Rice Pudding

My Mom will tell you, I've always been a pretty adventurous eater.  As a kid, I'd eat pretty much anything as long as it didn't involve:

A)  Sweet pickles
B)  Olives
or C)  School cafeteria pig-in-the-blanket (Sausage should *NOT* be slimy.  Blech.)

But rice pudding was one of those things that never sounded appealing to me.  Rice + pudding just didn't seem to jive.  I ordered it for the first time a couple years ago at a local South American restaurant.  (They were out of my beloved coconut sorbet, and I don't do cappuccino.)  One very cautious bite later, I was hooked.  Since then, I've eaten it at several different restaurants and loved it every time.

As you can see, I finally got around to making it at home a few days ago.  It was SO good!  This recipe doesn't take a lot of time or effort, and it won't totally trash your diet.  The original recipe doesn't specify which type of rice to use, but pudding is best with a short grain white rice.  I used Arborio, and the finished product was wonderfully creamy.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup Arborio rice
2 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon, to taste

DIRECTIONS 
1.  In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 

2.  In another saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk and beaten egg. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Garnish with cinnamon.  May be served warm or chilled.