Chacha's Arroz Con Leche: Cuban Rice Pudding

Chef Chessie's Note:

Growing up, my aunt ChaCha cooked 6 nights a week for 6-8 people. She used traditional Cuban recipes, made EVERYTHING from scratch and bought everything fresh. This is my all time favorite dish.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• ½ cup rice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cinnamon stick
• lemon zest (optional)
• 1 ½ cups water
• 4 ¼ cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Boil rice, lemon zest, vanilla & cinnamon stick in water until rice is soft.
2. Add milk, salt, and sugar.
3. Cook over medium flame stirring occasionally until it thickens (about 1 hour).
4. Turn over into a Pyrex-type dish & powder with cinnamon.
5. I leave zest & cinnamon stick in the dish and serve around it as it continues to put out flavor.
6. Serve warm or chilled.

Reviews

[WhiteSnake]

Today is the third time that I've made this recipe. I make enough for 50 servings. The Bingo Ladies at my VFW request it at least twice a year since I first made it. It is definitely a big hit. Looks like I'll be making it for a long time. Great recipe!!

[Alaena39]

I've done this recipe twice now and it is absolutely delicious! Yes, it may have been a little tedious to stir frequently for an hour but it was oh so worth it. In my house I get people asking for it all the time now. I read that some people don't like the strong cinnamon flavor. In that case, feel free to leave out the cinnamon stick. It will taste great without it too!

[3KillerBs]

Strongly cinnamon-flavored and with a smooth, soft texture, it makes a generous batch. Its somewhat sweeter than I care for and took longer than expected to thicken. It reminded me of some of the very sweet desserts that my Puerto Rican stepmother makes. It would probably be a good dish to tempt a kid with a sore throat.