Boozy Rice With Nuts And Berries Recipes

NUT RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Prep notes: Peel and finely slice the onion or shallots. Peel and mince the garlic. Roughly chop the nuts. Measure out the spices into a small bowl so they're ready to add. Measure out the wine and broth. Mince the parsley.
• Heat a large frying or saute pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, swirl the pan to coat it with the oil, and when the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit), add the onion and the salt. Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
• Increase the heat to high and add the nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until the nuts start to toast. The onions will brown a bit, which is good; if they start to burn or char at all reduce the heat and move to the next steps.
• Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Evenly sprinkle on the coriander , cumin, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the rice and stir to combine--the rice should be well coated with the oil and the onions.
• Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until the rice can completely absorbed the wine, about 2 minutes.
• Slowly pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the rice is tender to the bite, about 50 minutes.
• Fluff the pilaf with a fork. Add salt to taste, if needed. Stir in the minced parsley and garnish with whole leaves, if you like. Serve the rice pilaf hot or warm (the range of possible temperatures here makes this an excellent option for buffets).

BOOZY BERRIES AND CREAM

Steps:

• For the cream: In a saucepan, bring some water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Have a mixing bowl ready that will fit over the top of the pan but not sink all the way in.
• Put the egg yolks in the mixing bowl off heat. Add the granulated sugar and whisk until the yolks start to turn pale. Place the mixing bowl over the saucepan with the simmering water. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the egg mixture. Slowly add the rum and whisk to combine. Cook over the simmering water until thick, using a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.
• For the orange liqueur raspberries: Add the raspberries, confectioners' sugar, orange liqueur and orange zest to a bowl and mix together. Let macerate for 1 hour.
• To assemble: Pile the fruit into 6 individual martini glasses and top with the cream. Crush a cookie over each one and garnish with mint.

WILD RICE AND BERRIES WITH POPPED RICE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large saucepan, bring 5 cups water to a boil over high. Stir in 1 cup wild rice along with the dried berries and maple syrup. Once the mixture comes back to a boil, reduce the heat so the liquid is just simmering, cover and cook until the grains begin to open, 20 to 40 minutes, checking doneness after about 20 minutes. (The rice is done when it has opened slightly, is tender and has quadrupled in size.)
• Drain the excess liquid from the rice. (The cloudy cooking liquid tastes sweet and nutty and can be sipped on its own, reserved for use in the roast turkey with berry-mint sauce and black walnuts, or used as a stock substitute.)
• Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them until the skin blisters and cracks, and they begin to smell nutty, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a clean dish towel and massage them aggressively to remove most of the skins. Crush the nuts directly in the towel using the flat side of a knife or the bottom of a small, heavy frying pan.
• Add the remaining 1/4 cup rice to a dry medium skillet and cook the rice over high heat, shaking the pan, until it begins to darken and about half of the kernels have popped, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Drizzle the boiled rice with the hazelnut oil and season to taste with salt. Divide among bowls and garnish with the popped rice, hazelnuts and chives.

BOOZY RICE WITH NUTS AND BERRIES

Steps:

• In one saucepan, combine the wild rice and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, or until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.
• In a separate saucepan, combine the brown rice and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.
• After both kinds of rice have finished cooking, spread out on baking sheets to cool and dry for about 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the wild rice, brown rice, pecans, raisins, green onions, mint, orange juice and zest. Stir in the wine and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside for 2 hours to blend flavors. Serve at room temperature.