NiftyFifty

When I was younger, I wouldn’t go near rice pudding. I thought it was such a stupid concept. The idea of buttery chicken flavored rice with milk and sugar disgusted me. My dad would always love eating it and sometimes tried to make me taste it, but I refused. I wish I hadn’t.

It wasn’t until I tasted my great uncle’s rice pudding that I fell in love. Now, his recipe is a lot more calorie intense, having half-and-half instead of milk along with a whole bunch of eggs. Of course that would make the dessert that much more rich and creamy. I actually plan on adding an egg to the next batch I make to see if I can make this even better.

The recipe is extremely simple and quite quick to make. You basically but the rice, sugar, and milk into the pot, stir occasionally while you boil (then simmer) for about an hour. You taste the rice to check for doneness and try not to burn your tongue every time like I do. Then you enjoy the creamy dessert that this is.

You can use arborio or river rice to make this pudding. The arborio rice is a little more creamy in my opinion, but it’s also almost four times as expensive as the river rice. You don’t use that much so I tend to just use the arborio since I can get it for $4.09 at the local health food store.

Arborio Rice Pudding adapted from smitten kitchen

1/2 cup Arborio or River rice
4 cups milk
3/8 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, place all the ingredients, except the vanilla extract. Bring it to a gentle boil and then turn it down to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom, for about 30 to 40 minutes. Taste the rice to check for doneness. The rice should be very soft and plump.

Take the pudding off the heat and stir in the extract. Pour into dessert bowls and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve immediately.