Risotto Rice Pudding with brown sugar and vanilla

makes about 4 cups, and 4 servings.. unless you’re me… then it’s only one serving.

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2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup Arborio rice

3 1/2 to 4 cups milk (I used 2%milk)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

large pinch allspice

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (we use the seeds only for this dish) (or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract)

blackberries (or any berries) for topping

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, scald 4 cups of milk.  Bring the milk to just under boiling, turn off the flame and let it rest.

In a large saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter.  Add the rice grains and stir to coat.  Ladle in just enough hot milk to cover the rice.  Stir (with an awesome wooden spoon, if you have one) over the low flame.  The rice will begin to absorb the milk.  When the milk is almost fully absorbed, ladle in more hot milk.  Stir until absorbed.  Continue this process, standing over the stove, stirring milky rice.  Taste the rice as you near the end of the milk.  You may only need 3 1/2 cups instead of 4.   As you add the last bit of milk, also incorporate the sugar, salt, spices, and scraped vanilla beans.  Stir well to combine.

Stir over low heat until the milk is gone and the rice is tender, with just a hint of a toothsome bite.  This took me about 15 minutes.

I like this rice pudding slightly loose.  If you want it thicker, continue to cook it for a bit longer.  Serve warm or cold, with fresh berries or without.

Rice pudding will last, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.  Good luck with that.

Fried Breakfast Polenta

(Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!)

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So here’s what you’re gonna do:

1.  Whip up a batch of Vanilla Brown Sugar Polenta.

2.  Have some for breakfast, rub it on your face… do whatever you wanna do with most of it, but just most of it.  Continue to simmer the polenta that you aren’t going to serve for breakfast.  This will help more water evaporate from the polenta and help your bars better stick together when they’re cold, sliced and ready for the skillet.  I had about 2 cups of cooked, creamy polenta left over after breakfast.

3.  Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap.  If you’re working with more polenta, you might want to use two loaf pans.

4.  Spread the cooled polenta into the lined loaf pan and cover by folding over the overhanging flaps of plastic wrap.

5.  Place in the fridge to cool and set overnight.

6.  Sleep.  Yawn.  Wake up smiling, thinking about fried polenta.

7. Remove the chilled plastic wrapped polenta from the loaf pan.  Unwrap.  You should have a thin (about 1 inch tall) brick of cold polenta.

8.  Use a big ol’ knife to cut the polenta into bars or squares… whatever you like.

9.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash of vegetable (or grapeseed) oil in a skillet over medium heat.

10.  Place 1/2 cup all-purpose flour in a bowl.

11.  Dip the cold polenta bars in the flour, coating all sides.

12.  Placed dredged polenta in hot, buttered skillet.  I managed about 6 or 8 bars at a time in my skillet.

13.  Flip and turn the bars as they begin to brown.

14.  Brown all sides.  Sometimes that means turning the polenta bars on their heads to cook.

15.  Once cooked, remove from hot pan onto an oven proof plate.  Place in a very low (tops 200 degrees F) oven to stay warm while you cook the rest of the polenta.

16.  Serve with maple syrup, fancy jam or powdered sugar.