Right as rain

I've just picked up the last of the deflated balloons on my porch from the first birthday party we had for Oliver during my friend's visit from London, and I can't help feeling the same- deflated. Sure, the sun is shining and I should be out basking in it, but the house seems too quiet without two little ones racing across the floor with toy cars and the constant "Wheels On the Bus" song that played consistently for 10 days.

After watching Liz and Claire make endless pots of tuna pasta for the kiddies, I made a grown-up version for Martin and I for a mid-week quick lunch. I wished the bowl was never ending. It was simple and comforting and even though mine contained salt, it was very nutritious. Next on my "inspired by children's food list" was rice pudding. I watched as Claire stirred the "pudding rice" that she brought from England and wished I could dive in. Instead, Stanley lapped up every bite during his not-so-picky phase that lasted until we left Chicago.

So this week, my Stanley and Oliver inspired rice pudding made me head to the store for another carton of whole fat milk, which normally never graces the inside of my refrigerator, but was something we couldn't live without during their stay.

If ever there was a dessert that made you feel right as rain, rice pudding is it. The creaminess that surrounds each soft grain of rice should be scooped mouthful after mouthful.

I added a simple twist to my rice pudding by adding two crushed cardamom pods, something I like to add to rice when cooking it normally. You can add a little vanilla extract or a scraped vanilla pod as well or on it's own. The slight hint of gingery spiciness from the cardamom not only kept the rice from becoming too sickly sweet, it also paired well with the stewed apples I spooned on top for my first nod towards autumn.

Again, my friends had just done a few stewed apples for the boys and it reminded me of when my own Mother made them for us as children. A few slices of apple combined with brown sugar and butter make a perfect topping to rice pudding that no child or adult can pass up.

This recipe is partly adapted from Claire's pudding and a recipe in this month's Bon Appetit paired with my Mom's stewed apples.

Cardamom Rice Pudding with Stewed Apples

Serves 6

For the rice pudding

1/2 cup arborio rice

4 cups of whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups of water

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cardamom pods, crushed

For the apples

2 gala apples

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cardamom pod, crushed

Bring the water and a pinch of salt to a boil then add the rice. Boil for ten minutes, drain and discard the water. Put the rice to one side. Add milk and sugar to the pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Watch the pot during this process or you'll let the milk boil violently over like I did whilst chit-chatting to my sister.

Crush the cardamom pods with the back of a knife.

Add the rice and cardamom pods and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 35 minutes until the rice is tender and the sauce has thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, fish out the cardamom pods and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer it to a bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding so a film doesn't form and let it cool to room temperature then refrigerate until cold.

You can do this up to 2 days ahead.

When you're ready to serve, cut the apples into slices or cubes as I've done here. I don't like to peel them because it gets rid of all the beautiful color. Combine them in a saucepan with the brown sugar, butter and cardamom pod and cook them over medium-high heat until the sauce and apples are simmering away. Cook for about 5 minutes until the apples are softened but still have their shape.

Serve the puddings in little glasses as I have done, or a nice bowl and spoon over the hot apples. The cool rice and the hot apples will send you straight back to childhood.

One for the ladies

Like a cheesy DJ in a night club, I'd like to shout into a microphone that this dessert goes out to all the lovely ladies. I first made it for my Aunties on their first visit to see me in Chicago last summer and it went down a storm. I just whipped up a batch of six for my friends from England, and it was particularly popular with Claire and Liz.

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert that usually consists of milk, cream, sugar and vanilla mixed with gelatin. It then gets set and turned out onto a dish to serve. This version light, creamy and smooth as silk. Best of all, it stays in the little ramekins rather than bothering to turn them out.

As we're just reaching the end of peach season, this is a perfect tribute to the end of summer. I'm currently in Michigan and the sun has not stopped shining. I have felt extremely lucky that the weather finally decided to cooperate, especially when our best friends from England were visiting. I think Michigan knew it owed us one. When we were up earlier this summer, most of the week was freezing cold and raining.

