Hiatus Ended, And Eating Resumes At Scoozzi Restaurant

The foodie blogosphere has been pretty quiet lately, huh? Guess we've all been doing what we do best - cook and eat. For those of us who were lucky enough to have family around during the holiday season, I'm sure things got a little crazy. They're bound to, especially if you happen to live in a dinky little apartment with ONE bathroom, and are blessed with eight people to share it with! Yes, that's what my place was like this past week or so - and I wouldn't have traded it for anything. It's funny, but we actually managed pretty well. Even Ozzy didn't appear to be too traumatized by it all. The best part was having Mom around to do most of the cooking. I did take over desserts, because I love making them for my Dad - he has an incorrigible sweet tooth (and now you know where I get it from). It was fun ganging up on DH with my sis-in-law, and even being the butt (literally) of my kid brother's many "fat" jokes. And through it all was the constant pampering I got from everyone - a pregnancy perk that I'm going to sorely miss!

Now that everyone has left - just this morning, in fact - I'm starting to settle down and gather my scattered thoughts. Over the next few days I'm sure I'll be thinking about all the fun we had, the laughs and giggles, especially at the dinner table. Have more than a few mouthwatering recipes to share with you all, but in the meantime, I thought about putting up this restaurant review while the taste of the food was still fresh in my memory. My pregnancy brain being what it is - unfocused and forgetful - I need to get this down on paper, pronto!


Although I have my favorite New Haven restaurants that I regularly visit, it's usually on a whim and so I never have my camera with me. On this occasion though, I went prepared. Recently DH and I decided to try out the popular jazz brunch at Scoozzi in the middle of Yale's campus in New Haven. It's actually smack in between the Yale Center For British Art and the Yale Repertory Theater. And the name itself reveals that the menu leans towards Northern Italian goodies. The space is cozy and bright, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, neutral colors with bursts of scarlet and comfortable seating (something I'm very particular about these days, since I'm carrying around a little person inside me who likes to give mommy horrible backaches!).

I really enjoy listening to live jazz, and although I like some vocal crooning with my Sunday morning jazz, the duo over at Scoozzi played some fun tunes which had my feet tapping throughout the meal. Speaking of which, let's get right down to it ...

DH and I shared this vegetarian entree as an appetizer, of Patata Americana, which were sweet potato and walnut ravioli, topped with butternut squash, organic mustard greens, dried cherries, red onions, sage butter sauce and toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish. Sublime. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought about sharing this with DH - it was so good that I could easily have polished it all off by myself. Rest assured, this lapse in judgment will not happen again.

Next, I had the Anatra, boneless duck breast, ricotta-crusted sweet potato & chestnut polenta, with sauteed swiss chard and a port wine demi-glace. This type of polenta was totally new to me, and I wasn't crazy about the texture - too pasty. I'll give points to the chef for an interesting concept. But the duck, with the greens and sauce was definitely good.

DH went for the grilled Scottish Salmon over fettuccine with spaghetti squash, spinach, plum tomatoes and hollandaise sauce. I warned him it would be bland. And it was. So although this dish was pretty enough to photograph from all angles, I could see my man was not thrilled about it. Lack of seasoning is what it all boils down to.

Luckily, the meal ended on a high note for me, with this adorable slice of a Tres Leches Cake, which was a special for the day. I did wonder what the heck it was doing on an Italian menu, but that didn't bother me for long. Particularly since it was soft, moist, light and pretty delicious. It actually got me thinking about making this cake at home - which I plan to, soon. So overall, I had a lovely brunch at Scoozzi, and I hope to go there again, since it was reasonably priced (huge difference from similar Manhattan restaurant prices!).

*Sigh* ...

Now look what I've done. It's only 4pm and I've already made myself hungry looking at these pics again. I'm definitely not one of those lucky pregnant women who only look pregnant from the front or the side, because all their weight gain is on their belly. My carb cravings have ensured that I expand to a rather unsightly, lumpy spherical shape. But will that stop me from scampering off to the kitchen at this very moment to grab a slice of my home-made Cardamom Pistachio Pound Cake (yes yes, recipe coming soon)?! Not. At. All. So on that note ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you, dear readers! I hope 2010 is memorable in every wonderful, happy, joyful way for us all.

My Blog Anniversary And Something Special To Share

I've been waiting and waiting for an appropriate moment to share this rather delicious piece of news with you. Between all my kitchen experiments, cat wrangling drama, Pacific Northwest vacation, and moving to a whole new state, I managed to get myself knocked up! That's right dear readers, I'm pregnant, I'm sooooooooo pregnant. And it's been infinitely wonderful. Even though these days I'm getting very familiar with Mr. Braxton Hicks himself, my ankles have disappeared, and I can't even bend over to put my own socks on anymore, I still can't complain. Without getting too melodramatic and making you all uncomfortable, suffice to say, it's been a tough road getting to this pregnancy, and the fact that we may finally get to hold our own little munchkin, our very first, in our arms is a dream-come-true for DH and I. I don't have too many weeks left, so I'm trying to wring every last drop of enjoyment out of this pregnancy as I can - hence, the weekend outings to plays, movies and restaurants etc., and let's not forget the incessant pigging out.
The reason why I chose this day to tell you all about it, is because today is my blog's one year anniversary! At times I can't believe a whole year has gone by, and at other times, it feels like I've been doing this forever. DH thought it was just a fling when it began, this blogging, but now even he sees that it's turned into a torrid, long-term love affair. This anniversary post is already off to a good start. Now I need to follow it up with a recipe that's worth celebrating. I think I know who to turn to for that.

Say hello to The Pioneer Woman's pear crisp with vanilla ice-cream! It makes sense that Ree is here with me in spirit to kick off my blogiversary. After all, her amazing blog, her gifted writing and delicious food is what inspired me to enter the world food blogging myself. When I used to work full-time, there were days when I would secretly be scouring Ree's site, when I really should have been working on that report for my boss. I couldn't help it if Ree's adventures on the farm were more compelling than mindlessly crunching numbers for the man! And this recipe is another winner. I made it just yesterday, when CT had its first big snowfall of the season, and the windchill made it almost impossible to even think about going out anywhere.

It's always more fun to cook seasonally, when you can. These pears were so sweet and perfect as a holiday dessert.

PW's Pear Crisp (find Ree's recipe on her blog)
Serves 8

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
4 whole pears (I used Bartlett, but Bosc work great too)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt

1.5 cups AP flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 stick butter, melted

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Peel, core and dice your pears. Place them in your baking dish, tossing them gently with the sugar and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped pecans and stir together. Drizzle melted butter over this, and stir with a fork till everything is combined with delicious chunks strewn throughout.

4. Top the pears in the baking dish with this crumb topping. Bake for 30 mins in the oven. If you think the top needs more crisping, place under the broiler for just a minute or so (keep an eye on it!). Serve warm with a generous dollop of vanilla ice-cream.Verdict: The sweet pears still had a bit of bite left to them, which I liked, and the crumb topping with the pecans was just amazing! I adore that warm super-crunchy sweetness in my mouth, combined with the smooth coolness from the ice-cream. And this is such a simple recipe, that I'll definitely be making it again and again throughout the holiday season, and beyond. DH took one big bite, and moaned. I rest my case.

I'll be sending this recipe in for the Christmas/Holiday recipes round-up at Foodie Fans of The Pioneer Woman - a fun blog hosted by Debby and yours truly.

Take a closer looksie, why doncha?! Isn't this what you really want ...

... when it's this cold and frigid outside?!

This isn't Morse code - it's what my balcony looks like right now!

DG's Corniest Corn Muffins, Kicked Up!

I live with guilt, dear readers. I guess I'm not as cynical and jaded as I pretend to be. Currently, I feel guilty about taking this long to put up this recipe for cornbread muffins, when I clearly mentioned that they are the perfect partner to the Go-T0 Beef Chili in my previous post. That was days and days ago. You are all a resourceful bunch, and I'm sure a lot of you already have your own cornbread recipes to fall back on - BUT what if there was a blogger out there like moi? Someone who relies on the generosity of others to fulfill their foodie ambitions? What if someone out there is waiting on pins and needles to make this honest-to-goodness wonderful chili and cornbread combo, but cannot because I haven't been able to get off my lazy ass and post the second half of it?!

