Creamed Rice With Maple Syrup
My longtime editor, Judith Jones, is a wonderful home cook and a true New Englander. As such, she’s very thrifty and very creative at using leftovers.
Jones and her husband, Evan (who was also a fine home cook), wrote the “L.L. Bean Book of New England Cookery.” Among its many recipes is creamed rice with maple syrup, or what old-timers call Vermont Rice Pudding.
This is a simple and surprisingly good dessert. The trick is to keep the heat low while cooking the rice and milk so the rice absorbs the milk but the milk doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan.
Place the rice and milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil; watch until this happens. Turn the heat to simmer, cover the pot and check it after about 10 minutes. Gently stir the rice with a fork. You want the rice to absorb all of the milk and get tender in the process. This shouldn’t take more than 20 to 25 minutes. Check often and be patient. This first time will make next time easy. When the rice is tender, remove the saucepan from the heat. Let it cool.
Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, vanilla and salt, stir and taste. Add another spoonful of sugar if it isn’t sweet enough for you. Beat the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Stir the cream into the rice. Serve in small bowls and drizzle a little maple syrup on top. Heat the syrup first, if you’d like.
Get our Cooking newsletter.
Your roundup of inspiring recipes and kitchen tricks.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
