Saturday, February 4, 2012

Weekend Cooking...Baked Rice Pudding

Recently the Bro and the SIL jetted away to Cancun for a week of relaxation and luxury..because that is how they roll.
For me, it meant some extra quality time with the cutest doggie in the world, So-So Sammy, and the gift of a big bottle of Mexican vanilla.
Oh, what to make, what to make?

Well, the first thing that came to my mind was Rice Pudding. In my memory, vanilla was always at the flavor forefront of my mother's baked rice pudding. But, as with so many of my mother's recipes, I never wrote it down. What was I thinking?
So off to the internet I went.

Most rice pudding recipes start with cooked rice. My mother's did not.
So many contain eggs, to make a custard. My mother's did not.
Many are cooked on the stove-top. My mother's was not.

I know it contained milk..a lot of milk.
It contained rice..not that much.
Sugar and vanilla and...maybe something else.

So I found a couple of recipes. And went from there.

Caite's Baked Rice Pudding
  • About 4 cups of milk
  • 6 cardamon pods
  • 3/4 cup raw rice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • Zest of one orange
  • 3/4 cup of raisins
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Put milk in a pot and heat, adding pods of cardamom just before it comes to a boil. Take off the heat and let it steep for about 30 minutes. Remove the pods and mix all the ingredients, except the vanilla, into a large baking dish and put in the preheated oven.


Bake for about two hours, stirring every 20 minutes. After about 1 1/2 hours, add the vanilla and stir in. Bake until rice is very soft and creamy and all the milk is absorbed, adding more milk if it becomes too dry before the rice is soft.

So, was it the same as my mom's?
Yes..and no. The basic recipe was, I think, the same. Creamy, from all the stirring, and yummy. A few simple ingredients.
Same, except for the orange zest and the cardamon, which were not in my mom's recipe but seemed like excellent additions. It smelled so good!
Nothing is as cozy as some tasty rice pudding!




This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.


22 comments:

  1. Sounds Yummy, Caite! I use to love my mother's Rice Pudding too. I hope you have a great weekend!

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  2. I might have a bit for brekkie! ;-)

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  3. I envy you that big bottle of Mexican vanilla. I practically cried when mine ran out. Sounds like the perfect breakfast to me. Enjoy!

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  4. I definitely think I'd like the orange zest and cardamon. It almost sounds like it would have a chai tea kind of flavor.

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  5. Oh my Dad loves rice pudding! This looks like a good recipe to try; thanks for sharing.

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  6. Looks so good and creamy. Rice pudding is cozy! Nice flavors in there. I have to try this, I've only made it on the stove. Love Mexican vanilla.

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  7. This is exactly how my grandmother made rice pudding, the best in the world. Well, she didn't use the cardamom, but she did use raisins and orange zest.

    I might have to make a batch this weekend.

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  8. Oh that looks so wonderful! Although I would leave out the raisins.... But the Mexican vanilla sounds heavenly!

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  9. This looks delicious. I must try it. Last time I made rice pudding it came out like a lumpy brick - ick.

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  10. What a hardship for you! lol I bet Carl would love that rice pudding.

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  11. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of rice pudding--think it might be a texture thing. But I'm curious about cardamon--have never cooked with it but would like to!

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  12. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the joys of Mexican vanilla. What is it that makes it special? Does it make a big difference in the rice pudding?

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  13. "Vanilla is an essential cooking ingredient for which there is no true substitute. The flavor of real vanilla is made up of over 250 organic components, which gives it great depth and complexity, compared to only one flavor component in artificial vanilla. There are three main types of vanilla: Madagascar Bourbon (named after the Bourbon islands not the liquor), Tahitian (fruity),and Mexican (spicy).."

    Ok, I copied that from a web site. Mexican vanilla just seems a lot more interesting, with a wonderful aroma , than the kind you find in the supermarket . Does it make a difference? Probably not..but it smells great. And of course, mine was free!

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  14. I love Mexican vanilla. My husband and I brought back the biggest bottle we could find when we ventured there for our honeymoon years ago. Haven't been back since but I still always look for highest quality of real vanilla I can find. My husband adores rice pudding so I should give your recipe a try.

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  15. Rice pudding is my husband's absolute favorite. Looks like I'm going to have to make this recipe! Thanks for sharing :).

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  16. That sounds delicious and I like how you tried to match it to the way your mom made it. I neglected to pay more attention when I had mom around and wish I had more of her recipes...

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  17. I really should try my hand at making my own desserts some time. I never really tried it.

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  18. Excellent investigation to recreate a recipe.

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  19. I take my obligation seriously! ;-)

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  20. Wow, my mom used to make an eggless rice pudding, but I have never made it myself. This post is a great reminder to try making one -- just for the way the house smells when it's cooking! Thanks!

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  21. Sounds delicious. I love rice pudding, but I've never made it myself.

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