Rhonda's Lemon Poppy-Seed Aborio Rice Pudding

One of my absolute favorite things I love about blogging is receiving email from my readers. The mail I receive is either in regards to a recipe I posted, a general request for help or advice about something dessert related, or just someone who feels compelled to say hello. But yesterday I received a very different email, one from a very sweet woman named Angela.

Angela wrote to me about her dear friend Rhonda, who is battling a very aggressive form of leukemia. Unfortunately, Rhonda is has been suffering from horrible sores in her mouth and throat due to the rigorous chemotherapy she's been undergoing and Angela needs help finding tried and true recipes to make for her that are soft and easy to swallow.

The first recipe I thought of was this lemon poppy-seed rice pudding that I had originally posted almost two years ago. It's a bit more sophisticated than the standard cafeteria issue rice pudding most typically think of. This pudding is very special in that it uses Aborio rice, which the same rice that is used to make creamy risottos. It cooks slowly in a bath of whole milk and coconut milk which marries perfectly with the delicate flavor of a whole vanilla bean and the mellow, richness that comes from slowly simmering lemon zest. The poppy-seed adds texture and a slight smoky, nutty flavor and well as visual appeal which according to Angela is one of Rhonda's favorite things about good food.

The desire to have small but precious comforts at a time of extreme physical distress is something to which we can all relate. I find this such a sweet gesture, and my heart is warmed and honored by a chance to help make life just that much better for Rhonda. If you share this sentiment, you can help out too! If you know of an out of the ordinary, Foodie friendly, soft-food recipe that Angela could make for Rhonda, please feel free to leave it as a comment or email it to me directly.

Lemon Poppy-Seed Rice Pudding
adapted from Food & Wine

3 quarts of whole milk, at room temperature
1 lb of Arborio rice (Risotto quality rice)
1 14oz can of *unsweetened* coconut milk, shaken well
1 whole vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
2 tbsp poppy-seeds* (optional)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cups of heavy or whipping cream (at room temperature)
Zest of one lemon (just the yellow part of the lemon, try to avoid the white pith)
Freshly whipped cream (optional)

In a large, heavy pot, combine milk, rice, coconut milk. Mix well and let sit for 30 minutes. Add vanilla bean (entire bean and scraped seeds) and poppy seeds. Mix well and bring to a simmer over a moderately high heat. When it starts to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the rice is tender (approximately 50-75 minutes).

Add the sugar, cream, and lemon zest and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and cover with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Serve alone or in a wide brimmed glass layered with freshly whipped cream.

* I strongly encourage you to buy a new container of poppy-seeds. If the poppy-seeds are too old, their staleness will be amplified in this dish. Moreover, you can get poppy-seeds in the bulk section of most grocery stores for next to nothing. I think the last time I bought them they only cost about .15 cents for a little more than 3 tablespoons.

Yield:Yields about 12 cups
Would I Make This Again? Yes, I personally think it's fabulous, however I would only make this for those that I know would appreciate this type of rich dessert.

Torta di Mandorla (Moist Almond Cake)

Last year I started a new tradition on Oscar night: my friend Mandy comes over to watch the Oscars with my family and I bake a cake for the occasion. Last year I made a sweet and spicy Mexican Chocolate Cake that everyone enjoyed. This year I gave Mandy the honor of picking the cake and she choose this Torta di Mandorla.

Let me just say that this cake was INCREDIBLE! It may have been the best cake I've ever made. Seriously. It had a sweet almond flavor with subtle hints of lemon and olive oil. And the browned-butter glaze? Don't even get me started! The cake's texture was perfect too. It was tender, but not so tender that it fell apart. It was just perfection. If calories didn't exist, I would have eaten the entire thing myself.

