The mold is of paramount importance here. We use beautiful covered fluted metal pudding molds, readily available from Williams-Sonoma, La Cuisine, or Sur La Table in three- and six-cup capacities. While traditional recipes can call for a fluted tube pan or one-pound coffee can, these are not suitable for steaming in the rice cooker because they are too tall. For the best fit, we recommend the 1½-quart (6-cup) round melon shape, Corinthian column, or a 6½inch metal kugelhopf mold (you will need to cover this with aluminum foil and secure it with a rubber band in lieu of the lid) for the large (10-cup) rice cooker and the 3-cup fluted with wreath top and center tube for the medium (6-cup) rice cooker.
There are some smaller 2-cup molds (the Corinthian column is adorable) or English china pudding basins that will fit in the small or medium rice cooker, but the following recipes are designed for a 1½ quart (6-cup) mold. If you use a 3-cup mold, just cut the recipe in half. While so many other of the metal molds are beautiful, they may be too tall for the rice cooker cover to sit properly and enclose the steam.
The technique for steaming is simple. The mold is buttered and never filled past two-thirds to allow for expansion. Snap on the lid or cover. It is set on a rack or trivet in rapidly simmering water that should come halfway up the sides of the mold. In the large rice cooker, that is at the 5-cup line on the side of the bowl. It is important to check periodically in case the water has boiled off and needs to be replenished, but we found the rice cooker to be very efficient here; about 1½ inches of water boiled off every 25 to 30 minutes.
Warm steamed puddings should have a complementary sauce, ice cream, or liqueur-flavored whipped cream to proclaim them ready to eat.
How to Make Individual Steamed Puddings
Spoon the batter into well-buttered ceramic ramekins, china pudding basins, Pyrex custard cups, or even ovenproof coffee cups, filling them two-thirds full. Securely cover each with a piece of buttered aluminum foil and crimp the edges to seal. Set the steaming rack in place in the bottom of the cooker or place a wire rack in the bottom of the cooker and arrange the molds on the rack (they can be touching); you will probably have to steam in two batches. Pour in 1 to 2 inches of hot water, reaching only halfway up the molds. Turn on the cooker and bring the water to a boil. Steam until set, 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the size of the cups. Remove from the cooker with metal tongs and place on a wire rack. Remove the foil cover, run a knife around the sides to release the pudding, and turn out onto the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with a sauce of choice. The small puddings are great to douse in a teaspoon of brandy and ignite (carefully) at serving time.
english pudding with cranberries and walnuts
This is an Americanized version of the very traditional, very beloved English pudding called spotted dick, which originally called for shredded suet and raisins. We discovered this recipe while researching recipes to run with a newspaper story on the food eaten by Harry Potter and his cohorts. This pudding is unusual because there are no eggs or butter in the ingredients and it still makes a luscious, nicely textured pudding. It takes literally minutes to combine. Serve with a package of Bird’s custard sauce made according to the package instructions, if you want to be very English, or else use the following recipe for old-fashioned boiled custard.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 8 to 10
½ cup hot water
½ cup light molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ cups all-purpose flour (Beth uses White Lily bleached all-purpose flour, a southern favorite, unsifted right out of the bag)
2 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts
English Custard Sauce (page optional)
1. Set up the rice cooker for steaming by placing a small trivet or wire cooling rack in the bottom of the rice bowl. Fill the bowl one-quarter to one-third full of hot water, close the cover, and set for the regular cycle. If the water boils before you are ready to steam the pudding, flip the switch to the Keep Warm position (switch back for cooking). Generously grease or coat the inside of a 1½-quart (6-cup) round melon-shaped tin pudding mold with a clip-on lid with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients in the order given with a large rubber spatula. Stir well with a folding motion until evenly moistened.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared mold, filling it two-thirds full; snap on the lid. Set the mold on the trivet or wire rack in the bottom of the cooker, making sure it is centered and not tipped. Close the cover and reset the cooker for the regular cycle to bring back to a rolling boil, if necessary. Set a timer and steam for 1 hour, checking a few times to be sure the water doesn’t boil off. Check the pudding for doneness; it should feel slightly firm to the touch, yet slightly moist. It should be puffed, rising to fill the mold, and a cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean. Unplug the machine to turn it off.
4. Using oven mitts, carefully transfer the mold from the steamer to a wire rack and remove the lid. Let stand for a few minutes, then turn upside down to unmold the pudding onto the rack or a serving plate.
5. Serve still warm, cut into wedges, or at room temperature, with custard sauce, if you like.
english custard sauce
YIELD: 2 cups
2 cups whole milk
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
5 large egg yolks
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract or 1½ tablespoons Amaretto
1. In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, scald the milk. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl or food processor, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat hard with a whisk or process briefly until light colored and foamy. Whisking constantly, or with the food processor running, add the hot milk gradually to the egg mixture. Pour the custard back into the saucepan.
