Sunday, September 11, 2011

Simple Stovetop Rice Pudding

I just spent the week in the Poconos Mountains in Northeastern PA. When we planned the trip we envisioned hiking through the mountains, canoeing on the Delaware, and enjoying the great outdoors. And then we got rained on. A lot. There was major flooding in the region, and we had to drive through 2 feet of water on the road to get to our destination. Let me tell you, all of that rain and cold weather made me wish for some warm comfort food. And rice pudding is just the ticket!

Thick. Rich. Creamy. Delicious. These are words that describe this simple rice pudding. The recipe is from my trusty America's Test Kitchen, and they have not failed me. I was a bit skeptical as to whether or not it would end up creamy and rich without the addition of an egg, but was it ever. The flavors were spot on, with the rice coming out as the star.


The finished product took me about an hour and 45 minutes, and we ate it when it was still pretty warm. With that amount of time invested, it had better be worth it. And I actually think it was. I've had many different rice puddings in my day, but this one is definitely at the top. I honestly don't think I would change anything about the recipe. Oh, and just a tip - when they say to use a 3 quart pan or larger, listen. I was amazed at how large the batch was, especially considering that you only use one cup of rice. My 5 quart Le Creuset worked perfectly for me.


Simple Stovetop Rice Pudding
from America's Test Kitchen
Printer Friendly Version

2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup medium-grain rice
2 1/2 cups whole milk *
2 1/2 cups half-and-half *
2/3 c sugar
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (at least 3 quarts). Stir in the salt and rice; cover and simmer over low heat, stirring once or twice, until the water is almost fully absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the milk, half-and-half, and sugar. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken, about 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring every couple of minutes to prevent sticking and scorching, until a spoon is just able to stand up in the pudding, about 15 minutes longer.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, 1/2 cup raisins, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Cool and serve at room temperature or chilled. (To store, press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)

* When a recipe calls for varying amounts of dairy products, rather than making a trip to the store, I use what I have on hand and mix until I have the right consistency. For instance, I only had 1% milk and heavy cream on hand for this recipe, so I used 3 cups of 1% milk and 2 cups of heavy cream to get the right mix. I just kind of do what makes sense in my head.

18 comments:

  1. oh yum! i need to show this to my husband, he loves rice pudding!

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  2. Oh boy!! I am SOO excited! I love rice pudding, and can't really find a recipe I love, so I'm going to try this one! New follower from Making Mondays:)
    http://everydaygameplan.net

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  3. Looks delicious! I love rice pudding and make it often. I actually even eat leftover rice in the morning, with sugar and warm milk.

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  4. I absolutely LOVE rice pudding but never made it myself. Pinning for future reference. Looks delicious!

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  5. Same here, I love it but never make it. This looks pretty simple! Hey, I'm your 100th follower! Congratulations!

    Michael Ann
    http://thebiggreenbowl.blogspot.com

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  6. I adore rice pudding but have never made my own. A sin I know! But I may have to start now.

    I am a new follower from the Tuesday Time Out Hop. If you have a moment, come by www.messforless.net and say hi!
    Thanks!

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  7. very nice flavor combo!! Love it and so glad to see it linked up at the Tea Party. I will be making this for sure.....

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  8. Hi there- found you through the hop and am a new follower. I have really been craving rice pudding- it sounds like you really like this recipe. I might have to try it. I hope you have time to follow my life in South Africa by http://withoutcomplexities.blogspot.com

    I hope you are having a great week!

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  9. Ooh I'd love to try this! Sounds like a winner!

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  10. I love rice pudding, my husbands not a big fan though. This looks really good and great flavors for fall. Thanks for sharing at Bacon Time

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  11. Oh yea baby, rice pudding is where it's at! :)

    Thanks for sharing this recipe - I'm always willing to try a good rice pudding recipe, and you're right, ATK recipes are almost always winners.

    :)
    ButterYum

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  12. This looks delicious and sounds so easy to make. Yum!

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  13. I'm glad the recipe was worth your time. Yum!

    Thanks for stopping by Sweet Tooth Friday!

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  14. This looks delicious, I will try it out. Thanks for the recipe.
    Hong Kong Compliance

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  15. Hi there, I want to make this, looks so good and I'm a big fan of Test Kitchen! But what rice would you use? It calls for "medium grain rice" -- I know what short grain rice is (arborio) and long grain (jasmine, etc), but I'm not sure what an example of medium rice would be. Thanks in advance for your input!

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  16. You can disregard my previous comment -- I had aborio rice in my pantry and was going to use it until I decided to whip out my trusty Test Kitchen cookbook and read that aborio gives the rice pudding a "gritty" texture. I decided to run out to the store and I found something called "Calrose", a medium grain rice. Goya also makes a medium grain but my store didn't have it. Thanks for posting the recipe. Can't wait to taste the fruits of my labor :)

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  17. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it's phenominal! I made it 2 nights ago and am already making it again today. Love the texture and creaminess. Only thing I'm doing differently this time is halving the cinnamon. The only recipe that came close to this was a Martha Stewart rice pudding using aborio rice, cardamom and orange zest instead of cinnamon.

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