Indian Curry House - Restaurant Review Singapore

These pictures have been in my drafts for ages now. We went to Indian Curry House on East Coast Road for our second anniversary lunch. Yeah, I was super lazy so we had both lunch and dinner outside ;)

It was surprisingly easy to find with a little help from Google Maps.

We munched on the pepper papadoms and waited for our orders. Sadly, we weren't to hungry so the order was not big but we have gone back to this place several times and can certainly vouch for their food. 

There's one thing you may not know about me. If I am in a restaurant in Singapore and they have Gobi Manchurian on the menu, I order it. Its a no-exception rule. What this means is, I know where they have the best Gobi Manchurians in the city and where they suck. You gotta love some of my obsessions, eh?

Indian Curry House makes a mean Gobi Manchurian. Its not the best but it definitely falls in the 75th percentile (hey! my mom paid a lot of money for my education and I did statistics for 3 years in my life, is got to count for something!)

Peas Pulao. Easily one of the best pulao I've had in Singapore. Unfortunately, I don't order pulao in every Indian restaurant I go to so my frame of reference is not as broad as it is for Gobi Manchurian but still, this was one good pulao. Cooked and spiced just right with the right amount of ghee. 

Stuffed onion and paneer kulchas. Soft, spongy and really quite good. I wish they had added a bit more salt to the dough though. 

This is TH's onion raita. He can be incredibly tam brahm at times. I mean, who orders raita in a restaurant? Seriously!

Both TH and I were pleasantly surprised with the food actually. We have gone back a few times and ordered different things (except the Gobi Manchurian - that stays on the list!), and have really liked it. The restaurant is also priced very reasonably. 

Avg cost for 2: SGD 25-30

More details:

Indian Curry House

27 Upper East Coast Road

Crescendo Building

Singapore

Ph: +65 6442 09

They also have a restaurant in Singapore Expo, in front of Hall 4. Please note that the food is more expensive in the Expo branch and the biryani is too spicy. Thanks much.

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

I'll have to admit that cobbler really isn't in my culinary vocabulary. That is probably because my Mom was more of a crisp person. Or is it because cobbler is more of an American thing? Anyway, after making the Southern Tofu dish I was in the mood for an appropriately southern dessert and cobbler jumped to mind. But, what is cobbler, exactly? Correct me if I am wrong, but from what I can tell, it is a mix of fruit and cake, baked into moist and syrupy goodness. In many way, it is like the pudding cakes I posted a while back. Peaches and blueberries are in season here (though not for long) so it was a perfect dessert.

INGREDIENTS
Fruit
- 4 cups peeled and sliced peaches
- 1/3 cup water (more if peaches are not that ripe)
- 1 cup sugar
Cake
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (I am sure WW pastry flour would work fine)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups soy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract

- 1/2 cup margarine
- 1 cup blueberries

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Put peaches, sugar, and water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to bubbling, stirring regularly, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins.
2. While peaches are simmering, whisk together dry ingredients. Place 1/2 cup margarine in a 9 x 13 pan, then place in the oven to melt. Put wet ingredients into the dry and gently whisk until mostly smooth (like pancake batter).
3. Pour batter over the melted butter, but do not mix. Sprinkle blueberries over that, then spoon the peach mixture over that.
4. Bake for 40-45 mins, until top is golden and peaches are bubbling away happily. Serve while warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Sakkiram Podichinti / Powdered Murukku with Sugar and Coconut

I am fooling you guys on a Monday. This is not a recipe. This is not even normal, I think.

Flashback: my brother does weird things with his evening snacks. When the rest of dunk biscuits in tea, he would put two spoons of peanuts mixture in his tea (that's right, inside his tea) and then drink it up, finally using a spoon to scoop out the sodden mixture bits. As grossed out as I used to be with that, sakkiram podichinti is a brilliant concoction of his.

These are usually round when whole but a lot of them break during transit

Sakkiram is reddiar murukku. Its made primarily with rice flour and is hand-made through and through. The spiralling design is done by hand and no mould or press can give you that shape. I will post the recipe and how its made soon, but today, here's my brother's whacky snack idea.



Throw 4 murukku broken into pieces, 1 tbsp grated coconut and 2-3tsp sugar in a mixer bowl.



Powder it until you get a mixture like so.



Scrape out the sides - the stuff sticking to the side is the best - and transfer to a bowl.

Eat with hot tea or coffee as a snack. If you add more coconut, you can probably make these into balls. We have never bothered!

