Simple
Chic: The Rice Pudding Rage
By Nancy Finch, Food Columnist
Reading about the New York restaurant that serves
nothing but rice pudding did it. If New Yorkers will pay $4.50 for eight
ounces (a cup!) of rice pudding with between 4,500 and 5,000 puddings being
sold a week, it was time to get �with it!�
I always sort of considered rice pudding to be what my
mother would make for dessert when there was nothing around but rice, some
milk and eggs. I was not enamored.
In fact, I can�t remember ever making any before. I
know, food writers shouldn�t make such a confession. We�re supposed to
have tried everything but, somehow, there was always something more
interesting to try for dessert.
Now, though, with rice pudding being the latest, trendy
rage for New Yorkers, I wondered how, we, too, could join those
sophisticates.
Honey Rice Pudding with Cherry Sauce had been sitting
in my file for a long time. The day had arrived. We, too, would eat rice
pudding. We wouldn�t have to go to New York, pay $4.50 for a serving and,
yet, could be very chic!
The rice pudding affair came on the heels of yet
another untried venture. Cr�me Caramel had struck me as fraught with
challenge that would undoubtedly leave me several ingredients poorer with a
mess that likely the dog wouldn�t even eat. Well, on second thought, Sam
will eat nearly anything.
A Brazilian friend brought me her �Cr�me Caramel�.
It was divine, creamy, rich and, I thought, way beyond me. Nevertheless, I
asked for her recipe. It is easy! Great for company � can be made ahead
and makes a nice presentation to serve at the table.
One of our regular testers, a big rice pudding fan
(from New York, naturally!) declared the rice pudding a winner and
complimented it because it is �not too sweet.�
A joy of cooking � new adventures always await! And
this time, no apologies for serving rice pudding � �It�s the rage in
New York, dear.� For those who have been intimidated by caramelizing
sugar, it really is easy. Our kitchen still stands and I came through burn
free.
Honey Rice Pudding with Cherry Sauce
Ingredients: