Rice Pudding

I think rice pudding is one of those foods that you either love or hate. Personally, it is one of my favorite comfort foods, though one that I don't eat a lot. Maybe that's because it seems so time consuming to prepare, or that I've tried recipe after recipe and none, before this, tasted the way I hoped.

Now, with a simple and tasty recipe, maybe I'll get to enjoy this comforting dessert a little more often.

Rice Pudding

3 C cooked rice
2 1/2 C milk & 1/2 C heavy cream (or all milk if you want to keep it lower in fat and calories)
1/2 C sugar
3/4 C raisins (optional, but a must for me!)
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
Finely grated (use microplane grater) rind of one lemon or orange
1 t good quality vanilla

Put all ingredients in heavy saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 15-25 minutes. (The timing seems to vary quite a bit from batch to batch.) If you will be serving warm, take off the heat when the pudding reaches the creaminess you want. Remove from heat while still extra creamy if you will be serving chilled since pudding thickens with cooling. Add vanilla and stir in.

When serving, sprinkle with additional cinnamon if desired.

(Quick Fix: If pudding does thicken up more than you hope once chilled, simply mix in some half and half or milk, until desired consistency.)