Creamy Rice Pudding
- 1/4 cup (30 g) raisins
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) Armagnac or rum
- 5 cups (1.25 liters) whole milk
- 3/4 cup (150 g) Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- In a small saucepan, heat the raisins and Armagnac or rum and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, combine the milk, rice, sugar, and salt.
- Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the saucepan, then drop in the pod.
- Cook over low heat at a gentle simmer, stirring frequently with a heatproof rubber spatula to make sure that the rice isnt sticking to the bottom.
- At first, the mixture will be rather liquidy, but as the mixture thickens, youll need to be vigilant and stir almost constantly.
- When the milk has been absorbed by the rice and the pudding resembles a loose risotto, which will take about 45 minutes, remove the pan from the heat.
- Remove the vanilla pod (it can be rinsed, dried, and used for another purpose; see page 14), then stir in the raisins and any unabsorbed soaking liquid.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Drizzle individual servings with Cognac Caramel Sauce (page 240) or Orange Caramel Sauce (page 242).
- The rice pudding can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- If it loses its creaminess, stir in some more m
- To make ORANGE-BAY LEAF RICE PUDDING, add 3 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves in place of the vanilla bean and four 1-inch (3-cm) wide strips of orange zest.
- Cook as directed, then remove the bay leaves and zest strips before serving.
- If you like very rich rice pudding, substitute 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) heavy cream or half-and-half for an equal amount of the milk.
- Arborio rice is used to make risotto and is sold in most supermarkets.
- Similar Italian short-grain rice, such as Carnaroli, can also be used.
- If you cant find either, substitute regular short-grain rice; the texture of the pudding will be a bit less creamy, but it will still taste delicious.
raisins, rum, liters, rice, sugar, salt, vanilla bean
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/creamy-rice-pudding-379586 (may not work)