The Creamiest Rice Pudding

This rice pudding surprises me every time I make it. There is only a half of a cup of short grain rice and six cups of liquid. Seems like the rice will never soak up that much milk but it always does. The pudding takes up to an hour to cook on the stove so I have started making it in double batches. I even made a triple batch once, when I had lots of milk that needed to be used up. The only problem with making so much in the same pot was making sure it didn't boil over! Keep an eye on the pudding until you are sure that it is nicely simmering away, at a temperature that won't make the milk expand out of the pot and all over your stove.

This recipe comes from Bonnie Stern and it has been published in at least two of her cookbooks, under different names and with slightly different ingredients (one has cinnamon and the other nutmeg). I don't add either to mine and I also use currants instead of raisons. I like the way the currants plump up but they aren't over-powering for people who don't love raisons.

The Creamiest Rice Pudding

1/2 c. uncooked short-grain rice (I have used Arborio and Japanese sticky rice)
1 c. boiling water
1/3 c. white sugar
1 t. cornstarch
5 c. milk
1/3 c. currants (or raisons), optional
2 egg yolks, optional
1 t. vanilla

1. Place rice and boiling water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook gently, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed the water.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in 1 cup of milk. Add this mixture to rice along with the remaining milk. Add the currants.
3. Bring the pudding to a boil, being careful that it doesn't boil over. Partially cover and cook gently for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very creamy and thick. (Fiddle with the temperature. If it is too low it will take a long time to cook and if it is too high it will boil over. Best to be on the low side but it should still be bubbling a bit.)
4. Stir in the egg yolks, if you are using them. I always do and it just adds a nice richness to the pudding. Cook gently for one minute. Stir in vanilla. Transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls. Serve warm or cold. Store in the fridge.