For those precious few, rest assured that I was wallowing in guilt.

Not anymore though. Because here it is, folks. The credit for this goes to the indomitable Dorie Greenspan, as this recipe is the very first one in her classic cookbook Baking: From My Home To Yours.

I suffer in the same way that Ree, The Pioneer Woman, does when she has a lone jalapeno lying in her fridge - I must use it pronto or else!

Corniest Jalapeno-Cornbread Muffins
Makes 12

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
6 tbsp sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tbsp oil
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup corn kernels (if using frozen or canned, drain & pat dry)
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded & finely chopped

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter or spray the 12 molds of your regular sized muffin pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

3. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and yolk together. Pour over the dry mixture, and quickly but gently stir to combine.

4. Stir in the corn kernels and jalapeno. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

5. Bake for 15-18 mins. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 mins before popping out each muffin from its mold. Serve these warm or at room temperature, with or without butter.

These rose more than the ones in DG's cookbook. Mine look like mini volcanoes ready to erupt with corny goodness. And that was the corniest line I've ever typed.

Verdict: Fresh from the oven, these are almost impossible to resist. I ate two right off the bat. The jalapeno leaves a lingering heat on your tongue that is soothed by the sweet butter you can slather on these things. I'd make these for breakfast too, but perhaps leave out the jalapeno, so that I can also put jam on them. They take less time to make in the morning than biscuits, and are really fool-proof. They keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for a few days, but obviously lose their crispy edges. If you're lazy like me, just zap them in the microwave OR to bring the crispiness back, warm them in the oven or toast them.

Adorned with a squidge of buddah.

Or pair them with that sexy chili I told you about.

This has been cathartic. I have now been cleansed of my guilt. I no longer have to punish myself. After all, I am writing this before eating any breakfast. And missing the beginning of "Live With Regis & Kelly". Must go remedy both situations right now. Especially breakfast.

Chili To Take Away The Chill

I am always looking out for recipes that cater to a crowd, can be made ahead of time, and preferably all in one pot! Come to think about it, it's not like I entertain much (mostly keeping to the bare minimum to be considered a part of polite society), but when I do, my guests are almost always big eaters. So as much as I love and admire all the fancy-schmancy dinner recipes, where individual portions are works of art that formal guests can "ooooo" and "aahhhhh" over, currently my family and friends need serious quantity and quality, with minimum fuss. Which is why I was really happy when this recipe for simple, satisfying chili turned out to be one that's sure to be a crowd-pleaser.Chili is such a staple in most American households, that it's almost ridiculous to even have a proper recipe for it. Every family has their own favorite recipe, and will happily proclaim theirs as the "best". But chili is a new animal for me. Coming from a Pakistani background, this humble dish is like nothing I'd ever had before I came to this part of the world oh-so-many years ago. Probably the first time I ever had chili was on top a hot dog (don't knock it, I'm still crazy about a great chili-cheese dog!). It did the job of spiking my interest in chili, and since then, I'm always trying out different versions of it (loved the venison chili I had in Snoqualmie, WA). Winters in Connecticut are nothing to laugh about, so I figured that now is the perfect time to try and hone my chilli skills, especially when I know I have a bunch of guests planning to stay over at my place for the holidays. This recipe will keep them warm in toasty from the inside out.

