MasterChef Star Claudia Sandoval Reflects Upon Humble Beginnings, Shares Recipe From Childhood
Claudia Sandoval, reigning queen of the cocina and "MasterChef" Season 6 winner, is devoted to fabulous flavors, savory dishes and sugared desserts.
Arroz con leche molotes, a Mexican rice pudding encased in rice flour dough, made an appearance on the 10th episode of "MasterChef," "Rice Rice Baby," which aired July 15. Chef Claudia presented her sugary molotes atop orange marmalade and custard, while fellow contestants prepared sushi, khichdi (savory rice porridge) and jambalaya. Chef Claudia's recipe unconditionally stunned judges Christina Tosi and Graham Elliot, who recognized that the chef looked roots to create a delicious dish that spoke to her culture and her experiences.
"For many of us, rice was the thing that we ate when we were little kids. Growing up, rice was big for Hetal, who is Indian, and was connected to Tommy's roots as well," Sandoval told Latin Post.
"There is so much built around rice, especially very southern dishes. What's really profound is that rice is a defining ingredient and the most recognized grain throughout the world. There's something to be said about that.
"When the judges specifically asked me why I did arroz con leche, it was one of those moments when I transported me to another time, to when I was 5 or 6 years old, and my little brother was maybe 3 or 4. My mom was working a lot, two jobs. She would come home really late, at three in the morning. She worked at a chicken farm, and she was doing all of these things, and working as a waitress, and trying to get off welfare. My mother would come home really tired and she would look in the fridge, let out a big sigh ... and try to figure something to prepare."
Her mother took stock of what in the cupboard and refrigerator and didn't see much there. Aware that she could only feed her children so much Mexican soup before it got boring, she tried to be as creative as possible. There wasn't always meat available, so she would just prepare beans and tortillas. Also, she would take simple ingredients (canned milk, sugar and rice) and prepare warm, delicious servings of arroz con leche.
"In reality, all we had was rice and milk, but we, kids, didn't know that at the time. We thought we were getting to eat a treat," said chef Claudia, who admitted that her mother often encouraged her to collect small boxes of raisins so she wouldn't have to purchase raisins. Also, canned milk was preferred to bottled milk, because it was always creamier.
Chef Claudia explained how the challenge demonstrated the unifying, impressive role of rice. The rice-centered episode highlighted the cereal grain as a staple food for a sizable chunk of the world's human population. Also, it's the source of one-fifth of calories consumed by humans worldwide. That challenge helped the home cook to revisit a time when she wasn't rich and when her mother's attempt at dressing up rice was a matter of nourishment and survival. Memories from her younger life compelled her to prepare the dish, and she used it to help her conquer the competition.
"The arroz con leche molotes is my new twist," Sandoval said.
"I think there are ways of elevating things. One thing I pride myself on is being true to what I grew up with, who I am, and the flavors and the techniques that I feel comfortable with. I would never change the core recipe of arroz con leche, but there's obviously a presentation difference, turning it into little balls, rolling them in rice flour and frying them."
Chef Claudia's arroz con leche molotes recipe will be included in her upcoming cookbook, as well as a number of traditional rice recipes, including a very light white rice recipe that's frequently paired with fried fish or anything coastal. She will include everyday basics that can be made with very simple ingredients.
Arroz con Leche Molotes
INGREDIENTS
Molotes
1 cup jasmine rice
1 ½ cups milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
½ cup buttermilk
1 cinnamon stick
¼ tsp. nutmeg, ground
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup raisins
Mint leaves
Rice Flour Mixture
1 cup jasmine rice
½ cup rice flour
Custard
4 egg yolks
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
½ cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped
Zest of 1 lime
Orange Marmalade
3 oranges
1 cup sugar
Garnish
¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves
METHOD
Preheat a tabletop fryer or pot of oil to 375F.
Molotes
In a medium saucepot, bring the rice, milk, heavy cream, buttermilk, sugar, cinnamon stick and nutmeg to a simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, fold in the raisins, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
When the rice is cool enough to handle, scoop about 3 tablespoons and roll into oval shaped balls. Coat the balls in the rice flour mixture (recipe below). Fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
Rice Flour Mixture
Grind the jasmine rice into a powder using a spice grinder or food processor. Combine with the rice flour and set aside.
Custard
Whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar together in a medium sized bowl. Bring the milk and vanilla to a scald. Temper half of the milk mixture into the egg mixture. Pour the contents back into the pot with the remaining milk. Over medium heat, whisk constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime zest. Set aside to cool. Do not cool in the refrigerator.
Orange Marmalade
Use a coarse cheese grater to remove the orange zest from the oranges. Do not grate it too fine and try to avoid large portions of the pith. Juice the oranges. Place the juice and zest in a small saucepot with the sugar and cook until the zest is translucent and the juice has reduced to a syrup. Cool completely.
To Plate
Scoop about ½ cup of the custard into the bottom of 4 bowls. Set 3 of the molotes in each bowl over the custard. Drizzle the molotes with the orange marmalade and garnish with mint chiffonade.
