Dark Chocolate Ambrosia Rice Pudding

I was fortunate enough to grow up in Australia where I was surrounded by so many different cultures that taught me so much about the people and their local cuisine.  The one thing that was common to all of them was that they were very resourceful when it came to cooking. One thing I learned was that never wasted anything — ever, and the other was  that one of the staple desserts found in many of these cultures was rice pudding.

I’m not sure how rice pudding came about, but it’s found just about everywhere in a million different versions. Other than the more traditional vanilla and cinnamon which everyone is familiar with, you will find other versions using spices like cardamom, nutmeg and saffron. Some cultures serve it with a fruit sauce, others with poppyseeds, candied lemon or orange peel.  In Malaysia, you will even find a black glutinous rice pudding called porridge.

Over the years, I’ve seen many different versions, some even with some cooked barley mixed into them. I’ve even seen some dressed up versions with a caramelized top, like you would find in a crème brulee and another more decadent version with sweetened whipped cream folded in right before serving – this is a lovely addition that creates a more mousse-like dessert. As you can see, it really doesn’t take much to turn this traditional recipe into a truly ethereal dessert.

At home, we often ate rice pudding, called rizogallo in Greek, and the recipe was not particularly unique or difficult to make. My mother would cooked the rice with a little water and salt first and when most of the water evaporated and the rice was tender, she added the milk, sugar, vanilla and raisins and continued to cook it very slowly until it thickened. Every Greek household has their own recipe, and as it passes down to each generation it’s tweaked a little more here and there.  The perfect texture for rice pudding is that it should be thick but not too thick. It should still look a little loose when you remove it from the heat and pour it into your serving bowls. If you over cook it, it will solidify as it cools and taste like cold glue…which doesn’t make for a good eating experience.

Ultimately, a rice pudding recipe can be either traditional or something that is slightly re-configured highlighting a few more added ingredients that sends it over the top.

Recently, I had a hankering for rice pudding, so when I found myself with some leftover steamed rice, I wanted to try something a little different than the norm. I love desserts with lots of texture and since this recipe for rice pudding is smooth, creamy with a little chewiness from the rice, I wanted to add a few other ingredients that I also enjoy.

I had some leftover pineapple and coconut, so I decided to make an ambrosia rice pudding…but I didn’t stop there…I wanted to add some dark chocolate too since all of those flavors go so well together. In the end, it was dark chocolate rice pudding with pineapple, toasted pecans and coconut .  Each bite offered a little of this or a little more of that to create an inexplicably delicious dessert experience. I didn’t have any marshmallows on hand, but you could add some of them right before serving, or better yet, top the dessert with some Italian meringue.

There’s no sense in re-inventing the wheel, so here are a few tips that I picked up along the way that will help you make the best ever stove top rice pudding:

• Most importantly, the best rice to use is either a small grain or medium grain rice because they will keep their shape better and their added starch makes a creamier but not a gloppy end product.
• If using leftover steamed rice, long grain is OK if cooked while still fresh (within 1 day)
• Use whole milk when slowly cooking the rice and then add a little cream at the end for added creaminess
• Use a clear vanilla, vanilla sugar or vanilla bean. Don’t ever skimp on a good vanilla flavor.
• If adding raisins, soak them in some slightly warmed liquor with a few tablespoons of sugar at least an hour before using. I like to use rum, but you can use whatever you like
• Add egg yolks and not whole eggs
• You can also use leftover Chinese take-out rice (steamed). Although this is long rain, it makes an acceptable result. You must use it within 1 day and add some salt. If it has been sitting in the fridge for more than 1 day, it will begin to dry out, so you will need to cook this in a little water first before adding the other ingredients.
• Use a heavy bottomed pot so that the heat is evenly distributed and the rice does not stick to the bottom.
• This is something that needs to be stirred continually, so don’t put it on the heat and walk away

Chocolate Ambrosia Rice Pudding  (makes 2 large servings or 4 small servings)
1 cup cooked rice
1 tablespoon vanilla (if making plain rice pudding, use a white vanilla or vanilla bean)
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
4 yolks
¼ cup sugar (use up to ½ cup if making the plain vanilla version)
2 heaping tablespoons bittersweet chocolate
1 cup pineapple tidbits
2 tablespoons shredded coconut, toasted
2 tablespoons roasted pecans, chopped
1 cup mini marshmallows  *optional added right before serving
raisins (soaked in ¼ cup warm rum plus 2 tablespoons sugar for at least 1 hour  *optional
1 recipe Italian meringue or sweetened whipped cream
maraschino cherries for garnish **optional

NOTE: Use short or medium grain rice for a creamier result. Long grain is OK but whatever you do,  DON’T use a parboiled product like Uncle Ben’s. If you need to cook the rice, use ½ cup short or medium grain rice with 1 cup water plus ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook rice on low heat until the water has evaporated and the rice is tender.

If you are going to make a quick vanilla rice pudding, and are using leftover rice, make sure that the rice is still soft before adding to the other ingredients. Also make sure to add a clear vanilla. This is important because the standard dark vanilla will turn the pudding slightly beige. If you don’t have this, you can also use a vanilla sugar (store vanilla beans in your sugar) or you can use a vanilla bean.

Place the milk, rice, vanilla and sugar into a small, heavy bottomed pot and cook on low heat until it begins to thicken, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and then add the heavy cream and 4 yolks and cook again on low heat until it thickens, about 5-10 minutes. At this point, if you are using the raisins, drain them well and fold into the rice pudding. Pour this into 2 small bowls.

If you would like to turn the plain rice pudding into the chocolate ambrosia version pictured above, then add in the 2 heaping tablespoons of bittersweet chocolate to the rice pudding while it is still warm, and stir well until all of the chocolate has melted.

Then fold in the toasted coconut, pecans and the 1 cup of pineapple tidbits. Pour this into 4 small bowls and either garnish with whipped cream or Italian meringue. The Italian meringue is great because it gives the ambrosia a more authentic flavor with the Italian meringue topping that is very much like marshmallow.