Flapjack Topped Rice Pudding

 

I am an old fashioned girl and the things which bring me the most pleasure in life are simple things and ordinary pleasures. That goes for the way I choose to live my life, dress, keep my home and, most especially, with the things which bring me joy when it comes to food . . .  cooking and eating.

 

A simple rice pudding falls well within the realms of what brings me lots of pleasure . . .  simple, milky  . . . a nursery type of food.  Comfort food at its very best . . .

 

This version is a tad bit fancier than the usual in that it boasts a simple flapjack topping.  Now you North Americans might be a bit confused by that terminology.  We are not talking about pancakes here, but about a very British, very delicious oatmeal square/slice that is chewy, sticky and sweet with golden syrup.

 

Very moreish with a nice hot cuppa.  I have several recipes for them on here, which you can find here.  Scrumdiddlyumptious!  (To say the least!)

 

The pudding itself involves very few ingredients, some pudding rice (short grained), a bit of sugar and milk, with a dotting of butter.  You might think that it sees like a very tiny amount of rice, but trust me when I say it is the perfect amount!

 

As you can see it thickens very nicely.  There is also not a lot of sugar, which is a good thing   . . . .

 

You don't need a lot of sugar in a rice pudding, and let me assure you, that golden flapjack topping is plenty sweet enough!!

 

You will want to bake it in a shallow baking dish, so that there is plenty of surface to spread the topping over, so that it cooks up perfectly . . .  and crispy oaty beneath the grill.

 

This really is a most gorgeous pudding!  Todd had seconds, and I found myself sneaking tiny spoonfuls every time I went past it in the kitchen, even after it was cold . . . yes, I am a very naughty girl . . .

 

I always find it quite magical the way a few simple ingredients, put together properly, can create something so delicious as this pudding. 

 

I shouldn't be surprised really . . .  just look around us.  We are surrounded by beautiful things that are quite simple really  . . .  and yet not so simple . . . baby toes, rose petals, a robin's spring song, the loving nudge of a wet nose from a beloved furry family member . . .

  

In any case you need to make this pudding.  I think in North America you can get Golden Syrup online and if you can't find it, you can use corn syrup in it's place.  Golden syrup does have a lovely caramel like flavour however, so if you can get it, I highly recommend.

Flapjack Topped Rice Pudding

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

A delicious simple and comforting rice pudding with a fabulous Flapjack Topping

ingredients:

• 50g pudding rice (short grained like aborio) (1/4 cup)
• 2 TBS caster sugar
• 600ml whole fat milk (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 TBS  butter

For the topping:

• 25g porridge oats (1/3 cup)
• 100g golden syrup (1/3 cup)

instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Buter a 1 litre/2 pint shallow oven proof dish really well.  Set aside.
2. Rinse the rice under cold water.  Dry well with paper towels.  Sprinkle over the bottom of the buttered dish.  Sprinkle the sugar over all.  Pour the milk on top and dot all over with little bits of the butter.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for about 2 hours, until just golden brown and thick.  Remove from the oven and preheat the grill/broiler.
4. Gently heat the golden syrup and oats together, just until the syrup thins out a bit.  Drizzle evenly over top of the rice pudding and then pop under the heated grill for about 5  minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.
5. Let cool for a few minutes prior to serving.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

If you only make one dessert this weekend, make it this one. You will really be happy that you did!  Trust me on this! 

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Spameroni & Cheese

 

I think I was rather fussy as a child.  I can remember a kid at school having Spam sandwiches and thinking they were gross. I would not even try them.  It was not something we ever had at home, although we did eat plenty of bologna, which is not that different.

 

Macaroni and cheese was also not something we had in our house, although my mother did treat us to the mix in the blue box on occasion, and we did love that.  It was considered a real treat. That blue box helped sustain me when I was at college!

 

I fell in love with real mac and cheese as an adult.  I also fell in love with REAL cheese, which was something else I wasn't fond of when I was growing up.  We only had processed cheese slices in our home or in the block.  Once a year (at Christmas) my mother would get some Cracker Barrel Cheese and that was considered a real treat.  We would have it with saltine crackers.  I wasn't too sure about it myself. It seemed kind of strong.

 

I discovered all of these tasty delights as an adult and never looked back.  Oh, sure, every now and then I do treat myself to a blue box . . . but I love homemade mac & cheese most of all.  We are on a really tight budget this week, so I am counting my pennies, and using up what is in the larder.  This time I decided to add in some Spam to the Mac & Cheese, so that Todd wouldn't balk too much at the thought of eating pasta. 

 

I was really pleased with how it turned out!  This was absolutely delicious.  I used the small tin of Spam that you can buy, which was just right the right amount, but you can use a larger one if you want. 

 

I use two kinds of cheese in the sauce for the macaroni, a strong cheddar and some Parmesan.  Both give a really nice flavour.  Rich and delicious. 

 

I also add a tsp of Dijon mustard and a splash of hot sauce for a bit of a kick.  It really brings out the cheesiness and adds some warmth.  Other than that there is only salt and pepper. Do bear in mind that Spam is salty and so is cheese, so you won't need much salt. 

 

Most of the Spam gets cubed and folded into the macaroni and sauce, but I did reserve some to cut into small triangles to put on top. I thought it looked really pretty.

 

I also sprinkled it with a bit of brown sugar to glaze it a tiny bit.  Yum!

 

Also I saved a bit of the cheese to sprinkle on top as well.  I like a cheese crust on top of my mac & cheese, don't you? 

 

I served this with some sliced cherry tomatoes and some of those Angel Biscuits from yesterday.

 

And a tin of baked beans.  It all went together beautifully, and we have the leftovers to share today.  (There are only two of us)

  

I really love meals like this.  Economical, homey, comforting  . . .  I could eat like this every day of the week, but alas, my hips would probably want to kick me out of the house!

Yield: 4 - 6Author: Marie Rayner

Spameroni & Cheese

prep time: 20 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 50 mins

A delicious version of mac & cheese which includes the addition of spam. Rich, creamy and delicious. A real family pleaser.

ingredients:

230g (8 ounces) elbow macaroni (2 cups)

3 TBS butter

35g of plain flour (1/4 cup)

590ml milk (2 1/2 cups), heated gently

salt to taste

1 tsp Dijon mustard

splash hot sauce

1/2 tsp ground pepper

330g grated strong cheddar cheese, divided (2 3/4 cups)

45g grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)

200g tin of Spam (7 ounces)

1 TBS brown sugar

instructions:

Cook your macaroni in a pot of lightly salted boiling water, drain well and rinse.  set aside.

Melt
 the butter in the saucepan and then whisk in the flour.  Cook for
several minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk.  Cook, stirring
constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens.  Whisk in the
mustard, hot sauce, black pepper and salt (remembering spam can be salty
 as can cheese). Mix the cheeses together and then whisk 2/3 of the
mixture into the hot sauce to melt.  Stir the cooked macaroni into the
sauce.  Cut the rounded ends from the Spam, cube them, and stir them in. 
Cut the remaining Spam into 1/3 inch slices. Reserve 4 slices
 for the top and cube the remaining Spam, stirring it also into the macaroni
cheese.  Turn into a buttered 1 litre shallow casserole dish.  Cut the remaining
slices of spam into halves diagonally and sprinkle each with some of the
 brown sugar.  Place in a decorative manner on top of the mac and
cheese.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Bake the mac and cheese in the
heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and all is
heated through.  Serve hot.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

Mmmm . . .  this was so, so, SO good.  I do hope you will give it a go!  Bon Appetit!

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