CHEF JEFF — ONE BYTE AT A TIME: Rice Pudding

If you seek comfort from the cold, look no further than the following recipe.

Rice Pudding

½ cup golden raisins

1 cup boiling water

1/3 cup slivered almonds

3½ cups cooked medium- or long-grain rice, at room temperature

2½ cups milk

2½ cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

Pinch salt

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

¼ teaspoon ground fennel seeds

In a bowl, place raisins. Cover with water. Let sit until plumped, 5 minutes. Drain. In a skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds until golden and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large saucepan, combine rice, milk, cream, sugar and salt. Bring to simmer, stirring, over medium heat. Reduce heat slightly to maintain a low simmer and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until mixture starts to thicken. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally to prevent rice from sticking, until a spoon is just able to stand up in pudding. Remove from heat. Stir in raisins, almonds, remaining ingredients.

Grab more food tidbits at the Chef Jeff blog at GrandForksHerald.com.

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