David is hosting this month’s Sugar High Friday and the theme is CHOCOLATE!!! Thanks to him, I finally got to try a recipe that I tagged as a “must try” a couple of weeks ago from the book “The Sweet Life – Desserts from Chanterelle” by Kate Zuckerman. This dessert combines two of my most favorite ingredients: Chocolate and caramel.
Lavender Rice Pudding
Here is what I came up with for a recent rice-themed food blog event. This is the first time I am experimenting with Arborio rice for a pudding and I have to say it makes a huge difference in terms of texture.
You would have to usually use egg yolks or large amounts of corn starch, which will change the color and the taste of the final pudding. Arborio rice, with a higher starch content, makes a creamier pudding without the addition of egg yolks (just a small help from cornstarch).
Lavender is also one of my most favorite ingredients when it comes to milk based desserts and it worked pretty good this time around as well.
Strawberry Chocolate Cake
It has been a tradition for over 10 years that everyone gather at The Mansion for New Year’s Eve Dinner. I have been attending for the last four years and can not think of another place to celebrate the coming of a new year. Dessert menu was set by the lady of the house and I thank her for that because with the abundant number of cookbooks I have been reading lately, it would have been very tough to choose something. She wanted a Chocolate Strawberry Cake.
