Rice pudding, devour
A nostalgic hankering, peaches, their leaves, and a very big bowl of pudding.
My dad’s dad is Cuban, and it’s been a longstanding tradition in my family to share a feast of black beans, rice, plantains, and yucca every Christmas Eve. The tradition is always complete with rice pudding for breakfast the following morning. Cuban rice pudding (arroz con leche) is usually served cold; heavily spiced with cinnamon, densely sweet from condensed milk and too much sugar. I always found it to be cloying and excessive, especially as a breakfast food. Granted, I have a general disdain for any sweet things that don’t teeter on the edge of savory - to me, sugar should be used as a seasoning in the likeness of salt; to lift flavors, not to engulf them.
My culturally juxtaposed relationship to rice pudding is that I’m also from Sweden, a country that has its own Christmas tradition of serving it. This version (actually of Danish origin, is called ‘risalamande’, which translates to ‘rice with almonds’) folds peaks of whipped cream into a sweetened chilled rice porridge and is traditionally served with a cherry compote and an almond hidden somewhere in its cloud-like abyss.
Texturally this is one of few foods that is irrefutably perfect eaten straight out of the fridge; it’s ethereally light and perfectly spoonable. The addition of a barely sweetened fruit compote balances the decadence with a delicate hit of brightness; enough to make this dish just as acceptable to serve for breakfast as it is dessert.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t give a proper nod to one of my favorite childhood snacks, Risifrutti. In the dairy aisle of most Swedish grocery stores - in the same section that you’d find snackable yogurts - is a perfectly sized container of rice pudding with a side caddy of raspberry jam waiting to be folded in. I loved the balance of the tart, sweet raspberries with the cold, creamy pudding, and only recently came to realize that the dish I’m now encouraging you to make is likely the result of my nostalgic relationship to its commodified grocery store counterpart.
RICE PUDDING WITH A VERY PEACHY COMPOTE:
I urge you to seek out the best dairy, best rice, and best fruit you can find, as it will only make your pudding more delicious. High quality dairy tastes like grass and sunshine, in a way that conventional dairy never will. Reach for whatever fruit is in season by you, and think critically about how to make it’s flavor shine; cook strawberries down with a small splash of red vermouth, season blueberries with a hit of cardamom and lemon zest, or in this case - make a peach taste like even more of itself by adding a peach leaf to the stewing pot.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Future is in Your Mouth to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.