HUMBLE is SOME PUDDING!

Posted on March 16th, 2009

Humility is a tender and creative place. Not everyone experiences
humility. Some experience humiliation, but that is different. Humility
enters the room knowing that it is not impressive. It is the awkwardness
of this quality that sparks interest. It is the treasure that awaits
discovery that is so attractive. Not everyone recognizes humility when
it appears, that again is part of its appeal.

Rice Pudding has many names, Riz l'Imperatrice and Riz a la Malta are
two that I know. Each is rice pudding with a variant on the flavoring. I
have enjoyed these rice puddings, they are worthy of the end of an
elegant meal, but it is the simple rice pudding that love. The humble
rice pudding cooked on the stove top served cold in glass bowls
glistening with vanilla bean seeds.

When I was freshly returned from Paris I swore I would never make a
carrot cake or a devil's food cake in my bakery. I was so attached to
the Parisian idea of pastry and cakes that I had little room for the
humble desserts of my youth. Now twenty eight years later it is those
simple desserts of my childhood that have graced the cases of my bakery
for the test of time. The cheesecake and the rugelach of my grandmother,
the devil's food cake of my dear friend in college, and yes the
croissant dough recipe from my stage in Paris, are all there everyday.
To this I am adding the rice pudding of my father. He loved it for
breakfast, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. I love it just plain or
with a dash or caramel sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

Humility sometimes is earned at the price of a lack of recognition. The
knowing stand resolute in the truth of their worth. Rice pudding
deserves the name Riz l'Imperatrice, but I want to call it HUMBLE just
like Wilber in Charlotte's web, it's SOME PUDDING.

humble rice pudding Humble Rice Pudding

Serves 12

Adapted from Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding by Molly Wizenberg

* 3 cups of water
* 1 1/2 cups basmati rice 
* 1/2 teas salt 
* 6 cups milk 
* 2 cups heavy cream 
* 1 cup sugar 
* 1 TB vanilla or one vanilla bean

Simmer rice, water and salt in a large deep pan. Let simmer no more that
7 minutes. Add the sugar, milk, cream and vanilla bean cut in half and
the seeds scraped out if using. Simmer for 25 minutes. Be careful not to
overcook the rice so that it breaks apart. If you are adding liquid
vanilla, let the pudding rest 10 minutes after cooking and then add the
vanilla.

Pour a small dab of the Toffee Sauce from the preceding recipe in the
bottom of a glass custard cup. Reserve 1/2 cup toffee sauce for
decoration. Pour the rice pudding on top of the toffee sauce. The Toffee
sauce will be pushed up the sides a bit and it will look very pretty.
Cover by pressing plastic wrap onto the top of the pudding, this helps
prevent the forming of a skin. Let chill for at least 5 hours. Before
serving whip cream and sweeten with 1 TB of sugar and 1/4 teas of
vanilla to each cup of cream . With a pastry bag and a star tip, pipe a
pretty rosette on top of the pudding and drizzle with a bit of the
reserved toffee sauce.

You will need approximately two cups of toffee sauce for this entire
recipe.