Sunday, 11 October 2015

Five hour rice pudding


  
Four ingredients.  Five hours.  This dish changed me from a person who screwed up their nose at the thought of rice pudding, to a person who will now happily devour a large bowl of the stuff!  I still find most rice puddings pretty yuck but this one is so utterly divine that I will now admit that not all rice pudding is horrible.  If you knew how much I hate(d) rice pudding you would realise that this is a massive concession for me to make!




The oven does all the work; if you can weigh ingredients out and pour them into a dish, you can make this dessert.  The five hour bake filled the house with such a warming, comforting smell that I felt happy the whole time it was baking!  The long slow bake makes the rice so soft and creamy that it’s hard to believe the pudding is made with milk rather than cream.  Forget any hard, lumpy rice pudding you may have had inflicted on you in your youth; this is not in the same league!




Mr CC and I have very different views on rice pudding skin.  To me it is something that should be peeled away and disposed of as quickly as possible; for Mr CC is it manna from the gods!  This situation makes us both happy: I don’t waste anything, and Mr CC gets double the amount of rice pudding skin – that’s the key to a happy marriage, right there!




As the dark nights and colder weather take hold this is the ultimate comfort food.  It’s like eating central heating.  Don’t be tempted to halve the quantities; you’ll only kick yourself once you taste it!  Any leftovers reheat like a dream.  I read an article over the weekend about the Danish concept of hygge; it has no easy translation but means something akin to creating a warm, cosy atmosphere in your home and enjoying the good things in life with good people.  This dessert would very much help to bring some hygge into your life!



Ingredients

125g short grain rice
125g golden caster sugar
1.5 litres whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To serve: jam of your choice


Method

Preheat the oven to 140C/fan oven 120C/280F/gas mark 1.

Have ready a 2 litre deep ovenproof dish.

Place the rice and sugar in the dish and mix together.

Measure out the milk and add the vanilla to it.

Slowly pour the milk mixture over the rice and stir.

Bake for five hours – you need do nothing during this time.

During baking a thick brown skin will form – don’t worry!

Serve hot from the oven with some jam, or at room temperature.  Personally, warm wins every time for me!

The leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and reheat in either the microwave or oven.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.


16 comments:

  1. How many people is this amount supposed to feed? ...portion size being relative, of course.

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  2. Hi Vix

    The question I dread! If following a nice meal and being served straight after I would say comfortably 6-8. If being eaten in isolation by greedy people...perhaps 4?

    Happy baking!

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  3. Ahem. I have been known to eat an entire rice pudding meant for 4. I adore the stuff. I love the skin, too. I used to sprinkle nutmeg over mine, but would that burn dry if left in the oven this long do you think?

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  4. Hi Sensibilia

    There's no shame in that - I won't judge (if anything - the opposite; I'm impressed!)
    No, I don't think it would burn - it's such a low temp.

    Happy baking

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  5. No to the skin (with you on that one) - but I thought everyone loved rice pudding. Haven't had it in years and now you've inspired me - thanks CC

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  6. Now that takes me back to the rice puddings of my youth when my mother would cook them overnight in the age - so creamy and delicious. I can't bring myself to have an oven on for that length of time. Love the word hugge - it says it all.

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  7. I love rice pudding - including the skin - so I am sure I'd love this.

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  8. We call this "arroz con leche" (rice with milk) in Spain, and add cinnamon instead of vanilla. Looks good :)

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  9. We love rice pudding and fight over the skin! Yours looks so good.

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  10. Love this rice pudding :)
    Look amazing :)

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  11. Simple ingredients and great flavour...all I need now is PATIENCE! It looks utterly delicious.

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  12. I'm in the US, where golden caster sugar is not readily available. I made this tonight using half regular white sugar (what we call granulated sugar) and half light brown sugar, and it came out very well. Perhaps a bit darker than the photos, but with a nice caramel color and flavor. The only problem is that I'm home alone for a few days with this fantastic dessert all to myself! I've already nibbled my way through a good sized portion and I must.walk.away. Thanks for such a simple, excellent recipe!

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  13. I laughed out loud at "it's like eating central heating". It definitely is! It's one of those puddings which makes you look forward to winter. My mum and I like baking ours with sultanas and sprinkling dark brown sugar on top when serving.

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  14. I am a BIG fan of rice pudding...... home made of course. And I make it often when we have milk or cream to use up. I am very naughty and often add a dose of cream to the mix!! Throw in a bit of cinnamon too for a really Autumnal treat.
    I am with Mr CC! The skin is to be savoured and loved.... every mouthful of it!

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  15. I'm not letting my hubby see this! He loves the skin on a baked rice pudding....

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  16. Like Julie said, I can't find the right sugar and subbed white sugar with a bit of dark brown sugar. Oh. My. HEAVENS. Mine was quite caramelly and fabulous. I tried a bit of it plain before adding the jam...then ate the whole bowl without the jam. I'm going to try again to add the jam before putting my face in the bowl and inhaling it.

    Now I have to decide if I should make it again immediately with the nutmeg option. Dear lord, but this was delicious.

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