Love to exercise my creative side especially in the kitchen! How often have you been bored making the same old thing even though you have favorite recipes? Always great to have a change of pace in life whether it's wearing something new, trying a new restaurant, or even traveling.
Often I just head to the kitchen and see what's there and experiment. Not everything turns out as perfect as it sounded in your head! Inspiration for this recipe was a large container of white rice from the local Chinese restaurant that was leftover. I could have turned this into a quick fried rice but had a sweet tooth that needed satisfying!
What's on hand and what can I create?
Rice....dried cranberries and that led me to think cranberry orange relish flavor profile! Always have the staple of milk, eggs, vanilla, natural extracts and usually fruit too. Find it quite handy to keep the Cinnamon and Sugar blend on hand also which is a great addition to oatmeal, hot coffee, tea, dusting on toast or a warm buttered muffin. Yum!! Keeping a nicely stocked with basics pantry allows you to "create" things in a hurry and on the fly. Kind of the home version of Chopped with ingredients you know!
This is a super easy dessert to throw together quickly any night of the week. Perfect to make ahead too for the next day.
Rice....dried cranberries and that led me to think cranberry orange relish flavor profile! Always have the staple of milk, eggs, vanilla, natural extracts and usually fruit too. Find it quite handy to keep the Cinnamon and Sugar blend on hand also which is a great addition to oatmeal, hot coffee, tea, dusting on toast or a warm buttered muffin. Yum!! Keeping a nicely stocked with basics pantry allows you to "create" things in a hurry and on the fly. Kind of the home version of Chopped with ingredients you know!
This is a super easy dessert to throw together quickly any night of the week. Perfect to make ahead too for the next day.
Ciao for now!!
Baked Cranberry Orange Rice Pudding
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1T butter
½ tsp orange extract
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp almond extract (or real vanilla extract)
½ cup sugar
pinch of salt (if the rice was not cooked with salt)
pinch of salt (if the rice was not cooked with salt)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
½ - ¾ cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
Cinnamon sugar blend (see below)*
**Note: If you want this really rich try using part half and half or cream for part of the milk.
Cinnamon sugar blend (see below)*
**Note: If you want this really rich try using part half and half or cream for part of the milk.
Preparation:
Butter baking dish or
casserole 2-1/2 quart will work unless you're making a larger batch. Add cooked rice to casserole. I use my fingers to break the grains up so they're loose. Do that only if the rice is cold and coming out of the refrigerator. Then once grains are loose, mix in the cranberries or other dried fruit. If your rice is still warm cool it to room temperature first so the eggs won't seize and scramble. The dried fruit can be mixed into hot fresh cooked rice without a problem.
In a bowl, beat eggs, add to
milk, extracts, zest and sugar; stir to blend.
Pour into buttered baking
dish on top of the rice and fruit mix.
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Ready for oven...notice the way all the rice is covered with the liquid. |
Bake 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes until set. Take a sharp knife go straight down into the middle, if it comes out clean, the pudding is done.
Remove from oven, give a light sprinkle of *cinnamon sugar blend. Cool, serve with or without vanilla whipped cream.
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| Serve in a nice glass, desert dish or stem ware |
*Cinnamon Sugar Blend
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Blend well. Great to keep on hand. Store in an airtight container.
