Three In A Row

I’m really loving this new cookbook, can you tell?  I’ve had three successful recipes in a row, and that makes me think that for tonight’s dinner, I may go digging back into it to see if I can find something to inspire me.  You know, I have a lot of cookbooks, and it may seem like I recommend a lot of them here at Tummy Treasure, but I can tell you that I only recommend the ones worth keeping.  Living in a small space, there is only so much room I have for cookbooks, so when a new one comes to my attention, I have to really want it.  I’ve had to remove other cookbooks to make room for new ones, so when I recommend a new book, it’s because it has earned shelf-status in my home.  I certainly do have my favorites, and if I absolutely had to, I think I could pare the collection down to 20 must-keep-always-and-forever books, but really, if they’re on my shelf it’s because they get used at some point, whether it’s the actual recipes or for a reference, they all get used.

The Bon Appetit Fast Fresh Easy Cookbook may well be one of the ones that would make it into my top 20.   It’s certainly on pace to become so.  Today’s recipe is one I made simply because I had all the ingredients on hand.   It was one of those moments where I was flipping through, and the recipe jumped off the page at me.  I had all the ingredients on hand, I had the time, so I set to work.  With just five ingredients, this Coconut Rice Pudding is way more than the sum of its parts.   While Zander didn’t go crazy over it, the rest of us were in heaven over this simple bowl of rice pudding.  Abigail loved it so much, she keeps talking about it.  Last night she couldn’t finish her portion in time for us to leave, so she took the time to tuck it in the fridge for later.  She never, ever does that. In her words, “it’s like coconut cream pie in a bowl.”  Which also leads me to think that if you wanted to fancy this up a little bit, some crushed cinnamon graham crackers for a garnish would fit the bill perfectly.

This simple combination of coconut, basmati rice and coconut milk is pure heaven.  I want to also try making this with rice milk to make a vegan version, if you happen to do that, let me know how it works. The recipe says it makes 6 servings… I think that’s very generous servings indeed!  I cut the recipe in half and got six servings out of it, and we were plenty satisfied.  This one is one that we will be repeating, and it’s delicious enough to serve to company as well.

Coconut Rice Pudding

from The Bon Appetit Fast Fresh Easy Cookbook

2 cups reduced fat milk

2/3 cup basmati rice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

2 (14-oz) cans light unsweetened coconut milk, divided

Directions:

Combine the first four ingredients in a heavy large saucepan.  Stir in 1 can of coconut milk.  Bring just to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to very low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the pudding is thick and the rice is very tender, stirring occasionally during the first 45 minutes of cooking, and then stirring frequently during the last 15 minutes, 1 hour total.

Stir in the second can of coconut milk.  Transfer the rice pudding to a bowl; press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and chill until cold, at least 4 hours.

Makes 6 generous servings.  Can be made ahead up to 2 days.  Keep chilled.