There’s nothing more delicious than when fruit is eaten in season, especially when it comes to berries. Depending where you live in the world, that time is typically between the months of late April to August. But to have some of the sweetest, juiciest, most fragrant strawberries; that harvest time usually reaches its peak in the middle of June and July.
If you’re lucky to be living in a country where you can go to your local berry farmer and spend the day picking and eating berries to your hearts content, then I applaud you… as that’s one of the most fun and rewarding summer days that you can spend doing.
But for the rest of us living in areas where fresh berries aren’t always available (or in season) that’s where the next best alternative of frozen strawberries come in. Frozen berries are usually packaged at their peak of ripeness and provide many of the same nutrients as fresh ones. Plus, they are available year-round to enjoy in various methods; from smoothies to purees to compotes… as shown in this recipe.
Check out the video of my hands in action making this dish for Al Islami Foods.
Strawberries are cooked down to create a delicious sweet and tart compote to compliment a creamy rice milk pudding infused with wonderful aromatics of cardamom, cinnamon, and orange blossom water. Topped with crunchy home-made granola loaded with nuts and seeds, this dessert definitely hits home with both middle-eastern flavours and western appeal.
Rice Pudding Parfait with Strawberry Compote & Granola
This recipe was developed for Al Islami Foods.
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 45m
- Total Time: 1h
- Category: Breakfast, Gluten-Free, Sweet Indulgence
Ingredients
Strawberry Compote
- 1 pack (400g), Al Islami Strawberry
- 1/2 cup, fresh strawberries
- 2 TBS, brown sugar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp, balsamic vinegar reduction
- pinch of salt
Rice Pudding
- 1 1⁄2 cups, Arborio or short grain rice
- 3 cups, water
- 1 1⁄2 TBS, sunflower oil
- 5 - 6 cups, milk
- 5 TBS, brown sugar
- 3 pieces, cardamom pods
- 2 TBS, orange blossom water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- pinch of salt
Granola
- 2 cups, large – flake whole oats (not instant, can be gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup, almonds
- 1/4 cup, pistachios
- 1/4 cup, walnuts
- 1/4 cup, sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup, pumpkin seeds
- 3 TBS, sunflower oil
- 3 TBS, maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp, cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp, cardamom powder
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Al Islami Strawberry Compote
- In a non – stick pan, combine Al Islami Strawberry, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 15 – 20 minutes. Reduce to a thick consistency.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the fresh quartered strawberries and balsamic reduction.
- Set aside to cool down, refrigerate.
Rice Pudding
- In a medium non – stick pot, bring the water, oil and salt to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat.
- Cook the rice for 15-20 minutes, until “al dente”, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom. Transfer it to a bowl.
- In another nonstick pot, bring the milk, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, and orange blossom to a simmer.
- Add in the cooked rice and simmer over medium low heat for 15 – 20 minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the milk, and is thick and creamy.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, and transfer the rice pudding to a bowl to cool down.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Homemade Granola
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
- Chop the nuts and place into a large bowl. Add in the oats, seeds, spices and salt. Mix to combine.
- Drizzle in the oil and maple syrup and stir to evenly coat the mixture.
- Spread the granola evenly onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring the mixture every 5 minutes to cook evenly.
- Remove from the oven, and slide the parchment paper off the baking tray to let the granola cool down and crisp up.
Serving
- For a lovely presentation, assemble the parfaits in tall glasses or mason jars by alternating layers of the rice pudding, strawberry compote and crunchy granola. Alternatively, you may arrange it in a large dish, topped with the strawberries and granola.
Note: Earlier this year in April, I had the opportunity to work with Al Islami Foods; one of UAE’s pioneering food production companies that specialises in halal chicken and frozen foods since the 80’s. The project involved developing recipes using their food products in time for the holy month of Ramadan.
While this delicious dessert showcases Al-Islami’s frozen strawberries; For anyone without access to their food products may use alternative frozen or fresh strawberries from your local grocer.
For more info on this project collaboration, check out the relevant posts related to the Food Styling Photo & Video Shoot, and the amazing Kitchen on Ice event!
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