Dinosaur Rice Pudding

By alexi57

I used to think I made a pretty good rice pudding. Then I went down to Miami and tasted the Cuban version, and I sent myself back to the stove. Now ours is modeled after the best ones I tasted down there. Its perfumed with a bit of lime peel and has a creamy texture and a smooth taste spiked with rum.

Ingredients

• The Pudding:
• 4 cups (1 quart) half-and-half
• 11 cinnamon stick (3 inches long)
• Peel from 1/4 lime (all white pith removed)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 2/4 cup parboiled long-grain rice (preferably Uncle Bens)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• The Garnish:
• Fresh mango cubes and whipped cream

Preparation

Step 1

Mic up the half-and-half, cinnamon stick, lime peel, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Slide it onto a burner and bring the mixture up to a simmer on medium-high heat. Dump in the rice and turn the heat down to low. Cook gently, stirring every now and then, for 35 to 40 minutes, or till the rice grains are just tender. Pill the pan off the heat.

Grab a bowl and whisk together the cream, yolks, vanilla, brown sugar, and rum. Fold the mixture into the cooked rice and put the pan back on medium heat for a few more minutes, stirring till the mixture just begins to thicken. Take it off the heat, fish out the cinnamon stick and the lime peel, and scrape the pudding into a bowl. Serve warm or cold just as it is, or dress the pudding up a bit with some fresh mango cubes and whipped cream.