This was my first time making a rib roast! So, if you’re a newbie, I’m here to tell you that this isn’t a hard recipe, and you should definitely try it! Okay, so I know these things look intimidating, and you might just glance right by them at the butcher. OR, you might love them, but not want to risk wasting all that money on something that might come out kind of tough. Well, it’s not as hard as you think, and I even made mine without my handy thermometer! So try it.

I made my Facebook status about not having a meat thermometer, and was given a bunch of tips on how to tell how the meat is ready. Here they are for you!

And no, I don’t recommend stabbing yourself with a knife. Or poking holes in your roast if you’re having fancy company over. This served four for dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day for all of us. Mmmm…

Oh, and the original recipe called for shallots. I LOVE shallots. But the fruit stand on the corner didn’t have any. And they had onions. So I used those instead and just cut into big chunks. Try this while whole, halved, or quartered shallots and let me know how you like it. I bet it’ll be even more delicious.

Boneless Rib Roast with Onions in Red Wine Sauce, adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless rib roast, tied (mine was 4.5 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 onions, peeled and cut into big chunks
• 6 cloves of garlic
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Pat roast dry and season with kosher salt and pepper.

2. Brown the roast either by placing in your roasting pan in the oven under the broiler for 10 minutes, rotating every few minutes so all the sides get browned – or – in a really large cast iron pan/dutch oven on high heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side. (I used the oven method, but really prefer doing this in cast iron)

3. Preheat the oven (or reduce the temperature) to 325 degrees.

4. Place roast in the pan and place the onions and garlic around it.

5. Place in oven and roast for about one hour (depending on the size of your roast), tossing the onions about halfway through, until the temperature reaches 130.

6. Remove from oven.

7. Transfer roast to plate and tent with foil.

8. If onions are not soft and browned, return to oven for another 15 minutes.

9. If onions are lightly browned, transfer to a bowl and add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, a pinch of salt, and pepper.

10.  In the roasting pan (or transfer the fat/drippings from the pan into a small pot) add the red wine and cook until syrupy (this took me about 5 minutes)

11. Add the water and cook over high heat until reduced to about half, about 10 minutes.

12. Strain liquid into bowl and whisk in the mustard.

13. Slice the roast and surround with the onions. Pour sauce over the roast and onions (reserving some for the side)

14. Serve and enjoy!

Okay, so if you don’t eat kitniyot, this recipe is not so kosher for passover, because the lemon curd is thickened with corn starch. But try it with potato starch, that might work, too. Or try the recipe Stephanie used for her lemon macarons, which, by the way, would be a good dessert to make for passover. Or you’ll just have a more runny lemon curd filling. I’m not sure how to handle that. Maybe you can just make this after the holiday.

Lemon Meringue Pie, adapted from Bon Appetit:

To make the crust:

• 1 package Hagadda Baby Fingers
• 5 tablespoons flavorless oil

Directions:

1. Crush the cookies in a zip top bag until the crumbs are like powder – I used a water bottle to do this, and it was quite easy.

2. Pour crackers into a bowl and add oil, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well with your fingers.

3. Squeeze crust together. If it sticks, you know it’s ready. Transfer to tart pan or pie dish.

To made the lemon curd/filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons corn starch (try it with potato starch and let me know how it works)
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (4 1/2 lemons)
• 4 whole eggs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)

Directions:

1. Whisk sugar and corn starch in medium saucepan until there are no lumps.

2. Gradually whisk in lemon juice

3. Add eggs one at a time, whisking to blend well after each addition.

4. Stir in the lemon zest and then whisk constantly over medium heat until filling thickens and bubbles. This took about 17 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and transfer to crust. Smooth out the top.

To make the meringue:

• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixture, beat egg whites and salt until frothy.

2. Gradually beat in sugar, and continue beating until white and glossy.

3. Spread meringue over warm filling, making sure the meringue reaches the crust at the edges. (Alternatively, you can use your piping bag and pipe dots around the whole pie. make sure to spread a layer at the bottom just to make sure everything is covered, then start piping from the outside in – if you pipe, skip the next step).

