Rice pudding reminds me of my grandma Sylvia, the first great baking influence in my life. She baked hers in the oven and added golden raisins to the mixture. Rice pudding requires the kind of devotion we need to give our loved ones – you cannot ignore it and expect it to come out right, it needs to be watched carefully and listened to for stirring cues, and sometimes requires more attention than we might be in the mood to give. Just like with our relationships, if we are attentive, the rewards are great. Do not walk away too long from the cooking pudding as it needs to be stirred often, and turn down the heat if it bubbles too much.
White Chocolate Rice Pudding with Passion Fruit
Passion fruit is the perfect topper for this white chocolate rice pudding.
Servings
6 Servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup long grain white rice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 ounces white chocolate finely chopped
- 1 large or 2 small fresh passion fruit
Instructions
- Place the rice, sugar, milk, and vanilla into a medium-heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 25 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring often to make sure that a film does not appear on the surface. You want the mixture to bubble a bit, but if it bubbles too much, turn down the heat.
- Place the egg yolks into a small bowl and whisk well. Scoop up one cup of the rice mixture, add to the yolks, and whisk together. Scoop this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for another 10-12 minutes, mixing very often. I mean it – really often. You will need a silicone spatula to mix in the rice from the corners and off the bottom. The pudding is done when the mixture is thick, like oatmeal.
- Whisk in the chopped white chocolate, reserving about 2 tablespoons for garnish. Let sit for 10 minutes to cool. Eat warm or scoop into serving bowls, individual cups, or glasses. Cover with plastic and chill for 4 hours.
- 4. To serve, scoop the pulp out of the passion fruit into a small bowl and break up the pieces. Add a teaspoon of pulp to each serving and sprinkle with some of the reserved white chocolate.
- As seen in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine (Shavuot 2015) – Subscribe Now
In our community there was a long time tradition of serving rice pudding for lunch on Friday in the kibbutz dining room. Since lunch is no longer served there my kids still crave it when they come home on Fridays; but who has time to stand and stir?! I put a liter of milk and one cup of short grain rice in the microwave in a large pyrex casserole, add a cinnamon stick or a piece of vanilla bean, and cook it on 50% power for 20 minutes at a time with a stir every 20 minutes. It is much less demanding and I don’t need to cook dairy pudding alongside the soup and cholent.