Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding is a comfort food that was prepared for me when I was feelin' under the weather as a child; pleasantly sweet, soothing, easy to digest, and smelled as Heavenly as it tasted. This pudding has a starchy essence that fills you up on summer afternoons or winter nights, with a hint of bourbon added for grins and giggles.

I double this recipe so there’s plenty for everyone. The rice increases to 2-1/2 cups and everything else precisely doubles.

Elements

4 C Whole Milk

1 C Arborio Medium-Grain Rice

1 T Vanilla Bean Paste

1 T Salted Butter

1/2 Can (14 Oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 T Bourbon

1 Egg, beaten

2 Tsp Madagascar Bourbon or Mexican Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, rice, vanilla bean paste and butter; bring mixture to a light boil.

2. Reduce to medium-low heat, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.

3. Make sure rice mixture is slightly soupy - it’ll thicken as it cools and you want a pudding texture.

4. Add sweetened condensed milk, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and bourbon.

5. Continue to simmer another 3 - 5 minutes over low heat; mixture is hot enough to immediately cook the egg.

6. Distribute rice pudding equally into pudding bowls, cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 5 - 6 hours.

7. Serve with Sticky Bourbon Sauce over the top and serve!

For added flavor and an enhanced appearance, layer the pudding and sauce in glass ramekins and add a cinnamon stick.

xo, Melissa