The state of the world, you guys. It’s been hard enough to justify doing my actual work these days, because somehow putting together a narrative as to why a deal between ABC company and XYZ company makes strategic sense just doesn’t seem very important in the grand scheme of things. Never mind finding it in me to wax poetic about some really great food I made when people in this country (and those unfortunately now stuck in limbo outside of it) are fearing for their futures. But in between phone calls to the full mailboxes of my elected officials and typing my credit card number into the donations pages of the ACLU and the IRC, I’ve got to keep on moving. Mincing garlic, stirring rice, kneading dough.
Besides a recent Chinese New Year extravaganza featuring more than 100 homemade dumplings, my cooking as of late has become pretty…boring. I’ve basically been eating like a Russian peasant circa 1910. Root vegetables. Cabbage. Brown rice. Sometimes an egg on top if I’m feeling wild and protein deprived. Prepared without a recipe. I don’t even know this person I’ve become! Someday soon I’ll hopefully be back to my old self, scouring the shelves of Patel Brothers in Jackson Heights for fermented Nepalese mustard greens, but for now you’ll have to bear with me and accept my humble offering of rice pudding.
To be fair, this isn’t just any rice pudding. It’s that classic, nostalgic version that’s filled with plump raisins and baked with cinnamon so it forms that thin skin on top. It’s got a very Middle Europe feel. It tastes like something your Grandma might have made for you way back when, and frankly right now I need all the Grandma comfort vibes I can get my hands on.
I like to eat dessert most days, because I have a sweet tooth and because it makes me feel better about things. But it’s sometimes so hard to get my act together to actually have it in the house. In cases like this, rice pudding is your best friend. I’ve always got rice in the pantry. I also have raisins in the baking cabinet. I’m always less than a couple of hours away from having a casserole dish filled with this stuff. Then it’s just a matter of bargaining with myself over how much is an actual serving.
On that note, my advice to us all is this. Do what you can. But also do what you need to do for yourself. And if that means this recipe serves four and not eight, then so be it.
Ingredients
- 6 cups (1 1/2 quarts) milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup raisins
- Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Rinse a heavy saucepan with cold water; leave wet. Place 4 cups of the milk, the sugar, salt and vanilla bean in the pan (if using vanilla extract, do not add it now). Cover and bring slowly to a boil. Stir in the rice with a large fork. Cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the rice is quite tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean; scrape the seeds into the rice mixture and stir in.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, with a rack in the center. Butter a 12-inch oval pudding or gratin dish or other large shallow baking dish. In a bowl, beat the egg, egg yolks and the remaining 2 cups of milk until combined (if you are using vanilla extract, add it now). Add this mixture and the raisins to the rice and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Set the baking dish in a roasting pan, and place it in the oven. Pour enough hot tap water into the roasting pan to reach about halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Stir the pudding gently with a fork to redistribute the rice. Bake for another 25 minutes. Stir again; lightly sprinkle the surface of the pudding with the cinnamon. Bake until the top of the pudding has crusted over lightly and is spotted with gold; the pudding should still be slightly liquid, another 25 minutes. (The total baking time is about 1 1/4 hour. The timing can vary based on the depth and size of the baking dish; do not overbake).
- Remove the pudding from the water bath and cool on a wire rack. Serve lukewarm or slightly chilled.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2017/02/03/baked-custard-style-rice-pudding/
