Sixteen Split 9-Patches

I’ve tried a lot of rice pudding recipes; some baked, some steamed, some with cinnamon or raisins. This one trumps them all.

Ultimate Rice Pudding

1 cup long grain white rice

1 cup water (plus an extra tablespoon or two)

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cups milk

1 cup cane sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rinse and drain rice. Bring to a boil with water, salt and butter. (Use a pot with a glass lid, if you can. Lifting the lid to check the water level will leave you with undercooked rice.) When the water is NEARLY gone, add milk and cook gently over medium-low heat. Combine eggs and sugar in a separate bowl. When milk-rice mixture comes to a boil, add a cup of it to the egg-sugar mixture before stirring it back into the pot. Bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Remove from heat before adding vanilla. Serve warm.