Slow-Simmered Rice Pudding with Cinnamon and Lemon

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A pantry dessert that tastes like it took real skill: short-grain rice coaxed slowly into whole milk until the grains go plump and the milk turns to loose custard. A cinnamon stick and two strips of lemon peel do the perfuming, a single egg yolk stirred in at the end adds gloss without turning it into flan. Serve it warm in bowls with a heavy dusting of ground cinnamon, or chill it overnight and eat it cold from the fridge — both are correct.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup short-grain white rice (Arborio, Valencia, or Bomba)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 wide strips lemon peel, no white pith
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for dusting
• 2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds or pistachios (optional)
• 1 tablespoon honey, for drizzling (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine the rice, water, cinnamon stick, lemon peel, and salt in a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are chalky-tender at the edges but still firm in the center. Do not rinse the rice at any point — the surface starch is what makes this creamy.
2. Pour in 3 cups of the milk and stir. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a bare simmer, with just a few lazy bubbles breaking the surface. If it threatens to boil over, pull it off the heat for a moment and lower the burner.
3. Cook uncovered at that bare simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes and scraping the bottom and corners of the pan with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. The mixture will thicken noticeably as the starch releases.
4. When the pudding has thickened and the spoon leaves a brief trail on the bottom of the pan, stir in the remaining 2 cups milk and the sugar. Continue simmering and stirring, 12 to 18 minutes more, until the rice is completely soft and the milk has the body of a loose pourable custard — it should coat the spoon but still slump easily. Remember it will thicken a lot as it cools, so stop while it still looks a little too loose.
5. Fish out and discard the cinnamon stick and lemon peel. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with about 1/4 cup of the hot pudding liquid to temper it, then stir that mixture back into the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes — just until glossy and slightly thicker. Do not let it boil.
6. Off the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla until the butter melts. Taste and add a spoonful more sugar if your milk was on the lean side. Let the pudding rest 10 minutes.
7. To serve warm: spoon into bowls and dust generously with ground cinnamon, then add almonds or a drizzle of honey if you like. To serve chilled: divide among 6 small bowls or ramekins, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Dust with cinnamon just before serving.
8. If the chilled pudding sets up stiffer than you want, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold milk per serving to loosen it back to a spoonable consistency.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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