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The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.
In January I made an amazingly delicious Sweet Potato Risotto From Real Simple that I had seen posted on several blogs. I added some diced grilled chicken and it was a fabulous one pot meal that I never got around to posting and really should make again.
Since I’d recently made a savory risotto and have made homemade stock many times, I decided it would be fun to make a sweet risotto. I found many delicious sweet risotto recipes on line, but I knew my family would love the Cherry Risotto posted on Cooks Almost Anything.
My adapted recipe is posted below. I didn’t add the cherry juice to the risotto as it was cooking, so that it would highlight the vanilla bean seeds and the contrasting white and red colors. I also incorporated tips and instructions from GoLo Kitchen’s Rice Pudding–Risotto Style.
This was a scrumptious rice pudding. I’d never had rice pudding with any fruit other than raisins and it added a whole new dimension to the dessert. I would like to try using the arborio rice in our family favorite rice pudding recipe, Lamb’s Famous Rice Pudding, to see if it would increase the creaminess without all the stirring. But if you love cherries, definitely give this one a try!
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Rice Pudding with Poached Cherries
Ingredients
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 4 cups milk add more or less as needed
- 1 cup cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
To make poached cherries
- 12 oz. bag frozen cherries pitted
- ¼ cup caster sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Place the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste into a saucepan and bring gently to boiling point.
- In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Pour in rice and stir until all grains have been coated with butter. Cook rice for a few minutes until the rice is glossy and a bit translucent.
- Add a half cup of the hot milk mixture. This should absorb fairly quickly and as soon as the majority of the milk has been absorbed, add another half cup. Keep stirring and when this has absorbed, add another half cup. Continue this process of adding milk and stirring until rice is tender.
- (You want your risotto to be smooth and creamy. The rice will absorb more liquid as it cools, so continue to add milk until the rice is tender but all the milk is not absorbed.)
- Serve hot with a spoonful of poached cherry juice and poached cherries on top.
For the poached cherries
- In a saucepan add the caster sugar and water and over a gentle heat stir until the sugar has just melted. Add the cherries, stir to coat and let this simmer until the cherries have coloured the syrup. Cool before using.
Natashya KitchenPuppies
I love rice pudding. I should have done that! Great idea. Can I have the leftovers? 🙂
Cristie
What a wonderful rice pudding/risotto. You are becoming an expert in making risotto. Congratulations!
TaGa_Luto
Your rice pudding-risotto style sounds good. Great Job on this challenge.
Marcellina
Ooooh, lovely! I can taste it right now. I don't know whether you realise but this is a typical Danish dessert for Christmas so a friend tells me. It's such a perfect combination.
Lyndsey
They look fantastic! Such nice photos, almost like they are there in front of me. I can almost smell it…mmmm.
Margie
Your sweet risotto looks positively creamy and scrumptious. Love the poached cherries on top. I'm a big fan of rice pudding, can't wait to try the Lambs recipe, thanks for sharing.
Memória
¡Qué buena idea de preparar un risotto dulce! Tu plato se ve fantástico. YUMMY!
Saveurs et Gourmandises
Barbara, mon amie, ton risotto doit être excellent.
Je note ta version.
See soon.
Bonnie
Both of these recipes look amazing. I am going to try them both. Love your new look.
Faith
When I saw that picture of the rice pudding with cherries on top I immediately thought how gorgeous it looked with the brilliant red cherries on the creamy white pudding…then I read on and saw that it was your adaptation. What a great idea, Barbara, it looks fantastic!
ap269
Looks great! I also made a cherry risotto. You should try rice pudding with poached strawberries, too – VERY scrumptious!
Wic
it looks and sounds amazing, I will have to give it a try.
great work with this months challenge.
Jessica @ How Sweet
I am drooling over those cherries. They look delicious.
chef_d
your sweet potato risotto looks yummy. but this cherry risotto is definitely more intriguing, i've always thought risotto was savory.
Stephanie Savors the Moment
Barbara,
That risotto looks amazing & your photos really capture the texture and creaminess of the dish. I am such a cherry fan so I will have to try this recipe – thanks for sharing:)
Stephanie
shelley c.
Both of your versions look fantastic. I will definitely be trying a sweet risotto very soon! I love vanilla and think I may try using vanilla bean, also! And those cherries just look SO good. Great job!!
Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella
Mum this is right up my alley! Cherries and rice pudding, what total comfort food! 😀 xxx
Audax
Barbara both versions looks stunning but those cherries look amazing and the obvious creaminess is beyond 'bliss' it is exquisite. Lovely photography as always.
Yes I looked at Lamb's recipe and I think using risotto rice would decrease the stirring time down to about 30 mins instead of the whole hour.
Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
suezumout
Barbara, your savory risotto looks delicious. I think my new love, however is sweet risotto served warm. Yours looks fantastic! The cherries look so appetizing.
Asha @ FSK
It's gorgeous!!! Love how creamy the pudding looks. Funny, I was just trawling through entries and was thinking risotto method would lend itself so well to pudding and here you are with just exactly that post!!! Love the addition of cherries, can imagine what a fantastic depth of flavor it would have added!! Awesome!