Original post from my personal blogger on July 18th 2014

Arroz con Leche/Peruvian Rice Pudding

There is always a storyline for each thing we learn in life, and that is the case of my home’s “Arroz con Leche”. When I learned that my boyfriend (husband today) really liked this dessert; I ran to my home’s kitchen to make it for him. My mom guided me and it was done. Later when he came to visit he smiled at me, and happily ate it. Later that same week; he took me to his mom’s home; he commented to her that I love cooking and that she should show me her way to make rice pudding. And she did !!! To my surprise, the rice pudding was way different than the one I made and of course DELICIOSO, since that day I never looked back to my mom’s Arroz con Leche, I thank my mother-in-law up to today. Every time I make Arroz con Leche, I can see her, in her light blue camisole, standing next to me and explaining to me how to make her son’s favorite dessert. Good to explain something, my mom made the Arroz con Leche like that, because my brother could not eat milk, but up until that day I had not tried a different one, except my father’s, that it was bad, jaja. He always cooked the rice of the day without salt, so that he could add milk later if the rice was not eaten. I can hear his voice explaining and reasoning about that.

Hope you will enjoy this recipe, and I am sure my kids and someday grandkids will. UPDATE, I have the grandkids now! and they DO!

Now I also made a faster version in the pressure cooker, here is a link for that one: Pressure Cooker Arroz con Leche

Recipe by Chef Freyka

Serves 8 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup short-grain rice
• 5 cups water
• stick of cinnamon or 2 pinches of cinnamon powder
• 2 pinches of grounded cloves
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup raisins ( optional)(softened in pisco or rum)
• 1 can of evaporated milk
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 egg yolk
• rum or pisco to taste
• pinch salt

Directions:

1. In a large cooking pot, combine the rice, water, cinnamon, and cloves. Place the pot over high heat and cook until the rice is fully cooked and almost all of the water has been absorbed.
2. Quickly add the sugar, vanilla, and raisins (if using). Stir to combine and continue to cook until the sugar has completely dissolved; quickly, incorporate the evaporated milk. Stir and allow the mixture to come to a boil.
3. In a small bowl, place the egg yolk and mix it. While mixing, gradually add some of the hot bubbling rice mixture, stirring quickly and gently. Once the mixture in the bowl becomes warm, transfer it back to the cooking pot. (This technique is called tempering.)
4. As soon as the egg yolk mixture is fully incorporated, turn off the heat, and add the lime zest, lime juice, pisco, and a pinch of salt. Stir well and transfer the mixture to a serving platter or individual ramekins. To garnish, simply dust the cinnamon powder over the rice pudding.
5. Keep in mind that as the rice cools, it will thicken, and you want to achieve a rice pudding-like consistency.
6. Remember, do not store in the fridge. keep at room temperature. The pudding will have better consistency as it cools.