Camberville Cuisine

Sure, the phrase belongs to General Mills, and it makes me think of Mary Lou Retton on the Wheaties box (child of the ’80s, that’s me). But it also makes me think of champorado. After all, both words start with “champ!”

Champorado refers to a Filipino breakfast dish of chocolate rice porridge. I was talking with Whitney a few weeks ago while I had a pot of this on the stove, and mentioned this to her.

[18:25:59] Lynne: I’ve got champorado on the stove - chocolate rice soup
[18:26:30] Whitney: Holy cow! That sounds delicious!
[18:26:51] Lynne: it’s yummy!
[18:27:23] Whitney: Holy /cow/, man. I don’t know if we could get this around here.
[18:27:48] Lynne: Yeah, finding Filipino food is hard.
[18:28:38] Whitney: You guys might need to bring us some when you come our way.

So several Sundays later, I found myself down in New Jersey, making a batch of champorado for her to experience the comfort-food chocolate yumminess. Super 88 provided the malagkit rice, which can probably be substituted with any other sort of sweet rice; for the chocolate, I use what I grew up with: the tablets for Mexican hot chocolate. There are variations that use milk for the base and condensed milk as a topping; I prefer to use coconut milk and coconut cream.

Champorado

1 can coconut milk plus enough water to make 3 cups liquid total, or 3 cups regular milk and water in proportions that make you happy
half a disk (~45 grams) of Ibarra hot chocolate, split into individual tablets, or 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder + 1/2 cup sugar
dash vanilla extract
dash salt
1 cup malagkit rice, or other sweet short-grain rice
coconut cream (or condensed milk) to top
Also: 1 quart pot, whisk, spatula

Instructions: Pour coconut milk and water into pot, and add hot chocolate. Over low heat, stir with the whisk, and as the chocolate tablets soften, chip away at them until the chocolate has dissolved into the liquid. Add the vanilla, then the rice, and cook ~15 minutes, stirring frequently so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. It will slowly thicken as you stir it; when the consistency is like porridge, it’s done. Divide into serving bowls (serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a full meal). Stir the coconut cream well, and top the champorado with it.

I probably have more than 101 cookbooks on my bookshelves. (LibraryThing says 79, but I’ve still got another shelf and a half to go.) For the most part, they are eye-candy and fantasy material, but not used often enough for the act of cooking.

I live within walking distance of dozens, if not hundreds, of restaurants, bakeries, specialty grocery stores, “ethnic” markets, and other food providers. I walk past the smell of fresh-baked scones in the morning, and the sizzling of burgers at night. I have easy access to pub food, subs, sweet and savory pies, both authentic and “New England” Chinese (the latter comes delivered with dinner rolls instead of, say, wontons), Salvadoran, Indian, Mexican, tapas, Korean, French-Cuban, Thai, Brazilian, noodle shops and sushi bars, and of course, the ubiquitous pizza, doughnuts, and coffee shops.

I have a sweet tooth and a hankering for rare meats and fish. I live for fruit and chocolate. Veggie burgers and artisanal bacon both find room in my fridge. I have partners in my foodie excursions, both as fellow gourmets and chefs.

I talk enough about food that really, I should just go ahead and gather it all in one place; hence, a new home for my babblings about sushi and chocolate and farmers’ markets, right here.

I grant you, I can be lazy. I procrastinate. I decide at 5:30, “Hey, I should bring some munchies to a friend’s house,” for which I need to leave in an hour. This is where the microwave comes into play:

Sesame Brittle (adapted from The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook)

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
dash baking soda
Also: microwaveable bowl, aluminum foil, butter to grease the foil, fork, spatula, potholder

Instructions: Mix all ingredients except the baking soda in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. While the mix is heating, grease a sheet of aluminum foil with butter. When the sugar has dissolved, remove the mix from the microwave, stir until the mix is uniform, then put back in the microwave for another 2-3 minutes on high. Watch carefully to ensure the mixture doesn’t overflow! Remove carefully from the microwave, and extract the cinnamon stick (recommended: put it in a mug of hot apple cider, yum!). Working quickly, add the baking soda, and stir until dissolved, then pour the mix gently onto the buttered side of the foil, and spread it out until it is thin (~1 mm or so). While it is cooling (~15-20 minutes), go take a shower and otherwise get ready to fly out the door. When cool, snap into pieces, pack into a container, and resist sampling on your way over to your friend’s house!