My daughter has turned into quite the cook, taking after her grandmother and her great-grandmother before her. My sister cooks as well, having an official culinary arts education. I am the only one who can take cooking or leave it. It isn't that I don't like to cook; it's just that I am usually engaged in some other activity that distracts me until dinner, at which time I have to think of something on the fly. True, I could solve this problem with better menu planning, but I never quite seem to get a grip on that either.
Anyway, on Saturday night, Katherine the Great made a batch of Norwegian Rice Pudding, a recipe that she tweaked from one she found in The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors by Jeff Smith (some readers may recall that Reverend Smith had a PBS show by the same name several years back). His version of the pudding uses less sugar, less almond extract, and includes ground almonds. Miss Katherine prefers a bit more sweetness and a smoother consistency to her pudding. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other on that matter. All I know is that every spoonful tastes like Christmas morning to me, especially when the dish is served warm. If you are so inclined, give it a try. It is normally served as a dessert, but my family routinely eats it for breakfast.
Norwegian Rice Pudding
3/4 cup long-grain rice
6 cups boiling water
1 quart milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
7 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
nutmeg to taste
Place rice in a strainer. Pour water over rice. Drain. Put rice, milk, and salt in double boiler. Cook (covered) for 60-90 minutes or until the entire mixture is thick and creamy, stirring occasionally. Stir in butter, sugar, almond extract, and nutmeg. Serve warm or chilled. If serving as dessert, top with whipped cream.
Please forgive the lack of photo for this dish. It disappeared faster than I could snap a picture.
No comments:
Post a Comment