My Go-To Beef Chili (inspired by Jessica's recipe)
Serves 4-6

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
1.5-2 lbs ground beef
2-3 medium onions, diced
3-4 celery stalks, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 can of red kidney beans, drained (you could also use 2 cans - will feed more people!)
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely minced
3-4 tbsp chili powder
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Heat up a couple of tsp of oil in a stock pot and brown the onions and ground beef, breaking up large chunks as you go along. I like to really get in there with the stirring, evaporate all the liquid and get some good caramelization on my meat.2. Next, add the rest of your ingredients and stir to combine.
3. Add six cups of water to the pot and stir again. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then cover and simmer over a low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours. Serve with bowls of shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, diced fresh tomatoes, diced onions and chopped cilantro. This way people can personalize their individual portions.
Verdict: This is such a fun dish to eat, me thinks. All those layers of flavor are a party in my mouth - so much so that I was humming to myself while shoveling this down. Of course, it helps that it's so warm and filling; perfect for my Connecticut winter. DH, on the other hand, experienced some growing pains with this dish. He's a little more old school than I am, so wasn't too thrilled about the idea of eating this with a spoon. So he improvised - he had it like a curry, with hot parathas! And he loved it! Even I have to admit, it works really surprisingly well that way (I sneaked in a few bites when he was distracted). So will I be serving this to future guests? You better believe it. If you're wondering what to serve on the side ...

Mmmm, delicious Corniest Jalapeno-Corn Muffins look like a good match! Recipe to follow in my next post.

Savory Mornings With P-Dub

When I think about it, there is only one reason why I would agree to go to IHOP or some other American breakfast joint on a weekend morning. Well, there is the benefit of being lazy and not cooking (not to be underestimated), and also the social "fun" aspect. But for me personally, it's all about the potatoes. Home fries, hash browns, skillet potatoes - whatever name you give them; somehow when you pair those with a fried egg and drizzle some maple syrup over it, it's like a match made in heaven. It's warm, comforting, stick-to-your-ribs-but-most-likely-your-butt, and I love every single calorie in it. In the past, I've tried - unsuccessfully - to make these potatoes at home, but never even got close to that IHOP/diner taste. But recently I gave it another shot, because I believe that much in the power of The Pioneer Woman.PW's Basic Breakfast Potatoes (find her recipe online here or in her new cookbook)
Serves 2-4

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
3-4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 onion, roughly chopped
Half a capsicum, chopped (I used a red one)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp all-purpose flour (optional)
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes whole, till fork tender, but not falling apart. Then cut them up into 1-2 inch pieces (no need to peel the skin).

2. Next, heat up the oil and butter in a large skillet, on medium heat. Saute the onion and red pepper till softened. Then add in the potatoes. Mix gently with the onions and peppers, then sprinkle generous amounts of salt and pepper over the whole thing (potatoes needs lots of seasoning!).

3. Spread the mixture out in the pan, in one layer and press down lightly. Cook them without stirring for several minutes, to give the potatoes the chance to crisp up on one side. Sprinkle the flour over the top of these, so that when you flip them over, the other side also gets pretty crispy. Don't get impatient with these! Don't stir these around too much! If you like your potatoes crispy, give them time before you flip them over.

4. Taste as you go for salt and pepper. You can even add a little more butter after the first flip. Cook these potatoes to your desired level of brown-ness and crispiness. Then serve with a garnish of chopped cilantro. Start your weekend morning with these beautiful carbs and you won't regret it!

Verdict: Great recipe; a definite keeper. Eggs and potatoes - they just work. Especially with the caramelized onions and peppers. And how. The only downside, if you see it as such, is that the potatoes do take a bit of time to make. My strategy was to groggily make my way to the kitchen first thing in the morning, put the potatoes to boil, then crawl back into bed for another 20 mins. Sounds irresponsible, but I think I used my 20 mins well! Then by the time I was more properly awake, the potatoes were tender, and I could cheerfully go about making my house smell inviting and warm first thing in the morning.

How my Ozzy spends his weekend mornings. Oh wait, that's every morning for him.

This recipe is going to the next FFPW Breakfast/Brunch theme round-up. There's still time for all you folks to join me. Deadline is Dec 12th.

Not Afraid Of Getting Wet

It's Friday night and I'm at home. Blogging. I believe I've graduated to a whole new level of cuckoo today. Because I'm not even perturbed by this. You're allowed to shake your head at me - go on, I probably deserve it.

