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Thursday, October 31, 2019

On Rice and Peaches

Last month I had made a dinner for my son's birthday, that consisted of Chicken Madeira and a Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Risotto. Both were exceptionally great, flavors sublime, and I learned just how very important it is to not cook the risotto too quickly. With that in mind, I wanted to try a risotto again, and this time I was working on other flavors totally, so instead of using vermouth or Sherry in the mixture, I went with Tequila. I also used Romano Cheese rather than Parmesan, and the Romano gave a really great tang to the finished dish. As it happened, the flavors were so amazing that I think it is my new favorite rice dish. There are not huge changes in this dish from the last one, but this one came out perfectly cooked, just a bit al dente, and very creamy. I have learned to slow down the cooking time!

Roasted Garlic Tequila Risotto


Serves about 6
Roasted Garlic, Tequila, rice, Risotto
Roasted Garlic Tequila Risotto


FOR ROASTED GARLIC:
1 head garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
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1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large shallots, chopped finely
1½ cups arborio rice
½ cup Tequila (or just use dry white wine or omit)
4 - 5 cups hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
¼ cup cilantro, finely minced

Make Roasted Garlic. This part can be done earlier in the day (or up to three days in advance and refrigerated in a sealed container). 

To Make Risotto: Heat a saucepan with the 4 - 5 cups of stock and have nearby. Heat a 4 - 6 quart saucepan and add in the tablespoon of oil and butter. Saute the chopped shallots until very soft. Mash the roasted garlic with a fork, and stir in, then add in the Tequila and cook quickly to evaporate most of the liquid. What remains should be very thick. Pour in the rice and stir well to coat all the rice grains with the thick mixture. Over medium to medium low heat (you do not want to cook the mixture too quickly, or the rice will still be hard at the end) begin adding in the hot stock, one ladle full at a time, stirring the rice until each ladle of stock is absorbed. To use all the stock should take about 20 to 25 minutes. Be sure to leave a little bit of the liquid in the rice after the last ladle full of stock has been added, so the mixture remains soupy. More liquid will absorb even after off the heat, so remain vigilant.

When ready to serve, stir in the Parmesan cheese and the cilantro, reserving a bit of cilantro as garnish on top.

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Recently, I had opened up my last jars of Spiced Pickled Peaches, with the intention of making an upside down cake with them. Which I did, and then ended up with some of the peaches leftover. I went on to make a dessert loaf I called Just Peachy Loaf, and while making the batter, I utterly forgot about adding in the eggs. The loaf tasted amazing, but was hugely sunken in the center. Obviously, as I had used the last of my Spiced Pickled Peaches, that wasn't going to be an exact repeat any time soon, so I used canned peaches instead, and that time WITH eggs in the batter, it came out great! 

But then I realized I never put my upside down cake recipe here! So I am rectifying that now!
Spiced Peaches, Upside Down Cake, recipe
Spiced Peach Upside Down Cake


Spiced Peach Upside-Down Cake


Spiced Peaches, Upside Down Cake
Spiced Peach Upside Down Cake
Serves  8 to 10

CARAMEL TOPPING:
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
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- Spiced Pickled Peaches, or canned peaches in syrup
pistachios or other nuts, or cherries

CAKE:
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
    (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon peach flavoring)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
1 cup sour cream

Make the Caramel: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt together the first cup of sugar and the ¼-cup of water. Stir until sugar is melted and bring to boil. Cover the pan tightly and cook for 4 minutes, to ensure all sugar crystals have been melted down. Uncover and continue to cook until the syrup turns to a light amber in color, 8 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, grease an 8- or 9-inch cake pan, or an 8 to 9-inch square oven safe pan with butter or spray with nonstick spray. Once the syrup becomes amber colored, set the prepared pan onto an unlit burner or other surface that will tolerate high heat. Pour the syrup into the pan and using hot pads, swirl the pan to allow the syrup to reach all the edges. Set aside for about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the peaches by cutting them into narrow wedges. Set the peaches into the pan in a pleasing pattern, such as lining them along the outer edges first, then filling the center with more peach wedges. Use nuts of choice, or maraschino cherry halves to fill in open spaces. Remember that the pattern created by the fruits and nuts will be reversed when the finished cake is turned out. Set the pan aside, then make the cake:

In a mixer bowl, cream together the butter and ¾-cup of sugar. Once very creamy, add in eggs, one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding in the next. Add in the vanilla and or peach flavoring. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice and whisk to combine. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until completely incorporated. Stir in the sour cream until combined. Gently, plop small mounds of batter all over the peaches in the prepared pan. Once all the batter is in the pan, ease the batter together to fill any gaps, making sure it reaches the edges of the pan.

Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, or with only a crumb or two. Remove the cake to a rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outer edges to loosen. Set a plate upside-down over top of the cake pan, then quickly invert the cake plate. Set it down and gently lift the pan off the cake. 
 
 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

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