Rounding out my El Comidista meal of Summer Lasagna, Roasted cauliflower and carrots with orange, and Quinoa salad with avocado and lima beans, I decided to divert from the theme a bit and make Arroz con Leche. It’s a super easy, tasty dessert which won’t break the bank to make (especially important to me now in Chile). The only thing I might have to worry about is super picky arroz con leche eaters, though I confess I don’t have too many Latino friends here who might be offended by my less than perfect arroz con leche.
While still a cold dish for my Comidista meal, I found this recipe not on Mikel López Iturriaga’s blog, but in my stash from the cooking school I had gone to in Madrid and from which emerged other delicious Spanish foods like, Tortilla de Patata. I made this dish earlier in the school year for my first cook in my coop and not really been happy with the result, so I decided to make it again for this cook. I also wanted to surprise my friend who loves arroz con leche. While I was still not entirely pleased with the result (I need to make it a bit thinner for it to be true arroz con leche) I was glad to see that my friends really enjoyed it.
However, in order to find the desired consistency next time, I plan to follow the advice of Smitten Kitchen. She suggests you cook this until a certain amount of liquid has been absorbed, I’d say all but 20 percent, and as it cools it will thicken. This is especially true when you cool it in the fridge, which I recommend doing along with making it the night before. That way, the arroz con leche has time to both thicken and cool down so the next day you're not waiting to serve your dessert. As a final tip, I suggest using a very large pot for this recipe so the milk doesn’t accidentally boil over while the lid is on. Just a piece of advice which I learned from experience...
Arroz con Leche or Rice Pudding (adapted and translated from Cocina Cayena)
1 cup arborio rice (or other short grain rice)
5 cups of whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup of sugar
1 lemon peel
1 orange peel
1 cinnamon stick
ground cinnamon (for garnish)
Directions:
1) In a large pot, heat the milk, cream, sugar, the lemon and orange peel, and the cinnamon stick.
2) Once the milk boils, add the rice and let it simmer for about 20 minutes with the lid on, until the rice is tender.
3) Remove the lid and allow the rice to cool and absorb the rest of the milk and cream
4) Remove the lemon and orange peel, and cinnamon stick. Divide into individual bowls or cups. Top with ground cinnamon and serve.
Arroz con leche (adaptado de Cocina Cayena)
Ingredientes:
225 gr de arroz redondo
1 litro de leche entera
200 ml de nata
160 gr de azúcar
cáscara de naranja
cáscara de limón
1 ramita de canela
canela en polvo
Preparación:
1) Cocer la leche y la nata con el azúcar, las cáscaras de naranja y limón y la ramita de canela en una cazuela grande
2) Cuando hierva, añadir el arroz y dejar cocer con la tapa puesta unos 20 minutes más o mento, hasta que el arroz esté en su punto.
3) Destapar y dejar reposar mientras que absorbe el resto de la leche y la crema
4) Retirar las cáscaras de naranja y limón y la ramita de canela y repartir en boles individuales.
5) Espolvorear con la canela en polvo y servir