You can make these panna cottas a day or so in advance- something I'm always looking for when sifting through my recipes. It makes everything so much easier when you get a house full of guests and you want to do anything but spend hours in the kitchen. It also has a wow factor. You can tell you've spent time making it, but you can whip them out of the refrigerator at a moment's notice. Mixing the peaches with lemon thyme and sugar is a perfect topping. If you can't find lemon thyme, you can zest a half a lemon in with the peach mixture.

In the panna cotta mixture, I added rose water and vanilla extract this time instead of almond extract. You could add other flavors to change this up and match it to the fruit you're using, such as real vanilla beans and strawberries for a more traditional version.

Panna Cotta with Lemon-Thyme Peaches

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Serves 4

1 1/4 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin

2 tbsp water

1 1/4 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup mild honey

1/8 tsp pure almond extract or vanilla extract with a dash of rose water

1/8 tsp salt

For the peaches:

3 peaches- peeled or un-peeled, pitted and sliced

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon-thyme leaves

(if you can't find lemon thyme, then use regular thyme and a few zests of lemon)

Put the water and the gelatin in a sauce pan and leave for a minute to dissolve. Add the cream and salt and turn the heat on low until the gelatin has dissolved completely.

Whisk together the yogurt, honey and almond extract (or vanilla and rose water) then add it to the cream mixture once it's cooled slightly.

Pour it into 4 small cups or ramekins then chill for at least 8 hours.

When you're ready to serve, prepare the peaches. Mince together the thyme and sugar and mix with the peaches.

Let them sit for about 20 minutes which will make a little sauce. Pour the peaches and their sauce over the top of each ramekin and serve, with a little drizzle of honey if desired.

Crush a grape

I'm so excited, I could crush a grape. My friends, the Malkinsons and the Theakstons, are coming to visit from London this Friday. In tow will be their one year-old sons, Stanley and Oliver. I'm currently busy preparing for their arrival performing what I like to call "Operation Show Home." This really involves lots of cleaning and making things pretty and Martin telling me over and over again that the Queen isn't coming to visit.

I'm planning on several barbecues to make the most of this beautiful Labor Day weekend and September weather before we head north to our place in Michigan. In the mean time, I just made a big pot of home made jam for the weekend's breakfast. Breakfast with six adults and two babies should be interesting. I'm will be filling the center of my large table with pots of tea, cereal boxes, piles of toast and proper English breakfast accompaniments- Marmite, butter and my home made plum and cherry jam.

I bought these tiny, gorgeous Italian plums to make a fruit tart, one that was my Mother's favorite. It's still in the back of my mind, but it will have to wait. In a moment of madness I pitted them, halved them and threw them into a pot with half a bag of dried bing cherries that I had in the pantry (that I just organized or I wouldn't know they were there.)

The result is that I now have two lovely little pots of jam that can be scooped onto toast, pancakes, or even served with pork.

As you may imagine, I will have my hands full over the next two weeks. I'll be busy cuddling little boys, making sure they don't fall down my stairs or hurt themselves on anything else in my non-child-friendly apartment, catching up with my girls, drinking lots of wine and cocktails, going to baseball games, showing everyone around Chicago, building bonfires on the beach of Lake Michigan and of course, cooking.... so stay tuned.

Plum and Dried Bing Cherry Jam

Makes 2 pots

1 1/2 pounds plums

1 cup of dried bing cherries

1 cup of sugar

1 tbsp allspice and a touch of cinnamon

Remove the pit from the plums and halve them if they are a small variety, quarter them if they are large. Put a pot on the stove over low heat and add the plums, cherries, sugar and spices and stir to let the sugar dissolve. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, then turn it up to medium and stir occasionally for another 25 minutes until the plums have mostly broken up and the liquid is halved- you should have about 2 cups left.

Let it cool completely before putting them into sterilized jars (I just put mine through the dishwasher without any soap.)

Seal them tight and keep them in the fridge or pantry if you're not using them straight away.