I used to get lost driving to Jamaica Plain, a Boston neighborhood not far from downtown. The winding streets around Fenway always looked like a maze to me. I developed a simple trick to find my way: I would tell myself to “stick by the river, and I will be fine.” It worked. Or perhaps after several visits I simply remembered the route. Lately we’ve spent many evenings at one of our favorite local restaurants, so the trip feels familiar now.
I remember the first time I walked down Center Street, the main street in Jamaica Plain. I peered through the window of a small restaurant called Ten Tables and wondered if it could live up to its name. The dining room really does have only ten tables, set close together, with an open kitchen at the back—perfect for watching the chefs at work from the corner of your eye. If you didn’t know the place was there, you might pass it by. It’s cozy, charming, and quietly elegant—like dining comme à la maison.
Every visit we are greeted by friendly staff and consistently excellent food. Last week was special: we dined there on Friday with friends and returned again on Sunday to celebrate. Lara, who I’d connected with through her food blog, and her husband Cam were visiting Boston, so we took them to Ten Tables. The atmosphere encouraged conversation; we even spent time chatting with the chef, David Punch. Ten Tables has that welcoming, neighborhood feel.
We enjoyed a sequence of memorable dishes: celery root soup with grapefruit granité, green lentils with Toulouse sausage, house-smoked charcuterie, culotte steak with Yukon potatoes and bone marrow, homemade gnocchi with root vegetables (sadly they were out of oxtail), and Arctic char with Meyer lemon salsa on farro and beets, accompanied by fresh salads and a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. For dessert we had crème caramel, rosemary ice cream, and a fragrant, spiced rice pudding that stuck with me. The evening was delightful and left me inspired—an impression I still had hours later, and one I knew would lead to a request from P. After ten years together you learn to anticipate those things.
Le riz au lait
We fell in love with the aromatic spices in that rice pudding. The memory of round rice grains bathed in silky vanilla- and cardamom-scented milk, dotted with nuts and plump dried cranberries, and a hint of coconut made me want to recreate it at home. The flavors evoked travel to the Middle East—memories of trips to Turkey and Tunisia—so I committed the recipe to memory and went straight to the kitchen.
597 Center Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617.524.8810
(For 2 servings)
You need:
- 2.2 to 2.5 oz round rice, risotto type
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 6 cardamom pods
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- 2.2 oz fine cane sugar
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup fresh pistachios
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 Tbsp grated coconut
Steps:
- Place the milk, vanilla pod and seeds, and cardamom pods in a pot and bring just to a gentle boil.
- Rinse the rice under cold water. When the milk begins to boil, add the rice, reduce the heat, cover, and cook on low for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Remove from the heat and check that the rice is tender. Stir in the sugar and 1 tbsp grated coconut. Remove the vanilla pod and cardamom pods.
- Add the dried cranberries and mix gently.
- Dry-toast the slivered almonds in a pan until fragrant.
- Coarsely chop the pistachios.
- Spoon the rice pudding into small ramekins and top with pistachios and almonds. Finish with a sprinkle of grated coconut.
Note: This dessert is best served lukewarm or slightly warm. The listed rice amount yields a juicy, creamy pudding; add more rice if you prefer it thicker.
Le coin français
(pour 2 portions)
Ingrédients :
- 60 à 70 g de riz rond, type risotto
- 350 ml de lait
- 6 capsules de cardamome
- 1/2 gousse de vanille, fendue et grattée
- 60 g de sucre de canne fin
- 30 g d’amandes en julienne
- 30 g de pistaches fraîches
- 30 g de canneberges sèches
- 1 c. à soupe de noix de coco râpée
Étapes :
- Porter le lait avec la gousse de vanille et les capsules de cardamome à légère ébullition.
- Rincer le riz à l’eau froide et dès que le lait bout, l’ajouter. Couvrir et cuire à feu doux pendant environ 30 minutes, en surveillant pour éviter que le riz n’attache.
- Vérifier la cuisson, ajouter le sucre et 1 c. à soupe de noix de coco râpée, puis retirer la gousse de vanille et les capsules de cardamome.
- Incorporer les canneberges et mélanger délicatement.
- Griller les amandes à sec dans une poêle.
- Concasser grossièrement les pistaches.
- Servir dans des ramequins, garnir de pistaches, d’amandes et saupoudrer de noix de coco.
Remarque : ce dessert est meilleur tiède ou légèrement chaud. 60 g de riz donne un riz au lait plus humide ; ajoutez plus de riz si vous le préférez moins juteux.
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Vous avez jusqu’à aujourd’hui, mercredi 10 janvier 2007, 10 heures heure de la côte est américaine pour nominer vos blogs favoris. Le formulaire se trouve sur le site des Bloggies.