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Sometimes the simplest things bring me joy in the kitchen. One of them for sure is my personal recipe box. Memories of good times or loved ones come to mind as I go through 3×5” cards. Each card is adorned with handwritten notes of family treasured recipes or ones I had cut and pasted from some of my favorite cooking magazines. I was lucky to find a recipe card on how to make Arroz con Leche.
I found my maternal Grandma Dolly’s recipe for Arroz con Leche (rice pudding). Grandma Dolly died when I was only about five years old, so unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to try hers. My mom would make it this way every so often, but eventually she would prepare the rice dessert the way my dad’s mom made it.
My mom’s youngest sister, Aunt Penny, who thankfully also serves as our Tafoya family’s historian, sent the recipe to me a few years back. When I asked her about her memories of my grandmother making the rice pudding, she had this to say,”When I was little, Mama often made this dessert for her seven hungry children. She used to make it with raisins, but I never did like it that way. I liked it even less when my brother told me the raisins were flies!” Personally, I like raisins and today will play with the traditional recipe by adding mango chunks, bananas, and dried apricots. It’s such a sweet blank canvas to make it all your own.
What makes this arroz con leche recipe different than others I’ve tasted are what my grandmother did with the yolk and egg whites. Gently folding in the beaten yolk into the warm, sweet milk and rice mixture transforms the liquid into a thick, custard creaminess. Whisking the egg whites until stiff in a large serving bowl, then pouring the milk and rice mixture on top, adds another layer of flavor and a merengue-like texture to the dish. The clouds of egg whites float up to the top of the bowl, making it such a pretty presentation. Thank you, tia, for sharing this recipe with me. I’ll be making Grandma Dolly’s Arroz con Leche for years to come!
Grandma Dolly’s Arroz con Leche Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6-8 persons
INGREDIENTS
2 cups, long-grain rice
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of milk1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cups of sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2/3 cups of raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
Ground cinnamon and orange zest (optional) for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a medium stock pot over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Add rice and salt. Stir a few times, lower the flame to low, and then cover.
Cook rice for 20 minutes.
Remove rice pot from heat and uncover.
Add milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, condensed milk, raisins, and vanilla.
Simmer the rice/milk mixture over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often so the milk does not burn.
While the milk and rice mixture is cooking, beat the yolks in a small bowl. Gently add in three tablespoons of the warm milk mixture to temper the yolks.
Add the tempered yolks to the rice and milk mixture, stirring frequently. This is what gives the arroz cone leche a nice custard-like texture.
Remove the rice and milk mixture from the heat.
In a large serving bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy and beginning to peak.
Pour the hot rice mixture over stiff egg whites, stirring only minimally. You’ll see the clouds of egg whites rise to the top of the bowl.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and grate orange zest (optional) on top. Let cool slightly before serving.
Buen Provecho!
