Dairy desserts

BERRY HALO PUDDING

This dessert is pleasant to eat and equally fascinating to look at. Consisting of two layers and made in a Bundt pan, every spoonful of this pudding will leave a burst of fresh and fruity deliciousness lingering in your taste buds.

Ingredients

For the transparent layer —

1 cup mixed berries

1 cup water

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp agar-agar

For the opaque layer —

2 cups whole milk

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp rose syrup

2 tbsp agar-agar

Method

To make the top layer, tuck a sheet of cling wrap neatly to cover the entire inner surface of the Bundt pan. Fresh berries work best for this dessert and you can use a selection of your choice consisting of strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry. Place the berries symmetrically so that it looks pretty once set.

In a pan, take one cup of water, add sugar, lime juice, and agar-agar powder. Stir this to combine and put it on heat. Bring this to a boil before removing it from the stovetop. Keep stirring the mixture as it comes to a boil to prevent lumps from forming. This step is crucial as the pudding will not set if the agar-agar does not boil.

Remove this from heat and let it cool slightly before pouring it above the set berries, slowly and carefully without distorting the arrangement. Let this set in the refrigerator for half an hour before pouring in the second layer. 

To make the bottom layer, combine two cups of whole milk, sugar, rose syrup, and agar-agar powder. Stir these to combine and place it above heat and wait for it to come to a boil while stirring occasionally. Once this comes to a boil, remove it from the stove and let it cool slightly.

Pour this on the prepared transparent layer before it is fully set, so that both the layers are glued together. Let it set in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Before serving, invert the Bundt pan on your serving dish and carefully peel off the cling wrap.

MAHALABIA

Mahalabia is a Middle Eastern milk pudding. It is dense in texture but light to eat, and the rose syrup poured on top with desiccated coconut and chopped pistachios complements this dessert perfectly, so that you get delight in every bite. The name might sound fancy, but it is extremely simple to make.

Ingredients

For the milk pudding —

2 cups milk

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup corn starch/flour

¼ cup heavy cream

½ tsp rose water

For the rose syrup —

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

½ tsp lime juice

½ tsp rose water

2-3 drops red food colour

For garnishing —

¼ cup desiccated coconut

¼ cup ground pistachios

Method  

To make the milk pudding, in a bowl add milk, sugar, corn starch, heavy cream, and rose water. Stir vigorously with a whisk to combine fully, ensuring there are no lumps or dense spots. After that, place this mixture in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat and stir. Keep stirring continuously and slowly the mixture will thicken. Do not stop stirring at any stage as this will cause the pudding to clump up and stick to the bottom.

The pudding should be prepared within 8-10 minutes. Once ready, pour the warm, glutinous mixture into your desired cups or moulds. Bring this to room temperature or let it cool slightly and cover the tops of each individual glass or mould with cling wrap before storing them in the refrigerator for four hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the rose syrup. For this, combine equal amounts of sugar and water and allow it to dissolve in medium-high heat. Let this comes to a boil, add in lime juice, which will prevent it from crystallising. Lastly, add rose water and red food colour. Let the mixture boil for a while until it thickens and reaches a syrupy consistency. Once ready, let it cool.

To assemble, remove the cling wrap from atop the individual puddings and pour in a tablespoon of the cooled rose water syrup on each serving. Decorate the tops with desiccated coconut and ground pistachio nuts.

Food and photo: Fariha Amber