Adapted from Southern Living Magazine April 2018
I don’t believe that rice pudding is particularly a southern dish. In fact its origins come from the royalties of England when rice was expensive and could only be enjoyed by the elite. But today, rice puddings are becoming quite popular. This version is equally delicious served warm or chilled.
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup coconut milk (I use 1 Tablespoon Coconut butter blended with 1 cup water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cups honey granules
- 1 ½ cups of heavy cream, divided
- 1 large egg
Compote
- 3 cups quartered strawberries (about 1 quart)
- 2 cups nectarine wedges, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
- ¼ cup honey granules
Finely chopped unsalted pistachios, optional
Prepare the pudding: In a large sauté or deep skillet, stir together the cooked rice and whole milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring often, until mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
Increase heat to medium; stir in prepared coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, honey granules and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium low; cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, about 20 minutes.
Whisk together egg and remaining ½ cup heavy cream. Gradually whisk about ½ cup hot rice mixture into cream mixture; gradually whisk tempered cream mixture into the rest of the rice mixture and cook stirring constantly, until thickened and creamy, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Prepare the compote: Preheat oven to 4000 F. In a large bowl, stir together strawberries, nectarines, melted butter and ¼ cup honey granules. Spread mixture in an even layer on a lightly greased, rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until strawberries and nectarines are soft, about 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.
To serve – spoon about 3 Tablespoons Compote into each of 8 serving glasses. Top each with about 2/3 cups of pudding. Top each with the additional Compote. Serve warm or chilled. Serve with finely chopped unsalted pistachios if desired.
To cook brown rice:
Pressure Cooker
In 4 qt pressure cooker over high heat, combine 1 cup brown rice with 2 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Lock lid in place. Bring pressure to second ring on the pressure indicator. Reduce heat to maintain pressure. Cook for 20 minutes. Let pressure naturally release.
Conventional
In 4 qt saucepan over high heat, combine 1 cup brown rice with 2 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook undisturbed for 50-60 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
1 cup of dry uncooked rice yields about 2 cups cooked rice.