A Love Affair

In the words of one Buddy the Elf, "I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!" And when it comes to love, I'm inclined to agree with one Ewan McGregor who so ardently insisted that love is a many splendored thing. Love has lifted me up where I belong. All I need is love. But this love that I'm feeling, this love that I've fallen so head-over-heels into, well it wasn't love at first sight. No this grew slowly over time, developing, changing, morphing from a mutual respect into a beautiful friendship and then into the sweet, delicious love it is today. And this weather, oh this wonderful weather. It's so conducive to telling this story and pottering around in the kitchen for hours on end and then finally relaxing in a big, comfy chair with a big, cozy blanket and a big, heaping bowl of this amazingly delicious treat. First the story.

I met dulce de leche a few years ago in the form of a bar cookie. You know the type: short bread crust layered with a yummy filling (in this particular case it was dulce de leche) and topped with crumble or chocolate or nuts or some delicious combination of the three. It was good. Not fabulous, not mind-blowing, but still good. A while went by with no real thoughts of dulce de leche until one day as I was perusing the frozen food aisle a cute little pint of ice cream caught my eye. Häagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche. My sweet tooth quickly reminded me of how ddl had been the shining star of that not-so-fabulous bar cookie and after some not-so-painful arm twisting it was sitting pretty in my grocery cart. That's where our relationship began to change. I started to see ddl in a new light. A more flattering light. We became great friends. I wanted to see more and more of it. I intentionally sought out recipes that used it. I read about it online. If ddl had a facebook page I would've been it's most frequent visitor. And then I found this recipe, the recipe I'm sharing with you today. Dulce de Leche Arborio Rice Pudding. Oh man.

First of all, I can't think of a more appropriate time for something like rice pudding. This cold, icy weather that leaves you pent up all day is ideal for a dessert like this! Rice pudding is a process. You have to have a significant amount of free time on your hands if you want a really spectacular result. And who could ask for anything more soothing, more comforting, at the end of a really long, cold winter day than a bowl of this stuff? Not I. It's a winning combo, to be certain. And then, to take something as amazing as rice pudding and kick it up a notch (or a thousand) with dulce de leche? Well, in the words of my mother, it sends me. This recipe comes to us from the fabulous repertoire of Rebecca Rather (just like that adorable hazelnut-meringue tart from a while back) and as per usual, the Pastry Queen has delivered.

I know this recipe looks daunting time-wise and, truth be told, it sorta is. But trust me on this one, will you? If you make this your family and your taste buds will love you as much, if not more, than I love dulce de leche itself. Now that's intense.

Don't think, just do:


Ingredients
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Arborio rice
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk (anything you have in your fridge will work fine)
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed down
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp amaretto liquor or 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
------
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup (reserved from above) dulce de leche
------
Prepare a 5-6 cup casserole dish by coating with cooking spray


Procedure

1) First off, we're gonna make the dulce de leche. Now, you can buy this in little jars already made at most specialty grocery stores but I just can't bring myself to spend the money when it's so easy to make it yourself at home. And, as advised by Ms. Rather, when I make it I make several cans at a time and store them in the fridge for any ice cream topping needs that might arise. Begin by removing the paper wrapper from around the outside of the can of sweetened condensed milk and use a can opener to make two punctures on opposite sides on the top of the can (this is a super important step to follow due to the fact that milk expands when heated and your can could explode if it's not punctured properly). Set the can inside a medium sized sauce pan and fill with water about 2/3 of the way up. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let go for about 1-2 hours making sure to check the water level every so often, refilling when needed. Your dulce de leche is done when the milk that pools on the top of the can turns a beautiful, deep, golden color.

Remove from water using tongs or pot holder and use a can opener to, well, open the can. With a spatula, spoon out a little less than a cup of the cooked milk (we'll use the rest of it in the whipped cream topping).

*I feel inclined to warn that if you, like me, are overcome with the temptation to eat a small spoonful of dulce de leche right then and there: BE CAREFUL, lest you end up with a severely burned tongue. It's hot. Real hot.