Update: I called up the brother now to ask how he came up with this idea and he says, our great grandmother used to make this for our grandfather (her son in law, btw) since he lost all his teeth at a pretty young age and never got false teeth. Of course, she never used a Sumeet mixie for it but relied on a pestle and mortar to coarsely grind the murukku as an evening snack for her son in law, but that's where the idea originated from!

Low Aspic-tations

I've had my heart set on making a terrine ever since I read the short story, Bobcat, by Rebecca Lee. It's a beautifully written story that takes place during a dinner party the narrator is hosting. Read the below and tell me you're not the least bit curious in the terrine-making process. Lee makes it sound both romantic and revolting, both imperative and ridiculous.

"It was the terrine that got to me. I felt queasy enough that I had to sit in the living room and narrate to my husband what was the brutal list of tasks that would result in a terrine: devein, declaw, decimate the sea and other animals, eventually emulsifying them into a paste which could then be riven with whole vegetables. It was like describing to somebody how to paint a Monet, how to turn the beauty of the earth into a blurry, intoxicating swirl, like something seen through the eyes of the dying."

And so while I've showcased a few other recipes from David Tanis's A Platter of Figs, the photographs and recipe of his jellied chicken terrine is what originally sold me on the book—I had just been waiting for hot enough weather to make it. Isn't this the most beautiful picture?

David Tanis's version:

"Two caveats:" Tanis says in the intro to the recipe. "You have to like aspic, and you have to make it the day before you serve it." Aspic? It rang a bell, but what exactly was Mr. Tanis talking about? I looked the word up. Aspic: a savory jelly, often made with meat stock, used as a garnish, or to contain pieces of food such as meat, seafood, or eggs, set in a mold. So, you must like savory jelly that houses pieces of food to enjoy this dish. I'd never had a savory jelly that housed anything before.

Perhaps you are wondering, but what is a terrine then? Well, I looked that up too. Terrine: a meat, fish, or vegetable mixture that has been cooked or otherwise prepared in advance and allowed to cool or set in its container, typically served in slices. Without mention of the gelatinous part, this definitely describes the cold jellied chicken as well. So, an aspic by definition seems to be a terrine, but a terrine may not necessarily be an aspic?

Of all my recent, intense attempts, I was weirdly excited about this one. It just seemed so epic and foreign to me. Savory jelly? This was going to be a real food adventure. Yet my excitement was not infectious. Those I relayed my aspic plans to responded with half-frowns and general non-enthusiasm. "But have you tried an aspic before?" I asked each person.
"No."
"You might love it!"I was like the aspic spokesperson.
And though I had originally planned for Matt and me to test the aspic by ourselves, egged on by everyone's blind aspic assumptions and a little bit by Tanis's suggestion to enjoy this labor of love with friends who'll appreciate it, I decided to invite over a couple of our braver foodie friends who I thought would "get it" if not maybe, (possibly?) even like it.

It wasn't until after the invite had been extended and accepted that I actually began to make it, and also when I began to really doubt the aspic's tastiness myself. I mean, here's the thing, it is a lot like making chicken soup—lots of simmering and straining and chopping of herbs and vegetables. But then, who wants their chicken soup cold and molded?

While waiting for the broth to chill completely in the refrigerator before the final simmer and adding of gelatin, I called my grandma to tell her what I was up to. I thought she might reassure me by saying something like: Aspic? Yummerzz! 
But the conversation went more like this:
"Grandma! I'm making an aspic!"
"A tomato aspic?"
"No, a cold, chicken one."
"Oh."
"Mom told me you liked aspics, Grandma."
"Well..."

It was too late to stop me at that point. And Matt and I were already knee-deep in an aspic pun game with our friends via email (i.e. "Are you going to be using the Lumix for the photos, or do you want us to bring our camera so you can try a different aspic ratio?" -Jodi) to cancel aspic night.

The prevailing attitude became: Let's just get through this. And although I stand by the experience and the outcome, I think I can say, fully and without reservations, I do not like aspics.

our version:

Tanis says to serve the jellied chicken with soft-center hard-cooked eggs, which he seems pretty serious about—"Simmer for nine minutes exactly."—and butter lettuce leaves.

The bottom line: Clear aspic, full plates, CAN lose. (p.s. I love Friday Night Lights.)