The recipe I used came from Gina DePalma, who is a pastry chef at Babbo Ristorante in New York City (note to self: if I'm ever in NYC, I must go to this restaurant!) and a cookbook author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen. She posted her recipe on SeriousEats.com and also provided a sweet little story about Phyllis and Demophoon, from Heroides, which is a collection of love poems by the Roman poet Ovid. When you're done reading it, go make this cake! Hurry! :-)

Torta di Mandorla (Moist Almond Cake)
By Gina DePalma

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blanched or natural almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Grated zest of 1 medium lemon or 1/4 a medium orange (I used a Meyer lemon)
1/2 cup orange juice

For the Glaze:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
A few drops of fresh lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon juice. I the only fresh juice you have is orange, please use that. Just please, please don't use the concentrated, pasteurized lemon juice that comes in the bottle)
1/2 cup sliced, blanched almonds, toasted and cooled*

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan and set aside (I only had a 9-1/2 inch round cake pan and it worked fine)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt to thoroughly combine them and set aside.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk them lightly to break up the
yolks. Add the sugar to the bowl and whisk it in thoroughly in both directions for about 30 seconds. Add the olive oil and whisk until the mixture is a bit lighter in color and has thickened slightly, about 45 seconds. Whisk in the extracts and zest, followed by the orange juice.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk until they are thoroughly combined; continue whisking until you have a smooth, emulsified batter, about 30 more seconds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake the cake for 30 to 45 minutes, rotating the cake pan halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning. The cake is done when it has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, springs back lightly when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Julia's Tip: When the cake is done, don't turn off the oven right away if your almonds aren't already toasted. Measure out a 1/2 cup of the sliced almonds, spread them out on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and let toast for about 5 or so minutes. Once you can actually see them browning, removed the pan from the oven and let them cool. When you're ready to add them to the glaze, you can pick up the parchment paper and use it to pour into your bowl.

Allow the cake to cool for ten minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it cool completely on a rack.

While the cake cools, make the glaze. Melt the butter over medium heat in a small, heavy saucepan. When the bubbles subside, lower the heat and watch the butter carefully, swirling it in the pan occasionally to distribute the heat. When the butter begins to turn a light tan color and smells slightly nutty, turn off the heat and let the butter sit. It will continue to darken as it sits.

While the butter cools, sift the confectioner’s sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk until completely smooth but thick, then slowly whisk in the butter. Taste the glaze and add a few drops of lemon juice to balance the sweetness. Stir in the toasted almonds. Spread the almonds and glaze onto the top and sides of the cake and let it sit until set and dry.

Serve the cake right away or wait and serve it a day or two ahead. Store it at room temperature, covered.

Yield: 8-10 pieces
Would I Make This Again? Sì, per alcuni!

Caramel Apples for Charity

Caramel apples are one of my son's absolute favorite things that I make. I have only made them one time before and that was on a whim after a colleague asked me if I would make theme for his wife. Two years later, I decided it was time to make them again but this time I'd do it to raise money for two charities:Heifer.Org and Child's Play.

So, around the middle of January, I sent email to friends and coworkers announcing my plan to make caramel apples in time for Valentines Day and provided a link for them to place their order (I used Survey Monkey). I offered five flavors, either with or without little red hearts (click on each picture for a close-up view):


Plain Jane was just that: plain! These were by far the most popular flavor.


M&M was also just as it sounds. A Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel and decorated with mini M&Ms, regular sized M&Ms, or if the customer asked for their apple to be Valentines Day-ized, they received their apple donned in pink, red, and white M&Ms.


Chocolate Lovers is a Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel that's dipped in dark Belgium chocolate and Lindt milk chocolate.


Cinnamon Apple Pie Just like grandma used to make but better! It too is a Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel that I then roll in homemade pie crust crumbs and coated with Scharffenberger white chocolate and then dusted with cinnamon sugar.


Sweet n' Salty was a flavor I made last time whose popularity was off the charts. For this special apple, I dip it in caramel and then roll it in crushed pretzels. It's then dipped in Belgium dark chocolate and then peppered with both red and white Hawaiian sea salt. Yummers!

While my caramel recipe is top secret, I will share a few tricks to making great caramel apples:

- Only use Granny Smith apples. In my opinion, there is no other apple that tastes as good with the caramel. If you pick a sweeter apple, the sweetness of both the apple and the caramel is almost too much sweet. The tart and sweet combination works really well.

- Take the time to soak your apples in a good quality vegetable soap to try to remove as much of the wax on the apples. I fill up the sink with luke warm water, put a few big squirts in the water, and let the apples sit for about 5 minutes. Then I rinse them using the same temperature water (don't use cold of the wax won't come off) and use a dish towel or polish and dry every apple. I then lay the apples out on a beach towel, stem side down (you should have removed these before washing. Using needle nose pliers really helps to get the broken stems out). Failure to do this can cause the caramel not to stick to the apples. I do not recommend removing the wax by dropping the apples in boiling water, even if just for a second. This will remove all the wax but the skin will turn brown almost immediately (I know this because I tried that too).

