OK, it isn't a beautiful photograph, but really, this is a delicious rice pudding (photographed in terrible light).Most rice pudding recipes either call for simmering it on the hob, or baking it. This was a combination of both, and while it seemed a bit more work than needed at the time, it turned out just as lovely as a rice pudding can be.
Personally, I like my rice pudding with cardamom and rose water, but I knew Danny would balk at that, so I stuck to cinnamon and raisins. Not that there's anything wrong with cinnamon and raisins in a rice pudding-because there isn't, but rose water and cardamom shouldn't be overlooked for something a bit special.
This makes an ungodly amount of rice pudding, but it keeps well. The recipe is a regional American version credited to a recipe from Minnesota. The recipe called for lingonberry jam topping, but I have cherry preserves open, so that's what the boys will be getting. I'm not the sort of mother that goes opening jars of my precious bottled jams just because a recipe says to. The lingonberries are for duck. I'm the jam-shelf fascist.
From The New York Times Heritage Cookbook, Jean Hewitt, ed.
You Will Need:
1 cup uncooked regular long grain rice
1 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1 quart milk (I used 1% because I couldn't really imagine using whole milk and cream for this-do as you like)
1 stick cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar or to taste (I used vanilla sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs beaten (I used extra large eggs)
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup lingonberry preserves
Place rice and water in a a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook ten minutes. Add the cream, milk, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a very low simmer. Cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter a large baking dish. Cool rice mixture slightly. Remove cinnamon stick. Stir in salt, sugar, eggs, and raisins. Pour into prepared dish and bake about 30 minutes or until set. Serve warm or chilled, topped with the preserves.
Only one cup of uncooked rice seems really scant for a quart and a half of liquid. Do you think one could get away with more rice in the recipe? And if so, how much would you recommend? Since you have experience with cooking it you would have a better idea of the consistency.
ReplyDeleteThe rice does absorb it rather well, and it becomes quite soft. Then, when you add the eggs, it firms up as it bakes. Because it cooks so long, at such a low temperature, it breaks the rice down and releases the starch-sort of the way a risotto does-you know how you always seem to keep adding liquid to a risotto after it seems impossible to add more? I think it is a bit of that taking place.
ReplyDeleteI used an inexpensive store-brand white rice for this, and didn't have any difficulties.
Okay, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much for explaining it!
ReplyDelete