4. Using a spatula, form peaks and swirls in the meringue – the more peaks, the more browning!

5. Bake pie for 15 minutes at 375 degrees, until the meringue is golden brown.

6. Cool completely and serve.

We really have to thank our good friend and culinary school graduate Adam Mimran for this recipe. He’s the one who’s tested it many times and took the time to make them for a crowd during the Superbowl. Funny thing is, this has been on mine and Steph’s to do lists for quite some time. Oh well. Sometimes you have to rely on friends to cook things for you. If you plan on making them for a crowd, double the recipe.

And you may be thinking that shaping these will be too hard for you. Don’t worry about that. If Zeke can do it, you can too! It was a fun project, and definitely more time consuming that it was hard. They were definitely worth the work. They were a big hit at the party, and the first thing to go. Perfect finger food and very impressive for guests.

Of course, the original recipe called for pork, so we kosher-ified the recipe for you. It’s great with turkey. Try veal, beef, or chicken if you want. Double the recipe and freeze some if you want. And don’t forget to chop the veggies really tiny!

Turkey Potstickers, adapted from Alton Brown:

Makes about 40 potstickers

• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons ketchup (the kind withouT HFCS!)
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
• Water, for sealing wontons
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

2. Combine the first ten ingredients in a medium mixing bowl (turkey through cayenne) and set aside.

3. Form the dumplings: Remove one wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush two of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place half a rounded teaspoon of the turkey mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

4. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil.

5. Cook the Dumplings: Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for two minutes, without touching. Once the two minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another two minutes.

6. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven.

7. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze.

8. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

Another baby recipe by Tyler Florence! And another one-pot all-in-one meal! Can’t go wrong here. I think I’m just trying to work my way through this cookbook until I find my favorite recipes. Why? Not only are they healthy recipes geared towards your family’s eating, they’re also SO easy and quick to make. And easy but still super delicious recipes are my favorite!

This recipe is great because it has many different vegetable mixed in with the rice. Plus, baby carrots are amazingly cute, though you can use whatever veggies you have on hand or find at the farmer’s market or on sale at the supermarket. The recipe was actually a little bit bla when I first tried it, but with a few tweaks, including adding some soy sauce and seasoning along the way, it was definitely a hit. Next time maybe I’ll use some more interesting veggies, as well.

You can use whatever type of chicken you have on hand; I chose to use thighs because that’s what I had in my freezer. The recipe called for two boneless skinless breasts, though I always find those get dry quickly. So i swapped it for chicken with bones, and I’m glad I did. The chicken stayed moist.

Chicken with Rice and Veggies, adapted from Tyler Florence:

Serves 2-3 adults or 6 children

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 chicken thighs
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets and stalks cut into rounds
• 6 baby carrots
• 1 yellow onion, cut into rings
• 1 cup sugar snap peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups white rice
• 3 cups chicken stock or water
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. In a roasting pan or dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 7 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and set aside.

3. Add the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes, until they start the brighten and the onions start to soften (do this in batches if necessary)

4. Transfer veggies to a plate and set aside.

5. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and add the rice. stir until coated.

6. Add the stock/water and bring to a boil over high heat.

7. Place the chicken and veggies on top of the rice and place in oven, uncovered.

8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is done (165 degrees) and the rice is cooked.

Ever wonder why they’re called cupcakes? Well, probably because you bake them in cups!

Seriously. Once I found out that my dairy dishes are oven-proof, I knew I had to make these. I watched Alton make them a few times, and once my Good Eats 3 arrived, it made me want to try it even more. So when Stephanie came over and we made dinner for some friends, we knew his was the perfect dessert to make. Each of us would have a mug, and we would freeze the cupcakes we made in tins. Yum! These came out light, fluffy, and overall delicious, especially with Alton’s buttercream spread on top.

Making this recipe, we were very thankful that I have two Kitchen Aid bowls. Actually, it would have been more convenient to have three. We mixed the batter together in one bowl, then whipped the egg whites in the clean one. Life is easy with a dishwasher and extra equipment.

Now, these didn’t rise as much as Alton’s, but I’m really not sure why. The egg whites were whipped to soft peaks and we measured the ingredients accurately. At first I thought they were ruined, but when I tasted the light and fluffy batter I guessed that maybe my mugs are just giant. And hey, they are pretty big. And the dessert was delicious.

