Rice Cream

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor

This product is an excellent, healthy and nutritious alternative for thickening creamy soups or other dishes in lieu of Heavy Cream or Half and Half. I was introduced to the thickener while attending a conference at the Culinary Institute of America, Greystone Campus during a seminar, Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives, conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and the CIA. I adapted it by using homemade vegetable stock made of vegetable remnants left over and saved from preparing fresh vegetables from our Container Garden (See picture near bottom of article) in lieu of water or commercially produced stock.

Equipment/ utensils required:

Blender or food processor, stainless steel stirring utensil, measuring spoons, liquid measuring cup, sealed storage container for refrigerator.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup brown rice

2. 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock unsalted

3. Water as needed

Method:

1.       Start your brown rice with a ration of vegetable stock to rice as per liquid requirements on the package of rice. (Usually about 2 ½ cups liquid to 1 cup rice). Bring to a boil and simmer (minimum heat setting) covered about 45 minutes.

2.       When the rice is done add it to a blender plus two cups of stock and puree until smooth. This mixture should end up creamy and smooth. Add water or stock if the puree is too thick or bogs down the blender. You have now “rice cream”

Container of Ruby, Yellow, and White Chard

Makes about 10 portions of thickener for a portion of soup that will serve 2 to 4 depending on additional ingredients. (See Red Bean and Rice Pureed Soup for example)

Nutritional Information: 1 Cup of stock: Calories = 86, fat = .7 g, Cholesterol = 0 mg, Sodium = 35 mg, Carbohydrates = .7 g, Protein = 2