Indulgent Rice Pudding
An unfortunate experience in my elementary school cafeteria turned me off to rice pudding for decades. It wasn’t until my own kids expressed an interest in the stuff that I began to experiment with the incongruously lumpy pudding made from cooked rice and sugar. Lo and behold, it wasn’t long before I was ruing the years I’d missed out on this fabulous classic. Because this recipe is very rich and we have developed an abiding love for it as is, unwilling to settle for lower-fat modifications, I typically make it only twice a year: for Christmas and for Easter. The rest of the year, we dream.
There are two main camps where rice pudding fans are concerned: those who put raisins in and those who wouldn’t dream of it. I happen to fall into the latter camp. (And many kids do, too, actually.) If you count yourself a member of the former, just toss in a handful of raisins – regular or golden – when you add the egg mixture.
Enlist the kids in measuring, pouring, and stirring – older kids will have plenty of turn-taking opportunities for the last one. Just make sure to stir up from the bottom so the pudding doesn’t scorch.
Indulgent Rice Pudding
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1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
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3 cups half-and-half or light cream*, more if necessary, divided
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1/2 cup granulated sugar
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1 egg beaten into 1/2 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk
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1 tablespoon butter
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1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cook rice per package directions. Transfer cooked rice to a clean medium-size saucepan. To warm cooked rice, add 2 cups half-and-half or light cream, the sugar, and the salt. Stir to combine.
Cook the rice mixture over medium heat for about 20 minutes, adding remaining half-and-half or light cream 1/4 cup at a time as the mixture thickens. After 20 minutes have elapsed, pour in egg mixture while stirring constantly, cooking for an additional 2 minutes. If rice mixture is extremely thick after this, you can stir in an additional 1/4 cup of half-and-half or milk.
Take the saucepan off the heat, and add the butter and vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate butter. Let cool for 10 minutes, then either serve warm or refrigerate and serve when chilled. To prevent a skin from forming on the top of the pudding, stir every few minutes while cooling. Refrigerate with a sheet of plastic wrap making contact with the surface of the pudding.
To serve the chilled pudding, first use a paper towel to blot off any moisture from the surface that may have condensed there.
Sprinkle with cinnamon or serve with sliced strawberries, if desired.
Makes about 12 servings.
(Original recipe modified from Allrecipes.com.)
*Note: You can replace all or part of the half-and-half or cream with whole milk, but the end result will be less creamy.