What the aspic has taught me: texture and temperature account for a lot. When I was simmering and tasting the broth to adjust the salt level, it was delicious—even tastier than most homemade broths I've made. I guess I just don't want my chicken soup cold and jellied. Maybe if I'd grown up eating aspics, I would feel differently. I don't know. The eggs were delicious though. I wrapped them in the butter lettuce and dipped the little roll into mayonnaise—after all, we had to eat something.

But hey, if you've never tried an aspic, don't let me decide for you. All things considered, I was thrilled when I lifted the terrine dish and saw this shiny, plastic-like square tube with pieces of chicken floating in it. But as far as taste goes... all aspics were bad. Zing!!


Jellied Chicken Terrine via A Platter of Figs

5 pounds whole chicken legs (with thighs)
2 cups dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 small celery stalk, plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon peppercorns
salt and pepper
1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon
1 bunch scallions, slivered
1 tablespoon capers, roughly chopped
cayenne
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 or 3 heads butter lettuce, leaves separated, washed, and dried
6 soft-center hard-cooked eggs

Remove the skin from the chicken legs. Put them in a heavy-botomed pot with water just to cover. Add the white wine, bay leaf, celery stalk, garlic, coriander, peppercorns, and a good spoonful of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Skim off and discard any surfacing fat and foam. Simmer the chicken legs until they are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the legs and set aside to cool. Leave the broth at a low simmer.
When the legs are cool enough to handle, tear the meat from bones. Return the bones to the simmering broth and cook the broth for another 30 minutes.
Roughly chop the chicken meat and put it in a bowl. Add the parsley, chopped celery leaves, tarragon, scallions, and capers. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Mix well, and transfer to a 2-quart terrine or deep serving dish and refrigerate. Strain the broth through a fine-meshed sieve, then put it in the refrigerator to cool completely.
When the broth is completely chilled, remove any congealed fat from the surface. Pour the broth (it will be partially jelled) into a pot. Be careful not to include the sediment that has settled at the bottom. Heat to just under a simmer. Taste for salt and adjust, then turn off the heat.
Soften the gelatin in the white wine vinegar and then dissolve in the broth. Allow the broth to cool to room temperature, then ladle it over the hciken. Cover and refrigerate overnight so that the terrine sets completely.
To serve, invert the terrine onto a large platter and unmold. Surround with leaves of butter lettuce and halved or quartered hard-cooked eggs.
Serves 8 or 10.

The Loot from Sala

What I won is a book.

Image taken from Sala's site

But I ended up getting so much more!



Thanks Sala, for being one of the most generous people I know :)

Southern Tofu on a Corn Cake

I can't help myself, I have made this twice already this week! It's really just a version of my Memphis BBQ Tofu, but with fresh garden ingredients that give it a more refined and delightful taste. It is sweet and sour with a touch of hot, and goes perfectly with the hearty and slightly sweet corn cake below. I served this with a side of greens and some fresh garden produce. The corn cakes are from the August 2010 issues of VegNews (anyone see me listed on the last page as a Top Ten blog?) and are only adapted slightly because I did not have all the ingredients.

Southern Tofu
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pkg firm tofu, diced
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, small dice
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp mustard
- hot sauce to taste
- 1/4 cup ketchup (more as needed)
- salt to taste
- chopped parsley to garnish

METHOD
Prepare tofu however you see fit. You could leave it raw, but I fry it up in a touch of oil over med-hi heat, turning regularly to get a nice golden colour on each side and to give it a more chewy texture.
1. Heat margarine and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 10-12 mins, stirring regularly, until beginning to get golden on the edges. Add garlic and cook 1 min, then add green pepper and cook 2-3 mins, until starting to soften.
2. Add bourbon to the pan and mix well, letting it cook down a bit (just a min or two). Add brown sugar and bring to bubbling. Let cook for 2 mins.
3. Add vinegar, lemon juice, tomatoes, paprika, mustard, and hot sauce. Bring to bubbling, then reduce heat, and let simmer for about 5 mins, letting tomatoes cook down a bit. Add ketchup to thicken, and season to taste. Add tofu back to the pan and stir to coat. Cook a few mins to heat tofu back up and absorb some sauce. Serve over corn cake and garnish with parsley.

Corn Cakes
Makes 6
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp boiling water
- 1 tbsp canola oil

METHOD
Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium to med-hi heat
1. Whisk cornmeal, baking powder, flax, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add boiling water and mix until just moistened. Add canola and stir to incorporate. The batter will thicken a bit as the cornmeal absorbs more water, so add more water if needed.
2. Spoon equal portions of batter into the hot oil, and press into patties. (This is what the original recipe calls for, but I actually found it easier to wet my hands and pat the dough/batter into patties). Cook for 2-3 mins each side, until golden, then drain on paper.

