Rice Pudding

I made a discovery about a year ago: I really, really like rice pudding. And then I discovered that it's even easier to make than custard, which I also love, but I'm usually too lazy to make. Plus rice pudding seems to fill the same void that custard does (probably because both have lots of milk and eggs).

And so I present to you my favorite recipe for rice pudding, from the ever useful allrecipes.com. My slightly modified version is below.

Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup uncooked white rice

- 2 cups milk, divided

- 1/3 cup white sugar

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 tablespoon butter

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; stir rice into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Or just use a rice cooker to make 3/4 c dry rice into 1 1/2 c cooked rice. 

2. In a clean saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes.  

3. While that is cooking and you are stirring it fairly often, thoroughly mix the remaining 1/2 c milk with the beaten egg. This helps prevent the egg from cooking into lumps when you mix it in.

4. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk and beaten egg mixture*; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

* If you mix some of the hot rice goop into the egg/milk mixture, it also helps prevent egg clumps. However, this takes more effort than I am willing to put forth usually. Slowly mixing the egg/milk mixture straight into the hot rice goop will result in a few little clumps, but nothing too noticeable. You decide how much effort it's worth to you...

I usually double this recipe (and I could eat it all myself, though I end up sharing most of the time). It's tasty hot or cold, though I like it best hot. You can add raisins if you want (yuck) but I prefer it with just the cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice. I have had many people tell me they really like it even though they don't normally care for rice pudding, so I swear it's not just me obsessing over it. :)