Sunday, August 31, 2014

Secret Recipe Club: Arroz con Leche

My partner for this month's Secret Recipe Club was Leslie of La Cocina de Leslie.  Leslie's blog is full of Mexican recipes that look absolutely amazing -- I wanted to try everything! I decided on her arroz con leche, or rice pudding, because I have a bit of a history with rice pudding.  I really like it, but the one time I tried to make it (years ago), it was a total fail. I'm not sure if it was a bad recipe or just user error, but it just turned out weird and unappetizing.  I think my roommates and I each took just a couple of bites before tossing it.  Leslie's recipe looked super tempting, so I wanted to give this dish another shot!  I'm glad I did, because Leslie's arroz con leche is amazing--it's super creamy and sweet with just the right amount of spicy cinnamon. Everything rice pudding should be...I'm in love!


Arroz con Leche (adapted from La Cocina de Leslie, original recipe here)

1 cup rice (I used Arborio)
1 cinnamon stick or 1 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups water
4 cups milk (I used 2 percent)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
Ground cinnamon, to serve

1. In a large saucepan, bring the rice, cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon, salt, and water to a boil over medium high heat.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Let simmer until the rice is cooked, about 15 minutes.
2.  Add the milk and raisins, and fish out the cinnamon stick and discard.  Cover and cook until the milk starts to bubble, stirring occasionally.  The stir in the sugar and simmer, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for at least 15 minutes.  Serve warm, or chill for at least 2 hours to serve cold.  Sprinkle with ground cinnamon before serving.

12 comments:

  1. yum - now thinking about making rice pudding for breakfast! great SRC pick :-)

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  2. I haven't had rice pudding for a long time - always loved it. Thanks for the reminder...

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  3. I'm always hit or miss with rice pudding, and as a result I haven't made it in years. But it's so good warm...I'm thinking with fall coming I may need to try it again!

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  4. Good for you, giving this dish another shot! Looks delicious.

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  5. This sure looks good. You must be glad you decided to try making rice pudding again :)

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  6. Delicious looking rice pudding!

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  7. we were just talking about rice pudding the other day...yours looks great! they can be so hard to get right.

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  8. That looks so good. I've never made rice pudding, but this recipe looks quite easy, so I am definitely going to have to try it.

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  9. My husband loves rice pudding, but I haven't thought to make it in ages - thanks for the reminder!

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  10. Nothing beats a good rice pudding recipe!

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  11. I love rice pudding... mainly because it's appropriate to be eaten any time of day. Like NOW! :)

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