Top 5 Under 15 Mins Recipes on The Recipe Diary

These Thursday lists are turning out to be fun. Thank you so much for the good feedback you sent / keep sending my way on The Recipe Diary. Your contributions are welcomed with thanks!

Here are the top 5 recipes on the site that need under 15 mins to prepare:

1. Idli upma with idli podi by Anuradha
2. Leftover rice cutlets by Supriya
3. Potato chips frittata muffins by Siri
4. Peanut chutney by Lubna
5. Pista cake in 10 mins by Mahimaa

If you have any super nice 15 min meal or dish you'd like to share, please submit your recipes here. Huge thanks to all the contributors so far!

Navratan Korma / Navaratna Kurma Recipe - Step by Step

I love kurmas (or kormas, for those of you who feel that's the way it should be spelled). The ones I grew up eating had lots of coconut or coconut milk in them as you would expect, since the growing up happened in Kerala.

A bit about Navratna Korma although I don't usually like doing yada yada (get to the recipe already!), but this dish is seriously interesting. Navratan means nine jewels and this dish is supposed to contain a mix of 9 fruits, vegetables and fried nuts. In true Mughlai cuisine fashion, cream (or cashew nut paste) is added to form the gravy.

I have seen quite a few variations in the 9 items used by different restaurants. TH is quite the spoilsport, he doesn't like it when sweet stuff is mixed with spicy (Ok, I admit, I am like that too, there's a reason why I married that guy) so I didn't add pineapple to my version, which is quite a popular "ratna" to add to Navratan Korma. Since we also don't like biting into raisins in our curries, and I really couldn't omit all the sweet stuff, I ground it into the paste. Genius, eh?



Navratan Korma / Navaratna Kurma Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups of diced, mixed vegetables - I used carrot, beans, peas, corn and potato (cauliflower will be nice too!)
A few cubes of paneer
10 cashew nuts and 10 raisins soaked in warm water, drained and ground to a paste
1 large onion, minced
1 tomato, quartered and pureed
3 green chillies
1" piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves (or use 1 tsp ginger garlic paste)
1 tsp tomato paste (or use another pureed tomato)
1 cup milk
1 tbsp butter (or ghee)
Salt to taste

The Spice Powders:
2 tsp garam masala (or use 1 tsp freshly ground masala like cloves, cardamom, cinnamon)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp jeera



Sidenote: I got these blue flexible chopping boards from IKEA the other day and totally love them. Yeah they scratch easily but don't they make awesome  background for the 'ingredients picture'?

How I Made It:


1. Heat the butter or ghee in a kadai / pan.


2. Add minced onions and fry until pink and transparent.


3. Grind the green chillies with the ginger and garlic and add to the onions. If using ginger garlic paste, just crush the chillies and add along with it. Fry for 30 seconds.


4. Add all the spice powders. Fry for a minute.


5. In go the pureed tomato and the tomato paste


6. Mix well and let it cook until the butter appears on the sides (about 4-5 mins)


7. Add milk and about 1/2 cup of water, more or less.


8. Add the chopped vegetables. Mix well an cook covered for another 5 mins or so, until the vegetables are cooked, yet firm.


9. Add the cashew nut-raising paste and mix well. Add salt and paneer cubes. Cook open for another 5 minutes until the gravy thickens and comes together.



Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with chapati, nan, roti, or pulao. This is a guest-wower recipe, btw.

I am sending this to Divya's Show Me Your Curry event.
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On a very unrelated note, Sig is having a giveaway on her blog so hope on by if you are interested to learn more.

