Yearning for Rice Pudding

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

When the weather starts to show signs of warmth in March after a long, harsh winter, my heart skips a beat. But then that glimmer of hope vanishes with the next day’s blistering cold, reminding me that spring is further off than I’d hoped.

These back and forth weather changes always make me yearn for rice pudding. Mostly because it just tastes so good and is easy to make, but also because I love it piping hot from the stove to warm me up during cold days, or ice-cold from the fridge as a cooling treat on warmer days. It’s light enough to serve as breakfast or a snack, with a little granola sprinkled on top, or dressed up for an elegant dessert, especially if you serve it in coupe glasses.

This recipe couldn’t be simpler and keeps well for days, so you can take a scoop of pudding whenever the urge hits. My favorite topping for this pudding is a couple segments of sweet citrus, like blood oranges, Meyer lemons, or ruby red grapefruit, but I also love spooning on a large dollop of strawberry or apricot preserves when I want that extra hit of sweet jamminess.

The key here is to undercook the rice slightly in the beginning step. Once you remove it from the stove, it will continue to absorb the milk as it sits and cools, ending up perfectly cooked by the time you’re ready to serve it.

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Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding
Serves 12

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (long grain white rice works just as well too, but I like the extra-smooth texture that comes with using a risotto rice)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups water
4 cups whole milk (or soy or rice milk, if you prefer to keep it dairy free)
1 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserved
1 cup heavy cream (or soy or rice milk)

1. Bring the rice, salt, and water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until it reaches a full rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the rice simmer, stirring often, until it fully absorbs the water, about 10 minutes. Add the milk, sugar, and vanilla bean with seeds, and bring to a boil, stirring until it begins to boil again. Reduce the heat to low once more, and simmer, stirring often, until rice is just barely tender but still has a little bit of bite left to it (this characteristic is referred to as al dente), about 20 minutes.
2. Remove pan from heat, and let pudding cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream, and then spoon into serving bowls (or into a storage container if you plan to refrigerate the pudding). Top with fruit, granola, jam, chocolate chips; or just enjoy on its own.

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