Recipe: Rice Pudding with Meringue and Arroz Con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding)

Rice Pudding Recipe
This is an old-fashioned rice pudding recipe with raisins or other dried fruit, baked with meringue topping.

1 cup long grain rice, cooked with 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
raisins or dried fruit, if desired
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Add cooked rice to milk; heat to scalding point in saucepan.

Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup granulated sugar and vanilla. Add some of the rice and milk slowly into the egg yolk mixture, stirring briskly. Pour all back into the saucepan and cook until thickened.

Fold in raisins or dried fruit, if using.

Make meringue. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and begin adding the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar slowly. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Cover the rice pudding casserole with meringue and bake at 350F until browned.

Arroz Con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding)

Cinnamon stick, 2-inch
Lime zest, 2 x 3/4-inch wide strip
1 cup Rice
1 qt Milk
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
4 lrg Egg yolks
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 cup Raisins
1 tbl Butter, sweet, cut into bits
Ground cinnamon, for garnish

The rice. Bring 2 c water to boil in med. saucepan, add cinnamon stick and lime zest, cover and simmer over med heat for 5 min. Pour in rice, let mix return to boil, stir once, then cover and cook over med-low heat for 20 min, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

The pudding: Stir in milk, sugar, and salt and simmer over med to med-low heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid shows the FIRST signs of thickening, 20-25 min. Take from the heat and remove the cinn stick and zest. Beat the egg yolks until runny, stir in the vanilla and a few T of the hot rice, the stir yolk concoction back into the rice mixture. Mix in HALF the raisins, then spoon the rice pudding into a decorative 8"square baking dish.

Browning and finishing the pudding. Preheat the broiler and dot the rice pudding w/butter. Set the dish under the heat long enough to brown the top, 3 or 4 min. Sprinkle with remaining raisins and the ground cinnamon, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Timing and Advance Preparation: The rice pudding can be ready in an hour, much of which won't involve your direct participation. It may be prepared through Step 2 a day or two in advance, then buttered and broiled shortly before serving.