We attend a lot of greek festivals and the best dessert I have ever tasted is Ryzogalo, which is basically Greek Rice Pudding. It is so yummy and so simple to make and can be made to feed a crowd.
This dish is a favorite with my family, not only as a dessert, but as a special treat. The end result of this version should be more a cream than a "set" pudding, and instead of chilling, try serving it at room temperature (or even while still warm). This recipe is easy and has few ingredients, but it needs pretty constant attention while cooking.
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of water
3/4 cups of short grain rice
2 1/2 cups of whole milk
3/4 cup of sugar *
3 3/4 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 egg yolks
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For the topping:
ground cinnamon
Preparation:
* Greeks like their sweets very sweet. Feel free to reduce the sugar to 2/3 cup or less, according to preference.
Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.
Warm the milk and stir into the rice along with half the sugar. Cover and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.
Dissolve the cornstarch in as little cold water as possible (about 2 tablespoons, but make sure it is fully dissolved) and add to rice. Continue to stir briskly so the rice doesn't stick to the pan, simmering for a full 5 minutes and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, add to the rice mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until very well blended (to thicken and to prevent the yolks from cooking separately).
Set aside to cool in the saucepan or in individual serving dishes.
Serve at room temperature, sprinkled with cinnamon.
Yield: serves 4
