I don’t make rice pudding very often, but whenever I do, I always stop dead in my tracks and confront myself with the same question:
“Why don’t you make rice pudding more often?!?”
I mean…rice pudding. Rice pudding. There’s nothing like it in the world. Creamy, sweet, dreamy, perfect.
I’ll say it again: Perfect. It’s just one of those things you eat that causes you to roll your eyes and sigh. Like you’ve finally come home again. Like the world finally, at long last, makes sense again. Like all the questions of life are now answered.
And a bonus: It also happens to be one of the easiest desserts in the world to make!
C’mon…I’ll show ya.
First, I want to get the raisins ready. And by ready…
I mean douse them in bourbon or other whiskey…
And let them sit while you get all the other components ready. If you can do this a little ahead of time, it’s best to let them soak up the boozy goodness for at least an hour.
And two things about the raisins:
1. You can use regular raisins or golden raisins. Whatever floats your boat.
2. I realize that there is a percentage of the rice pudding-eating population that recoils at the thought of putting raisins in their rice pudding. But all I am saying: Give raisins a chance. Especially if they’re soaked in whiskey, man.
Next up: The rice. You’ve gotta use medium-grain rice when you make rice pudding. It’s in the rulebook. I’ve made it with long-grain and it just isn’t the same at all.
Medium-grain all the way, baby.
(I’m sorry I called you baby.)
Measure a cup or so…
And pour it into a medium saucepan.
Which brings me to the second point: The pan. Overwhelmingly, my rice pudding always turns out better if I use a nonstick saucepan. Now, that’s not to say I always make it in a nonstick saucepan, and that’s not to say you need to run out and buy a nonstick saucepan if you don’t have one. But if you do have one, now’s the time to whip it out!
The rice needs to cook in a mixture of water…
And milk. I used 1% because that’s what I had in my fridge, but you can use 2% or whole if that’s whatcha got.
And okay. How about a splash of cream?
Just a splash!
Next, a pinch of salt…
And a pat of butter.
So basically, you’re cooking a batch of rice…but upping the liquid quantity a bit and substituting milk for some of the water.
Stir it together, bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to the lowest heat you can muster, cover the pot, and cook it for 20-25 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, whip up a caramel-pecan topping to get spooned over the rice pudding. This is totally optional, but totally heavenly. Combine butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan…
With some light corn syrup…
Some (*hiccup*) whiskey…
And some chopped pecans or walnuts.
(Pssst. With the exception of the whiskey, this is the very same mixture I use when I make mini pecan sticky buns! But instead of winding up as the topping of the buns, it’s going to be the topping of the rice pudding. I’m crazy that way.)
Bring it to a gentle boil over medium to medium-high heat and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes or so…
Then remove it from the heat and let it calm down a bit. And when it does…look what you’re left with! Absolutely luscious.
(Just set it aside, and if it firms up too much before the rice pudding is done, you can just warm it up again to soften it.)
Back to the rice pudding: This is what it looks like after the initial cooking stage (20 to 25 minutes). So nice!
And now it’s time to add the sweetness, and there are so many different ways to do this. You can add a little more milk or cream mixed with white sugar. You can add a little more milk or cream mixed with brown sugar.
Or…
OR…
You can crack open a can of sweetened condensed milk…
And drizzle in about half of it. I absolutely love using sweetened condensed milk in rice pudding because it’s creamy and sweet and serves a dual purpose.
And because sweetened condensed milk is one of my favorite ingredients on earth. I have a serious problem with it.
Stir it in, then add some vanilla for even more flavor…
Along with a little cinnamon…
And nutmeg.
Now stir it around and return the pan to the stove for just 4 or 5 more minutes, just to finish off the cooking process.
And at that point…here’s what it looks like. Just bee-yoo-ti-full!
Just two final things: stir in a beaten egg…
Then drain the whiskey from the raisins and add them in.
Stir it together slowly (the temperature is so hot that it immediately takes care of the egg; no need to return it to the stove.) And now’s the time to check the consistency of the rice pudding: It should be creamy but not overly soupy. If it isn’t creamy enough, all you need to do is drizzle in a little bit more sweetened condensed milk. If it’s overly creamy, just let it sit for 5 minutes and it should be just right.
Not that you can wait that long.
Now, you can serve it plain and unadulterated, or you can spoon on a little bit of the caramel-pecan topping.
Here’s the thing about rice pudding: A little goes a long way, so you can serve it in little teacups, small bowls…an assortment is fun!
This is life. Creamy, perfectly cooked rice pudding. Juicy raisins that lend just the faintest flavor of booze. Caramel topping with the crunch of pecans.
Sweet dreams are made of this. Make it as soon as you can.
Here’s the handy dandy printable!
