Chef Terri Milligan (Inn at Kristofer’s, Sister Bay, Wisconsin)
Serves 6
One of the most popular harvests in Door County is our local cherries. With over 100 acres of cherry trees, our little county ranks fourth in cherry production in the United States. These tart Montmorency cherry trees provide beautiful blossoms throughout May, and a terrific crop of cherries in mid-July. Since they are sour, they are used mainly in pies and jams; they, however, can also be dried and used throughout the years. Chef Milligan has created this unusual rice pudding dessert that incorporates dried Door County cherries with a sweet risotto, flavored with fresh vanilla bean and a touch of Grand Marnier®. For a gourmet touch, she serves it between layers of phyllo dough that have been sprinkled with coarse sugar and a garnish of caramel sauce and cream anglaise.
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to directions
Crystal sugar or other coarse-sanding sugar
3 cups half-and-half
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1½ cups sugar
1¼ cups arborio rice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup dried cherries or cranberries
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier® (or orange-flavored liqueur)
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest (see Chef’s Tips on citrus zest, this page)
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Unwrap the phyllo dough, and loosely cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Then place a damp and rung-out towel over dough to avoid drying out the edges. Preheat an oven to 350°F.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicon/silpat® mat. Carefully lift one of the phyllo sheets, and place on a work area. Use a pastry brush to brush the dough completely with butter. Sprinkle the dough with some coarse sugar. Place another sheet on top of the phyllo. Brush with butter. Continue with a third piece, brush with butter, and sprinkle with sugar.
Cut the phyllo into equal-size triangles. Place the cut phyllo on the prepared baking sheet. Place another piece of parchment paper over the phyllo. Place a clean baking sheet of the same size on top of the parchment to “weigh down” the triangles. Make another set of triangles using the remaining three pieces of phyllo. You may need another pan, depending on the size of your baking sheets. (You will have more phyllo dough than needed. You can make additional triangles and store them in an airtight container for future use, or re-roll the dough and wrap in Saran™ wrap. Refreeze for future use.)
Place the phyllo pan(s) in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Pick up the top pan and check the dough. The phyllo should be lightly brown. If needed, bake for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the pan. Carefully lift off the top pan. Let the phyllo cool. Remove the parchment paper. Store in an airtight container with clean parchment paper separating the phyllo pieces. The pieces can be stored for several days in a cool, dry place.
Spray an 8- by 8-inch square baking pan with 1-inch sides with nonstick food spray.
In a large pot, place the half-and-half, cream, sugar, rice, cinnamon, and vanilla. If using a vanilla bean, scrape the “seeds” out of the vanilla bean, and put in the mixture. You can put the actual bean in the mixture as well; tie the bean with kitchen string, however, so you can remove it after the risotto is done. Place on a medium burner and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir on and off for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. The rice should absorb most of the liquid, and the rice should be slightly chewy, but not too soft. Remove the vanilla bean if using.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the cherries. Place the dried cherries in a bowl. Sprinkle with Grand Marnier®. Let it sit in the liquid while the rice is cooking. Remove from the heat, and stir in the egg yolks, butter, and zest.
Add the cherries with the liquid. Stir to combine. Place the rice pudding in the prepared pan. Let cool. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made several days ahead of time.
Place one triangle piece on a serving plate. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out a generous portion of the rice pudding. Sprinkle the top of the pudding with some granulated sugar.
Carefully caramelize the top of the pudding by using a kitchen butane torch, being careful not to burn the phyllo dough.
Top with another piece of phyllo, placing it slightly on a diagonal.
Continue with the remaining dessert plates. If desired, garnish the plate with a splash of caramel sauce.