Slow Cooker: Cardamom and Lemon Rice Pudding

Cardamom and Lemon Rice Pudding

Before saying goodbye to my old slow cooker, I made this yummy Cardamom and Lemon Rice Pudding from Epicurious.com to accompany my slow cooker Roast Pork in Onion Gravy. I love cardamom, and anything with lemon works for me, so this was a no-brainer. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but did use brown rice instead of white (since you have to cook it anyway, why not I said?). I used my very handy rice cooker to do it, which cooks brown or white rice effortlessly in 50 minutes — perfectly every time.

I don't know if it was that my slow cooker is old, or that I used brown rice, but this was more soup than pudding, even after an extra hour on high. But after turning it off for a while the liquid was all absorbed and it was the rice pudding I know and love. No matter, this was REALLY good! I used cranberries instead of raisins for the tang. With the lemons left over, I juiced them, added an equal amount of water, sweetened it with Agave syrup (which is healthier than white sugar for diabetics and you use almost half as much) then brought it to a boil and simmered for a few minutes, before putting it in a jar in the fridge. Boy am I glad I did that because after a day the lemon flavour of the rice pudding was diminished and the syrup was absolutely fantastic on top.

I never took another picture, but it did end up looking very rice pudding-ish.

Cardamom and Lemon Rice Pudding Epicurious | February 2007

by Melissa Clark

This wintertime favorite, a great way to use up the leftover rice in your fridge, gets a surprise lift from lemon zest. For added crunch, sprinkle it with slivered almonds or pistachios before serving. This recipe was originally part of a feature on slow cooking. For additional recipes and tips for using a slow cooker, Yield: Makes 6 servings 3 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 4 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon) 5 whole green cardamom pods 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 3 cups cooked medium-grain white rice 1 cup golden raisins Special equipment: Slow cooker In slow cooker, whisk together milk, cream, eggs, granulated and brown sugars, vanilla, zest, cardamom pods, and nutmeg. Stir in rice, cover and cook on high 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, add raisins, and cook 1 hour more, stirring occasionally. Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled. Cook's note: This recipe was originally prepared in an oval, 6-quart slow cooker.

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Since I love rice pudding I would absolutely make this again, but I would make it with 1% milk and 10% cream. I'm sure it would be just as good. I would use cranberries again for sure for the tang that goes well with the lemon flavour. Because I love cardamom, in addition to the pods, I would add a quarter to a half-teaspoon or so of ground cardamom too for that one of a kind taste. Do make the lemon syrup sauce, it is fantastic!

Enjoy,

Kathy