Rice Cream with Fresh Strawberries and Jam

Well, apparently rice cream is a Norwegian treat.  My paternal grandparents are of Norwegian decent and I don't recall ever seeing any rice cream on Mimi's table.  Mostly I remember a lot of creamed corn and homemade pickles! 

I have to say though, of all the treats available in Disney's EPCOT theme park it's the rice cream in the Norway pavilion that I look forward to the most.   It's awesome!  Rice cream is like a creamier rice pudding that is served cold with a sweet strawberry topping.  Perfect for a hot Florida day. I should have known I'd love it since I enjoy that section of EPCOT so much anyway.  Seriously, who can resist a ride on the Maelstrom or a trip through the (wonderfully air conditioned) Stave church?  

 

This crazy pretzel hangs above the doorway to the EPCOT Norway bakery.  Isn't it cool?  I did some digging and found that in the real Norway it's not called a pretzel but a kringle and is a reference to pastry.  Apparently the kringle symbol is one of the few ancient guild signs still used and a traditional kringle sign is often hung outside bakery shops.  Ah, don't ya love Disney's attention to the details?!
 
I took this recipe right from the Disney Food Blog and added my own tweaks of course. The recipe calls for just a jam topping but I prefer to add fresh strawberries, too.  I also suspect there is a bit of cardamom in the Disney version that isn't listed in the original recipe.  I've added it.  My Scottish Bellman gives it a thumbs up :)



BTW, this is my favorite strawberry jam.  I buy it in Plant City, Florida (home of the BEST strawberries).  It is available to order right from the Parksdale Farm Market website if you're interested.






RICE CREAM
Yield = 6 servings

1 1/2 c water
1/4 tsp salt

1C short grain white rice
2 C milk (whole)
1/4tsp cardamom
1tsp vanilla bean paste

1C heavy cream
1/4C sugar
2tsp vanilla


1.  Bring water and salt to a boil.

2.  Add the rice, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.

3.  Add the milk, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.

4.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

5.  In another bowl, whip the heavy cream, vanilla and sugar.

6. With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream mixture into the rice.

7.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.


STRAWBERRY TOPPING

1C strawberries, sliced
3T sugar
1/4C strawberry jam
1T fresh lemon juice

1.  Clean and slice the strawberries.   Add sugar and refrigerate.

2.  Add lemon juice to jam and microwave for about 15 seconds.

3.  Combine jam with strawberries and pour over rice cream prior to serving.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Creme Brulee

One word....RumChata.  And then as George Takei would say, oh myyyy!



On the label RumChata is described as rum with dairy cream but oh, it is so much more.  Honestly, it tastes like the milk from a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch cereal.  I am in love.  When I bought this bottle I had one taste and couldn't wait to get started baking with it. My first adventure is this RumChata infused crème brulee.

Crème brulee is a baked custard with a crunchy burnt sugar top.  It sounds scary and complicated but it really isn't.  It's one of those fancy pants desserts I reserve for company.  I make it in advance and burn the sugar top with a small kitchen torch just before serving. Guests are always overly impressed by the torch. Go figure.




CINNAMON ROLL CREME BRULEE
Yield = 6 servings

2C heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1/3C sugar plus extra for dusting
1tsp vanilla paste
1/4C RumChata

1.  Mix cream, RumChata and vanilla paste in saucepan.  Heat the mixture until hot but not yet boiling.

2.  In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar.

3.  Slowly whisk warm cream mixture into the egg mixture.  This is called tempering.  If you mix too fast the eggs will curdle and we don't want that. Slow and steady.

4.  Place the ramekins in a shallow roasting pan. 

5.  Strain the mixture and evenly distribute it between the six ramekins.

6.  Add hot water in roasting pan being careful not to splash into the custard.  Fill the pan with enough water so that the water level reaches about half way up the ramekins.

7.  Bake at 300 for about 35-45 minutes.  The custard is ready when it jiggles like jello in the center.

8.  Let the custard cool for a few hours.  I prefer to serve my crème brulee at room temperature.

8.  Right before serving sprinkle extra sugar on top evenly, dusting off excess, and using a kitchen torch caramelize the sugar.  It should be nice brown and bubbly.  When cooled it will harden up to produce a nice crackle when you dig into it! 

Enjoy!