(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle); if you haven’t heard about this book, you should! It’s a novel written from the voice of the black servants and some of the people they work for, all residents of Jackson, Mississippi. In the 1950’s. The maids generally are disrespected, still have to ride in the back of the bus, and some are prevented from using the bathroom in the houses where they work. The story is about a young woman (daughter of one of the society ladies) who decides to write a book about the stories of the maids. Anonymously. But not quite, of course. So it’s not only the stories themselves, but about the society-ladies’ relationships, and about the stealth required to interview the maids and write the book. And the repercussions when it’s published. A fantastic read.
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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My investment club was having a Christmas party (which includes current and former members). We asked all the former members to bring a salad and the current members brought everything else. I signed up for dessert. Someone else brought brownies and lemon bars, so I veered sideways and made rice pudding.
But, this is no ordinary rice pudding, let me assure you. Made with whole milk (no cream), a bit of butter, short-grain rice (I used arborio, the kind mostly reserved for risotto), but it also simmers with a cinnamon stick and a vanilla bean and later an egg yolk too. And lastly, plumped raisins are added. I served them in tall shot glasses with demitasse spoons stuck in each one, to make for easy eating. And not a large portion, either. You may think that, when making it, it’s not going to firm up. Once it cooled down, it was still very soupy, but the chilling did the trick. I liked that this was made with milk and not cream. I’ve had rice pudding made with cream, and it almost took away from the simplicity – the comfort part – of good, old-fashioned rice pudding.
The recipe was an ancient clipping I had from the Los Angeles Times Magazine from – yes, 1988. Rose Dosti (at the time she was a staff writer, later to become Food Editor) responded to what she called a “grapevine dispatch,” (this being, obviously, before email), so that must have meant by word of mouth (gosh, who does that anymore? just kidding!) indicating The Grill, a Beverly Hills restaurant (now it’s the The Grill on the Alley), had just stupendous rice pudding. And they still have rice pudding on the menu, 24 years since they opened. Chef John Sola originated the dish. And that’s the extent of what I know, other than if you enjoy rice pudding, there’s no question you’ll like this very much.
The Grill Rice Pudding
Recipe: The Grill on the Alley, Beverly Hills, CA
Servings: 4
2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup short-grain rice (like arborio)
1 1-1/2 inch piece vanilla bean
1 whole cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons water
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup raisins
Ground cinnamon, for garnish
1. In a 1-gallon saucepan, place butter, milk, sugar, rice, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil (if you don’t watch it, it will boil over in nothing flat), reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes , stirring every 2-3 minutes.
2. Combine egg yolk and water. Scoop about 1/2 cup of milk from the saucepan into the egg yolk (to temper it so it won’t cook up like an egg) and stir. Add this to the saucepan and continue to simmer for 10 more minutes. (Don’t overcook it.) Remove from heat and transfer to another container. Allow to cool, then chill, stirring every 8-10 minutes for awhile so the rice doesn’t sink to the bottom.
3. Simmer raisins in water to cover (I plumped them for 3 minutes in the microwave instead). Let cool for one hour, drain, then add to the pudding. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until thickened to your satisfaction. Sprinkle with cinnamon on top. Make 4 half-cup servings.
Per Serving: 420 Calories; 15g Fat (30.2% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 65g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 98mg Cholesterol; 171mg Sodium
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