However, if you're like me, then you won't dwell on my shame for long, and will quickly move on to the real reason you're here. The food! Now, in my previous post, I'd mentioned how the lovely people at POM Wonderful were kind enough to send me a generous sample of their 100% pure pomegranate juice. After chugging down the first couple of bottles (it tasted even better because it was free!), I could almost feel myself getting healthier. All those antioxidants must have worked their magic on my clogged arteries. So with all that blood flowing more freely to my heart, and as a consequence, to my brain, I started thinking about what I could make with the rest of my precious POM.
I've never cooked with pomegranate juice before, so I really had to scour the web for something interesting enough for this first time. And savory - I knew I wanted savory, not sweet, because that would've been too obvious and easy (yes, I like to punish myself sometimes by setting lofty goals and torturing myself over them - but we'll come back to that in another therapy session). That's when I came across this parsi recipe from Asha's blog Fork-Spoon-Knife. The flavor profiles were so unusual, but her pic was so appetizing, that I just had to try it out. I'd never made parsi food before, although had heard good things about it - so I dove right in.
Koresht-e-Fesenjan (find Asha's original recipe here)
Serves 4-6

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
Half a chicken, cut into pieces, skinless
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb walnuts, toasted and ground
2.5 cups POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp chilli powder or 2-3 green chillies, chopped (optional)
1-2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom powder (or 4 cardamom, just bruised to open them up)
2 tbsp lime juice
Salt & pepper to taste
3 tbsp canola oil

Cilantro for garnish

Method:
1. Brown the chicken in 2 tbsp of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Then remove from the pan and set aside. Add in the remaining oil and saute the onions till golden. Add in the garlic and saute for another minute. Then sprinkle in the salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and chilli powder/green chillies (if using).

2. Mix the walnut paste into the onion mixture. Add the browned chicken pieces and toss to coat. Stir in all the pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for at least an hour - until the sauce has thickened, the walnuts have released their oil, and mixture has reduced to half its original volume.

3. Stir in lime juice and sugar according to taste. Adjust seasoning. Add the cardamom at this point and let it cook for a further 20 mins.

4. Let cool, then refrigerate overnight - this really does taste better the next day, and I'm not just saying that! Best served with hot basmati rice.

Verdict: Since I've never had any version of this dish before, I can only assume that it came out the way it was supposed to. I followed Asha's instructions to the tee, and felt lukewarm about the results. I initially didn't put any chillies in the dish, and I think my palate needs some heat in my savory dishes to feel satisfied, which is probably why I wasn't jumping up and down about this one. Still, that's an easy enough fix - and I've made a note of that in my instructions above. Other than that, the POM juice tastes really good with the chicken and walnuts - not to mention the color of the dish is so pretty! I'm glad I gave this dish a chance. I still have some POM juice left, even after this experiment, so my brain is already going into overdrive to figure out "what next?".

While we're on the subject of trying new things, let me tell you, I finally went to this art gallery exhibition that's been on my to-do list for months. In the past, something or the other always came in the way, but last week I just woke up one morning and decided "today is the day" - no matter how crappy the weather got. And it did. Very crappy. But I prevailed, and I'm glad I did, because the exhibition was in a part of Yale University that I'd never seen before - so saw something new right there. And the exhibition itself, called "Breaking The Veils: Women Artists Of The Islamic World" was really fascinating and impressive. C'mon ... let me give you a small tour.

The Addams Family house. Noooooo, I kid. It's Betts House, currently home to several Yale offices.

The Divinity Quadrangle at Yale, where the exhibition was displayed.

I'm a little obsessed with arches.

The Blue Paradise, by Suad al Attar, an Iraqi painter. My favorite of the lot.

Walls Of Gaza, a collection of photographs by Laila Shawa, of Palestine. Very powerful stuff.

Can't remember who did this - just that she was from Sudan.

This was great - like something out of the fantasy novels I adore. Called The Flying Horse, by Juliana Seraphim of Lebanon.

Another of my favorite paintings from the show - Choices, by Tina Ahmed, from Bangladesh.

So if you're in the area, I highly recommend taking a look at this exhibition. It's completely free, and houses many other poignant pieces of art from a whole range of female artists - from Jordan to Pakistan to Saudi Arabia. I love seeing a woman's point of view celebrated like this.

