Creamy Rice Pudding

Creamy Rice Pudding

Serves 6 to 8

This superb rice pudding has a number of virtues over its cousins: it uses leftover rice, it bakes in the oven, and it's unusually wholesome and delicious. In fact, this dessert may become so popular in your household that you find yourself cooking rice especially to make rice pudding. It's been known to happen.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice (seeAppendix)
21/4 cups half-and-half or milk
5 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons grated orange peel (the peel of 1 orange)
2/3 cup raisins
2 medium apples, cored and finely
chopped (optional)
freshly whipped cream

Procedures:
Butter a deep casserole dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a blender or mixing bowl combine the half-and-half, eggs, vanilla, spices, and honey.
 In a large bowl thoroughly mix the rice, egg mixture, grated orange peel, raisins, and chopped apples.
Pour the pudding into the casserole dish and bake uncovered for an hour, until the custard is set and the pudding begins to brown lightly at the edges.
Stir the pudding thoroughly at 20-minute intervals while it is baking and add a small amount of milk if it becomes too dry.
Serve Creamy Rice Pudding hot from the oven or chill it and serve it cold later.
A dollop of fresh whipped cream adds the perfect finishing touch to each serving.