Chef Robert Irvine  -
Like everybody else in the world, I have a recipe for rice pudding that has followed me my whole career. It can be served warm or cold and is equally delicious. Please note, you may add cinnamon along the way, or at the very end before service. I leave it out, just because I don’t have a taste for it. It is a great rice pudding, with the addition of several special ingredients that make it fit for a king!

Ingredients:
5 cups whole milk
¾ cup short- grain white rice (short- grain rice may be difficult to find, so look in the Spanish foods section of your store for medium- grain rice)
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 fresh vanilla bean pod (essence or ¼ cup vanilla extract can be used in the absence of a fresh bean)
¾ cup white raisins (sometimes sold as golden seedless raisins), presoaked in warmed brandy (you can use a 50- mL “airplane- sized” bottle) or warm water
2 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
¼ stick unsalted butter
Nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)

Equipment:
Six 6- ounce ramekins or eight or nine 4- ounce ramekins or serving dishes

In a medium, heavy- bottomed saucepan, put in the milk, rice, and salt. Cook the rice at a low simmer (do not boil) until the rice is tender. (In classical French cooking, a “simmer” is just below the boiling point, when the bubbles are rising to the surface—but don’t break the surface—of the liquid. This is the definition of “simmer” I am using here.) Once you achieve a simmer, the rice should take 20 to 30 minutes to be ready, depending on your cooker.

Remember to keep stirring so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. Taste the rice to make sure it is tender.

Once the mixture has cooked, remove from the heat and add the sugar, vanilla bean, raisins, and egg yolks. Keep stirring to incorporate all of the flavors, then let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes. The sugar and vanilla will infuse
very quickly, giving a flowery aroma.

Add the heavy cream and butter. Just mix them well together in the saucepan.

Spoon into ramekins or individual serving bowls.

Rice pudding can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. This particular recipe benefits from sitting overnight in the refrigerator.

You may want to grate fresh nutmeg over the top or sprinkle with cinnamon, as many people do, but I prefer the pudding without. 

Serves 6 to 8

Chef Robert Irvine
reprinted by permission

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