Baked Barley Pudding

After I had dinner last night, I started in on this recipe. I came across it because a cookbook that someone had given me included a recipe for a dessert with barley in it. I didn't like the particular recipe, but I was intrigued by the possibility of a dessert with barley. I did some google searches, and eventually I settled on this recipe from Taste of Home.

The recipe I used was for a very rich rice pudding, but with barley instead. I lightened it quite a bit, though. I love rice pudding, and I've experimented in the past with lighter versions of it, so I have an idea of how that works. Besides, dessert with protein is a good idea when you're eating vegetarian. (The More-with-Less cookbook has a lot to say about how desserts can have nutritional value.)

I must have been crazy to start another recipe when my kitchen looked like this:

 

but I did it anyway. I don't usually wash dishes as I go, because I don't have a drying rack; I lay them on the counter to dry them. And when I'm cooking, I don't have any counter space to spare, so the dishes wait.

The recipe said to bake it in 8 ramekins, but I don't have that many, so this is what I managed to scare up:

 

They almost look pathetic, don't they?

Meanwhile, I cooked the barley in the water and added the milk after 10 minutes, as per directions. It said to bring to a boil and simmer uncovered, and I think I turned the heat down too low, or my stove may have overheated and turned off (it does that from time to time), or maybe I should have covered it. Of course, the problem with covering it is that the water can't evaporate. Anyway, I was way over the amount of time the recipe said to cook the barley, and I still wasn't sure if it was "almost tender." How do you know if something is almost tender?

 

Finally I decided it had cooked enough and I took it off the stove and stirred in the half-and-half, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. It called for 1/2 cup of sugar, but that seemed like a lot as I was pouring it in, so I didn't use the entire 1/2 cup. It was still way too much sugar.

Now it's time to put away the stove and get out the oven. First I had to clear off this whole counterspace:

 

I got the oven preheating, and pretty soon I put the 9 x 9 pan in the oven. There was no room for the smaller pan and its ramekin, so it had to wait for the next batch.

 

I was most of the way through the cooking time when I realized I had forgotten to add the cinnamon and the golden raisins. Oops. At least there was still one unbaked ramekin, so I gave it some raisins and cinnamon.

After about 35 minutes, the two little ramekins were done, and the second big one went in. I also rotated the pan, because things in the back of the oven burn easily. I belatedly added the cinnamon to the top of the two little ramekins, and I tried to drop a few raisins through the hole(s) created when I stuck the knife in to see if it was done.

 

I gave the ramekins a few minutes to cool before I took a spoon and attacked one of them. It was liquidy, which I expected since it had just come out of the oven. It had way too much sugar (I got a sugar-headache), and the barley was really chewy. Live and learn.

For the next half-hour, I kept checking the big ramekins every 7 minutes. I think I dropped at least two knives on the floor. I was getting tired and frustrated. Finally the big ramekins were ready. If you look closely, you can see a raisin on the skin on top of the left one, from when I tried to add the raisins after it came out of the oven.

 

I was so glad when they were done, and I was even happier when they were cool enough to put in the fridge. I managed to eat both of the little ones, since I didn't have a place for them in the fridge. I probably could have put them under the freezer, but things put there tend to freeze (ever tried to cook with half-frozen eggs?) and I was afraid the glass might break.

Today I did dishes. Lots and lots and lots of dishes. Then I really, really cleaned the kitchen sink, because it needed it.

I had some more of the barley pudding this afternoon. When I went to bed last night, I was contemplating throwing it in the trash, but I decided it wasn't that bad and I didn't want to waste it. It actually tasted a lot better today, though it's still too sugary.

In light of all I learned, here is my modified version of the recipe. I may actually try it again, but not at the end of a long day of cooking.

Baked Barley Pudding

1-1/4 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked medium pearl barley
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half (may use 1/4 cup skim milk and 3/4 cup half-and-half)
1/3 cup sugar (or less)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The directions are copied straight from their website. Make sure you cook the barley long enough, and don't forget to add the raisins and cinnamon...

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in barley and salt. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add milk; cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until barley is almost tender, stirring frequently. In a bowl, whisk the cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla; gradually stir into the barley mixture.

Spoon into eight greased 6-oz. custard cups. Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon. Place custard cups in two 9-in. square baking pans. Fill both pans with boiling water to a depth of 1 in. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 8 servings.