3. Cook the sauce gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until just slightly thickened and smooth, and the sauce coats a spoon, about 5 minutes; do not boil. Pour the sauce into a storage bowl and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, covered, until serving time. Serve cold, pouring a little vanilla extract or Amaretto around each wedge of pudding.
persimmon pudding with brandy sauce
The apple of the Orient is our orange globe of fall called the persimmon, a sign that the holidays are here in California. The neighborhoods are dotted with trees outfitted with the fetching pointed ovals. It’s easy to beg a few because most trees are so abundant and it is a much misunderstood old-fashioned fruit. You want the goopy Hachiya persimmon, which is pointed at the base, not the crisp, flatter Fuyu, which is good in salads. You can freeze the ripe fruit whole or store the pulp in plastic storage containers, so you can have persimmon pudding, bread, or cookies in the summer. If someone says they don’t like persimmons, just serve them a slice of this spicy-sweet pud; they will love it.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 8 to 10
3 to 4 very ripe Hachiya persimmons (jelly-like)
1¼ cups sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons Cognac
2 large eggs
1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cups chopped pecans
¾ cup dark raisins or dried cherries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons hot water
2 teaspoons baking soda
Brandy Sauce
1. Set up the rice cooker for steaming by placing a small trivet or wire cooling rack in the bottom of the rice bowl. Fill the bowl one-qu
arter to one-third full of hot water, close the cover, and set for the regular cycle. If the water boils before you are ready to steam the pudding, flip the switch to the Keep Warm position (switch back for cooking). Generously grease or coat the inside of a 1½-quart (6-cup) round melon-shaped tin pudding mold with a clip-on lid with a butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray.
2. Remove the stems and skins from the persimmons (we slit them open and squeeze out the gooey pulp). Mash the pulp to make 1 to 1¼ cups. In a large bowl, whisk together the pulp, sugar, butter, Cognac, and eggs; beat until smooth. Switching to a large rubber spatula, stir in the flour, cinnamon, salt, pecans, raisins, and lemon juice; beat until combined. In a small bowl, stir together the hot water and baking soda. Pour into the batter and stir until well mixed.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared mold, filling it two-thirds full; snap on the lid. Set the mold on the trivet or wire rack in the bottom of the cooker, making sure it is centered and not tipped. Close the cover and reset the cooker for the regular cycle to bring back to a rolling boil, if necessary. Set a timer and steam for 1 hour and 10 minutes, checking a few times to be sure the water doesn’t boil off. Check the pudding for doneness; it should feel slightly firm to the touch, yet slightly moist. It should be puffed, rising to fill the mold, and a cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean. Unplug the machine to turn it off.
4. Using oven mitts, carefully transfer the mold from the steamer to a wire rack and remove the lid. Let stand for a few minutes, then turn upside down to unmold the pudding onto the rack or a serving plate.
5. Serve still warm, cut into wedges, or at room temperature, with spoonfuls of the Brandy Sauce.
brandy sauce
YIELD: 3 cups
1 large egg
⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted and still hot
1 cup sifted confectioners’sugar
Dash of salt
2 teaspoons Cognac
2 teaspoons Amaretto
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup cold heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
In a medium-size bowl, beat the egg until light colored with an electric mixer. On low speed, drizzle in the butter, which will cook the egg; beat on medium-high speed for 15 seconds to thicken. Beat in the sugar, salt, Cognac, Amaretto, and vanilla, then fold in the whipped cream. Refrigerate in a covered container up to 2 hours before serving. Stir gently with a whisk, if necessary, before serving.
mohr im hemd
Mohr im Hemd, or Moor in a shirt, is a Viennese steamed chocolate and ground nut pudding topped with whipped cream to make a pure black-and-white dessert. It emerges as a delicate spongy cake with an almost oozy center, which is exactly the way it should be. Pure elegance. If you use a very bittersweet chocolate like Sharffen Berger, you don’t have to use the two different chocolates, just 5 ounces of the one. This is a recipe Beth got from one of her all-time favorite cooking teachers, baker and pastry artist Diane Dexter.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 8 to 10
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 slices dried-out white bread (sweet French bread or egg bread), crusts removed and pulled into pieces
1 cup (4 ounces) whole almonds
½ cup warm heavy cream
¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅔ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1½ cups cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons sifted confectioners’sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Place the chocolates and butter in the top of a double boiler and melt over simmering water.
2. Place the bread in a food processor and grind to coarse crumbs. You will have about 1 cup coarse-ground fresh bread crumbs. Add the almonds and process with the bread crumbs until finely ground. Place the mixture in a medium-size bowl and add the ½ cup warm cream and almond extract. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Set up the rice cooker for steaming by placing a small trivet or 5-inch-diameter wire rack in the bottom of the rice bowl. Fill the bowl one-quarter to one-third full of hot water, close the cover, and set for the regular cycle. If the water boils before you are ready to steam the pudding, flip the switch to the Keep Warm position (switch back for cooking). Generously grease or coat the inside of a 1½-quart (6-cup) round melon-shaped tin pudding mold with a clip-on lid with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray. Combine the flour and 2 table spoons of the granulated sugar and dust the mold.
