In Thailand and many other tropical countries, desserts are less about butter and cream and more about a little sweetness and fruit. Nobody wants to bake in that tropical heat, much less try to move after eating a bunch of cake. Lush rice-based treats like this one are the norm, with richness coming from the coconut and a refreshing topping of sweet pineapple.
Yield: 4 servings
1½ cups water
1 cup Thai purple sticky rice
1½ cups coconut milk, divided
1 pinch salt
¼ cup palm sugar or brown sugar
1 (3-pound) pineapple, peeled and chopped (4 cups)
½ cup roasted, unsalted cashews, crushed
1 medium lime, for zest curls
Bring the water, rice, coconut milk, and salt to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan with a lid. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 35–40 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Let stand, covered.
Heat the remaining coconut milk with the palm sugar just to dissolve the sugar.
Mix half of the coconut milk mixture into the pineapple, then divide it between the bowls. Drizzle with the remaining coconut sauce and top with cashews and lime zest curls.
Note: To make lime zest curls, use a channel knife and pull it across the peel of the lime. If you don’t have a channel knife, use a peeler to remove long strips of zest and then slice them thinly.
Chocoholics, rejoice! This bowl is topped with disks of deep, chocolatey chèvre that are ready to melt into the warm, honey-drizzled rice. If you have had a light dinner and are still hungry, this will top you off, guaranteed. Crunchy walnuts finish the bowl, making this an altogether grown-up affair.
Yield: 4 servings
3 cups cooked farro
8 ounces chèvre, softened
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
¼ cup cocoa
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 large strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup walnut pieces
Warm the farro.
In a medium bowl, mash the chèvre, then quickly mix in the melted chocolate. Mash in the cocoa, powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Place an 8-inch piece of plastic wrap on the counter and form the chèvre into a 1-inch-thick rope; wrap in plastic and chill.
In a cup, stir the honey and cinnamon.
To serve, place ¾ cup warm farro into each bowl and top with slices of chèvre, strawberries, walnuts, and the honey-cinnamon drizzled over it all.
Oats for dessert? You bet! The same creamy sweetness that we love about oats at breakfast makes for a lush, pudding-like bowl at the end of the meal. Pistachios, puréed with honey and a touch of cream, give the oats a slightly exotic vibe, as well as a greenish tint. Add sweet Bing cherries and a few shreds of chocolate, and you will wonder why you never made oats for dessert before!
Yield: 4 servings
10 ounces frozen Bing cherries
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup shelled pistachios
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup cream
3 cups cooked steel-cut or whole oats
1 ounce dark chocolate
In a 1-quart pot, warm the cherries, add the sugar and almond extract and bring to a boil. Cook until the juices are slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
In a food processor, grind the pistachios to a fine powder. Add the honey and cream and process until smooth.
Warm the oats.
In the pot, stir the pistachio mixture into the oats. Divide the oat mixture between each of four bowls. Top with ¼ of the cherries and juice, then use a swivel peeler to shave chocolate over each bowl. Serve warm.
A trifle is one of those old-timey desserts, like a syllabub or an icebox cake, and it deserves an update. Here, sweet and nutty red rice is layered with a real egg yolk–infused custard. And the whole thing is studded with bananas and then topped with whipped cream. Nobody would call this spa food, and that is okay.
Yield: 4 servings
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup unbleached flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups cooked red rice
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 medium bananas
¼ cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
To scald the milk, put the milk into a 1-quart pan and place over medium-high heat. Bring just to a boil and take off the heat; let cool completely.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are pale and thick. In a 2-quart pot, whisk the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually whisk in the cooled milk. Whisk a little of the milk mixture into the egg yolks, then whisk the yolks into the milk mixture in the pan.
Place the pan over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a boil; whisk constantly as you let it bubble for a few seconds, then take off the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic onto the surface of the pudding so it won’t form a skin. Chill completely.
Warm the red rice. Mix the maple syrup and almond extract into the rice and let cool.
To assemble, slice ⅙ of a banana into each of four glass bowls. Top with ¼ cup rice mixture, and dollop ¼ cup of the pudding on top, spreading it gently to cover.
Top with another ⅙ of a banana, ½ cup of rice, and ½ cup of custard, spreading it gently to the edges.
In a small jar, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla, and screw the lid on tightly. Shake the jar vigorously for a few minutes, until the cream thickens. (You can also whip the cream with an electric mixer in a large bowl.) Spoon the whipped cream onto the parfaits and garnish with remaining banana.
Fat, creamy oat groats are just as appropriate for a dessert as the rolled kind. Really, they are. Break out of your usual dessert habits and try this easy, nutty sweet treat. It’s as easy as stirring up a little sauce and sprinkling on a few irresistible toppers.
