Semola con Leche y Salsa de Vino (Chilean Spiced Semolina Dessert With Crimson Wine Syrup) Recipe

This comforting spiced semolina pudding is excessive in my private prime 5 of Chilean “postres de leche,” candy and filling milk-based concoctions historically served as desserts. Our mothers or grandmas used to make them, every of them having a signature spice combine containing a mixture of cinnamon, vanilla, clove, orange and/or lemon peels, and naturally, the love and care these sorts of preparations are able to carrying so nicely. 

These days we make sémola con leche and different postres de leche as a once-in-a-while deal with, however up to now it was frequent to search out them not solely served after a weekday lunch, but in addition as a breakfast merchandise. Whereas testing this recipe, my semolina-stuffed husband instructed me his dad used to say milk desserts have been essential for youngsters’s dietary well-being, and that he made positive to serve them as breakfast daily. This impressed me to begin consuming it for breakfast. Straight from the fridge, it’s filling and refreshing, particularly when topped with recent fruit. Our one-year-old child completely beloved it—he was clapping and smiling after the primary spoonful. 

Whereas the most well-liked model of sémola con leche features a caramel sauce that’s added to the underside of the dish that may even maintain the pudding (not not like flan), the one I really like essentially the most is caramel-free and topped with a easy crimson wine syrup. Whereas this crimson wine syrup variation is much less common and gained’t be discovered on restaurant menus in Chile, it’s the model I’ve loved essentially the most all through my childhood at pal’s properties. Whereas dwelling in Columbus, Ohio, I usually ready it for buddies, who made me write the recipe down for them earlier than leaving. 

Apart from the wine syrup, my recipe for sémola con leche is in any other case just like others when it comes to flavorings and ratios, although I do deviate in a single different respect: I take the time to steep the milk with spices till it is infused with them, then pressure the spices out. Most recipes simply prepare dinner the spices with the semolina, leaving them for diners to take away on the desk, however I believe the additional time spent steeping and straining is value it, not just for the improved consuming expertise, but in addition as a result of I discover that it leads to an total extra deeply fragrant end result. In any occasion, it is hardly wasted time, for the reason that milk can steep when you make the wine syrup.

My selection of spices consists of cinnamon, vanilla, and a wholesome dose of orange zest. You possibly can in fact alter the spices and the citrus to fit your preferences (clove and lemon zest are glorious), simply needless to say cinnamon and any citrus peel in some type completely must be there.

For one of the best outcomes, it is vital to make use of coarse semolina flour, the sort normally used for dusting pizza peels to stop the dough from sticking. If that’s not out there, it’s also doable to make use of medium or high quality semolina flour, that are usually used for making pasta and bread. A finer grind will yield a creamier, silkier end result that, whereas nice, doesn’t totally resemble the extra rustic texture of the normal dish.

Serve it chilly from the fridge in particular person dessert bowls or family-style. Within the latter case, you possibly can serve it two methods: let diners scoop parts immediately from the communal dish onto their plates, or you possibly can unmold the chilled and firmed pudding from its serving bowl immediately onto a plate or tray, then slice and serve with the syrup on the desk.