Learning And Teaching

We've barely emerged from Thanksgiving, and it feels like we're smack in the middle of Christmas already! Did you know that it was Franklin D. Roosevelt who changed the date of Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of November to the second-last Thursday of this month, simply because he wanted to create a longer Christmas shopping period? Well, he did. Just some food for thought, dear readers.

Speaking of food (and aren't I always?), have you seen the first round-up of PW recipes over at the new blog - Foodie Fans of The Pioneer Woman? It was a really good turnout, and we had a wide variety of fun comments from all of you. From all the people who left their comments on our blog, we chose two lucky-ducky winners of Ree's new cookbook. So go on over there to check if it was you!

Apart from Thanksgiving, DH and I also celebrated Eid-ul-Adha, a holiday that celebrates the end of the Hajj (annual pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca). It's the Festival of Sacrifice, which honors and symbolizes the act of ultimate sacrifice performed by the Prophet Abraham, when God told him to sacrifice his only son. Of course, as it turned out, God was testing Abraham's faith and at the last minute, replaced the son with a sheep. To this day, millions of Muslims around the world sacrifice some form of livestock to honor that memory. The meat from the sacrifice is then distributed to the poor within the community. We also give a lot to charity during this time, since the idea is to make sure that everyone around us is taken care of and doesn't go hungry. And as usual, it's a great excuse to get together with family and friends, put on our best finery and party-hardy!

One of the traditional sweets that is made in almost every Pakistani/Indian household during this festival is some version of a vermicelli pudding, called sheer korma. I make it on the first morning of Eid, since it only takes a few minutes, then DH and I savor it for days, because it's one of those comfort foods. Warm, filling, flavorful and fragrant. Oh man ... I'm craving a bowl of it right now!

Here's the vermicelli. There's Ozzy trying to open my balcony door.

My Vermicelli Pudding or Sheer Korma
Serves 8-10

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
1 package of vermicelli (found in any Indo-Pak grocery store)
1/4 cup ghee or canola oil
6 cups whole milk (could be more or less, depending on how thick you like it)
1.5 - 2 cups sugar
Handful of slivered almonds
Handful of chopped pistachios
6 cardamom, opened
Large pinch of saffron

Method:
1. Take the package of vermicelli and smush it! Basically, you want to crush the long strands into pieces about an inch or half an inch long.

2. Warm up the ghee/oil on medium heat, in a large saucepan. Throw in the cardamom and give them a minute to flavor the ghee/oil.

3. Add in all the crushed vermicelli, and toast in the ghee/oil. Keep stirring for about 3-5 mins.

4. Pour in all the milk at once, stir. Put in the saffron. Turn the heat down and let the whole thing simmer away for 10-15 mins. The vermicelli should be completely softened, and the milk should thicken to your liking. (I prefer mine on the thicker side, not too milky. You could even be naughty and add a generous dollop of heavy cream - ahem, erm, I may have done that)

5. When the consistency is where you want it to be, add in the sugar, in half-cup parts, tasting as you go. When you think it's sweet enough, stop. That's how I do it! Finally, sprinkle the nuts into it. You could add chopped dates if you wish. Let it cool off a bit, but serve warm. Keeps well in the fridge for 5-6 days - just zap it in the microwave, in individual bowls, before you enjoy it. It actually tastes even better the next day!
Verdict: Seems silly to even pass judgement on this dessert. It's something that I've grown up eating, and so has DH. I'm biased. I can't help but love this! I could swap my morning cereal for this any damn day. And it's a kick-ass afternoon snack. It's not a light dessert, by any means, but it's perfect for cooling down your palate after a spicy meal. And by serving it warm, it's ideal during the chilly winter nights. Goes down smooth and warms you up from the inside. Ahhhhhhh ... bliss.

I'll tell you what else goes down smooth - these POM Wonderful juices. DH and I have been chugging these down everyday. The kind people from POM Wonderful sent me these delicious juices, and I've really been enjoying them! I even made a new dish with them. It was really fascinating with 100% pure pomegranate juice, because I'd never done it before. Definitely a learning process. Now I'm scouring the net to find more recipes to use it in. You'll see the results in my upcoming post!

Deep, dark, mysterious pomegranate juice. Eh, not really, we all know this stuff is great for ya!