Toasted Rice Horchata w/ Salted Caramel Drizzle & Coconut Charcoal Whipped Cream (vegan & gf)

Directions

1. Horchata: Heat a medium-large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in dry rice and cinnamon pieces. Toast mixture, stirring frequently, until many grains of rice are lightly browned; about 4 minutes. 
2. Note: Don’t go too long without stirring and keep a watchful eye on it because burnt rice is not what you want.
3. Transfer rice and cinnamon to a blender and add in 6 ¼ cups of water. Place on the lid and let it soak overnight or for at least 8 hours.
4. The next day (or after 8 hours), blend rice mixture on high speed until creamy and broken down; about 3 minutes. Pour mixture through a nut milk bag or a couple layers of cheesecloth in a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, which will take a couple minutes.
5. Rinse out your blender and transfer strained rice milk back into blender. Add in coconut milk, sweetened condensed coconut milk, 1/4 cup agave, and 2 more cups of water. Blend on high for 1 minute. Blend in two separate batches then combine later if blender’s not big enough.
6. Note: If you plan to drink your horchata with the caramel and whipped cream, add an extra 3 tablespoons of agave, that way its flavors won’t be overwhelmed by the other components’ sweetness. Otherwise, sweeten to taste.
7. Empty out nut milk bag or cheesecloth from before and pour horchata through it again to ensure there’s no grittiness. Serve immediately over ice or store in a large pitcher in the fridge for up to 5 days – stir before drinking.
8. Salted Caramel: Combine cane sugar, water, and agave together in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pot over high heat. Give it a quick stir (just once), clip on a candy thermometer, and cook until the mixture reaches 230° F. When it hits that point, turn the heat to medium, and allow temperature to rise to 300° F.
9. You can now gently stir the caramel with a silicone spatula. When the temperature reaches 340° F, turn off the heat, and carefully remove the thermometer. Quickly pour in the coconut milk and stand back as it will bubble up.
10. As soon as the bubbling has simmered down, place back over medium heat, stir in salt, and cook for 2 more minutes. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a squeeze bottle for easy control.
11. Store caramel in the fridge for up to a month. To reheat the caramel sauce, place squeeze bottle in a pot with very hot water, changing out the water when it gets cool, until the sauce is loose again.
12. Grand Finale: To make whipped cream, mix two tablespoons of coconut whipped cream per drink with enough charcoal to turn it black; about 1/4 teaspoon per 2 tablespoons of whipped cream. Add to a pastry bag if a pretty design is desired.
13. Drizzle the inside of a glass with caramel, add in a few ice cubes, fill up glass with horchata, top with whipped cream, and finish with more caramel. Best enjoyed with a straw.