1 cinnamon stick, 2
1 lime zest, 2 strip x 3/4 wide
1 cup rice
1 qt milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbsp butter, sweet, cut into bits
1 ground cinnamon, for garnish
Directions
The rice. Bring 2 c water to boil in med saucepan, add cinnamon
stick and lime zest, cover and simmer over med heat for 5 min. Pour
in rice, let mix return to boil, stir once, then cover and cook over
med-low heat for 20 min, until all the liquid is absorbed and the
rice is tender.
The pudding. Stir in milk, sugar, and salt and simmer over med to
med-low heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid shows the FIRST
signs of thickening, 20-25 min. Take from the heat and remove the
cinn stick and zest. Beat the egg yolks until runny, stir in the
vanilla and a few T of the hot rice, the stir yolk concoction back
into the rice mixture, Mix in HALF the raisins, then spoon the rice
pudding into a decorative 8"square baking dish.
Browning and finishing the pudding. Preheat the broiler and dot the
rice pudding w/butter. Set the dish under the heat long enough to
brown the top, 3 or 4 min. Sprinkle with remaining raisins and the
ground cinnamon, and serve warm or at room temperature.
COOK'S NOTES:
Timing and Advance Preparation The rice pudding can be ready in an
hour, much of which won't involve your direct participation. It may
be prepared through Step 2 a day or two in advance, then buttered and
broiled shortly before serving.
-- The Cuisines of Mexico
Diana Kennedy
Servings: 6 servings
Arroz Con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dessert; Mexican; Rice; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
We are able to read the history of written recipes back into ancient history, certainly as far back as pharonic Egypt, and possibly even further than that. In practice though, sadly, these old cookbooks were just very basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
The truth of the matter is, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to historians are some ancient tablets in Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. As we move into The time of the romans around 25BC a man called Apicius created a number of scripts describing recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, he tells us how the meals were divided into starters, entrees and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Aspicius tells us how the cooks of his times were skilled in the use of a good variety of herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs such as basil, mint and parsley. As we move on, we have a couple of interesting recipe books which were published in the 14th Century ; one book titled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, they are nothing to do with the indian curry that is served today, but instead descriptions of the types of meals cooked for the upper classes of the time. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought us many foods and spices from middle-east cuisine, such as basil and coriander. The introduction of these new tastes was responsible for a surge in books on cookery, the majority of which are kept safe in private collections. During the next few centuries, the rich families of the West competed with each other to lay on the most extravagent meals, and because of this cooks and their recipe collections were greatly in demand. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 1800s that fine cooking and cookery books reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, spent years to collecting, verifying, and publishing the recipes that were being prepared for the better households. By the advent of the 20th century, cooking publications were in high demand, as a result of higher levels of literacy, people having more spare time and having more money. The introduction of the TV brings us TV cooks and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. And that brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to access thousands of recipes such as those found on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Arroz Con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding) recipe.
