Weekend Recipe 3/22/09

So I'm right in the middle of my job training for Bottega Louie (one week down, one to go). It's been an experience for sure. The restaurant is slated to open April 6th, and is going to be absolutely amazing. But anyway, here's another recipe from How to Cook Everything that I made a few nights ago. It's for Rice Pudding. Who knew homemade pudding could take so long? But it's well worth it:

Rice Pudding
Makes: At least 4 servings
Time: About 2 hours, largely unattended
This simple no-egg rice pudding is sweet and easy. Use coconut, hazelnut, or almond milk instead of cow's milk for a nice twist. Top with Whipped Cream, flavored with vanilla or rose water if you like (page 882).

.25 to .33 cup rice
.5 cup sugar
Small pinch salt
1 quart milk
Pinch saffron threads (optional)
Cinnamon stick or other flavoring (optional)

1) Heat the oven to 300*F. Combine all the ingredients in a 3- or 4-quart casserole (an ovenproof saucepan will do), stir a couple of times, and place in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, then stir. Cook for 30 minutes longer, then stir; at this point the milk will have developed a bubbly tan surface (you will stir this back into the liquid), and the rice will have begun to swell.
2) Cook for 30 more minutes. The surface will have redeveloped, darker this time, and the grains of rice will begin to predominate in the mixture; the pudding is almost done. Return the mixture to the oven and check every 10 minutes, stirring gently each time you check.
3) The pudding may be done 10, 20, or 30 minutes later. Invariably, it is done before you believe so. You must make a leap of faith and remove the custard from the oven when the rice kernels are very swollen and the mixture is thick but still quite fluid. As it cools, it will thicken considerably. (If you overcook, the pudding will become fairly hard, though it's still quite good to eat.) Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

How to Cook Everything was copywrited in 2008 by Doubly B Publishing Inc., and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in Hoboken, New Jersey. This representation of the text is intended for educational use only.