We had the Missionary Elders over for their tea last night and I made them a very tasty Moussaka. It went down a real treat. Neither one of them had had it before, but they both had second helpings. I think it is fair to say . . . Missionary Elders like Moussaka!
Because Moussaka is such a hearty and rich dish I wanted to make something not too heavy for dessert. I took a chance and decided to make them a simple rice pudding . . .
Not a baked rice pudding, or anything elaborate. No sultanas, or other fruit stirred in . . . no eggs either . . . just a simple mix of milk, cream, rice and simple flavours . . .
A bit of orange zest and vanilla . . . and a knob of butter stirred in at the end . . .
I like to spoon it into pretty glasses . . . wine glasses, atop a nice dollop of jam. But you can do as you wish. The jam though . . . adds a nice touch. It's nice to bring it up from the bottom with your spoon when you are eating it . . . like a sticky, sweet and fruity surprise.
It's not a difficult pudding to make. It uses simple ingredients. It's not slimy or lump . . . it's just comforting and simple and delicious. What more could a body ask for. (Needless to say, the pudding went down a real treat as well!)
*A Simple Rice Pudding*Serves 6Printable Recipe
Easy to make, using simple ingredients . . . but there's nothing simple about the flavor here. It's fabulous.
200g of short grained rice (arborio or pudding rice) (1 cup)750ml of full fat milk, or a mixture of low fat milk and heavy cream (3 1/4 cups)(I like to use the low fat milk and cream myself. It's really nice.)7 to 8 TBS golden caster sugar1 tsp vanilla bean pastepinch salt1/2 tsp of orange extract, or 1 TBS finely grated orange zest1 TBS unsalted butterJam to serve (optional)
Put the rice into a colander and rinse it under cold running water until the water runs clear. Drain well. Put the rice in a saucepan. Cover it with cold water. Bring it to the boil and then allow it to boil for about 5 minutes. Drain well.Return the drained rice to the saucepan along with the full fat milk, or the mixture of low fat milk and cream. Add the salt along with 1 TBS of the sugar, the vanilla bean paste and the orange extract or zest. Bring the mixture just up to the boil. (Little bubbles should just appear around the edge of the saucepan.) Turn the heat down to the lowest temperature and pop a lid on, leaving it just ajar.
Cook for a further 30 to 35 minutes, giving it a good stir every 10 minutes or so, cooking until the rice is very soft and almost melting in the mouth. Most of the liquid should be absorbed. The pudding should be creamy, not too runny or too dry. If it is too dry, it is okay to add a bit more milk or cream to slacken it a bit. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and enough of the remaining sugar that you want as far as taste goes. You may not want the full amount.
I like to put a dollop of raspberry jam in the bottom of the serving dishes and then spoon the warm rice pudding over top. You can serve this warm or at room temperature. It is delicious either way.
