June 15, 2012

WHILE THE CAT’S AWAY

The mouse will make rice pudding.

rice pudding1 Another book I bought from the discount bookshop was one by Gregg Wallace.  It cost me £3.99 which I thought was ok for a book full of pudding recipes.  I had never heard of Gregg Wallace until I watched Masterchef on the telly and find him quite amusing, his love of pudding being something I can identify with.  (When we eat out I usually choose my meals from the pudding backwards.)

rice pudding2 On leafing through the book I spotted a recipe for rice pudding and, with Nick working away from home, I decided it was now or never.  I had all the ingredients in stock so why not?

Nick and I don’t disagree about too many things but one of them is rice pudding.  I love it and he hates it.  I love rice pudding made as my mother used to make it – made just from rice (pudding rice was the only rice anyone bought in the 1950’s), milk, sugar, a knob of butter and a sprinkle of grated nutmeg.  It was baked in the oven for absolutely yonks alongside the lamb – we had lamb shoulder most Sundays for dinner, decades before slow roast shoulder of lamb became a trendy thing to eat.  The rice pudding would be thick with a golden brown skin on top.  Occasionally mum would put in some evaporated milk to make it even more delicious.

The best rice pudding I ever had was the one my mum made to welcome me home from the nightmare holiday that no-one ever wants to have.  We went to Cyprus for a week and I spent three weeks in a Cyprus hospital.  When I finally got home, still so poorly that I had to have help to climb the stairs, a whole rice pudding was in the fridge, just for me.

rice pudding3 Gregg’s rice pudding recipe has ingredients that my mother would never have thought possible – nor me for that matter – suet, salt, breadcrumbs, coriander, eggs and rosewater.

rice pudding4

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This pudding is cooked in a saucepan on top of the stove (which would have my mother turning in her grave for a start).  The eggs, breadcrumbs and rosewater are added once the rice is cooked and creamy.

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It was absolutely divine.  For people that love rice pudding this is the holy grail of rice puddings.  A wonderful combination of flavours and absolutely scrumptious.  The sprinkling of brown sugar on top was not necessary – as I discovered when I indulged in my third bowl.

There are not many foods that I could die for but this is one of them.

Rice pudding

Ingredients

75g pudding rice

100g caster sugar

¼tsp ground coriander

½tsp salt

½tsp ground nutmeg (I didn’t have any ground nutmeg in stock so used a good amount of grated whole nutmeg)

2tblsp shredded suet

600ml milk (a pint !!)

3 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg

4tblsp white breadcrumbs (mine came out of the freezer, I just left them to thaw while the pudding was on the hob)

2tblsp rosewater

a spoonful of light brown sugar to serve

Method

Put the rice, sugar, suet, milk, salt and spices in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes until the pudding is thick and creamy.

Add the eggs, breadcrumbs and rosewater and beat until combined.

Serve warm with a sprinkling of brown sugar if you like.

Serves 4 small portions, or 2 secret eater indulgences.

28 comments:

  1. Looks yummylecious. Love a good rice pudding. We, in India, also make it on stove top, of course never with eggs, suet or coriander (?). I can understand using eggs and suet but coriander sounds strange to me in a sweet dish. I guess that's because we use it only in savory dishes here.

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    1. Simple baking, the coriander surprised me too, but it worked.

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  2. Hi Jean,

    I adore rice pudding too. It's probably close to being my favourite pudding if it's made really, really thick.

    I rarely make it any more because the rest of my tribe are ignorant of it's restorative properties!

    Lovely post, another recipe to try...

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    1. Gaynor, I wonder if it's the old comfort food/nursery food thing that makes us love rice pudding (and macaroni cheese, etc) ?

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  3. P.S. What happened in Cyprus?

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  4. Yes, what happened in Cyprus? It sounds dire. 3 weeks is a long time in hospital. I have to admit this rice pudding doesn't look promising, and I bet Simon wouldn't like it. I have a fantastic rice cream recipe that uses a bit of saffron and he won't have it. He also likes rice puddings really sloppy, but won't eat risotto. Technically I believe a rice dessert produced on the stove top is rice cream, rice pudding is done in the oven like your mother (and mine) used to do. Done in the oven is my favourite, but Simon's family did it on the stove top, so guess what we have...

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    1. Susan, I have encountered the debate about rice pudding vs rice cream somewhere before and think you're probably right.

      I love it when it's done in the oven - you get that lovely thick skin that some people find unpleasant but I always used to fight for. Saffron sounds good.

      As for Cyprus....it's a long story but it was principally a health insurance scam. I will email the gory details to you and Gaynor for your amazement !!

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    2. Thanks for the email - I would have done exactly as you did, thinking they were trustworthy professionals. Forewarned is forearmed now though.

      Like Simple Baking I wondered about the coriander too. Cardamom and rose water is a classic combo, but coriander I'm not sure about.

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  5. I love rice pudding but not with eggs. My grandmother used to make it with eggs and both my Mum, brother and I thought it was YUCK. I was the only one brave enough to say it though, I was not very popular!!! Diane

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    1. Diane, you could miss out the eggs and all the flavours would still be there. The eggs and breadcrumbs just made it richer and thicker, which I loved !!

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  6. Hmmm...well, I've just made this for pudding. To my surprise Simon ate it, and had seconds. Telling him he wouldn't like it was the trick. Personally I think you could leave out step 2 and it would be nicer - I just don't think the eggs and breadcrumbs add anything.

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    1. Susan, thanks for the feedback - see above reply !!

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  7. I'm afraid I'm with Nick on rice pudding but you do make a very convincing argument - food to die for!

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    1. Rice pudding is one of those "love it or hate it" foods I think, a bit like brussels sprouts !!
      In Nick's case it was probably his mother's fault - the way she made it !!

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  8. Taste is important but the real deal is when the pudding is cold.

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    1. Lesley - absolutely !! I had the last portion of this straight from the fridge yesterday.....delicious !!

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  9. Looks excellent. Bookmarking this!

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    1. Alida, I hope you like it if you decide to make it.

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  10. I LOVE rice pudding...I have this book too...I may have to make the pudding immediately...it certainly sounds divine! :-)

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    1. Laura, this is the only recipe of Gregg's I have tried so far - I hesitated buying the book because it was full of such familiar recipes, but I shall be delving in again soon.

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  11. Oh I agree about picking your meal backwards - it really annoys me when restaurants have the desserts on a separate menu that you can't see when you're picking your starter and main!

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    1. CC - me too, it's so annoying. I have been known to demand to see the dessert menu before I make my choice !!

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  12. I love rice pudding cold or hot. I bought Greg's book yesterday in a discount bookshop Jean, so must try this.

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  13. I love rice pudding in pretty much all forms and degrees of runniness. I like that addition of coriander.

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  14. You explain it so well. I have never made it successfully - and the better half is not a fan of it.

    Thanks for stopping by Carole's Chatter to add a comment about the jam funnel.

    Have a great week.

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    1. Carole, jam in rice pudding.....yum !!

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