Dulce de Leche-Arborio Rice Pudding

One last post for the night, then I'm going to bed.  I've finally made a recipe I've meant to several times in the past week. I'd decide I was going to make it, then something would come up (often, my own laziness). It's another recipe from Rebecca Rather's The Pastry Queen; it's Dulce de Leche Arborio Rice Pudding. 

I grew up eating rice pudding; it's something my dad and I always bonded over.  What we ate was a canned "creamed rice" (it sounds disgusting, I know) from Scotland that he would doctor up with his special recipe.  It was a very rare treat for me, as my dad didn't get to return to Scotland all that much. I was probably 16 before he shared the secret recipe with me (and I'll take it to my grave!)  So, going through life, that was the only rice pudding I ate.. until I visited my aunt and uncle in Austin and had Indian food for the first time.  The rice pudding (called kheer) that I had there was the opposite of what I'd always had; it was much thinner and cold, with different spices. I fell in love with it. So then I knew I loved rice pudding as a whole. 

This is my first attempt at making  homemade rice pudding, and I am quite pleased with the results.  It's perfectly sweet and creamy; the rice holds its firmness well. 

Dulce de Leche - Arborio Rice Pudding
(Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen, pg 106-107)
 
Rice Pudding

• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 vanilla beans, split in half, seeds scraped out and reserved
• 3 tbsp amaretto liqueur

Garnish

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 1/3 cup dulce de leche (above)

 To make the pudding:


Coat a 5 or 6 cup ovenproof casserole or souffle dish with cooking spray.


Remove the paper wrapper from the can of sweetened condensed milk. Use a can opener to make two small punctures on opposite sides of the top of the can.  Set the can of milk in a medium saucepan, puncture side up. Fill the medium saucepan with water to reach two-thirds of the way up the sides of the can. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Lower the heat until the water simmers. 

Simmer the milk for 1 hour. Check the saucepan periodically, adding water to ensure that the water level does not drop below halfway. A bit of milk may seep out of the small holes in the can.  Cook unti lthe milk pooled on top of the can has turned a deep golden brown. 


Remove the can from the simmering water using a pot holder or tongs.  Open the can carefully and use a rubber spatula to spoon 1 cup of the cooked milk into a measuring cup (save the rest to use in the whipped cream topping).  It should have a pudding-like consistency.


Bring the rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes.  Drain the rice in a colander, pour back into the saucepan, and add milk. Cover and simmer the rice for 20-25 mintues, until the milk is absorbed. Transfer the rice to a bowl. 


Preheat the oven to 325F. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar until smooth. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the cream, 1 cup dulce de leche, and vanilla bean pods and their beans to a boil. Remove the vanilla bean pods. 


Whisk 2 tbsp of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture (introduce the hot mixture slowly, or the yolks may begin to curdle). Pour the rest of the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Stir in the amaretto. Add the cooked rice and mix to combine. 


Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is browned and a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out almost clean. (The pudding may look a little wet on top.)


To make the garnish:


Arrange the almond slivers on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic.


Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream in  a large bowl on high speed until soft peaks begin to form. Add 1/3 cup of the remaining dulce de leche, if desired, and beat until incorporated. 


Serve the pudding warm or at room temperature  wtih a dollop of dulce de leche whipped cream and a generous sprinkling of toasted almonds. 


C'est bon.