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Creamy Millet Pudding with Pistachios & Rum Soaked Raisins
This millet pudding is based on a recipe from a restaurant, Aestus, in Santa Monica, The creamy, chilled mixture was not overly sweet and came topped with pistachios and rum-soaked raisins.
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My husband and I used to go to a little French restaurant in Santa Monica called Aestus for frequent low-key date nights. We would sit at the bar and split a bottle of wine, a cheeseboard and for dessert we would always order their millet pudding. But even though Aestus is closed, I still think about their millet pudding – the creamy, chilled mixture was not overly sweet and came topped with pistachios and rum-soaked raisins. It’s like a creamy twist on rice pudding.
Creamy Millet Pudding with Pistachios & Rum Soaked Raisins
Table of contents
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Millet – Millet is a seed from Africa and Northern China. This naturally gluten-free ancient grain has a mild corn flavor. It’s cooked to the consistency of oatmeal then once it’s cooled it’s folded with a rich whipped cream.
- Heavy cream – I add heavy cream, the thick part of the milk that rises to the top due to its high fat content to the grains to create a twist on classic rice pudding.
- Pistachios – Pistachios are actually the seed of a plant belonging to the cashew family rather than a nut. They come in shells which are easily peeled away to reveal mild, slightly soft and sweet meat.
How to Make Creamy Millet Pudding
- Toast the millet. In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the millet and toast it, stirring frequently until the grains begin to pop, about 3 minutes.
- Make the pudding. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, cardamom and salt and bring to a simmer then lower heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until thick and creamy, about the consistency of oatmeal, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat, place in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
- Soak the raisins in rum. Add the golden raisins and rum to a small bowl and let sit for about 1 hour. Drain the rum and set aside the raisins until ready to use.
- Fold in heavy cream and chill. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form then fold the millet pudding into the whipped cream. Divide into ramekins or small bowls using a spoon or ladle and refrigerate until chilled through, at least an hour and up to overnight.
- Assemble and serve. Serve topped with honey, rum soaked raisins, pistachios and rose petals (if using).
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this millet pudding recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:
Creamy Millet Pudding with Pistachios & Rum Soaked Raisins
Rate this Recipe
Ingredients:
- ½ cup whole grain millet
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup rum
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup chopped pistachios, for serving
- 1 tablespoon crushed rose petals, optional
Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the millet and toast it, stirring frequently until the grains begin to pop, about 3 minutes.
- Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, cardamom and salt and bring to a simmer then lower heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until thick and creamy, about the consistency of oatmeal, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat, place in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
- Add the golden raisins and rum to a small bowl and let sit for about 1 hour. Drain the rum and set aside the raisins until ready to use.
- Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form then fold the millet pudding into the whipped cream. Divide into ramekins or small bowls using a spoon or ladle and refrigerate until chilled through, at least an hour and up to overnight.
- Serve topped with honey, rum soaked raisins, pistachios and rose petals (if using).
Nutrition:
Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 472mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 1115IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 209mg | Iron: 1mg
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Oh my goodness! Since I have to be gluten free, this is perfect for company. My question is whether the millet you are using is the same as millet flour? I looked at my stone ground millet flour, and I am pretty sure it doesn’t look like your millet. Thanks.
It’s a great gluten free dessert!! Great question – this is using whole grain millet – I will be sure to add a note clarifying that in the recipe! This is the brand I used: https://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Millet-28-ounce/dp/B004VLV9QI/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc1_0?cv_ct_cx=millet&keywords=millet&pd_rd_i=B004VLV9QI&pd_rd_r=f52d8fea-e86e-42f1-a28f-da1ae46d99f1&pd_rd_w=ZEE5a&pd_rd_wg=sDeeV&pf_rd_p=c8430d96-912c-40d1-9740-e1beca245dd5&pf_rd_r=WG0S90HAXHD1HM2JW5CC&psc=1&qid=1582833620
This was really good! I’ve never had millet before and this recipe looked gorgeous. I ended up leaving it in the fridge over night to settle and cool more and it tasted far superior with more time. I love getting to try new foods and Kylies my go-to for recipes 🙂 also I used rum extract instead of rum and it worked out really well. I put mine in mason jars.