- Make caramel apples when the weather is cold. High heat and humidity will cause a good quality caramel to stay soft and not stay stuck to the apple. I set up a table in my garage to store the apples as I was making them as I ran out of refrigerator space very quickly.

- Don't make your caramel ahead of time and plan on dipping it later. Make it in small batches and dip your apples right away. Good caramel made with real butter does not melt the way a Kraft caramel* does. It will melt down but it will be lumpy and when it dries, it will have a matte surface and its texture will be grainy.

- If you're making a big order of apples like I did, color code your sticks in some way ahead of time. I just use markers to color the very ends. When you're ready to dip, you're working against the clock so you won't have time to really think about how much of what flavor you need when it's time to dip your apples.

- SilPat mats are the BEST surface for holding your apples after you've dipped them. Waxed paper is my second favorite but it still sticks. Buttered foil will work in a pinch but when your caramel starts to harden, it will stick to the foil and peeling tiny bits of foil off a big bunch of apples is no fun.

- If you can find the thicker wooden sticks, use them instead of the paper ones. While the paper ones are fine, I found that the caramel and chocolate that would inevitably get on my fingers would stick and stain them. The wooden sticks clean up better and I think look better overall.

- I like to use cupcake liners to hold finished apples. However, finding the right ones can be difficult. Most cupcake liners are just plain paper and these will stick to the caramel and are pretty much impossible to remove. I found one brand that was at Whole Foods (I don't have the box handy but I'll try look for them the next time I'm there and report back).

- Avoid Wilton bags at all costs and try and find strong florist bags instead. Wilton's bags are thin and sticks to the caramel making the bag look dirty and gives an unprofessional appearance. You can also use big squares of cellophane that are made specifically for caramel apples but I've never used them but I imagine they would be better than any wimpy Wilton bag.

- Make a few extra apples in each flavor because people will want more. The last thing you'll want to do is make more apples after you just cleaned up your kitchen. :)

* In my opinion, Kraft Caramels will work but the apples you get are nothing all that special. Good caramel, the kind you cook in a big pot on the stove, stirring constantly for about an hour, that's made with good quality ingredients and LOTS of love, that makes you smile instantly when you eat it, just doesn't compare and isn't even in the same league. Kraft Caramels would never be found in my kitchen, but that's just me.

My goal was to make 100 apples and when all was said and done, I made 130 apples plus three half-pound orders just for my caramel. I want to personally thank everyone for their orders and for making my little fund raiser such success! I plan to do it again at the end of the year in time for the holidays.

Nicole's Cocoa Sliders

Naming this recipe was a challenge for me. I came up with Three Wishes Cookies, Mollycoddles, M'oreos, and the predictable Brownie Sandwiches, but none of them sounded right. Since I was bringing these to work, I asked my coworkers for their ideas. They rose to the challenge and came up with "Cocoa Sliders". Considering how much these little cuties resemble little chocolate hamburgers, it made perfect sense.

I made these cookies for my coworker Nicole to celebrate her birthday. I wanted to make her something super special because she's one of my blog's biggest fans. She's always making things that I've posted and telling me about it - especially my mother-in-law's chocolate chip cookies. She gave me free-range to make what ever I wanted as long as it involved chocolate and didn't have nuts. I think these fit the bill perfectly.

As for where I got this idea? Well, I knew Nicole was a cookie lover and I liked the idea of making a sandwich cookie of some sort. I was going to make brownie sandwiches with ganache in the middle but that didn't seem unique enough. Then I saw an Oreo commercial and that's when I had the idea to use the brownie as the filling and this cookie was born. See, commercials are good for something!

Cocoa Sliders

• Cocoa Shortbread Cookies


• Fudge Brownies


• Chocolate Ganache

Cookie Assembly
Start by making the cocoa shortbread cookies, as they take the longest from start to finish. Then make the brownies and the ganache last.

To keep the cookies neat looking, put the ganache in a piping bag or a plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped off, and pipe a small dollop of ganache in the center of every cookie. Top one of the cookies with a brownie, then add a cookie to the top. Push down firmly, being sure to spread the ganache evenly but not so much that it squirts out of the side. If that happens, use a clean, slightly damp, paper towel to remove any excess. Don't be afraid to lift off the shortbread to remove the excess if you need to.

