Wednesday, January 13, 2010

JANUARY THAW (CRAVING COLOR ... CRAVING COMFORT!) ~ ARBORIO RICE PUDDING

"Food is the most primitive form of comfort."

~ Sheila Graham


Antique Chinese rug

Tufenkian Tibetan and Chinese rugs, vintage pillow, and floral fabric

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ARBORIO RICE PUDDING

~ Craving comfort food, this silky rich pudding courtesy of Dave Lieberman (Food Network) was better than perfect!
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1 cup water
pinch salt
1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup Arborio rice
2 cups whole milk
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
few dashes ground cinnamon
whipped cream (optional)


  • Bring water, salt, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice, return to a boil, and then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Shake the pan occasionally and cook until rice has absorbed the water but still al dente, abut 15 minutes.
  • Bring milk, sugar, vanilla, and a few dashes of cinnamon to a simmer in a separate saucepan. Add cooked rice and cook at simmer over medium-low heat until rice absorbs most of the milk and mixture starts to get thick and silky, about 10-15 minutes (or longer).
  • Transfer pudding to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator until cool and set. Serve with whipped cream and a dash more cinnamon. (4 servings)

Note: I tripled the recipe and each step took a bit longer to cook.




Persian Tabrese rug and pillows

Craving color, texture and patterns

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"The craving for colour is a natural necessity just as for water and fire.
Colour is a raw material indispensable to life.
At every era of his existence and his history,
the human being has associated colour with his joys, his actions and his pleasures."


~ Frenand Leger, "On Monumentality and Color", 1943.

35 comments:

Jan said...

Gorgeous!

Unknown said...

Oh, what a glorious solution to colour cravings, dear Joey! Such lush, tactile textiles. Where would we be without colour? My office is a riot of it; silk scarves, glass vases and suncatchers, phtos and calendars and oddities, all just feeding my soul in this sometimes dreary season.
You can keep the rice pudding, though. I had a bad experience with it when I was younger and cannot abide it, bread pudding, or tapioca. And I'm not a fussy person. I'm sure it's delish; hubby can have my share. ;-)

Karen - An Artist's Garden said...

Wonderful, wonderful textiles Joey - I simply want to dive into your images I love what you have done including the wintry shots in the middle, but the last picture is a textile artists dream
K

joey said...

Thanks Jan and have fun on FB :)

Thanks Jodi! My eyes craved color after shooting the white Mon snowfall so ... turned the camera around inside! A bit bored shooting houseplants, I crave the garden and though happy for fella' gardeners now sowing seeds, also a bit envious of those with greenhouses but refuse to take up precious lounging/dining/reading space on my sunporch. I'm not a huge lover of rice pudding (needed a quick dessert for our OOT dinner guest) but this, made with creamy Arborio, was truly delicious. First 2 now 5 coming for dinner tonight ... hum ...

D said...

Joey, those colors and patterns are beautiful!!! You are a master of collage! ;) Gosh, I don't remember the last time I made rice pudding. What am I waiting for?

Roses and Lilacs said...

Those rugs are simply beautiful. I marvel at the creativity and talent that goes into the color choices and designs.

Getting warmer here to. We may even exceed the freezing point. Pitiful isn't it when we get excited about temperatures over 30:)
Marnie

Mireille said...

I love your photos, these colours are so beautiful and the drawings,too!
Thank you dear Joey for these little things like some presents!
Best wishes for the new year, in colour, of course!

lindalou said...

Ahhh, just what I needed. Love, love, love all the color. Perfect for a mid-January day.

Michelle said...

Aahh! I love your choice of colours and patterns - so pretty.I collect April Cornell tablecloths - I know, I am weird! I love your recipes too - I often check out your blog as it is one of my favourites. Thank you for your comment on my blog. Michelle

Shady Gardener said...

Beautiful tapestries, Joey! I've never heard of arborio rice. Could I substitute another rice? (I'll look for it tomorrow, first.)
Your recommendation is all I need. Consider it created - hopefully tomorrow!! :-)

Nutty Gnome said...

Aah, a post full of lucious gorgeous colours and textures to dive into - just what I needed after our weeks of whiteness!

I love arborio rice, but use it for rissotos. Haven't made rice pudding in years, but could well be tempted by this recipe!

More snow last night but Himself got home safely. Roads are fine today - just got freezing fog to contend with instead! Heavy rain forecast for the weekend, so they're warning of floods when the snow melts. Ho hum! :(

beckie said...

Dear Joey, what an inspired idea to capture flowers and butterflies in the dreary days we are having. Your rugs are gorgeous-such wonderfully warm colors. I love the photo of the snow covered clock.:)

Your recipe for rice pudding reminds me how much hubby loves this. I shall tweak a little using brown rice and Splenda and surprise him this weekend. Thanks!

Hope you are well and I am sorry for not visiting. Just have not had the energy to do much after work. Will try to do better.

Unknown said...

The pudding sounds fabulous, and the colors are great for the soul in winter!

donna said...

This post made me feel warm and comforted and satisfied my need for color. You've done it all!

donna

F Cameron said...

What a wonderful recipe with ingredients that I usually have in the cupboard.

Cameron

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

What wonderful rugs! I love rice pudding and have actually made Arborio pudding many times. (Can you believe it? I'm so the Non-Cook!)

Gail said...

Must try the arborio rice pudding, it sounds delicious. We love risotta. Joey the patch of color from your photo montage is perfect~~We are having a return to our normal winter temps~~Yippie. Hoping you are doing well? gail

joey said...

