Sweet Rice Pudding Brazilian Style (with orange zest)

This recipe is from my friend Paola, who is from Brazil. The “before” and “during” photos may not look too exciting, but the end result was outstanding!

Ingredients: 1 cup rice, 6 cups water, 1 can condensed milk (I used a 14 ounce can of low-fat condensed milk), cinnamon to garnish, and optional orange peel. I used 1 teaspoon of dried orange zest because it’s in the spice rack- thus part of this saga, but I suspect that the flavor of freshly grated orange peel would enhance this recipe. If I used the dried version again, I would put in 1 ½ teaspoons of zest, possibly upping it to 2 teaspoons. The single teaspoon did not result in a strong orange flavor.

Step one: boil rice and water, then lower the heat to medium and continue cooking until the water is absorbed. If you are using orange peel, add it to the pot with the rice and water at the beginning of the cooking process. I did not let it cook until the rice was dry, hopefully you can see how it looked creamy, not watery at the end of the cooking phase. Of course, I forgot to time the process, and the recipe didn’t give a time, either! Just stay near the pot, because eventually it will start sticking and need to be stirred.

Turn off the heat and add the can of milk, mixing well. Scoop into bowls and sprinkle cinnamon on top. I make every effort to serve fruit with dessert dishes, so I had one serving of the rice pudding with blueberries, and another with raspberries. Delicious! Have you ever added fruit to a recipe or as a garnish with tasty results? What was the fruit & dish you added it to?