A Favourite Dessert

I have not started to grade the exam papers sitting in my study but I found the time to patrol blogs and enter an event. (lol) This is my entry to the Monthly Blog Patrol hosted by the lovely Coffee, of The Spice Cafe.

My entry is inspired by the very talented Gattina of Kitchen Unplugged. She recently made a creamy rice pudding with strawberry sauce that had me obsessed and yearning for rice pudding. Besides I was itching to try it with the strawberry sauce.

Here is Gattina's recipe. The recipe is in two parts, for the rice pudding and the other for the strawberry sauce. I created my own recipe for the rice pudding but used her recipe and method for the strawberry sauce though I used frozen strawberries.

Recipe - Rice Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 4 cups whole milk
• Condensed milk to sweeten to taste
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeded
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup rum (I used Malibu Coconut White Rum)
  

For Strawberry sauce

• 1 pk frozen strawberries, thawed
• A few drops of lemon juice
• Sugar to sweeten sauce to taste

Method - Rice Pudding

1. Soak raisins in rum and set aside
2. Wash rice and strain excess liquid
3. In a heavy-bottomed pot combine milk, rice, cinnamon stick & vanilla bean seeds and bring to boil.
4. Turn heat to very low and let rice cook uncovered (approximately 1 hour)
5. 10 minutes before the rice is finished, sweeten with condensed milk then stir in rum and raisins that have been melding together
6. Set aside to cool
7. When the rice is cool enough you can chill it in the fridge

Method - Strawberry Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree
   Pour into a container and place in the freezer for 30 minutes before you are ready to serve the dessert
2. At the 15-minute interval, give the sauce a stir and return it to the freezer

There are a variety of ways to serve:

• You can place the rice pudding in individual glasses or bowls and top with strawberry sauce OR
• You can serve it buffet style - rice pudding in a large dish and sauce in a jug for easy pouring/drizzling or the sauce can be put in individual shot glasses.

WARNING: It is dangerously delicious! :)