Thank you, Karen ... that reminds me it's been awhile since I've visited your other 2 stunning sites. Happy winter :)

Di, they were a feast for my eyes after all the white snow! Funny though, just the opposite in summer when I use lots of white and neutral color to tone down a too colorful garden :)

Yes! We're experiencing a heat wave today ... sunny and almost 37º, Marnie! Yea ... an ice cream day :)

And there you are, dear Mireille, what a gift to hear from you! Thank you, dear friend :)

Thanks Lindalou! Hope you're out and about on this glorious Michigan day ... we have waited a long time for this gift!

Thank you for visiting and the kind comment, Michelle. I too love April Cornell tablecloths and have several for my kitchen table. Happy colorful winter!

Thanks Shady! You can use any rice for the pudding but creamy Arborio (particularly suited for Italian Risotto) makes this a wonderful choice. Give it a try and let me know :)

Love Risotto also, Nutty, so you can imagine how well this silky consistency makes it perfect for the creamy pudding! (The warming white pudding is perfect fare for the cold white snow)

Delighted to hear from you, dear Beckie. Knowing your hectic schedule, your visit is truly a gift. Warm wishes for a healthy and happy New Year!

Thanks Tim ~ just what I had hoped for :)

Aw, how sweet, Donna! Thank you wonderful winter friend.

Very easy, Cameron, and yes these are all ingredients most of us have handy. Except for Basmati, Arborio is the only WHITE rice I stock in my pantry.

Love my rugs and loved this pudding, Monica, the 1st time I ever used Arborio, which is perfect for the creamy effect (as you well know my cookin' friend)!

joey said...

Hi dear Gail. This must have come in while I was answering comments and watching birds bathe in the snow ... oh the weather outside is delightful (and so is the Arborio pudding)!

Anonymous said...

Oh those colors, Joey! They are as good as flowers, or as good as they delicious recipes your so generously provide to us. I just made the French onion soup from your recipe, it was perfect, hearty and filling. This rice dish seems like a good one too. Yum. :-)
Frances

joey said...

Happy you enjoyed it, Frances. Today's 37º weather seemed so balmy I felt like digging out my shorts and making angels in the snow before it melts.:)

Rose said...

Joey, you truly have the eye of an artist! Who would have thought to focus on carpets and fabric to provide such rich shots of color! I do love rice pudding...and tapioca...and bread pudding--they're all comfort foods to me. I'll have to try this with the arborio rice!

Blossom said...

Are those 'batik' pattern I see in the last photo? Beautiful!

Lucy Corrander said...

Hello Joey.

I'm not usually a fan of collages on blogs but I like these, especially the top one with the snow in the snow because it is so surprising, and the one with the window because it is so gentle.

I've not come across Arborio rice. I'll have to look out for it now because rice pudding is wonderful hot in winter. (Not so keen on it in the summer when it is sometimes served chilled.)

A couple of weeks ago I tried broken rice in rice pudding. It was supposed to absorb the milk better. It didn't and I didn't like it.

Lucy

A wildlife gardener said...

A Happy New Year to you, dear Joey :)

You always feed the soul with your beautiful mosaics... and then you feed the body with your wonderful recipes...bless you for all that you share...

http://ourlittlecornerofparadise.blogspot.com/2010/01/importance-of-finding-beauty-in-light.html

Heen Yoest @ Gardening With Confidence™ said...

This looks like the perfect comfort food. I think I'll make it. Great color and good way to display it. H.

Nan said...

Beautiful, beautiful colors! My own favorite rice pudding is from the old Moosewood cookbook here:

http://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/2007/12/sunday-supperrice-pudding-and-rice.html

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

Your rugs remind me when I accidently entered a carpet shop in Marrakech.

They were beautiful rugs alright, but trying to get out without a purchase was an impossibility. Best salespeople in the world, the Berbers.

Rice pudding is my favourite dessert. I used to love it baked so that a skin formed and browmed in the oven. Big dollop of jam in the centre and bliss!!!

Beautiful collages Joey.

marmee said...

you are a girl after my own heart...i crave colour all year long but especially in the winter. so surrounding ourselves with gorgeous rugs and antiqued pillows is a must.
happy january.

Anna/Flowergardengirl™ said...

I get quite cranky without color. And you know it's so important to me these days. I was anxious to get over here and see these close up. They are beautiful.

joey said...

Thank you, dear Rose. Do hope you give the Arborio a try and are happy with the taste :)

Hello Blossom ~ I sure love my rugs, gathered through the years, and treasured.

I hear you, Lucy. I use many collages instead of script ... kind of what I do, although nothing beats a fine photo :)

Always a joy to hear from you, Wildlife, and thank you, dear one. Until we meet again, let us 'embrace the light' and may the New Year fill our hearts with glee.

Thanks Helen. In our world of winter white, we northerners especially crave color. Subtle spring is my favorite season and when summer blasts color too loudly, I crave white :)

Love the Moosewood Cookbook, Nan, and a good reminder to check in with it more often! The Perfect Protein Salad is a favorite, a 'must have' at least once in the summer.

I hear you, Rob, and thanks. I confess ... I'm an addict ... the color of rugs excites me like luring plants for the garden. Remember, I'm as old as dirt and these beauties have been accumulated over the years. Never have buried jam in rice pudding but now must make another batch and discover this yummy treasure!

Thanks Marmee ... seems like we both are often on the same page :)

How sweet, dear Anna, and, yes, we are all craving color (and perhaps some comfort food to tide us over until spring)!

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

I'm a sucker for colour and patterns so this post is in my taste! Lovely

joey said...

Thanks Tyra ... me 2 :)

BGgarden said...

That last collage makes an amazing quilt!
You are so creative... I love how you inspire.

joey said...

Thanks Bren, and so are you :)