Abuelo's rice pudding

My abuelo’s rice pudding is a recipe that I hold dear to my heart. When I was a little girl, he would make his rice pudding for me every time I visited his house as it always put a smile on his face when he would watch me eat it.

Credit: Daen Lia

• serves

  6

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

It’s traditionally made with cinnamon, sugar, milk and rice but my Abuelo used to put his unique spin on it by adding egg yolks. He would temper the yolks with warm rice pudding and then add it back into the pot with a cup of cream. This resulted in a decadently rich and creamy dish that sits in between a pudding and custard.

Ingredients

• 6 cups full cream milk
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¾ cup Arborio rice
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup cream
• Ground cinnamon, to garnish

Instructions

1. In a large pot on a medium heat, bring your milk, sugar and vanilla extract to the boil. Add the rice to the pot and return to a boil. Turn the heat down immediately and cook your rice for 30 minutes on a gentle simmer. Stir quite consistently to ensure the milk does not burn.
2. Once your rice is cooked, add 6 tablespoons of the cooked rice pudding to the egg yolks and whisk through quite vigorously. This will temper the egg yolks and prevent them from scrambling.
3. Add the egg yolk mixture and cream into the pot with the rice pudding and simmer for an additional 5 minutes on a low heat while stirring occasionally.
4. Transfer your rice pudding to a large bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon. This dish can be eaten hot or cold and can be stored in the fridge for several days.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

It’s traditionally made with cinnamon, sugar, milk and rice but my Abuelo used to put his unique spin on it by adding egg yolks. He would temper the yolks with warm rice pudding and then add it back into the pot with a cup of cream. This resulted in a decadently rich and creamy dish that sits in between a pudding and custard.