2) Combine the rice and water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the rice, return to sauce pan, and add in the milk. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the milk is all absorbed. Transfer to a bowl.

3) Preheat the oven to 325 F. Whisk together yolks and brown sugar in a seperate bowl, making sure all lumps get dissolved and distributed.

4) In sauce pan, combine cream, 1 cup of dulce de leche, salt, and vanilla extract and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk about a third of the hot cream mixture into the yolks slowly, so as not to curdle your eggs. Stream in the rest of the cream mixture, whisking constantly. Now stir in the amaretto or almond extract. Add the cooked rice and stir to combine.

5) Pour rice mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (although it might look a little wet on top). Let cool for 30 minutes.

6) Arrange the slivered almonds on a cookie sheet and let them hang out in the oven until they get all nice and toasty and aromatic (about 7-9 minutes).

7) Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip your heavy cream on high until soft to medium peaks form. Add in remaining dulce de leche and whip until fully incorporated.

8) Now here's the fun part. The book says to serve this dish warm or at room temp but I'm my father's daughter and when it comes to puddings we like them ice cold. If warm pudding is what lights your fire, feel free to plate this up while it's still hot and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of almonds. But if you're my kinda guy/gal, you'll chill the pudding for about half an hour in the fridge (or speed things up by throwing it in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes) and then spread the whipped cream all over the top of it. Yummmm. Oh and for heaven's sake don't forget the almonds. They give it just the right amount of crunch. Oooh yeah. Individual desserts definitely have their place in my heart, but there's something so homey about a big, family-style sort of dish. Like it should be sitting in the middle of a big dining room table with tons of people clamoring to get a taste. Just the kinda thing you crave on cold days, eh?

And yes, I did just write an entire blog dedicated to my love affair with dulce de leche. Pathetic? Maybe a little bit. But give me a break. When I find a real human to love I promise I'll write about that instead. Until then, it's just me and ddl and the simple fact is, it never disappoints. Stay warm and enjoy wearing your winter coats and scarves while it lasts. You know, until tomorrow. And here's my favorite winter song to keep you company:

Fountains of Wayne, "Valley Winter Song"

XOXO,
Mindy

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

A) I know the blog title says it's peanut butter jelly time but patience is a virtue so let's practice that for a few minutes, k? I'm not going address the fact that I've been m.i.a. for over three months now. Or at least not after this. I've been busy. And in an interesting place. Mentally, not physically. Physically, I've been in Austin. You know, hanging out, eating tex-mex, buying stacks and stacks of unnecessary cookbooks, but mostly working AT MY NEW REAL ADULT JOB! Which brings me to

B) I have a job now. Praise Jesus. And it's a paid position that counts as my three month externship. More praising Jesus. I'd like to introduce you to the newest baker at Delish, the cutest, hippest, most adorable little bakery in downtown Austin. We do all sorts of fun stuff but we specialize in gourmet cupcakes and please believe me when I say they're by far the most wonderful cupcakes in the city. Here's why: cupcakes, as a general rule, tend to be a little dryer, more crumbly, than whole cakes. It's just the way they work. But at Delish we've gone in and reworked recipes so that the end result is basically a mini-cake, not cupcake, resulting in moist, decadent, light, fluffy little bits of heaven. Plus our buttercreams totally r0xb0x. Oh my gosh. And the really fabulous part about it all is that I cannot fathom loving this job any more than I already do. How lucky am I that I get to wake up, throw on some crappy clothes and an apron, and bake and sing and chit-chat all day long? It is so right up my alley and I've never been more excited about a job in my whole life. Let me reiterate what it is that I'm doing FOR A LIVING: making delicious/beautiful things and developing real relationships w/ the people around me and singing and dancing all day long. Is this really my life now? Which brings me to

