I don’t know what it was about the week of March 23rd, but I suddenly had an insatiable urge for rice pudding. I guess it’s just one of those things, but when the weekend came and I had a few minutes to myself, I set out to make some. I found an easy recipe, but because I’m not in the habit of keeping whole milk or white rice on hand, I decided to attempt a healthier version. The end result is pretty tasty, but I probably should have cooked the brown rice a bit longer. Brown rice has less starch, so it didn’t thicken up as much as white rice pudding usually does. The vanilla bean adds that rich vanilla flavor, so it tastes like you have a bit of lemon hinted brown rice in a bowl of just melted vanilla ice cream. Yummmm.

Brown Rice Pudding

Serves 4-6 (Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)

2 cups water

1 cup long grain brown rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

4 cups 2% milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split open (or 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

cinnamon for sprinkling (optional)

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in lemon zest, salt, butter and brown rice and return to boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer the rice, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, place it in a separate bowl and rinse out the pot. Add 4 cups of milk, sugar, and vanilla bean to the pot. Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the milk doesn’t burn or bubble over. Put cornstarch in small cup and mix with a few Tablespoons of cold water until it forms a milky liquid. Stir into hot milk and then add the cooked rice. Stir often until the milk cooks down and the rice is creamy, about 20 minutes. Place in a large bowl or serving dishes to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature. If you wish, sprinkle with cinnamon.

*You can substitute white long grain rice for the brown and whole milk for the 2% for a creamier rice pudding. You can also omit the cornstarch.

Recipe printed from www.dulanotes.com