All-Saints Sweet Anise Pudding ("Gachas dulces de anís")

Name: All-Saints Sweet Anise Pudding ("Gachas dulces de anís")
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 5 cups water (~1.25 liters); 3 cinnamon sticks; The skin of an orange and a lemon (without the white, as it is bitter); 100 gr aniseeds (alternatively, 12 dried anise flowers); 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 cup flour (~125gr); 1 cup white sugar (~125gr); 3-4 cups milk (~0.75-1 liters), depending on hardness desired (less = harder); 1 shot anise liquor (Anisette, Marie brizard, Pastis) (Optional); Cinnamon powder to decorate

Chema @jbaxenom

Luxembourg

This (very) sweet anise pudding is traditional from Andalucia, Spain, for the All Saints celebration (November 1st). This particular recipe is one of the secret family recipes I got from my mom. Its taste is so special that still to this day my dad and I wait for the whole year for it!

Please be aware that its main ingredient, anise seeds, is quite rare in many countries. Its taste, specially for sweets, might not please everyone, so it might not be a good choice for people you don't know. Anis is fairly common in Spain and France, where it is used also for spirits.

Saved

Ingredients

10 servings

For the Anise Infusion
5 cupswater (~1.25 liters)
3cinnamon sticks
The skin of an orange and a lemon (without the white, as it is bitter)
100 graniseeds (alternatively, 12 dried anise flowers)
For the Pudding
4 tbspolive oil
1 cupflour (~125gr)
1 cupwhite sugar (~125gr)
3-4 cupsmilk (~0.75-1 liters), depending on hardness desired (less = harder)
1 shotanise liquor (Anisette, Marie brizard, Pastis) (Optional)
Cinnamon powder to decorate

Saved

Steps

1

First we need to prepare the anise infusion: in a medium sized pot add the water, the orange and lemon skins, the cinnamon sticks (break them in half for more flavour) and the anise (aniseeds or dried flowers), bring it to boil and leave it boiling for about 10 minutes. Please note that while we will need 3 to 4 cups of infusion, as we leave it boiling for a while we add 5 cups of water just to be sure we get enough.
2

Stop the fire, cover it and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Finally, use a strainer to get the liquid and discard the rest.
3

Now for the pudding: in a deep casserole or a pot, add the olive oil and heat it up at medium strength. When it's hot, add the flour and mix a bit. Then add the sugar, stir until well mixed and it gets light brown.
4

Now add the infusion and milk. The traditional pudding is hard, like a flam. For this you need 3 cups of milk and 3 cups of anise infusion for each cup of flour. If you want it creamier add another cup of milk or infusion, depending on how much you like anise. If you want more quantity the most important is to keep the flour-infusion-milk ratio.
5

Lower fire to low and mix well. If you cannot get rid of the lumps, take the pot out of the fire and use a blender at low speed until they're gone.
6

Add the shot of anise liquor. Continue stirring but do not let it boil. After some minutes it should start hardening. The pudding will harden more in the fridge, but now you still can correct its hardness. If so, check the next step.
7

If the mix has a creamy consistency it will result in a harder pudding when it cools down, like a flam (the original). If you want a creamier pudding, like a crème brûlée, then add a cup of milk to the mix. The mix should feel a bit harder than liquid but not a cream.
If the mix feels too liquid or it does not harden at all, dissolve one tbsp of flour (or a tsp of corn or portato starch) in a 1/2 cup of milk and add it little by little while stirring continuously.
8

Pour in the serving bowls or casserole. Add cinnamon powder on top and let it cool down, first naturally and then you can put them in the fridge if you want them colder.