Indian Potato Salad

I love potatoes and I love potato salad. Usually I go for a more traditional American salad with sweet pickles and plenty of mayo--perfect for summer. I also don't like too many crunchy bits in my salad (ixnae on the elerycae), a rule that I broke for this Indian inspired dish that is awesome warm or cold. This recipe also cuts back on the mayo by thinning it out with soy milk for a moist but not too runny potato salad.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb white potatoes, peeled and halved
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and halved
- 2 tbsp oil
- 15 pearl onion, peeled and halved
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 green chile, seeded and minced (I used jalapeno, the only thing around)
- 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo (or use half yogurt)
- soy milk as needed
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- salt pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Get some salted water boiling and cook the potatoes. Since sweet potatoes cook faster than white, ad then in about 10 mins before the white potatoes are done cooking (they take 20-25 mins, usually).
2. While potatoes are cooking, heat oil over med-hi in a large frying pan. Add onions and saute for a few mins, letting the outsides get nice and brown. Keep stirring so they don't burn. Add garlic, ginger, and chile and mix well. Add mustard seeds and cook a few mins more (seeds should begin to pop). Add spices and mix well. Remove from heat.
3. Drain cooked potatoes and let cool until warm but not hot. Cut into cubes. Mix mayo into the onion mixture, then toss with the potatoes. Thin as needed with soy milk so potatoes are coated. Mix in cilantro, and season to taste.

Baking Tins in India, Old Delhi

I remember back when I was living in India, getting ingredients for baking was always frustrating. In fact, sometimes getting the right bakeware in India was tough and usually expensive.

Deeba, the passionate baker we all know, fought through this frustration and emerged with this amazing find in Old Delhi.

Matchless Machine Tools

1730/B, Bazar Lal Kuan, Delhi 110006

Mohd Kashif, Ctc 9311150022

In her own words, "His stuff begins from about Rs30 and then goes up according to what you want. The individual muffin tins/molds were Rs40 or so. He deals in bakery ware, cake mould, bread mould, muffin tray, pizza tray, cake stand, halwai ware, kitchen ware, etc".

Here's Deeba's loot! That's a lot of stuff!!

So why wait, go grab them if you are live in or around that area and make the rest of us jealous. 

Gongura Pachadi / Pulicha Keerai Pachadi Recipe

In my 2.5 years in Hyderabad, if there's one thing I had acquired a taste for, its Gongura (called pulicha keerai in Tamil, sorrel leaves in English). Its a predominant green in Andhra cuisine and frequently found its way a lot into the catered food at work.

Although I have seen fresh Gongura leaves many times in Little India, I pretended not to because I didn't want to admit I have never cooked with it. There, I said it!

But even a girl like me can't find more excuses with a brilliant book like Cooking with Pedatha on her bookshelf, so one day I slaved on for 2 hours and ended up with (way too little) of this amazing Gongura Pachadi. High-five Pedatha!



Gongura Pachadi
Adapted from Cooking with Pedatha

Ingredients:
8 cups tightly packed gongura leaves / pulicha keerai / sorrel leaves (discard thick stems and retain the tender ones)
3/4 cup gingelly / sesame oil
Salt to taste

For 1st tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
8 dry red chillies
4 green chillies
A few curry leaves
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp hing powder / asafoetida powder / perungaayam

The 2nd tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 red chillies
1/4 tsp hing powder / asafoetida powder / perungaayam
8 flakes of garlic

How I Made It:

1. Heat 1/2 cup oil and add the gongura leaves. Cook well for about 30 mins until the leaves shrink to almost nothing and all the water has evaporated. The leaves will have a cooked/fried consistency.

2. In another pan, heat 2 tbsp oil for 1st tempering. Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add the fenugreek seeds. Remove from fire and let the fenugreek brown. Then add the red chillies and as they turn shiny, add the remaining ingredients for the 1st tempering.

3. Grind the above mixture into a course paste with salt without water. Then add the cooked gongura and grind some more, but not into a fine paste.

4. Heat remaining oil for 2nd tempering and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the fenugreek seeds and lower flame. When they turn brown, add the garlic and red chillies. As the chillies turn shiny, add the asafoetida. Garnish the ground pachadi with this tempering and mix well.



Serve with warm steamed rice and melted ghee. I prepared an all-Andhra-dishes lunch  recently and this Gongura Pachadi was part of that. Other recipes following soon.

Oh and btw, let me know when you are back from heaven after eating this!

The book, Cooking with Pedatha has been reviewed to death when it came out and won Best Vegetarian Book of that year (2008, I think), but I am still tempted to do my own version. Maybe once I've tried a couple more recipes. Definitely a good book to add to your collection, which I can tell you at this point itself.

PS: its much cheaper to buy it through Flipkart in India, which is what I did.