Chiffon Cupcakes, adapted from Alton Brown:

Ingredients:

• 5 1/4 ounces cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 6 ounces sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. Or, place 12 oven proof coffee mugs on a baking sheet and set aside. Or, what I did, line 1 12-cup muffin tin with liners and prepare 6 coffee mugs on a baking sheet and set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks and 5 ounces of the sugar and mix on high for 2 minutes, until pale ribbons form.

5. Add the water, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine.

6. Add the dry ingredients and whisk till just combined. Transfer batter to a large bowl (unless you have two mixer bowls) and set aside.

7. In your newly cleaned mixer bowl (or if you have 2 like me, just take it out of the cabinet!), combine the egg whites and cream of tartar and whisk on high until mixture is foamy. Decrease speed to low and add the remaining ounce of sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

8. Add one-third of the egg whites into the batter and whisk until combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently.

9. Scoop the batter into the prepared tins and mugs.

10. Place muffin tins in middle rack of the oven and mugs on the bottom. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

11. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

I love Yemenite soup. Lucky for me, I live pretty close to David’s and I can order it in any time. But like any foodie, I had to try to make it myself. The first time I tried, it was a major fail. It was too thin, not meaty enough, and I really just wouldn’t share the recipe. Fast forward a few months, and someone told me that the Taste cookbook had a great recipe, and I knew that I needed to find someone with a copy and look at the recipe. And I did. I changed the recipe just a bit, and prepped all the ingredients. Much to my surprise, the soup was SO easy to make! Except for the spice mix, but that was Zeke’s job.

As you can see, the hawaiij took a little bit of prep. We couldn’t find ground cardamom, so Zeke bought whole pods and spent some time peeling them and then mashing them with our trusty mortar and pestle. it worked out, and now next time we make Yemenite soup, we’ll have it ready. It’ll be super easy.

Basically you just throw the ingredients in a pot and let it boil for hours. It results in a thick, meaty soup/stew. Okay, it’s not the same as David’s. It’s definitely not as thick. But the flavor is definitely there. And I got to serve it with one of my favorite things, fresh cilantro; they don’t do that at David’s.

Yemenite Soup, adapted from Taste

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound flanken
• 6 cups chicken stock
• ½ tablespoon hawaiij*
• ¼ teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• A pinch of chili powder
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 large tomato
• 2 onions, peeled
• ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 5-8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 2 idaho potatoes, peeled and cut in half

Directions:

1. Place flanken in a large pot and add the stock. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 20 minutes.
Skim the foam from the top.
2. Add spices.
3. Cut an X on the tomato and add it to the pot.
4. Add the onion, cilantro, garlic and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 2 hours.
6. Add the potatoes and simmer another hour.

**To make ½ cup Hawaiij spice mix, mix together 5 tablespoons cumin, 2 tablespoons ground cardamom, 5 teaspoons black pepper, 3 teaspoons turmeric, and 2 teaspoons ground coriander.

Way back when this blog was just a baby (and before this baby was around), we shared a recipe for chocolate babka with you. We love this babka recipe. We double it to freeze some. We make it with chocolate, cinnamon, white chocolate, and just eat it up. We impress dinner guests and impress hosts with it. We make it all the time. And we love it all the time. And hope you do to. If you don’t, this is just a friendly reminder that you should.Well, back then we didn’t take such great pictures. I mean, they were nice and all, but we didn’t upload them in big. And we didn’t center all of them. And we shared some boring ones, or not enough pictures, or not final pictures, etc. And we feel bad about it. So today I’m reposting the recipe, but with cinnamon instead. And showing you a picture of the swirl (even though I served it in a tin. So what?).

This cinnamon babka is delicious. Amazing. It’s good as a Friday night dessert, and also makes a perfect breakfast any day of the week. Give it a try, it’s really not so hard. Don’t be scared – the recipe is very forgiving, even though it’s a yeast dough.

When you make the babka, be sure to really seal the edges, and that twist it a lot! The more you twist, the more swirly each slice will be. And doesn’t everyone judge the awesomeness of babka by the swirls?

I know in the original recipe we added a delicious streusel topping to the babka. It is definitely a giant plus to have a crunchy topping, but definitely not necessary. I skipped it this time. And I skipped the fake milk, opting for water instead. And it was still amazing. Don’t believe me? Try it and see for yourself already! (Also, I’ve never made this dairy. I can imagine it is even more amazing.) Yes, there are a lot of steps to this, but it doesn’t make it hard. Just time consuming (with two two hour-long rising sessions and some active time in between).