Store in an airtight container.

Cocoa Shortbread Cookies
2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cups of bread flour*
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Sift the flours and cocoa together and set aside. (* You can substitute the bread flour with all-purpose flour. The cookies may be just a little less chewy but you can get around this by just baking the cookies for maybe a minute or two less. Just be careful not to over bake the cookie or they will be too hard.)

Beat the butter, sugar, and eggs for 1 minute, until well combined. Add sifted flours to the mixture in three batches, mixing until you cannot see any flour in the dough. The mixture will be very thick and dry on the last batch. Divide the dough in half, knead each ball a bit (looking for pockets of flour), wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for and hour (or overnight).

Preheat the oven to 325F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and knead it a bit to soften (it will be firm)
Lightly dust your counter with flour and roll the dough out to be a quarter inch thick (tip: I strongly recommend that you invest in a set of rolling pin bands. They slide easily onto the ends of your rolling pin and take all the guess work out of getting your dough a uniform height.)Cut 96 rounds using a 1 inch cookie cutter. Place the cut rounds upside down onto parchment paper and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake them. The first batch should be refrigerated at least 20 minutes before you bake them.

Place the rounds onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet about an inch a part (they won't spread) and bake 10-11 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Fudge Brownies

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces of good quality unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Lightly butter one half-sheet pan and line with a large piece of parchment paper, extending the paper about an inch over the edge of the pan (this is the pan I used and was able to get enough circles cut. If you don't have a half-sheet pan, you can divide the batter in two 8x8 pans and I *think* you'll have enough space to get 24 rounds out of each pan. If you make this recipe and use a different pan, please let me know if you had enough rounds.)

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a saucepan melt the butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and mix lightly with a wooden spoon, just until it's combined. Add the flour and mix only until it's combined (try not to over stir). The batter will be lumpy and that's perfectly okay.

Spread the batter in the pan(s). It will be very sticky and you'll need to use a spatula to get it to spread evenly to the corners of the pan. Bake about 20-25 minutes (15 minutes or so if you're making this in two pans...keep an eye on it and be sure not to let it over bake).
Remove from the oven and let the pan(s) cool on the rack for at least an hour. Leave the brownies in the pan, and using the same 1-inch circle cookie cutter, cut 48 brownie rounds and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble.

Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
7 ounces of high quality dark chocolate, evenly chopped

Heat the cream in a small sauce pan just until it's about to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until smooth and let cool on the counter.

Yield:48 cookies. You could make these using a larger cookie cutter if you wanted, but the small one-inch size makes a great two bite cookie.
Would I Make This Again? Yup! While these were a bit time consuming to make, they were so cute! And although there are three layers of chocolate goodness in these cookies, their flavor isn't over the top in the chocolate department.

blue ribbon cinnamon chocolate cupcakes with dulche de leche and cream cheese buttercream

Boy last Friday was fun. What a rush! You would think with a week long binge of cake making madness, I'd run way from my kitchen crying at the sight of my mixer. I'll admit, I wasn't super excited about making cupcakes for Groundhogs Day, but it has turned into a tradition! Three years in a row now, my husband, son, and I watch Groundhogs Day the movie and they eat their special cupcake.

Because I was a bit tired from all the craziness of the week before, I decided to cut a few corners and base my cupcakes on a box mix. As shameful as that may be, I don't think there's anyone that could tell that these came from a box. They were so incredibly moist! I heard from a few of my coworkers that this cupcake was one of the best they've ever had.


The cupcake by itself was wonderful (I finally caved and had one), but when it was combined with the dulche de leche and the cream cheese buttercream, it evolved into something truly phenomenal.

So what makes these a "Blue Ribbon" cupcake? Well, that distinction comes from the little blue ribbon that appears on every container of Hellman's and Best Foods mayonnaise. I know the idea of using mayonnaise in a cake sounds a little revolting, but if you think about, it makes perfect sense. Mayonnaise is essentially eggs and oil (fat) which in some form or another is in just about every cake I've made. Please, though, I beg of you, if you decided to make this cupcake do not use Miracle Whip or any other salad dressing type of mayonnaise since those products are full of non-baking friendly ingredients like modified food starch, mustard flour, paprika, and dried garlic. If you're unsure, check the label.

