Riz au lait (French rice pudding)

Step 1

split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape off the seeds with the tip of a knife.

Step 2

Rinse the rice thoroughly with running cold water to remove the starch.

Step 3

Immerse it in a large saucepan of boiling water and simmer/blanch for 3 minutes. Using a colander or a fine-mesh sieve, drain the rice.

Step 4

Pour milk, heavy cream, place both the vanilla pod and seeds in a medium-to-large saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour in the drained rice, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spatula.

Step 5

Add sugar and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool.

Step 6

pour sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Don't use utensils. Just shake the pot over your stove until the caramel gets an amber color.

Step 7

Remove from the heat, pour the warm cream, constantly stirring (be careful of the splash). Add butter and mix for about one minute over low heat.

Step 8

discard the vanilla bean once the rice has cooled and divide riz au lait into dessert cups/bowls. Pour hot caramel over the dessert.