My very first childhood exposure to the Almond flavour was in the form of the Almond Jelly dessert served unfailingly at the end of a 10 course wedding dinner. I couldn't understand then, why all the adults seemed to love the flavour - to me then, it smelt and tasted very medicinal. My mother who went through a cooking class phase at the local community centre, eventually learnt how to make the Almond Jelly and from then onwards, the only type of jelly she would make at home would be the Almond Jelly. In those days, my mum would prepare the jelly with Agar strips, condensed milk and I believe, artificial Almond essence. As a result of this constant exposure, I gradually grew to like the flavour of Almond. When I eventually started baking myself, I was lucky enough to find pure Almond Extract and that was definitely 100 folds better than the artificial essence.
While I have grown to embrace the flavour and scent in everything from Desserts to Almond Drinks to body lotion, I still know of friends who cannot tolerate the scent of the nut. I am not sure if it is due to the unpleasant after taste of artificial essence that still lingers in their memory or if it is because the scent reminded them of cockroaches... (yes, it is widely known that cockroach eggs smell like almond essence)
Anyway, Almond is definitely my favourite power food. I always have a tin of pure almond meal in my pantry which I will dissolve in hot water for a delicious breakfast drink. When I saw this easy Almond Milk Pudding recipe in Le Creuset's Mini-Cocotte cookbook, I knew I had have to make this. Delicately flavoured with Rose water and Cinnamon, the recipe builds on the exotic almond flavour and lulls one into the world of henna and harem...
Recipe : (From Le Creutset's Mini Cocotte Cookbook)
700ml Almond milk
15g Gelatine ( or 1 tsp agar agar)
100ml Single cream
30g Sugar
2 tsps Rose Water
Pinch Salt
Garnish Lemon zest ( I used candied lemon peel)
Pinch Cinnamon powder
Method:
1. Soften gelatin in 80ml of almond milk.
2. Heat until boiling , stirring constantly until gelatin dissolves completely.
3. Add the remaining almond milk and sugar and bring it again to a boil. Remove from heat.
4. Add in cream, rose water and salt.
5. Let it cool to room temperature. Fill 4 mini cocottes or dessert bowls. Cover and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
6. Before serving add a pinch of cinnamon powder and lemon peel.
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26 comments:
I think I can take the almond flavor, but still much prefer the nut itself. Haha! Your dessert looks good!
P.S. Voted? I thought y'all have gone voting today.
Im one of the guilty ones who do not like the smell or flavour of almonds. But I have grown accustomed to it thru experimenting with cake recipes and I think I m getting to like it after all. An acquired taste for me, definitely. Th pudding and fotos are so pretty Shirley. Love the pink and teh cream of the pudding together! perfect.
@Peilin- voting later when the crowd thins out. I am feeling very mad now. Nicole Seah is a rare gem-great maturity at such a young age but many people in the Gen Y are not like her...most are easily swept away by peer pressure.
ah the classic Chinese almond pudding. for me i still can't bear to smell it because it's such a wierd strong smell. the smell is also the same with almond? nut slices my mum puts in soups, though the smell is gone after all that boiling and simmering. much prefer the nut toasted by itself.
Shirley,
I love everything with almond.. this reminds me of my late grandma somehow..
Yerp, definitely agree with you on the almond extract.. pure one tastes better..unfortunately, I doubt the 'halal'ness..most pure extracts come with alcohol inside..:/
love ur photos as always..and that pink ramekin is WOW.. where did you get it? hi hi
Initially I think the pudding smelt of cockcroach:P but now I am fine with it:) This looks delicious!
i wasnt a big fan of almond until i started baking...well u gotta taste your own bakes ya? hahah this looks really delicious!
Looks so good! Sounds lovely with the rose water. Not a huge fan of almond pudding though, still prefer tau fu fa :) but I love hot almond milk.
Hi Shirley,
Can almond milk be bought in cold storage? Can I replace single cream with heavy cream?
:) christine
@ribbon clown, The little cocottes are by Le Creuset. I bought them at Tang's during sales, I think. They may still have it :)
Hi Christine, I did not search to see if Cold Storage has Almond milk... If not you can try some organic food grocery stores. I used Almond meal and dissolves in boiling water. Tastes good to me :)
Beautiful shots of the dessert, Shirley. I don't mind eating the nuts but not a fan of Almond Extract in any of my dessert at all. I am weird, right :)
Dear Shirley,
Oo I have ground almond too. It was supposed to be for my macaron making. Haha so just dissolve 350g ground almond in 700ml hot water? ;p
You know, I've always wondered if I could make pudding out of almond milk. Yours looks fabulous! I'll definitely be trying it!
@Christine, not so much. I used 5 tbsp for 700ml water. After make milk, pour out 700ml and continue with recipe.
oh wow I would love the rosewater in this as well. A good recipe to share! I'm going to give it a go I am sure.
I love almond and I really want to try this out! Looks really good!
That sounds lovely, especially when I'm hooked on making my own almond milk! Gorgeous dessert Shirley!
Gorgeous Shirley! Love that fluted bowl too.
This looks heavenly! I absolutely love almond - so I'll definitely have to give this a go!
I love almond milk pudding so I definitely have to give this a shot soon!
delicious looking healthy pudding
Hi Shirley, wow! I have always loved this....but love it chilled.
You are good.
You a graduate from the Swiss Finishing school?
Really outstanding!
Have fun, and keep a song in your heart.
Best regards.
Lee.
I have heard the same about almond milk smelling like cockroach too but I never associate them together. Well, it is like associating durian with dead rat! LOL
Shirley, do you strain your almond milk? I once tried almond milk from those prepacked but feel that the taste is not strong.
I love this dessert but so far, I still struggling with the texture that I like.
Edith, I did not strain my almond milk - I think this is a good suggestion because my pudding tastes a little gritty- not that I mind that much. What I did was I 'cook' the almond meal in hot water and used it for this pudding. Even without the use of almond extract, the almond flavour did come through. All natural - so that is good. Hope you give this a try.
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