Apricot-Bulgur Pudding Cake with Custard Sauce
Don't be put off by "bulgur" and "cake"; in the same title. (Think rice pudding but with bulgur.) Whether you use coarser-textured bulgur (our preference) or fine, the cooked bulgur (Step 1) should resemble cooked oatmeal.
- 8 servings
- 45 minutes
- 3 hours
Ingredients
For pudding cake:
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely slivered orange zest
- 1 freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup bulgur
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 2/3 cup low-fat milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Custard Sauce (recipe follows)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pistachios, preferably salted
For custard sauce:
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk
- 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon sugar
-
1 teaspoon kirsch or Grand Marnier (optional)
Ingredient Notes
A staple grain of Lebanese cooking, bulgur is made by parboiling, drying and coarsely grinding or cracking wheat berries. Don't confuse bulgur with cracked wheat, which is simply that — cracked wheat. Since the parboiling step is skipped, cracked wheat must be cooked for up to an hour whereas bulgur simply needs a quick soak in hot water for most uses. Look for it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets, near other grains, or online at kalustyans.com, lebaneseproducts.com.
Instructions
For pudding cake:
- Combine apricots, sugar, orange zest, orange juice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apricots are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in bulgur and increase heat to high. Return to a boil; reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bulgur is tender, about 20 minutes. (The mixture will be the consistency of cooked oatmeal.) Remove from the heat and let cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 350°F.
- Whisk egg yolks and milk in a large bowl until well combined. Slowly whisk in the bulgur mixture.
- Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into the bulgur mixture using a rubber spatula.
- Transfer the batter to an 8-inch-square baking dish. Push brown sugar through a sieve evenly over the batter. Place the baking dish in a roasting pan and transfer to the oven. Pour very hot tap water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the cake is puffed and golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the hot water, transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature before serving. Top each serving with some Custard Sauce and a sprinkling of pistachios.
Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
For custard sauce:
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl and have it ready by the stove.
- Bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler.
- Whisk milk, egg yolk and sugar in the top of the double boiler to combine. Place over the simmering water and cook, stirring constantly and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the sauce steams, registers at least 160°F on an instant-read thermometer and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 8 minutes.
-
Immediately pour the custard through the sieve into the clean bowl. Whisk in kirsch (or Grand Marnier), if using. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 1/2 hours.
Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. EatingWell cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.
From www.eatingwell.com with permission. © 2009 EatingWell Inc.
