RICE BLANCMANGE

• Add 175g of Arborio rice along with 2.5 cups cold, whole milk into a pot (preferably non-stick since this prevents sticking and burning of the milk)
• Add 75 g of sugar (or any sweetener of choice)
• Heat over medium high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture starts to bubble
• Reduce heat so as to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir in a figure eight motion, every 5 minutes, making sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
• Cook on low heat for 40 minutes or until rice is soft and all the milk is absorbed by the rice
• If rice isn’t cooked at the end of 40 minutes, or if all the milk evaporates, add more milk. I covered the pot partially to slow down the evaporation of the milk. If you do this, make sure to keep a close eye on the stove so that the milk doesn’t bubble over and cause a mess!    
• Sprinkle in ¼ tsp each of grated nutmeg and cinnamon
• Pour the cooked rice into a mold or whatever serving dish shape you prefer. Cover with plastic wrap, ensuring that the surface of the pudding is in contact with the plastic. This ensures that no skin forms.
• Chill until cold. When ready to serve, pour the rice blancmange out from the mold onto the serving plate – or scoop directly from the dish! - It took some wiggling and jiggling to get the pudding out of my mold!  A way to help prevent sticking is to try lining your mold with parchment paper or spraying the dish with an unflavoured, non-stick cooking spray

To serve this, garnish with red or black currant jelly (I used strawberry jam).  Note that you can garnish and flavour the dish with whatever ingredients and spices you prefer. The recipe acts as a blank canvas for you incorporate your favourite flavours and to showcase your culinary creativity!