Coconut Rice Pudding w/ Blood Orange & Lime Vanilla Sugar

I know I’ve been a bit slow to get recipes up this year, but I’ve been taking a little break, enjoying time with my family and what not. That’s allowed around the holidays, right? Before I know it, I’ll be all too busy again, back into the blogging swing with another baby to boot. So slow is the word for this month, before it changes to hyper-drive in March. YIKES.

I’ve been slowing down on the desserts as well and haven’t really made anything this year so far. After all the heavy fare baked around the holidays I find that I’m really craving things that are a bit more refreshing. Bright. Colorful.  Which reminds me, it’s Blood Orange season! I love getting to that time of year where citrus comes back into play and blood oranges are one of my favorites. And they were the inspiration  for this Coconut Rice Pudding w/ Blood Orange Sauce & Vanilla Lime Sugar.

The rice pudding gets a little tropical flavor from the coconut milk it’s cooked in and it isn’t heavy on the sugar, which is nice. The creamy sweetness of the pudding pairs so well with the tangy blood orange sauce, which is so simple in and of itself. Just barely sweetened blood orange slices and juice, thickened up a little.

The topping is a lime vanilla sugar that is so fragrant and colorful. It adds a little something special to the pudding and this recipe makes plenty so that you can use for other things….no ideas? I’ve got you covered. Stay tuned for more lime vanilla sugar usage ideas 😉

This pudding is it’s very best served warm. You can certainly eat it cold, but I find that the coconut milk causes the pudding to set up a little more firmly than puddings that don’t use it. If you chill it and want to reheat it in the microwave, sprinkle a little water over the top of it and cover with plastic wrap before reheating. This will add in some needed moisture.

Coconut Rice Pudding w/ Blood Orange & Lime Vanilla Sugar

 

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This pudding is best served warm, but can be enjoyed at any temperature.

Serves: serves 4

Ingredients

• FOR THE LIME VANILLA SUGAR:
• ¼ C. Sugar
• Zest of 1 Lime
• ½ Vanilla Bean
• FOR THE PUDDING:
• 1 C. Arborio(or other short grain) Rice
• 1 Can(about 14 oz) Coconut Milk(full fat)
• 1¼ C. Milk
• ¼ t. Salt
• ⅓ C. Coconut Milk(canned)
• 1 Egg Yolk
• ¼ C. Sugar(add another 1-2 T. if you prefer a sweeter pudding)
• FOR THE BLOOD ORANGE SAUCE:
• 1 t. Cornstarch
• ½ T. Sugar
• Juice of 1 Blood Orange
• 2 Blood Oranges, segmented

Instructions

1. FOR THE LIME VANILLA SUGAR:
2. Place the sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. Add the lime zest to the sugar and scrap the vanilla beans out of the vanilla pod, using a sharp knife, adding the seeds to the sugar as well. Use your fingertips to blend the lime zest and vanilla seeds into the sugar. Set aside, uncovered.
3. FOR THE RICE PUDDING:
4. Place the rice, can of coconut milk, milk, and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cover. Let simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender with a little bit of a bite still. The rice should be creamy, but if the liquid evaporates to much during cooking, add a little bit of water.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the ⅓ C. of coconut milk, egg yolk, and sugar. When rice is fully cooked, add the mixture to the pudding and stir in quickly. Let cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat.
7. FOR THE BLOOD ORANGE SAUCE:
8. Mix together the cornstarch and sugar and place in a small saucepan, adding a little bit of the blood orange juice to the cornstarch at a time so that lumps do not form. Bring to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat and add the blood orange segments, stirring together gently until combined.
9. TO SERVE:
10. Divide the warm pudding between 4 glasses. Top each with a spoonful of blood orange sauce and a good sprinkling of lime vanilla sugar. Refrigerate leftovers. Store any remaining lime vanilla sugar in an airtight container or bag and save for another use.

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