Okay, I’ll stop teasing you. And now the recipe:

Cinnamon Babka, adapted from here:

Makes 2 or 3 babkas, depending on the size of your loaf pan

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons active dry yeast (or two 1/4-oz packages)
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
• 2 whole large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) Earth Balance, or your favorite pareve butter substitute, cut into pieces and softened
• 5 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Make the dough: mix the water with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, or until it foams.
2. Combine 1/2 cup of flour to the yeast in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat at medium speed until combined.
4. Switch to the dough hook. Reduce speed to low and slowly mix in the remaining 2 3/4 cups of flour.
5. Increase speed to medium and beat in Earth Balance, a few pieces at a time. Let it beat until the dough is shiny and stringy, about 4 minutes.
6. Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until doubled.
7. Grease and flour 2 (or 3) loaf pans.
8. Combine the cinnamon and sugar.
9. Punch down the dough and cut in half (thirds)
10. Roll out on piece of dough on a well-floured surface into a 12x8ish rectangle (or just as thin as it will get without tearing or sticking) with the long side facing you.
11. Spread half the Earth Balance over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border at the top.
12. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough.
13. Roll the dough into a tight log, making sure to pinch the edges to seal
14. Bring the edges together (like a snake eating its own tail!)
15. Twist the circle twice (or more times) to form a twisted circly log/figure 8/awesome twisty dough and place in the loaf pan.
16. Repeat with remaining loaf/loaves
17. Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise for two hours, until the dough puffs up.
18. Brush with egg wash.
19. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until the top is nice and golden brown

We already have a few of challah recipes on this blog, but I always like to try new ones. This recipe splits up the process into two days, but I’m pretty sure you can use the same process for most other challah recipes; just make the dough and let it rise overnight in the fridge rather than a couple of hours at room-temperature.

Here, I display my loaves, one 6-strand braid and one 4-strand circle, on my beautiful new challah board that my Aunt Joyce made.

Ever since I saw this post, I wanted to try the egg yolk challah. I could always use the leftover egg whites 1) as the egg wash and 2) to practice my French macaron skills! But, as usual, I waited a long time to make it. Nossi beat me to it, which reminded me about it, but still, I waited and waited, until I could wait no longer!

Peter Reinhart’s Two-Day Challah, via Ruhlman.com

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups/510 grams lukewarm water (about 95 degrees)
• 1 ½ tablespoons/14 grams instant yeast
• 8–10 egg yolks or 170 grams depending on weight of yolks
• 5 tablespoons/71 grams vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons/85 grams sugar, or 4 ½ tablespoons/96 grams honey or agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon/21 grams vanilla extract (optional)
• 7 ½ cups/964 grams unbleached bread flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons/19 grams salt or 4 teaspoons/20 grams coarse kosher salt
• 1 egg white for egg wash
• 2 tablespoons/30 grams water for egg wash
• 2 tablespoons/20 grams sesame or poppyseeds for garnish

1. Combine the water and the yeast in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a 5-quart mixer and whisk together to dissolve.  Add the egg yolks, oil, sugar, and vanilla, if using, and whisk together to break up then add the flour and salt.
2. Using the paddle attachment, mix the dough for 2 minutes on the lowest speed.  Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
3. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium low for 4 minutes.
4. Use a floured bowl scraper or floured hands to transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, sprinkle the top lightly with flour and knead by hand for a couple of minutes until the dough is soft and supple.  It should be tacky but not sticky.
5. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, or divide the dough in half or in as many portions as you plan to bake,  and place in oiled bowls.  Cover and immediately place in the refrigerator.  The dough should rest at least overnight and can be kept refrigerated for up to 4 days.

On Baking Day (keep in mind that you need about two hours before baking):

1. Remove the dough from the fridge.  Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and cut it into the desired number of braids you want to use or shape into loaves, or dinner rolls.
2. If you are braiding, flatten each piece with your hand, then roll into cigar shaped lengths.  Roll each piece once, then return to the first piece to roll it into a rope. Make sure it will fit on your baking sheet!
3. Roll each piece to the same length then braid. Place the loaves on sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
4. Make egg wash and brush each loaf with the wash. Reserve the rest of the wash in the fridge, and let the loaves rise uncovered for about an hour. They will not have risen much at this point. Brush the loaves again with the egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds or a combination of both, if desired.
5. Let the loaves rise for another hour until they increase to about 1 ½ times their size.
6. 15 minutes before baking, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the loaves sound hollow when thumped on the bottom, If you used a whole egg wash, the crust will get darker than with the egg white wash, so don’t be fooled into thinking the bread is done until it passes the thump and temperature test.
8. Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe – Makes 2 large loaves or 4 small ones.

