Rice is Nice: Rice Pudding

My mom was -- is -- a great cook. She was always baking things when I was growing up, and I never really appreciated it. And it was always amazing comfort food. She could whip up a mean cottage pudding, bread pudding, rice pudding -- all types of things I never would have considered "pudding" at that point in my life. Now, since I did a brief stint in New Zealand, I realize that pudding is just another word for dessert.

Basically, I love pudding.

In my efforts to make our new apartment a "home" (and because I'm craving comfort food because 1: it's cold outside and 2: I'm very far away from home/Seattle), I decided to bust out some rice pudding. This decision was also made because I had all the ingredients already in the house, thus not requiring me to make the 10-block trek to Key Foods.

So: Rice Pudding



























Baked Rice Pudding (from Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1969)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked regular rice
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Dash of salt
2 eggs, separated
2-1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup sugar

Mix rice and water in saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring once or twice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 14 minutes without removing cover. All water should be absorbed.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch, and salt. Beat egg yolks slightly. Beat egg yolks and milk into sugar mixture with hand beater [I just used my "arm beater" -- builds up muscle!]. Stir in rice, lemon juice, and raisins. Pour into ungreased 1-1/2 quart casserole [I just used whatever pie pan I had laying around]. Place casserole in square pan, 9x9x2 inches, on oven rack; pour very hot water (1 inch deep) into pan.

Bake, stirring occasionally, until pudding is creamy and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove casserole from oven but not from pan of hot water.

[The next step is for meringue to go on top, but I didn't make that part. I just sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg on top and called it good!]


This totally hit the comfort food spot. Bean and I enjoyed this thoroughly while sitting on the couch, probably watching Gossip Girl or something of that ilk. I told my mom that I busted out some rice pudding, and she gave me her usual reaction: "Oh good! Now you can bake rice pudding [interchangeable with pies/cakes/ganza/candy/etc] for the family, since I never cook anymore." Which she does. She just doesn't have two hungry kids in the house anymore.

And now, I have two hungry roommates. And myself, of course. Perfect situation!