Rice pudding

Without doubt, this is one of our most favorite dishes here.  It's creamy, delicious and very easy to make.  It's also very light on the pocket book.  It's so easy, my husband makes it with success, and while I love and adore him, cooking isn't his strong suit.

What I most like about this recipe is that all ingredients are easily available, and aside from milk and eggs, the rest of the ingredients can be purchased and stored in the pantry.  As for the milk and eggs, few cooks I know are ever without these staples, so if you have the other items in your pantry, it's a good 'go-to' recipe, if you need something sweet, or a 'make it the night before' dessert for guests.  Sprinkled with cinnamon, in a pretty dessert dish, it makes a nice presentation, too.

Rice pudding:

1 cup long grain rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
3 cups whole milk
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

To a large sauce pan, or dutch oven, add the rice.  Add 4-1/2 cups of water and kosher salt, cover, and soak one hour.

Beat together egg, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.  Set aside.

Place rice/water on a burner, and heat to medium.  Allow rice to cook until most all the water has been absorbed, but before any of the rice begins to stick to the pan.  I suggest a non-stick pan for this recipe.

 

Add the egg/milk mixture, turn heat up to medium high, and stirring constantly, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium, and keep stirring until it begins to thicken just a bit, about 3-4 minutes.

 

Do not simmer more than a few minutes, or your pudding with be too thick and gummy when completely cooled.

Remove pan from heat source, drape a clean tea towel over the pan, and cover with the lid.

 

The towel will absorb the steam, and keep the rice from getting watered down.  Allow to cool for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and towel, and stir.  The pudding will have started to thicken.

 

Put the towel and lid back in place, and cool another 30 minutes.  Remove towel and lid, stir, and transfer to a storage container, cover and chill several hours, or overnight.

Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon, or plain...whatever you like.