Quinoa Pudding and a Walk on the Beach

I have talked about my love for arroz con leche many times in this blog. It is one of the desserts I make the most and the one that my friends always request when they come over for dinner. "Arroz con leche with two galletas please", says our friend G. Galletas Marias that is.

Lately I have been experimenting with different grains, mainly because of health reasons. Each one of my pregnancies has taken a bit of a toll on my body and I believe nourishment and food is one of the main ways to bring it back to balance. So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to make a different version of my favorite dessert by incorporating quinoa into it.



The weather has been gorgeous and last Friday, after we dropped J. off at school, we went down to the Juno Beach pier for an early morning walk. It was windy, the sea was rough and it was a pleasure to watch the surfers ride the waves. We even spotted a swimmer in that crazy ocean and there was even a "danger: sharks" note on the blackboard.

M. loves falling asleep in her front carrier while she watches everything around her.



We skipped breakfast that morning so we could have a small picnic at the beach. I made a small batch of quinoa pudding the night before, packed some strawberries and some pistachio and millet tea cakes that I had put away in the freezer. No walk on the beach is complete without snacks right? The wind was too harsh and it spoiled our picnic plan a bit. Instead we ended up sitting at the tables in the parking lot... but we enjoyed it anyway.



Quinoa Pudding with Macerated Strawberries and Pistachios

I like mine a little bit more liquid. If you like a drier version, omit the heavy cream

makes about 4 8 oz servings

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup quinoa

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 Tbs sugar

chopped pistachios

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse it with cold water for a few seconds.

Combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot slightly, and cook for about 30 minutes stirring every few minutes. If skin starts to form on top of the milk, just stir it back in. The milk will reduce and thicken. Ladle into bowls or jars.

Place cut strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle them with sugar. Toss them and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour until juices start to come out.

Top the puddings with the strawberries and chopped pistachios.

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Pavlova, Berries and Spring

My good friend B. always says I tend to speak of the past too much, that I am too nostalgic. He might be right. Not that I don't enjoy the present or that I don't look forward to the future. Not at all, but nostalgia is a sweet place I go to when I miss my family.

I remember the first time I ever made pavlova out of a recipe I found in a British magazine clipping. It was one of those early Spring days with cool temperatures, but sunny blue skies. Later that day, I had plans to go see one of my good friends who I secretly had a crush on. He and I would have tea, go for a walk and listen to music. Nothing special, but for some reason that day really has stuck in my memory.



After last week's craziness, I really needed some time to walk and get fresh air. I took my time and reflected on the things that are important to me and really started paying attention to my surroundings. I realized why people love to come to Florida this time of year. It is just perfect. So green and lush with perfect temperature.

I thought of that Spring morning about 13 years ago when I made my first pavlova and decided I needed to make it one more time. It had been a while.



I made some milk chocolate chantilly to go with the pavlova. Our strawberries are so sweet right now and with the slightly sour raspberries, this was a real treat. I hope you had a good weekend too.



Pavlova

120 grams egg whites (about 4 egg whites)
pinch of salt
100 grams granulated sugar or superfine sugar
100 grams powdered sugar, sifted
15 grams cornstarch, sifted

Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium speed until they are whipped to about soft peaks. Slowly sprinkle in the granulated sugar while continuing to whip. Whip to medium peaks.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the sifted powdered sugar and cornstarch.

Place the meringue in a piping bag and pipe rounds or spoon some of the meringue on to a sheetpan lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a 250F oven for about 45 minutes. You should be able to gently lift the meringues from the parchment without sticking. Turn the oven off and let them sit in there for another 10 minutes or so.

Store them in an airtight container until ready to assemble the dessert.

Serve the meringues with a dollop of milk chocolate chantilly and fresh berries.

Milk Chocolate Chantilly

adapted from Stephane Glacier's "Verrines et Petits Gateaux"

250 grams heavy cream
90 grams milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Boil the cream and pour over the milk chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Let this ganache rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then whip it as whipped cream.

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