Orange-Infused Rice Pudding with Fruits Recipe
When I had been in Senegal during a study abroad program I had felt that at least once, I should cook a meal for my host family. But the problem was simple... what to cook? I have plenty of cookbooks and a lot of meals that I had made, but there was very little that I felt like I could make there, since the only equipment available was a small gas-powered movable flame, and ingredients for many things might have been hard to find - although admittedly, there is an Auchan market near to where I stayed, which does offer a wide range of products. Ultimately what I had decided to do was this rice pudding, and to my eyes, it was a great success. I feel somewhat guilty since there was some confusion and the thought was that I was going to make it for dinner instead of dessert, but everything had turned out fine in the end for both, and everyone had sat on the couches under the bright washed out light eating it to enjoyment. Lili, a French medical student there, had particularly enjoyed it I remember, although I still think that the crêpes she made were better. One day I'll have to go back and try to make something again to best her own chef-d'oeuvre. Leftovers disappeared quickly in that family, so at least I hope it got used up soon. While this recipe is itself changed from that due to using different ingredients, it still is fundamentally the same idea.
This rice pudding combines rice which is smooth and succulent, easy to eat and soft, with the delicious flavor of orange which penetrates throughout it, producing a delightfully sweet and fragrant flavor. To this, it combines fruits, lychee, dried cherries, and peaches, which complement and add diversity to its flavors. The fruit remains fresh which adds to their attractive nature, forming a unique and distinctive part of the ensemble without being subsumed by the pudding itself.
I have adapted this recipe from the book Rose Water and Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cups rice
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
- 5 oz dried cherries, chopped
- 1 15 oz can peaches
- 1 20 oz can lychees
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine together the cream and the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Be careful about it quickly boiling over.
- Add the rice into the milk and cream and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs with the cornstarch, then add in the sugar and salt. Beat until well mixed. Add in 1/3 cup of the rice mixture and stir together to temper it, then the rest. Stir again then return it all to the saucepan and place it on medium heat and cook until it starts to thicken. Add in the Grand Marnier and vanilla and mix carefully. Turn off the heat.
- Add in the fruits, drained from their cans or chopped in the case of the dried cherries. Mix together until evenly distributed. Spoon out the pudding into dessert cups. Serve either warm or chilled.
© 2018 Ryan Thomas