The dulche de leche layer is completely optional. I decided to use because I had a bit left over after making the Nacho Cheese Dispenser cake and couldn't bear to throw it away. It's important not to spread too much of it on top of the cupcakes, it's just there to add a subtle flavor and shouldn't overwhelm the little cake.

When it came to the frosting, I wanted to add the tang of cream cheese to the mix but wanted to do something a little different. Personally, I'm not a fan of cream cheese frosting. Most recipes that I've had just taste like a slightly less thick, blob of cream cheese with a little sugar mixed in. I started tweaking the recipe just by creaming the cream cheese, shortening (for a little structural support), and butter together for several minutes, allowing plenty of time for the ingredients to mix together thoroughly and get proper aerated. This left me with the best of both frosting worlds -- a slightly thicker buttercream than I would normally make but that finishes with a tangy cream cheese flavor.

As for the little groundhogs, they are more time consuming to make than anything. Believe it or not, they are just Tootsie Rolls and chocolate chips. It takes a little practice to do it but after a few tries, I think you'll find it easy to make. You can find more details about how to make them here.

To make these cupcakes you'll need one recipe of each of the following:

• Blue Ribbon Chocolate Cupcakes


• Dulche de Leche


• Cream Cheese Buttercream

Start with making the dulche de leche the day before or at least 4-6 hours before. It takes several hours to make this and for it to cool. Next, make the cupcakes and then the buttercream. After the cupcakes have completely cooled (and I mean waiting at least an hour or so), spread a thin layer of dulche de leche on top, trying not to spread it to close to the paper edge (you might find it easier to do it with the bottom of a teaspoon). When you're close to being ready to serving the cupcakes (maybe an hour before), frost them. For a easy decoration, I reserved a few cupcakes to break up into crumbs to decorate the tops.

Blue Ribbon Chocolate Cupcakes

1 box of chocolate cake mix with pudding (the one I used for this recipe was Betty Crocker's Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, try to break up any big clumps before adding it to the batter
1 cup of Hellman's or Best Foods mayonnaise
3 eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup of milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon of almond extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan and set aside.

Place the cake mix, cocoa, and cinnamon mix together with a whisk to combine the ingredients. Add the mayonnaise, eggs, milk, and almond extract and mix on low speed for one minute. Scrape down the bowl and increase the speed to medium and mix for two minutes.

Fill the cupcake liners a little more than half way and bake in the center of the oven for 16-18 minutes and the center springs back when lightly pressed. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely.

Dulce de Leche

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
pinch of salt

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425F.

Pour condensed milk into pie plate and stir in a generous pinch of salt. Cover pie plate with foil and crimp foil tightly around rim. Put in a roasting pan, then add enough boiling-hot water to reach halfway up side of pie plate, making sure that foil is above water. Bake, refilling pan to halfway with water about every 40 minutes, until milk is thick and a deep golden caramel color, about 2 hours. Remove pie plate from water bath and transfer toffee to a bowl, then chill toffee, uncovered, until it is cold, about 1 hour.


Cream Cheese Buttercream

1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 8oz brick of full-fat cream cheese (I prefer Philadelphia Brand)
1/2 cup shortening
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (if you can't find this, add an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract)
1 pound + 1 cup of powdered/confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar, 10x) sifted
2-3 tablespoons very cold milk

Cream the butter, shortening, and salt until light yellow and creamy -- about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and the bean paste and mix for another minute. Be sure to stop and scrape the bowl about half way through.

Add the sugar a cup or so at at time. When you first add the sugar, turn the mixer on the lowest speed. This will help to avoid most of the sugar being mixed right out of the bowl or you swallowing a cloud of powdered sugar. :-) When the sugar is absorbed, increase the speed to medium for a minute and repeat until you've gone through the entire pound of sugar. The frosting should be somewhat dry looking at this point. If it's not, add more sugar. You want it thick.

Once it's thick, add the milk one tablespoon at a time. Keep adding until the frosting is thick, but more creamy and less dry looking.

Yield: Approximately 28-30 cupcakes
Would I Make This Again?Definitely! I am not the biggest chocolate fan, but these cried out to me. They were sooo good, plain. Dulche de Leche is wonderful and it took me a while to find a safe way of making it. So far I've used this method twice and it's worked perfectly both times. And the buttercream? I don't think I'll ever go back to making cream cheese frosting any other way.