C) This is my life now. And I love it. But, as previously stated in section A, I've been in a weird place lately. A pretty insecure place. Not unfamiliar territory for me, but also not my favorite place in the world (regardless of how well I know it). You see, lately I've been surrounded by people whose lives have taken a very different route. One of success and actual education. We're just at that age, I suppose. Everyone is finishing grad school or working on their Ph.D. or working in swagged-out offices downtown in high profile positions. And let's not forget the fact that everyone my age is in some sort of real relationship or has, at the very least, been on a date at some point in their life. And I'm a college drop-out working paycheck to paycheck in a bakery w/ not even the slightest hint of relationship possibility. When you look at it that way it's hard to justify it, ya know? The words "failure" and "idiot" and "spinster" come to mind pretty quickly. When Satan throws down the gauntlet like that I'm quick to surrender. I raise my white flag and follow him into the depths of self-doubt and all of a sudden I'm not just battling insecurity regarding my job but insecurity about everything from friends to appearance to what I had for breakfast. It's a bad place to be, take it from me. And a lonely place. I only tell you all this because it leads me to

D) where I am now and how I got here. When I let thoughts like that invade my mind, let them unpack and settle and become really comfortable in their new digs, I start living for me. My life becomes about ME. And that life sucks. It's isolated and depressing and beyond self-involved. We are not here for us. I am not here to worry about what I get out of life or what people think of me because I answer to a much higher authority. I have this friend, Joseph, who seems to strive more than most to live every day for the Lord. When I get all mopey and crazy and sad he always points me back my Savior and I'd like to share some words he wrote me a couple months ago when I was in the throws of, well, whatever this awful state of mind is:

"Do not love the world or the things that are in the world, because if you love the world then the love of God is not in you. This is a frightening statement and the sort that takes you off guard. Because we, who have not seen God at anytime, only have seen the world. The world, which was made by God, who is immeasurably glorious, is itself glorious in ways. But this is the surprising grace of God, if we are not the utmost pleasured, if we are not filled to the utmost with joy, then there is a grave problem and this is the sort of problem that He will not tolerate. He will only tolerate us filled up with joy. See, it is in His presence that joy is filled up, it is in His presence that pleasure never ends (Psalms 16:11). So, if you love the world, you have fallen short of the glory of God, you lack the glory of God because there's nothing that compares to that."

My problem was that I had stopped living in the presence of God. I wanted what I saw and ignored what I had. My heart was focused on everything others had that I didn't. I wasn't, as the song goes, counting my blessings one by one. How selfish of me! How arrogant! How could I be so blind to not see all I had been given? Not only did God open the doors necessary for me to follow a silly pipe dream but He walked with me as I pursued it and then set me up in a place where I can really dig my heels in and minister to the people around me. He's given me the opportunity to be a light and to focus on trivial things that will inevitably fade away instead of bringing glory to the only one who deserves it, well it's shameful to be honest. And still He chases after us. Still He wants to be the one we run to, the one we revel in. He is joy and peace and love overflowing and I'm so excited that I get to experience those things in Him. He never said this life would be easy, nothing worth it ever is. It's those rough spots that end up defining our faith. They're what God uses to polish us and sanctify us and strengthen us. I'm thankful for them. As tough as that is to say, it's true. Joy is something that, usually, comes very naturally to me. When God made me he gave me a little extra happy. But when it's gone, or seems to be at least, and I'm sad and depressed and world-focused, it's unbearable. If that's what it means to be separated from Christ, what it feels like, then my heart breaks for those who don't know this love.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls"
1 Peter 1:3-9

E) I know this is supposed to be a food blog with yummy full-proof recipes and instead I just dropped a heavy, emotion-laden, spiritual bomb on you. Sorry about that. In an attempt to redeem myself I offer you this:

The most amazing peanut butter and jelly bars on the face of the planet

They are SO good. And in case you don't want to actually make them, you can get them for the next five days @ Delish seeing as how they are this week's special. And don't forget to drop a buck or two in the tip jar. All of us split it at the end of the day. Help contribute to my Sonic Happy Hour Fund. It'll make you feel good inside.

XOXO,
Mindy