Pizzeria Mozza's Butterscotch Budino

Despite my general paleness, dislike of Diet Coke, and progressive political leanings, one of the ways I know that I am indeed my mother's daughter is our shared love for super-thin crust pizza and dessert. Armed with this knowledge, the last time Mom was in town, I took her to Pizzeria Mozza where the two of us sat at the bar and indulged in a round of, in Mozza-speak, antipasti, pizza and dulci. It was great. Mom loved everything. And for one meal, we were a united food front—with only a moment of discord when the bartender recommended pairing their infamous dessert, the butterscotch budino, with the Moscato. My eyes lit up but Mom was already shaking her head no. (Mom doesn't like "the taste" of alcohol.) For the rest of the trip, all other fancy desserts paled in comparison. Sweet Lady Jane's Princess Cake? Urth Caffe's Chocolate Hazelnut? Mom concluded the same: "Not as good as that budino!"

When I arrived at the beach with the recipe printed out, my mom looked at me like I had just pulled the sword out of the stone. (In case you haven't heard already, the Internet is anathema to my mom and these kinds of everyday Google searches still somehow shock her. For the next fifteen minutes, I was fielding questions like: How did you find it? And: But who would leave this recipe floating around in the Internet?)

After Mom's and my canola oil/ olive oil disagreement, I knew I needed to keep my ingredient shopping on the down low, especially since Mom was fine with using vanilla extract instead of the bean and forgoing the dark rum altogether, but I didn't want to go Nancy Silverton/Mario Batali-lite on this. I wanted the budino exactly as remembered.

Remember when you were younger and would sneak around smoking cigarettes and/or doing other activities parents typically frown upon? What about shopping for vanilla bean and dark rum? With the veiled excuse of "really exploring" Charleston, Matt and I split up from the group to scour downtown Charleston for these already-vetoed ingredients. Half an hour later, we met up with our parents at the restaurant with the vanilla bean secured but alas, no dark rum. (South Carolina is one of those states where you can only purchase liquor at a liquor store—another reason to appreciate California? For sure.)

Pizzeria Mozza's version (our picture):

our version:

I didn't get the dark caramel color in either the pudding or the caramel sauce. For the pudding, I believe I can safely say this was because of our lack of rum and the substitution of brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar, but as for the sauce, I think I just didn't let it cook long enough.

I know what a huge hit my last animated gif was, so here is another one for you. I couldn't resist. You can kind of get the vibe of the whole vacay.

This one is pretty great, too.

"None of my parents are in this shot, right, Matt?"

Imperfect ingredients and all, the overall taste wasn't so far off from Mozza's. It's sweet and rich with just the right amount of salt, and the topping—whipped cream and creme fraiche—adds this tangy coolness that mellows out all that butter. Truly delicious.

A few tips:
1. Really let that caramel sauce bubble and cook until it's medium amber in color.
2. Allow yourself longer than 3 hours for the pudding to set up—after four hours, ours wasn't as custardy as I would have liked.
3. And lastly: enjoy with loved ones.

Butterscotch Budino with Caramel Sauce via NY Times:
Adapted from Dahlia Narvaez of Pizzeria Mozza
Time: 1 hour, plus 3 hours’ chilling

FOR THE BUDINO
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/8 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2teaspoons kosher salt
5 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum

FOR THE SAUCE AND TOPPING
3/4 cup heavy cream
Scrapings from 1-inch piece of vanilla bean, or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
2tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons fleur de sel
3/4 cup crème fraîche.
1. For the budino, combine cream and milk in bowl or pitcher, set aside. Whisk egg, egg yolks and cornstarch in medium bowl, set aside.
2. Combine brown sugar, kosher salt and 1/2 cup water in pot. Place over medium-high heat and let sit until edges start to brown. Tilt pot as needed to even the browning until caramelized, nutty and deep brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Immediately whisk in cream mixture, mixture will steam and caramel will seize. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Whisk a cup at a time into egg mixture until half is incorporated. Remove from heat, and immediately whisk egg mixture back into pot until custard is very thick, about 2 minutes.
4. Whisk in butter and rum. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and divide among 10 6-ounce ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap, allow to cool, and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or up to 3 days.
5. For sauce, combine 1/2 cup of cream and the vanilla in medium saucepan. Heat until simmering. Add butter and remove from heat; set aside.
6. In large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine corn syrup, sugar and enough water (3 to 4 tablespoons) to make a wet, sandy mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling pan for even cooking, until mixture is medium amber, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in cream mixture; set aside and let cool. (May be refrigerated and reheated before serving.)
7. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup cream in a large bowl until it begins to thicken. Add crème fraîche and whisk until thick and fluffy. To serve, spoon a tablespoon of warm caramel sauce over each budino. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel, and add a dollop of cream topping.
Yield: 10 servings.