmon almondine tart but that would have been too easy. So I made a trifle with layers of basic white cake, persimmon pudding and chocolate.

I usually cook with Fuyu persimmons (the hard variety) but after this decadent dessert, I'm definitely going to test out more recipes using the Hachiya variety.

Coconut and Sweet Tapioca Pudding with Bananas (Che Chuoi in Vietnamese)

Today, my local Asian market carried Vietnamese sweet bananas called chuối xiêm. Chuối xiêm are small, thin-peel bananas that are sweet and very flavorful when they are ripe. I made some coconut and sweet tapioca pudding with the bananas, called chè chuối xiêm in Vietnamese.  

Vietnamese desserts are not always the prettiest-looking sweets, but they are very good. They are composed of ingredients different from Western desserts and might look unusual at first. A lot of traditional Vietnamese desserts are made from sticky rice or other starches like cassava.