Dessert for One

It’s difficult to pare down most dessert recipes. If you’ve got a raging sweet tooth but you live with someone who doesn’t share your intense passion for sugar, it can be hard to keep non pre-packaged sweets around to satisfy you. Sometimes the sweet tooth wants a sugar bomb to sate it. But when you want something subtly sweet that is also creamy and just plain satisfying to eat, rice pudding fits that bill very well. This is a very abbreviated version of rice pudding, made creamier than usual by using naturally starchy sushi or risotto rice in place of white long grain. The piloncillo sugar in this recipe provides a sort of caramelized flavor to the pudding. There is a barely there sweetness to this dessert that pairs well with the slight zing of the citrus zest and the dried, lightly tart cranberries. If you’d prefer a sweeter rice pudding, feel free to drizzle some honey along with the dusting of cinnamon. The great thing about rice pudding is you can substitute pretty much anything that pleases you. Want to use all white sugar? Go for it. Raisins instead of cranberries? Fine with me. Rice pudding, in addition to being delicious, is a great blank slate to play with.

Rice Pudding for One

• ¼ cup sushi rice (or risotto rice would work fine)
• approximately 2 ½ cups whole milk (depending on how tender your rice is after only 2 1/2 cups. I live at 6200+ altitude which usually means I need to add more liquid to rice when I cook it. Also, use the whole milk. Please don’t substitute skim or 2% unless you like watery rice pudding.)
• 2 Tablespoons grated piloncillo (or brown sugar if you can’t find a piloncillo cone)
• 1 Tablespoon or so white sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon or orange zest
• 2 Tablespoons dried cranberries

In a pot, combine the rice, milk, piloncillo, sugar, salt, and cranberries. On medium heat, begin cooking, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and begins to thicken into a creamy, pudding-like consistency. Serve warm or cold, with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top and honey if you want more sweetness.