Silent Rice

sometimes you just need comfort

After all these weeks of baking I thought we’d keep shit simple and make an easy, comfort food classic: ride pudding. EXCEPT we’re not taking any condensed milk shortcuts here. The longer simmer time helps the rice release lots of starch to thicken the pudding, creating that signature velvety texture without tons of fat or gelling agents. Plus, it warms your place up and makes your kitchen smell amazing. All you hafta do is stir the pot every now and then. Lord knows you do enough pot stirring every year by telling your conspiracy-loving uncle how pigeons are controlled by the government. You’ve got practice, all you need is dessert.

Winter Night Rice Pudding

Enough for 4-6 people

2 teaspoons coconut oil

1 ½ cup arborio rice

2 cinnamon stick

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cups water

1/8 teaspoon of orange zest, just a lil you know?

1 teaspoon vanilla

1- 1 1/2 cup cane sugar, depending on how sweet you like it

6 cups milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Slivered almonds

In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over a medium heat. Add the rice and cinnamon sticks and sauté until the cinnamon and rice are all coated in oil and the rice smells toasty, about 2 minutes. Add the salt, water, orange zest, and vanilla. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low and let it cook until the rice is tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the sugars, then add the milk and turn the heat back up to medium. Let this simmer until the pot thickens up, about 30-40 minutes, stirring every few minutes to keep the rice from sticking to the pot. Once your house smells delicious and the pudding is nice and thick, turn off the heat and transfer the rice to a bowl with a lid.

Dust the top with a little cinnamon and serve warm, at room temperature, or cold with sliced almonds, dried cranberries, and a little turbinado sugar on top with the cinnamon.

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Thank y’all so much for spending this year cooking with us here in The Broiler Room. Your support has meant so much. Cooking and creating these recipes each week has made me feel so much more connected to this community and we hope you’re feeling the same way. 

We’ll be taking the last week of the year off to unplug. We’ll be back in the new year with brand new recipes and a giveaway just for our little recipe club here. We hope you get some quiet time too.

Michelle and Matt