Mom used to make this rice pudding for us when we were kids, and I would love to eat it warm for breakfast. She had a special pink pyrex casserole she used to bake this in, and one year at a family gathering it was smashed to pieces…I mourned over it. These objects take on a life of their own especially after a loved one’s death. They seem irreplacable, but the healing is in the making. So her recipe lives on through me and hopefully my daughter will someday make this same pudding and feel as gushy as I do about my “vintage” pyrex. These past few months have been difficult for me, my brother has been horribly ill and is thankfully on his way back up. He lost his swallow relflex and has been in a skilled nursing home working hard with a speech therapist to regain his ability to swallow and have his stomach tube removed. I visited him this week, and he had been taken to the hospital to have the “official” swallow test done and he passed! For now it is on to soft foods for him and he does not have to be tethered to a bottle of chocolate protein…and I am hopeful that he will continue to get stronger. I asked him if he would like to have a bit of “mom’s” rice pudding, can you guess what he said?
Egg Custard Rice Pudding
Custard Rice Pudding
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 1 1/2 or 2 Quart Casserole Dish
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Short Grain Rice (if possible) (My Mom used River Brand, now I believe long gone)
4 cups Milk, separated into 2 cups each
1 Tbsp Water
1/4 cup Butter (one half of a standard stick)
Separately:
2 cups Milk
3 Eggs
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
Cinnamon for Sprinkling, Fresh scraped Nutmeg
Method:
1. Cook 1/2 cup short grain rice in a heavy-bottomed pot with 2 cups of milk and one tablespoon of water. Set this on the lowest heat/flame possible. If you have a diffuser, this is the perfect time to use it. Cook for 20 minutes and add 1/4 cup butter, continue to cook until the rice is tender. My Mom used a double boiler for this, this makes it less labor intensive as you have to keep stirring this on the stovetop to avoid sticking. Your choice.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of milk, 3 eggs and 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat well and then add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp pure almond flavoring.
3. SLOWLY add hot cooked rice mixture to the mixture of cold ingredients, whisking with each addtion so that the mixture does not begin to cook (this is called tempering).
4. Pour mixture into your prepared 1 1/2 or 2 quart baking casserole. Sprinkle with Cinnamon and Freshly scraped Nutmeg.
5. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
This cooks up with a layer of custard over the top, the rice sinks to the bottom of the casserole. It is really a special dessert and a very special memory for me each time I prepare and make this for my family.
Recipe from www.sunchowdersemporia.com
Digging in to a Rice Pudding Casserole
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I loved rice pudding as a child, my mother made it with Carnation milk! I know exactly what you mean about becoming so sentimental about items after losing loved ones, unfortunately I have a house full of such things! I’m so happy to hear your brother can eat rice pudding, I bet it was like nectar to him! I like your addition of almond- yum! Will be trying this!
Oh, can’t wait till you make it Jayne! Please let me know how you like it
And please omit the cinnamon if Andy doesn’t care for it, it won’t suffer at bit!
My very favorite kind of post – and best to your brother, on the mend…I have three mixing bowls and I pie plate from my mother’s kitchen. I rarely use them because I’m terrified of breaking them -
Thanks for your kind words Liz, you should have seen his face this afternoon when I brought it to him! He gobbled every last grain of it
I have to tell you that I use my Mom’s things all the time now. When I first got married, one of my stepkids dropped her original pyrex pie dish. I was so devastated, I yelled, I screamed, I left the house crying and went and purchased another one that was similar to hers…unbeknownest to be, my husband went out at the same time with all the kids and purchased one too (exactly the same one). It was one of those priceless moments. I decided then and there that was a message from my Mom to go ahead and use everything, as the magic was really in the memories of what was cooked inside and she had left all that knowledge with me.
I loved, loved, loved her rice pudding. She made it with all of her love….
Ah Este…I did too…today it came out perfectly
Ira really loved it and I had to write about it. Thanks so much for posting.
Thanks so much for this special timely story!
Of cours Sue! Thanks so much for appreciating and posting up a comment:)
I have never tried to bake a pudding with rice in it…this is an interesting recipe.Bookmarking this one:)
This is such a good pudding
I love rice pudding and this looks so yummy!
Wendy, I have to thank you for this recipe. It is the closest to my Mom’s recipe (which I am unable to find). She would also add some raisins to it. I actually have the tin bowl
she made it in. I’m looking forward to making this recipe and maybe I can surprise my
siblings with it. I still look for my Mom’s recipe as I was able to get all of her recipes.
Again thank you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know Judy! It makes is all worthwhile to get comments like yours