Timbale di Riso, "Soda" Biscuits, Hasselbackspotatis, Strawberry Cream Pie

Timbale di Risu
Easter Sunday, time for something special.  Not sure why I don't make these more often, they're fabulous, flavor-filled and elegant!  Timbale is Italian for "drum" -- like the orchestral tympani drum.  Risu means "rice",  What we're making here is a drum-shaped rice crust filled with "goodies".  

Crust
For the rice crust use short grain "sticky" rice, not the longer grain rices.  You need to make about 4 cups or a bit more of cooked rice.  I used my rice cooker and did it all in one shot.  You don't have to flavor or color the rice, but it's a nice touch.  I used about 1-1/2 Tbsp of Sazon Tropicale -- one of my go-to Latin spice blends which has saffron and achiote in it among other things, to give a dish great flavor and a golden yellow color.  You could use turmeric, cumin and coriander.  Add the spices as the rice starts to cook.  When it's cooked, spread it out and fluff it, and let it cool to room temp.

Filling
The sky's the limit -- be creative! You don't need to stick with an Italian profile, either.  You could make an Asian flavored timbal, too which I think would be quite nice.

Common fillings include cooked ham, poultry, meatballs, sausages and bacon all go well. I've never tried seafood, but with the right mix of other ingredients and spices it could be very nice!  

Large cut vegetables like carrot, parsnip, potato, onion, red or golden beets (beet root to my UK friends), turnip or rutabaga, sweet potato or yam, yuca, celery... you get the idea.  You'll need about 4 cups of bite-size pieces par-cooked (boiled, steamed, microwaved) al dente. 

You'll want some cheese too; cubes or shredded -- a cup or more. 

Gravy -- tomato-based pasta sauces are very Italian of course, if you're sticking with that flavor profile.  Romesco if you want Spanish flair. Any of the Bisto gravies and sauces are good too; so is a white roux.  You'll need about a cup.

Once the crust is filled, use the remaining rice to make the top and seal everything inside.  Bake the timbale at 400F for about an hour until you get an internal temp around 190F.  If the top starts to get too brown, cover it with foil and keep baking. Rest the timbal about 30 minutes before unmolding as shown above, and slicing.

                                                

FWIW, you don't "need" a springform pan to make a timbale.  I've made them in round clear glass pyrex "mixing" bowls, and even a fluted bunt pan for an extra special presentation (that was a real challenge, getting the crust to stick to the central cone!).  Whatever you use, make sure it's either non-stick or greased/sprayed so the rice will release when cooked.

"Soda" Biscuits
Also called 3-Ingredient Biscuits.  These are simple and simply tasty.  My UK readers will recognize that these look very similar to a savory scone.  Try this recipe and tell me what you think.  All you need is

2-1/2 cups of Self-Rising Flour
1/2 cup Sour Cream or plain Greek Yogurt or plain Icelandic Skyr (my favorite)
1/2 cup Lemon-Lime Soda or Club Soda or Ginger Ale

Yep.  That's it.

Fold together the flour and yogurt and make a well.  Slowly pour in the soda -- you want to keep as much "bubbly" as possible -- and fold into the flour/yogurt .  When everything is folded together, lay down some bench flour on your counter, and plop down the sticky almost-dough.   

Dust the top of the mass with some more flour.  Now use your hands, or a spatula (my choice) to fold and knead the mass into a no-longer-sticky dough, adding more flour as needed. 

Roll or pat the dough out about 3/4" thick and use a biscuit cutter or water glass to cut out 2-1/2" to 3" disks.  Repeat until you use up the dough.  You should get 6 biscuits and maybe a small "sampler".    

Bake for 15 minutes in a pre-heated 425F oven, until GB&D -- golden brown and delicious:

Split a hot muffin and slather with butter,  Heavenly! 

I served these biscuits alongside Clean Out The Fridge Soup, but they also go well for breakfast with a dollop of marmalade.

Hasselbackspotatis  Easy Hasselback Potatoes
This potato presentation was invented in 1953, by Swedish chef-trainee Leif Elisson at the Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm.  Simple, elegant and tasty as a side or main course; my version cuts (all puns intended) the worry out of making all those thin slices.

1 Baking Potato per person
1/4 cup of EVOO and melted Butter mixture 
Herbs & Spices -- smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, any 24/7 blend, whatever appeals to you
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese
Optional Garnishes -- bacon crumbles, more cheese, parsley, chives

Scrub the spuds well, then microwave them for 6-10 minutes until mostly done but still somewhat firm.  Cool.  This will make the thin slicing step much easier  -- trust me, raw potatoes can be very difficult to slice thin without breaking.

Pre-heat your oven to 425F.  An air fryer or countertop convection toaster oven is perfect here, unless you want to heat up the whole house. 

Combine the oil/butter with the herbs & spices.  

Take your thinnest bladed large knife(I used a bread knife, a filet knife would also work well)  and two wooden spoons (or other wooden implements), set the spoons & a spud up as shown below, and start slicing -- as thin as you can -- not quite all the way through the potato. You want slices only 1/8" to 1/4" thick.  The tool handles keep the knife from going all the way through.

This was my first spud and I overcooked it just a bit in the microwave.  You can see how the skin is separating from the body, making it harder to slice without tearing the skin.  Your microwave may vary, I reduced the time on the second spud to 6-1/2 minutes and it turned out perfect.

Brush and drizzle the potatoes with about half of the herbed butter making sure to gently get some between the slices.  Add Parmesan to the remaining herbed butter and reserve.

Bake the potatoes for 10-15 minutes.  Brush with the remaining oil-herb-cheese mixture and bake another 10-15 miniuutes until the outsides are nice and crispy.  Here's my second spud:

No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie
Just had to have an elegant dessert for Easter Dinner, now didn't I?  We had a good bunch of fresh strawberries that needed to be used up (spring is strawberry season here in Florida and we grow lots of them).   This would also make individual servings nicely.

I used a pre-made crumbled Oreo crust -- graham crackers or a pre-made GC crust work too
2 cups quartered fresh Strawberries
1 Tub Cool Whiptm or equivilent Whipped Topping 
1  3oz packet of Strawberry gelatin dessert, I used the Starbursttm brand not Jello-Otm but either works fine 

Cut your strawberries and chill them. Of course you can use a variety of fruits and flavored gelatins but not acidic ones like mango (darn it) or pineapple.   Check your package to be sure.

Make the gelatin according to package directions, making sure your containers are chilled.  Let the liquid set on the counter for 10 minute or so to slightly thicken.  Stir in the fruit.  Then fold and stir the whipped topping into the liquid until you reach a lump-free creamy consistancy and it is thickening nicely.  Spoon the filling into the crust and place in the fridge to finish setting for at least a couple hours or overnight.