If the world were ending, I might just whip up this decadent treat as my finale. A rice pudding that you don’t have to stir for an hour? Now that makes me weak in the knees. Other reasons to swoon over this dessert: the incredible creaminess and the delicate blend of spices that sing in perfect harmony with the apples, raisins, and maple syrup. Oh, my. Show me the way to heaven with a smile on my face.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 ml) plus 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
- 1 cup (240 ml) canned coconut milk (shake, then pour)
- 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- Pinch of natural salt
- 3 cups (450 g) cooked short-grain brown rice (soft but not mushy)
- ¼ cup (45 g) raisins
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened almond milk (strained if homemade)
- 0.33 cup (40 g) chopped raw pistachios
How to Make It
- In a saucepan over high heat, bring the ¼ cup (60 ml) of maple syrup and the water to a boil (this should take less than a minute). As soon as the mixture bubbles, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the apples. Cook the apples for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they caramelize lightly and soften slightly but remain mostly firm.
- While the apples are cooking, put the coconut milk, the remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, the vanilla, ginger, spices, and salt into your blender and blast on medium-high for about 10 seconds, until combined. Add 1½ cups (225 g) of the rice and process on medium-low for a few seconds, until creamy but rustic. (If you’re using a high-speed blender, be careful of overdoing it; you don’t want a completely smooth blend here, and it can happen quickly. The pudding will be goopy if you overblend. If you’re using a conventional blender, your machine will let you know when the mixture is ready; it’ll thicken and be difficult to blend.) Add the blended mixture and the raisins to the cooked apples and stir to combine. Stir in ½ cup (120 ml) of the almond milk and the remaining 1½ cups (225 g) of cooked rice. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the remaining ½ cup (120 ml) of almond milk and simmer for 5 minutes more, until you have your desired consistency (I take my rice pudding off the heat as soon as the liquid has been absorbed). Tweak the maple syrup to taste.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or even chilled; add 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup (60 ml) milk if you serve it chilled, to soften it up. Sprinkle pistachios on each serving.
