Let me tell you something, standing over a hot burner in your 82° apartment with the AC off is probably not the smartest idea, but if this is what a girl has to do to get a tasty treat then this is what she’ll do. I’m sure you’re thinking “Yes, a tasty treat I will do anything for, but why would she deliberately have the AC off?” Up here, in the great Northeast, central AC is very hard to come by. Maybe they don’t think it gets hot enough to have one? ( It was 90º yesterday.) So without central AC we are stuck with window units and mine happens to be in a window in my kitchen (which makes it really hard to get natural light for photos, by the way) and that window is right next to the stove. When the AC is on, the burner won’t stay lit, hence a hot, hungry girl standing over the stove watching milk evaporate.
Ok, so now you are probably wondering why I was watching milk evaporate. This leads me to the reason I am writing today:
I found this lovely recipe on one of my favorite baker’s blogs. Her name happens to be Joy, Joy the Baker. And her name does not disappoint. She’s joyfully witty, gives great baking and boy advice, and has beautiful photos. Wanna learn how to make this splendid spicy treat? Follow me.
Risotto Rice Pudding
recipe from Joy the Baker
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup Arborio rice (the same rice used for risotto)
3 1/2 to 4 cups milk (whole or 2%)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
large pinch allspice
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (we only need the seeds) or 1 T vanilla extract
fruit for topping (I used peaches)
In a medium saucepan, over low heat, scald 4 cups of milk. Bring the milk to just under boiling, turn off the flame and let it rest.
In a large saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter. Add the rice and stir to coat. Ladle in just enough hot milk to cover the rice. Stir over the low flame. The rice will begin to absorb the milk. When the milk is almost fully absorbed, ladle in more hot milk. Stir until absorbed. Continue this process, standing over the stove, and constantly stirring. Taste the rice as you near the end of the milk, you want it to be close to tender. You may only need 3 1/2 cups instead of 4. As you add the last bit of milk, also incorporate the sugar, salt, spices, and scraped vanilla beans. Stir well to combine.
Stir over low heat until the milk is gone and the rice is tender. This takes about 15 minutes, but trust your taste more than the clock.
Cook until your desired consistency. I like mine a bit thicker than my husband does…this causes problems. Serve warm or cold, with fresh fruit or without.
Rice pudding will last, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
There you go. You just made one of the easiest recipes. You just add milk, stir, and repeat. I hope, for your sake, that it’s much cooler in your kitchen when you decide to make this. Happy Eating!
The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb
Your blogs are so cute!