"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
> Dave Smith wrote:
>>
>> You're right. It would have been better with short grain rice like
>> arborio,
>> but I have used left over basmati. You need a little bit of salt in it.
>> It
>> would be much better with whole milk than skim. That is probably why it
>> tasted thin. The milk, sugar and egg amounts sound about right, though
>> you
>> could use as much as a 1/2 cup of sugar and a little more vanilla. It is
>> also great with ground cinnamon sprinkled on top at the end.
>
> I did add a generous pinch of salt, I just forgot to mention it.
>
>> Rice pudding really needs slow cooking. Try simmering the rice in the
>> milk
>> for a while. Then after the eggs have been properly tempered and added
>> back
>> into the pot, cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Do no let it
>> boil.
>> This last part takes 15-20 minutes. It is the part that makes rice
>> pudding
>> labour intensive, but it is also the crucial step in making a creamy
>> smooth
>> rice pudding.
>
> I did simmer the cooked rice in the milk for a while; until the rice
> started falling apart. How do you know when it's done after adding the
> eggs? Use a thermometer and cook to 185 degrees (or some other setpoint)?
> Or is there a color or texture change like there is with custard? I
> didn't see it change last night, but maybe that's because I cooked it too
> fast after adding the eggs.
>
>> BTW where are the raisins?
>
> Raisins are for *bread* pudding.
>
> Thanks for your help,
> Bob
----------------------

I don't know what effect the longer (?) simmering did; quite frankly, I
rarely even cook mine on the stove top any more as I generally make the rice
pudding with leftover rice. But on the rare occaions that I actually cook
rice specifically for rice pudding I cook it on the stove top as I normally
would with the exception of using milk in lieu of water - then I stir in all
the other stuff - eggs, more milk, butter, salt, vanilla, a little bit of
cinnamon and nutmeg (sometimes raisins).

Cyndi