Rice Pudding
My Mother would often make rice pudding, as a special treat, when we were young. This is still one of my favorite desserts. There is little that provides more comfort than a warm bowl of creamy rice pudding – except of course cold rice pudding!
Ingredients:
4 cups of Water
1 ½ teaspoons of Salt
2 tablespoons of Butter
3 sticks of Cinnamon
1 cup of Rice
2 cans of Evaporated Milk
1 can of Sweet & Condensed milk
2 teaspoons of Vanilla
¼ cup of water
Zest of a Lime – optional
½ cup of Raisins – optional
Cinnamon – optional
Direction:
In a large pot, bring water, salt, butter, and cinnamon stick to a quick boil, add rice, bring back to a boil; and reduce the heat to moderate, cover the pot and cook until the rice absorbs all liquid. The rice will be firm, almost al dente. It is imperative that you do not stir the rice during this time, let it cook undisturbed.
After the rice has dried, add evaporated milk, extra water, and the sweet & condensed milk. Stir these ingredients into rice and bring back up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the vanilla, and zest of lime, raisins, and extra cinnamon, if you like; cover and let cook for about thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
During this last stage, make sure that you keep a close eye on the pot. You do not want the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep the heat low and occasionally stir the pot, including cleaning the sides of the pot.
This pudding is wonderful served warm, or you can pour into serving dishes and cover with plastic wrap till ready to serve. Before serving, I recommend a light dusting of best cinnamon that you can afford. I prefer Ceylon cinnamon because it has a slight citrus flavor that I feel compliments the lime zest.
