Homemade Rice Pudding

This is one of my favorite recipes and the ultimate comfort food.

As a child, we didn’t go out to eat much as a family but, when we did, we’d often go to Maria’s, a local Italian restaurant in Baltimore.  Aside from featuring amazing Italian dishes, I always ordered their homemade rice pudding for dessert.  It was the best treat, boasting a perfect creamy rice blend, served warm with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon on top.

For something that tastes so decadent and creamy, it’s hard for me to believe how easy Rice Pudding is to make.

Using staple ingredients that can be found in any stocked pantry and refrigerator, you don’t need any culinary skills to whip up the best batch of pudding.

Honestly, this recipe only requires stirring the rice on the stove top with boiled milk and eggs and sugar.

In just 45 minutes you can create the best, most deliciously creamy rice pudding.

We love to add golden raisins to the rice about 2 minutes before removing it from the stove top.

Add a generous sprinkling of fresh cinnamon or shaved dark chocolate on top and you’ve got a winner.

Serve this warm with generous spoonfuls of cinnamon and it’s the perfect remedy to the frigid temperatures in the northeast.

It’s equally as tasty served chilled, for a nice treat on a hot afternoon.

Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Enjoy!

Enjoy.

Mom’s Old Fashioned Rice Pudding

(adapted from Comfy Cuisine)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 quarts milk (6 cups)
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, milk and sugar and bring to a light boil, stirring often (I added a pinch of salt).
2. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Beat 2 eggs with  an additional 1/2 cup milk and stir into mixture.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Cool and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Notes:  I added in a 2/3 cup of golden raisins to the pudding mixture 2 minutes before it was removed from the stove top.  I also used generous portions of cinnamon.  My kids were divided, one preferred the pudding cold and the other enjoyed it heated.