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 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 risotto-like mouthfeel. 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 50% of the milk for half-and-half. This makes a richer and thicker pudding, but it makes the rice’s cooking 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, pairing with a raspberry sauce means one could further reduce sugar by 5%-10%. Reducing any more may mean insufficient sugar for beating yolks
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 60g butter
    • Kerrygold or better, please!
  • 250g whipped cream
    • If you go for the 50/50 milk and half-and-half route above, the whipped cream becomes necessary to lighten up the thick rice pudding base

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

  • If using it, whip the cream to soft peaks
  • Remove plastic wrap off of custard and loosen it by whipping it
  • Fold in the whipped cream before serving. Avoid folding it in 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 for an hour or two before serving.