Before discovering riz au lait, rice puddings felt uniform and boring in every food culture. Spices were the only way to tell bowls of rice and milk apart. Cardamom and rosewater suggest kheer, cinnamon and nutmeg hint at arroz con leche, and unflavored is a sorry tribute to Nordic puddings in the Midwest.

I love riz au lait for its decadent custard base. Adding egg yolks, heavy cream and butter transforms a lean journeyman pudding into a paunchy contented retiree. A custard base makes a rice pudding more of an ice cream, allowing for an exploration of familiar accompaniments beyond seasoning.

Below is my current favorite take on riz au lait. I pair it with a rose-flavored raspberry compote that is inspired by the Ispahan macaron. I serve them at the end of my in-laws’ Swedish-inspired Christmas Eve feast.

Ingredients and notes

Serves 8 to 12

Rice pudding

I adapted from Bruno Albouze’s riz au lait recipe, scaling for up to a dozen guests. Albouze also made a more indulgent version with white chocolate and a crème brûlée-style crust. I highly recommend checking out both videos.

  • 500ml water
  • Pinch of salt
  • 140g rice
    • Albouze recommends Arborio rice for the ‘dessert risotto’ feel. I go with Basmati because I have it on hand and am more familiar with it in kheer
  • 1.2l whole milk
    • I’ve experimented with substituting some of the milk for half-and-half for a richer pudding, but it makes the cooking process harder to judge. Stick with whole milk for a smoother experience
  • 10g vanilla paste
  • 100g granulated sugar
    • Albouze’s sugar amount may seem low to American cooks, but it really is the perfect amount. If anything, using a sweet sauce means one could further reduce sugar by 5%-10%. Reducing more than 10% may mean insufficient sugar for beating yolks
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 60g butter
    • Kerrygold or better, please!
  • 250g whipped cream
    • Albouze says this is optional, but the pudding would be incomplete without it

Rose-raspberry compote

  • 70g raspberry preserves
  • 30ml hot water
  • Pinch of salt
  • 8g rosewater
    • Add more sparingly!
  • Fresh raspberries
    • I eyeball this one

Directions

Rice pudding

Watch Albouze’s rice pudding recipe, starting here. As with any rice pudding, in brief:

Parboil rice

This technique makes sense for removing excess starch from varieties like Arborio. I am not sure if we need this for Basmati and similar, but it does not hurt the final product.

  • Boil water
  • Add salt and rice to boiling water
  • Cook for 3-4 minutes
  • Strain

Make custard

  • Heat the milk and half of the sugar until boiling.
  • Add the rice and cook on low for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, then stir them into the rice. Cook for 2-3 more minutes.
  • Off the heat, mix in the butter and vanilla paste.
  • Transfer to a container, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least a few hours.

Assembly

  • Whip cream to soft peaks
  • Remove plastic wrap off of custard and loosen it by whipping it
  • Fold in the whipped cream before serving. Avoid adding it too far in advance. Otherwise, the pudding might dry out.

Rose-raspberry compote

  • Mix the raspberry preserves with hot water until you reach your desired sauce consistency.
  • Stir in the rosewater and salt
  • Add fresh raspberries (and mash a few if you prefer a chunkier compote)
  • Chill before serving.