Rice Pudding

Egg yolks give this version of rice pudding a wonderful creamy texture. It has a delicate taste of rose water and mastic. The mastic—unfortunately labeled “gum mastic”—has nothing at all to do with the waterproof filler called mastic, nor with the glue called “gum arabic” sold in the building trades. It is an aromatic resin from trees that grow on the Greek island of Chios. It comes in tiny translucent grains. Be careful not to use too much as it results in a bitter taste. You must pound and grind the grains with a teaspoon of sugar to a fine powder in a pestle with a mortar. A few drops of vanilla essence are an alternative flavoring if you cannot get gum mastic. The pudding is addictive, homely, comfort food. A brittle caramel topping turns it into a more glamorous option.

Humble rice pudding gets a serious makeover with the addition of flavorful, fat-grained Carolina Gold rice and a glassy, sugared brûlée crust.

The first time I tasted rose water in a milky pudding, as a child in Turkey, I was overwhelmed by its intensity. Always the curious eater, I tried again, wondering whether I could ever like this flavor, and then again — and again and again. Rose water has this effect on you. Its concentrated, bold aroma, evoking the serenity of churches or mosques, does require some getting used to, but when you do, you will never stop longing for it. In this dessert, I infuse sweet dates with rose water's heady aroma and add them to a rice pudding made with Chinese black rice. This soft-textured rice was once eaten only by the emperors of China. Lotus Foods offers a delicious heirloom variety under the trademarked label Forbidden Rice. It makes for a stunning dessert as it turns a deep burgundy hue when cooked. Choose firmer dates such as Deglet Noor for this dessert, as you don't want them to become mushy in the pudding.

If you love rice pudding, you’ll adore these paletas. They have a particularly creamy texture because half of the rice pudding is blended after it’s cooked. Mmmm, I’m salivating just thinking about it! I give you the option of using cinnamon or lime zest with the vanilla because both are common combinations. I couldn’t decide between the two, so I leave it up to you.

Charles Worthington is an award-winning hairdresser, a world-class host—at his homes in the South of France, London, and Kent—and a great fan of Green & Black's, going back to the very early days when Jo Fairley (wearing her other "hat" as a Beauty Editor), introduced him to the chocolate. This is one of Charles's favorite chocolate indulgences.

This pudding has more protein than a basic rice pudding. Because of the whole milk and eggs, it is suitable for children only over one year old.

The slight spiciness of Gala apples and the decadence of homemade caramel sauce pair nicely with a creamy and not too- sweet vanilla rice pudding. Fuji apples would be another good choice for this dessert.

This dessert is fantastic served with ripe summer berries. To further refine it, try mixing the fruit with a little rosewater and sugar.

This rich, creamy pudding is delicious served warm or cold. If you feel like dressing up the dessert a bit, add a cinnamon stick while the rice is cooking, or top the finished pudding with a sprinkling of raisins and a little freshly grated nutmeg just before serving.

Riz au Lait et Rosace d'Oranges The great rice pudding revival taking hold of Paris is an oddly quiet phenomenon. In interviews for this book, individual bistro chefs like Gérard Fouché were genuinely surprised to learn that dozens of their colleagues had also added a riz au lait to their dessert menus during the last few years. Hankerings for home-style throwbacks are universal: You will be among many instantly enticed by Fouché's creamy rice pudding.

For an extra kick, sprinkle a little ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, or finely grated lime peel over the rice puddings before serving.

Oven-baking this rice pudding eliminates a lot of stovetop stirring while still producing a delicious, creamy dessert.

This wintertime favorite, a great way to use up the leftover rice in your fridge, gets a surprise lift from lemon zest. For added crunch, sprinkle it with slivered almonds or pistachios before serving. This recipe was originally part of a feature on slow cooking. For additional recipes and tips for using a slow cooker, click here.

Try replacing the raisins with a different dried fruit, such as apricots. A pinch or two of cinnamon or nutmeg would also be a nice touch.

Julgröt Chef Magnus Ek uses Arborio rice for a rich pudding with a consistency that's creamier than most. It's barely sweetened, but we've found that most people like to stir in warm milk and sprinkle some turbinado sugar and cinnamon on top.

The sweet, creamy comfort food is traditionally made with the short-grained "amber" rice favored by Egyptians; arborio makes a good substitute.

Khao Neeo See Dam — Thailand Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. Since black rice is a big favorite of Tashi's, over time we've developed a quick version of black rice pudding, aromatic, sweet, and satisfying. You can prepare it and have it in bowls for impatient rice pudding fans in under an hour, with no presoaking of the rice. Serve it for dessert or as a snack, or even for breakfast. The rice is moist, almost soupy, when first made, but if it's left to stand in a cool place, it firms up into a pudding-cake texture and can be eaten in slices (see Note below). Eat it on its own or topped with sesame seeds, coriander leaves, or fried shallots, or a combination.

Commonly served for breakfast in parts of Southeast Asia, this dish also makes a great dessert. Chinese black rice, sometimes called forbidden rice, works well, but if you live near a Southeast Asian market you can use this same method with the more traditional Thai black sticky rice. If you can't find any kind of black rice, substitute brown rice (not quick-cooking) — it will result in a thicker, light-colored pudding but will still be delicious.

Hachiya persimmon puree flavors the pudding; using arborio (the starchy, short-grained risotto rice) gives it an especially tender, creamy texture.