4. In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat the eggs, the remaining 2.3 cup granulated sugar, and the salt, using an electric mixer on high speed, until thick and light colored, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, with a large rubber spatula, add the melted chocolate to the soaked crumbs. Fold the egg mixture into the crumb-chocolate mixture.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared mold, filling it two-thirds full; snap on the lid. Set the mold on the trivet or wire rack in the bottom of the cooker, making sure it is centered and not tipped. Close the cover and reset the cooker for the regular cycle to bring back to a rolling boil, if necessary. Set a timer and steam for 1 hour, checking a few times to be sure the water doesn’t boil off.
6. Meanwhile, whip the 1½ cups cold cream with an electric mixer in a medium-size bowl until just thickened; add the confectioners’sugar and vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until serving.
7. Check the pudding for doneness; it should feel slightly firm to the touch, yet slightly moist. It should be puffed, rising to fill the mold, and a cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean. Unplug the machine to turn it off. Using oven mitts, carefully transfer the mold from the steamer to a wire rack and remove the lid. Let stand for a few minutes, then turn upside down to unmold the pudding onto the rack or a serving plate.
8. Serve the pudding still warm, cut into wedges, or at room temperature, with spoonfuls of the whipped cream. Pass the extra whipped cream in a separate bowl.
WHAT IS THE BEST DESSERT CUSTARD CUP?
There are three main types of heatproof individual dishes suitable for steaming custards. The following recipes are designed to be used in these types of containers.
Apilco and Emile Henri brands, available from specialty cookware stores, come in 3½-inch-diameter ramekins with a ½-cup (4-ounce) capacity. Four of these will fit comfortably in the 10-inch-diameter steamer basket. If you are using a smaller rice cooker with the metal steamer tray insert, you will only be able to fit three at one time. The Apilco ramekin, really a miniature soufflé dish, is always made of plain white French porcelain, while Emile Henri ceramics come in a range of earthy colors.
Pyrex custard cups, easily available in most supermarkets and hardware stores, are 4 inches in diameter with a ¾-cup (6-ounce) capacity. One-half cup of custard fits in this size as well. Three of these will fit comfortably in the 10-inch-diameter steamer basket (in the large rice cooker). If you are using a smaller rice cooker with the metal steamer tray insert, you will only be able to fit two custard cups at one time; cover and refrigerate the extra custard, steaming in batches.
If you use the stacked 10-inch-diameter steamer baskets, you can double any recipe and steam a double rack of custards at one time. That means you can place two Pyrex cups on each level to steam the entire recipe at one time.
alchemy for RICE LEFTOVERS
Plain Rice and Green Tea (Ochazuke)
Japanese-Style Leftover Rice Soup
Fried Shrimp Brown Rice
Plain Fried Rice, Egg, and Peas
Mushroom Fried Rice with Walnutsand Scallions
Sausage and Portobello Fried Rice
Fried Wild Rice with Chicken and Vegetables
Poo Khao Phat Supparot (Thai Pineapple Fried Jasmi
ne Rice with Crab)
Smoky Seafood Fried Rice
Sauté of Corn, Brown Rice, and Fresh Basil
Black Bean,Corn, and Rice Salad with Green Chile Vinaigrette
Waldorf Rice Salad
Lentil and Brown Rice Salad
Curried Rice Salad
Autumn Rice and Wheat Berry Salad
Barley Salad with Fresh Dill and Vegetables
Quinoa Tabboulé
Japanese Rice and Cabbage Salad
Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Berry Vinaigrette
Creamy Rice Salad with Fresh Fruits
Rice Pancakes
Savory Wild Rice Pancakes
Leftover Risotto Pancakes
Buttermilk Rice Breakfast Pancakes
Once you get comfortable with your rice cooker, you will find how easy it is to make and enjoy fresh rice on a daily basis. With that comes the inevitable: leftover rice. While rice is fluffy and moist when hot, the same component that keeps it this way “retrogrades” (a technical term to describe the hardening of the starch in the center of each grain) when chilled. The degree of retrogradation is slightly different in each rice, depending on how much starch is in the rice. A lot of cooks especially like jasmine rice for its ability to stay a bit softer after refrigeration than other white rices. Short- and medium-grain rices, ones that end up with a lot of starch surrounding the grain after cooking, will retrograde into a solid mass (risotto is a good example here). A dish like fried rice or a stuffing is perfect with hardened, crunchy rice; it holds its shape during secondary cooking. The best rice salads are made with rice that has not been refrigerated first. Just let the rice sit on the counter, covered, as long as overnight before adding the other ingredients; the rice is perfectly safe and will not spoil quickly. Of course, after adding the other ingredients, you must refrigerate the salad.
The Ultimate Rice Cooker Page 43