Maple Rice Pudding

When it comes to rice pudding, I believe there are two types of people… the lovers and the haters. 

I happen to be a lover.  LOVE! 

I’ve decided that people who like tapioca pudding, generally like rice pudding as well.  Those that do not enjoy the texture of tapioca also don’t appreciate the texture that rice offers in a pudding. 

Silly texture eaters!  

I believe my love of rice pudding began when I was employed at ZCMI in the corporate office.  Sadly, they are no longer in business but I remember going down to the cafeteria every day and buying a tall dessert glass of rice pudding. 

It was DIVINE!  The blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, rice, creamy yumminess… whatever was in it.  I just know it was insanely delicious.  When I could no longer enjoy the heavenly blend {because it’s kind of hard to be employed by a company that no longer exists ;)}, I was forced to embark on a quest to find a recipe that was as divine as the rice pudding I had fallen in love with. 

My quest started out pretty bland.  I was disappointed with the flavor {or runniness} of every stinkin’ recipe I tried.  But every time I ran across a new recipe that sounded great, I just had to try it.  Some were baked and some were made on the stovetop but none of them lived up to delicious flavor I so desired.  That is until I went to a homeschooling conference one year.  There was a vendor selling cookbooks and I bought one.  The recipes seemed simple and I knew they were within my realm of kitchen skills. 

As I devoured the contents of this book, What’s For Dinner?, I came across a recipe for rice pudding.

It didn’t look like anything special.  Pretty similar to others that I had tried before but I figured I might as well give it a shot. 

OH MY GOODNESS!  This was it!  The one I had searched high and low for.  It was thick, creamy, cinnamon-y, nutmeg-y {pretend they’re words} and everything else I needed it to be.  SUCCESS!

And now, it’s my go to recipe when I have leftover rice from dinner.  My kids LOVE it when I have leftover rice.  It makes a great dessert!  Plus, it’s pretty quick.  NO baking involved, only stovetop. 

I’ve made this recipe several times but the past few times I’ve made it, I’ve tweaked it ever so slightly to make it ‘cleaner’ since my family is on a quest to eat better.  We’re not perfect but we’re a heck of a lot better than we were last year at this time. 

So, I’m going to share with you the ‘cleaned up’ version and then tell you the ingredient you can use instead to make it ‘dirty’.  However, my kids are really liking the maple {clean} version better than the original. 

You’ll want to use REAL maple syrup here.  Not the sugary kinds or the sugar-free kind.  You want the 100% pure maple syrup!  Yes, it’s expensive but soooo much better for you than refined sugar or man-made sugars.  No, it’s still not great for you, just better.



Combine the syrup, salt, flour, and cornstarch.  Whisk together.



Slowly add the milks… yes, plural.  Evaporated and regular.



Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly.

Boil for one full minute.

Beat the yolk of an egg in a small bowl.



Add a small amount of the boiling mixture to the egg and quickly beat it to keep the egg from scrambling.  This is called ‘tempering the egg’ but you probably already knew that.  I couldn’t take pics of myself doing this part… sorry!

Pour egg slowly into the boiling mixture and whisk very quickly.  {Whisk at the same time that you are pouring if possible}

Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Whisk in the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Followed by the rice. {Leftover rice is PERFECT for this… even straight from the fridge.}





Serve warm or cold.  I like mine warm.



 

Maple Rice Pudding

3/4 c. 100% pure maple syrup {you can replace the maple with 2/3 c. regular sugar if you prefer to make traditional rice pudding}

1/4 tsp. salt

2 T. flour {whole wheat or all-purpose may be used}

2 T. cornstarch

1 can evaporated milk

1 1/3 c. milk {I’ve used skim, 1%, 2%, and whole… whatever you have on hand}

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla {does anyone really measure vanilla?}

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 c. cooked rice {leftover is fabulous!  And brown rice works too.}

 

Combine the syrup, salt, flour, and cornstarch. Whisk together.

Slowly add the milks. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly.

Boil for one full minute.

Beat the yolk of an egg in a small bowl.

Temper the egg by adding a small amount of the boiling mixture to the egg and quickly beating it to keep the egg from scrambling. Pour egg slowly into the boiling mixture and whisk very quickly. {Whisk at the same time that you are pouring if possible}

Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Followed by the rice.

Serve warm or cold.





Just a side note:  I wasn’t too terribly off on my prediction.  I was the closest… does that count?