Persian Pudding With Whipped Rose Honey Butter Food

PERSIAN RICE PUDDING (SHEER BERENJ)

Steps:

• Wash rice and cook with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt for about 20 minutes.
• Add half & half and 2% milk and cook on low for 1 hour. Occasionally, stir the pot to make sure that the bottom does not stick.
• After one hour the rice and cream will thicken into a pudding consistency. Add rosewater and let cook for a few more minutes.
• Enjoy warm with a very good quality honey or sweet preserve on top!

HASTY PUDDING WITH WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F; position a rack in the center of the oven. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• In a bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, cinnamon and salt to combine. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the half-and-half, maple syrup, molasses and brown sugar. Heat until just starting to boil, then lower to a simmer and slowly add the cornmeal mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly. Simmer, whisking, for about 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter and the orange zest and juice.
• Transfer the pudding to the prepared baking dish and bake until set, 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve topped with whipped cream, spread evenly over the pudding.
• With an electric mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners' sugar and continue whipping until the cream holds stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Yield: 3 cups

SHOLEH ZARD (PERSIAN RICE PUDDING)

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups of water to a hard boil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over high heat. Add the rice and let it boil, stirring regularly, until the grains begin to soften around the edges but are still crunchy in the center, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain the rice, but do not rinse it. Rinse the pot with cold water to cool it down, then return it to the stove.
• To the rinsed pot, add the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon stick, cardamom, turmeric, saffron water and kosher salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. You may be tempted to turn the heat up to make it boil faster - resist this urge. The goal is to let the spices slowly infuse the milk and cream, like a tea, for deep flavor.
• Slowly stir in the rice, making sure the grains are all well coated. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and simmer, stirring a few times to make sure the grains don't stick to the bottom, until the mixture has the consistency of a loose pudding, 35 to 45 minutes. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, with the rice maintaining a slight chew.
• Add the cubes of butter a few at a time, stirring to incorporate fully between each addition. Remove from the heat and let cool until warm, stirring regularly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time. The consistency should be velvety.
• Divide the sholeh zard among bowls, and divide the ground cinnamon, strawberry powder and pistachios - in that order - over the top of each one. The strawberry powder should be the thickest layer, covering the entire surface. Crown the bowls with a light sprinkling of flaky salt and serve.

WHIPPED HONEY BUTTER

Steps:

• Beat butter and honey together until creamy. Serve at room temperature.

PERSIAN CREAM PUFFS (NOON'E CHAMEI)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• 2. In a small nonstick saucepan, bring water, margarine, and salt to a boil. When margarine melts, add flour all at once, stirring rapidly. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until a ball of dough that detaches easily from the pot forms. Set aside and let cool for 10 minutes.
• 3. In the meantime, make the cream filling by beating the parve whipping cream until it forms peaks. Add the powdered sugar and mixing well. Store in a cool place until ready to use.
• 4. Transfer cooled dough to the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a flat paddle attachment. Add eggs, one by one, making sure each egg has completely incorporated into the dough before adding the next.
• 5. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large star pastry tip (Wilton 4B is perfect) or simply use an ice cream scoop to form puffs. Form meringue-like mounds, 3" in diameter and 2" in height, directly on the prepared pans.
• 6. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown; transfer puffs to a cooling rack.
• 7. When the puffs are completely cooled, cut in half, using a serrated knife, and fill the cavity with whipped cream.
• 8. Optional: To make the syrup, mix all ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Drizzle cooled syrup on cream puffs right before serving. Can also be served with a drizzle of melted chocolate or sprinkled with powered sugar.