Sensational Sweet Rice

I always have. Risotto, wild rice, rice pilaf...it's all delicious. Many times I have picked rice over pasta (really). Rice cakes, rice cereal, rice noodles, you name it. Oh, and I love sweet rice, too.

Growing up in a Portuguese household and surrounded by Portuguese friends and family means that I was exposed to many amazing, traditional foods. Massa Sovada (sweet bread), Malassadas (fried dough sprinkled with sugar) and Arroz Doce (sweet rice) are some of my favorite treats. This is not to say that only the Portuguese make these dishes, but each culture has its own little twist.

Of the three, sweet rice is the quickest and easiest to make. When my mother serves it for dessert (for our family or guests) it is always a success, followed by requests for the recipe. So, here it is for all of you to try. Please note that you may substitute actual lemon rinds for lemon extract if you want to be really traditional (as my mom used to do until she found out that the lemon extract is so much easier to use and tastes great).

SENSATIONAL SWEET RICE (my mom's quick & easy recipe)

1 c rice

5 c milk

3/4 c sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1 t lemmon extract

2 T butter

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

pinch salt

1. In a big saucepan, place rice, milk, sugar, pinch salt and butter. Cook over low heat until rice is tender (grain should be soft). The rice will not absorb all the milk, so don't worry. All that leftover liquid will be the creamy custard that is so good. I have eaten sweet rice in the past that has been "dry" because not enough milk was used (not made by my mother, of course).

2. Once rice is done, turn off the heat and add vanilla and lemon extracts.

3. Temper in the egg yolks, otherwise they will simply cook (like scrambled eggs). To do this, mix about 2 spoonfuls of hot pudding with the eggs in a separate bowl. Once you have done that, pour everything back into the saucepan. Mix well.

4. Pour into one big serving dish or individual cups and let cool. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving. Mmmm...

That's about it. Pretty easy, huh? One of the best things about this homemade dessert is that there are no chemicals like in "boxed" desserts. The ingredients are simple and wholesome, so you won't feel guilty indulging. Thank you for reading!

C. De Melo
Author & Artist
www.cdemelo.com