Variations: If you want to use whole eggs instead of yolks in the dough, reduce the water by 2 tablespoons (1 oz/28.5 g) per egg. The yolks are the key to the attractive color and also make a major contribution to the soft texture because they add fat and lecithin, which tenderize the bread. The whites add protein; while that’s a good thing, they also dry out the bread. Also, feel free to add another tablespoon or so of honey or sugar if you prefer a sweeter bread.

Here’s a great Shabbat main dish for you, complete with two bottles of wine, in case you’re entertaining a bunch of friends who can’t agree whether to drink red or white wine.

When I sent this dish over to Gary at Royal Wine Corparation, he told me that artichokes are hard to pair with wine, and sent me an unoaked Chardonnay (Binyamina Reserve) and a fruity and acidic red (Ramon Cardova Rioja).

Ew, that’s some hairy chicken… I guess I missed a spot while tweezing.

What’s this hashgacha on the artichoke can? I always find the strangest ones at TJ’s.

Previous Royal Wine Corp. pairings: Whole Wheat Pasta with Lamb, Tomato and Cumin, Asian Salmon Lettuce Cups

Artichoke Chicken
serves about 4, depending on what else you’re serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 3 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2/3 cup chicken stock, veggie stock or water
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cans artichoke hearts, drained (don’t use the marinated kind. frozen would work as well)
• salt & pepper, to taste
• flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in a Dutch oven.
3. Remove chicken to a plate and sprinkle with paprika.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add Earth Balance to the pot. Brown the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, and add the garlic. Season with salt and pepper after the mushrooms are browned.
5. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and cook for a minute or so. Stir in stock, vinegar and rosemary. Cook, stirring until slightly thickened, then add the chicken and artichoke hearts to the pot. Cover and bake for 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
6. Remove the lid and use tongs to place the chicken on top of the veggies. Turn on the broiler and crisp the chicken skin for only 3 or 4 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

That’s right, it takes a while to cook, but it’s all unattended cooking time; all you have to do is stir once every 40 minutes or so. I’d imagine that this works well in the slow cooker, too. I’ll have to try that out!

I flavored mine with a vanilla bean, because that’s what I had in my pantry, but next time I think I want to try a cinnamon stick. I also sprinkled it with this sugar-chocolate-coffee bean grinder that I bought at Trader Joe’s. It’s actually a perfect accompaniment, though I bought it as an impulse – I saw the hashkacha and had to have it!

Before cooking, it’s hard to believe that this mixture will turn into a delicious dessert. Also, I waited until everyone tasted and loved this before I told them it was made with brown rice!!

Coconut and Brown Rice Pudding
4 servings. About 2 1⁄2 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients:

• 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 cup long-grain brown rice
• Two 14-ounce cans coconut milk
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• A cinnamon stick, a few cardamom pods, a split vanilla bean, a pinch of saffron, or other flavoring, optional

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 300°F. Put the rice in a food processor and pulse a few times to break the grains up a bit and scratch their hulls; don’t overdo it, or you’ll pulverize them.

2. Put all the ingredients in a 2-quart ovenproof pot or Dutch oven. Stir a couple of times and put the pan in the oven, uncovered. Cook for 45 minutes, then stir. Cook for 45 minutes more, and stir again. At this point the milk will have darkened a bit and should be bubbling, and the rice will have begun to swell.

3. Cook for 30 minutes more. The milk will be even darker, and the pudding will start to look more like rice than milk. It’s almost done. Return the mixture to the oven and check every 10 minutes, stirring gently each time you check.

4. It might (but probably won’t) take as long as 30 minutes more for the pudding to be ready. Just trust your instincts and remove the pudding from the oven when it is still soupy; it will thicken a lot as it cools. (If you overcook the pudding, it will become fairly hard though still quite good to eat.) Remove the whole spices if you used them. Serve the pudding warm, at room temperature, or cold, alone or with your favorite topping.