My first time making a stirred custard, this was a learning experience. Basically, it is possible to have the heat too low for the eggs to thicken. While waiting it for the pudding to thicken, I added both extra rice and an extra egg when mere heat and patience would have likely worked.

It’s a mellow dish: comforting on a cool fall night. I tweaked a few things, changing the raisins soaked in rum from the original recipe to dried apricots and decreasing the sugar. (breakfast + rum = not such a great idea.) Second 79 cookbooks recipe? Reasonably successful. I’m going to enjoy breakfast this week.

Creamy Rice with Apricots

1/2 c brown rice, preferably short or medium-grained
1/2 c water
2 c milk
Pinch cinnamon
3/4 c coconut milk
1/2 c chopped dried apricots
2 t ginger paste (fresh, grated ginger)
2 T butter
3 eggs, beaten
3 T sugar
1/2 c cooked rice

Heat a deep saucepan over medium fire. Add the rice and water and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes. Add 2 c milk and 1/4 c coconut milk along with the cinnamon. Cook for 75 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the remaining coconut milk, sugar, and ginger. Add the butter to the saucepan. After it’s mixed in, blend the egg mixture into the pot. Stir constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens. Add the chopped apricots. Serve warm or chilled.

Scott, Maria Luisa and Scott, Jack Denton. Rice. Times Books: 1985. pg 342.