Yield: 4 servings
4 cups cooked whole-oat groats
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup honey roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
2 large mangos, peeled and sliced
¼ cup miniature chocolate chips
Warm the oats.
In a medium bowl, stir the almond butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and almond extract. Add the warm oats and stir to coat the grains with the almond butter mixture.
Portion the oats into four bowls and top with chopped almonds, mango slices, and chocolate chips on top. Serve warm.
Cheesecake may have seen its day as a hot fad, but we all still love the taste of cream cheese filling. Why not lift it out of that tired old crust and make it into a leaner, more lemony drizzle for your oats and berries? If a cup of yogurt can claim to taste like chocolate truffles, then this bowl can promise to ring your cheesecake bells.
Yield: 4 servings
6 ounces Neufchatel cheese, softened
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon zest, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
½ cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
½ teaspoon vanilla
4 cups cooked steel-cut or whole-oat groats
1 pound fresh strawberries, washed, dried, and sliced
In a food processor, process the Neufchatel cheese until completely smooth, scraping down and repeating until there are no lumps. Add the zest, juice, honey, yogurt, and vanilla and process until smooth. Scrape into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup for easy pouring. If you plan to refrigerate the sauce, stir in a couple of tablespoons milk so it will not get too thick to pour.
Warm the oats.
To serve, portion ¼ of the oats into each of four bowls, top with the cheesecake sauce, and arrange strawberries on top. Sprinkle with a little lemon zest for color and serve.
A little cocoa and some creamy cheese melt into the hot brown rice, instantly dessertifying the healthy whole grains. Fresh fruit tossed with honey and orange juice positively bursts with sunshine, and the crunchy streusel topper is too tasty to be denied.
Yield: 4 servings
2 ounces Neufchatel cheese or chèvre
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons milk, approximately
4 cups cooked brown rice blend
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 6-ounce packages blackberries or raspberries, washed and dried
2 large peaches or plums, pitted and sliced
½ cup streusel, (see Nutty Cinnamon Streusel Granola Topper, page 20)
Orange zest strips, for garnish
Warm the rice.
In a medium bowl, mash the cheese until creamy. Add the cocoa and brown sugar and mash and mix into a paste. Add the vanilla and stir in the milk a tablespoon at a time until it makes a creamy mixture. Stir into the warm rice.
In another bowl, mix the orange juice and honey, then add the berries and peaches and toss to coat.
Serve a cup of rice in each bowl, topped with fruit mixture, and then streusel. Garnish with orange zest. Serve warm.
I won’t try to deceive you—making pralines is a bit of a production. The first time you make them, they might not be perfect. But once you master the simple art of boiling the sugar and pecans to the right temperature, you will be glad you did. A classic Southern candy, the praline is both smooth and crunchy, and it makes great use of the local pecans. Peaches and buttermilk round out the Southern profile, giving exotic quinoa a down-home feel!
Yield: 4 servings
¾ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
¼ cup 2% milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecan halves
4 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup sorghum syrup or honey
10 ounces frozen sliced peaches, thawed
First, make the pralines. Spread a piece of waxed paper on a sheet pan.
In a 4-quart pot, mix the granulated and brown sugars, milk, butter, vanilla, and pecans. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until the mixture reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer. Take off the heat immediately and keep stirring; stir and beat until the mixture thickens and becomes lighter colored. When it just starts to get grainy, quickly spoon the mixture into tablespoon-size portions onto the waxed paper, leaving room in between.
Let the pralines harden at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for a couple of days.
Warm the quinoa. Whisk the buttermilk, Greek yogurt, and sorghum in a cup, then stir into the warm grain. Serve topped with peaches and pralines.
Chocolate and buckwheat go together: The bitter sweetness of chocolate makes the natural sweetness of the buckwheat more prominent. The fat, tender grains are a toothsome carrier for a gloss of melty chocolate and a crunchy flourish of pistachios. Tart and tangy dried cherries pull it all together, and a creamy updo of whipped cream is a fitting finish. You can swirl some full-fat Greek yogurt on top, if you want to be a little less decadent.
Yield: 4 servings
3 cups cooked buckwheat groats
¼ cup mini-chocolate chips
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup roasted pistachios, chopped
½ cup whipped cream or vanilla Greek yogurt
Warm the buckwheat. Stir in the chocolate to melt. Cover and let stand until serving.
In each bowl, portion the buckwheat, ring the bowl with cherries, sprinkle with pistachios, and dollop whipped cream or Greek yogurt in the center.
