Rum Raisin Rice Pudding

By Christy Rost

Rum Raisin Rice Pudding may look sophisticated, but dessert doesn't get much easier than this. Flavoring it with rum-soaked raisins and vanilla bean paste elevates this basic recipe to haute cuisine.

Ingredients:

3		tablespoons amber rum
2/3		cup raisins
4		eggs
¾		cup sugar
2		cups milk
1 ¾		cups cooked medium-grain rice
1 ½		teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla
¼		teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
		boiling water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, stir together rum and raisins, and cook over medium-low heat just until the rum begins to simmer. Remove it from the heat, stir, and set aside 10 to 15 minutes until the raisins soften.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and milk together until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in cooked rice, vanilla bean paste, and nutmeg, and pour the mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the casserole dish in a baking pan and pour boiling water into the pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake in a preheated oven 30 minutes, uncovered, until the pudding is partially set. Stir it gently to distribute the raisins and rice, and bake 15 minutes more or until it is set.

Remove the pudding from the oven and transfer the casserole dish to a wire rack to cool. Serve it warm or chilled.

Recipe serves 6 to 8.