Eggnog Rice Pudding

December 16, 2013

When I heard the theme for this month’s Kosher Connection roundup was comfort food I immediately knew what I wanted to make.  No dessert screams comfort food to me as much as rice pudding. Warm, creamy and soothing it is the perfect cool weather dessert, or even breakfast. Something about it just makes me feel cozy inside and that is exactly what comfort food should be. I my favorite coconut chai rice pudding that I love, but for this challenge I wanted to make something a bit more seasonal.

This year I have been thoroughly enjoying the So Delicious seasonal coconut milks. I don’t know if this is the first year they have made them, or if I just missed them in passed years, but I am loving the Pumpkin Spice and Eggnog flavors. Usually I just use a splash of them in my coffee for a seasonal kick, but I have been wanting to make a dessert with the eggnog. Since the eggnog is thick and creamy it makes sense to use it in a thick and creamy dessert, like this rice pudding. It worked wonderfully, making an easy and satisfying dessert that also just happens to be vegan and gluten-free!

The eggnog rice pudding is delicious served plain, but I can’t help complicating things just a bit. As much as I love the creaminess of rice pudding, I find that eating a whole bowl of it gets a bit boring because there is no textural contrast. So I added a bit of a crunchy contrast in the form caramelized crisp rice cereal. While the rice pudding is great without it, I highly recommend making the caramelized crispies. They are easy to make and really take the dessert to another level. I have included a smallish recipe of the crispies because that is how much you will use in topping the rice pudding, but I highly recommend doubling that part of the recipe and using the leftover to make some Caramel Crispy Bark with the rest.

Make sure to check out all the other comfort food recipes the other bloggers of the Kosher Connection came up with this month, there are a lot of great ones!

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Ingredients & Quantities

  • 1 Quart So Delicious Eggnog Coconut Beverage
  • 1/2 cup arborio rice
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon (.5 oz) bourbon
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • Caramelized crispy rice (optional, see below)

Preparation Instructions

Combine the eggnog, rice, and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until the rice is soft and plump, 35-45 minutes. Stir in the bourbon and let stand for ten minutes to thicken slightly. Transfer to serving bowls and top with a generous sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg and a handful of caramelized crispy rice. Serve immediately.

Caramelized Crispy Rice Cereal

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (2 oz) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (.5 oz) water
  • 1 cup (30 g) crispy rice cereal*
*If making this recipe gluten free make sure the cereal is gluten-free.

Preparation

Place a silpat mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper lightly spray it with cooking spray. Spray a spatula with cooking spray and set aside.

Place the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan and stir to combine. Place pan over medium-high heat and stir just until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar comes to a boil do not stir the mixture. If it is cooking unevenly gently swirl the pan. Cook until the mixture turns a medium amber color. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rice cereal until it is coated with the sugar mixture. Turn the mixture out onto the prepared pan and spread it as thin as possible using the greased spatula.

Let the caramelized rice cereal cool. Break it into pieces and place it in a large zip-top bag. Using a rolling pin, crush the pieces until they are the size of one or two pieces of rice.

Recipe Times

Prep

5 Minutes

Cook

45 Minutes

Total

50 Minutes

Recipe Yield

4 Servings

Recipe Categories

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