Garnishes make it great

By CATHY THOMAS
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Homey is hip, and I love it. From pot roast to macaroni and cheese, comfort foods are more popular than ever. They're showcased on swanky restaurant menus and glorified on magazine covers.
And although I've never seen a pot roast shop, or a mac-and-cheese cafe, I have frequented a trendy eatery that sells nothing but one cozy, comfort-style dessert.
Rice to Riches in New York City (nestled in NoLita -- North Little Italy) sells rice pudding in 21 flavors. My dear grandmother wouldn't have recognized these treats. She called rice pudding a "poor woman's sweet" because she saw her family through the Great Depression making her lowly-but-loving version of rice pudding several times a week using minimal ingredients.
Mouthwatering rice pudding selections at Rice to Riches include french toast, maple and honey walnut as well as gingerbread, apple pie and rocky road. Flavors change seasonally, with the exception of 13 must-keep favorites that are available all year, such as chocolate chip, cinnamon raisin and, yes, vanilla.
The inspiration
Before owner Peter Moceo opened Rice to Riches in April 2003, he had toyed with the idea of opening an "all-rice" restaurant, a venue in which every menu item would showcase rice. He hired chefs and started developing recipes for international-style rice dishes, when a trip to Italy changed his focus.
"I saw all those fancy gelatorias, Italian ice cream shops, that displayed amazing designs and colors," Moceo says. "Then I thought about rice pudding and was surprised to find out that nobody had done a shop that specialized in it."
"The shop is wildly popular, even the tour buses come by. It's been featured in movies and on TV."
All year long
When I asked him why rice pudding is such a universally adored dessert, he said that he thinks that it is because it has all the building blocks of ice cream, but can be eaten 12 months a year.
"It's not specific to hot weather," he says, hinting that more shops will open in the near future. "In the wintertime the ice cream shops aren't doing much business. We heat up the pudding. The maple blueberry and apple pie (puddings) taste better heated up," he added.
Although I thought it might be a secret, Moceo was forthcoming in revealing the kind of rice he uses in his puddings. The best variety of rice to use is a topic of great debate. Some cooks prefer long-grained basmati, while others favor medium- or short-grained rice.
"We did a lot of testing, and we prefer short-grained sushi rice," he says. "We like the big, fat feel in the mouth. It doesn't break up as quickly as long-grain rice."
Here are a few irresistible recipes for rice pudding. I like the fact that different varieties of rice are used. We cooks, well, we like what we like.
STOVETOP RICE PUDDING
This basic pudding is delicious topped with sauteed apple or pear slices, or diced mango. Or sprinkle each serving with some mini-sized chocolate chips (also see variations at end of recipe). Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup medium-grain rice
21/2 cups whole milk
21/2 cups half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar1
1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bring water to boil in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (at least 3-quart capacity). Stir in salt and rice; cover and simmer over low heat, stirring one or two times, until water is almost fully absorbed, 15-20 minutes.
Add milk, half-and-half and sugar. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring frequently, until mixture starts to thicken, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring every couple of minutes to prevent scorching, until spoon can stand up in pudding, about 15 minutes longer.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Cool and serve at room temperature or chilled. Can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to two days.
Variations: When adding vanilla, add 1/3 cup cooled, toasted slivered almonds and 2 teaspoons minced orange zest. Or, when adding vanilla, add 1/2 cup dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries or cherries, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 675 (75 percent from fat), fat 56.2 g, protein12.7g, carbohydrates 30.5 g, fiber 1.3 g, sodium 376 mg, calcium 54 mg
Source: "American Classics" by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine (Boston Common Press, $29.95)
WARM SWEET RISOTTO WITH SAFFRON AND DRIED CHERRIES
Because this dish is served as a risotto-like dessert, it is served immediately after it is prepared. Yield: 4 servings
3/4 cup arborio rice (Italian short-grain rice)
21/2 to 3 cups whole milk (do not substitute low-fat or nonfat milk)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 plump vanilla bean, scraped out (use both seeds and hull)
Pinch saffron threads
1/2 cup plump dried cherries (or dates, unsulphured dried apricots or raisins)
In heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, combine all ingredients except cherries. Place pot over medium-low heat and stir until bubbles break the surface. Reduce heat to keep mixture at gentle simmer. Cook 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently with wooden spoon, until pudding is thick and creamy and rice is tender and soft. Add cherries during final 5 minutes of cooking. Serve immediately in warmed shallow bowls.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 650 (51 percent from fat), fat 36.8 g, protein 9.2g, carbohydrates 70.1 g, fiber 1.6 g, sodium 350 mg,calcium 48 mg
Source: "In the Sweet Kitchen" by Regan Daley (Artisan, $35)
RUM-RAISIN RICE PUDDING
Author Wayne Harley Brachman says that if this pudding gets too thick, after a day or two of refrigeration, fold in some milk, half-and-half or whipped cream. Yield: 8 servings
1 vanilla bean
21/2 cups water
1/2 cup short-grain rice
3/4 cup light brown sugar
11/2 cups half-and-half (or use 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup cream)
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons dark rum (Jamaican rum such as Myers's preferred)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Combine seeds, pod halves, water, rice and brown sugar in large saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 45 to 60 minutes.
Set rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300 degrees.
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in half-and-half, raisins and rum. Transfer to 2-quart baking dish. Cover and bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until just bubbling. Cool. Cover with plastic wrap (wrap should touch surface). Chill at least 2 hours. Best served same day, but can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Dust with ground cinnamon.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 631 (59 percent from fat), fat 41.3 g, protein5.2 g, carbohydrates 60.3 g, fiber 1.5 g, sodium 312 mg, calcium 40 mg
Source: "Retro Desserts" by Wayne Harley Brachman (Morrow, $30)
EGGY RICE PUDDING
I love the tart foil that fruit brings to rice pudding. In this recipe, fresh passion fruit is scooped onto each serving of chilled pudding. The combination is perfect. Yield: 6 servings
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (colored portion of peel)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (colored portion of peel)
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
5 cups whole milk
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 extra-large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, kosher preferred
2 ripe passion fruit
Tie lemon zest, orange zest and cardamom seeds in piece of cheesecloth. Rinse heavy pot with cold water; do not dry (this will make cleanup easier). Add milk and bring to boil over medium heat. Add rice and cheesecloth bundle and stir until milk returns to boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook, uncovered, 50 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Discard cheesecloth bundle.
Meanwhile beat cream, egg yolks and vanilla in large bowl. As soon as they are blended, add sugar and salt and continue beating until dissolved.
Add 1 cup hot rice mixture to egg mixture and stir. Stir egg mixture into rice mixture. Return pot to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until custard just comes to boil. (You should get one large bubble of air out of it.) Immediately remove from heat and transfer to bowl. Put piece of plastic wrap against surface to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.
To serve, spoon pudding into bowls. Cut passion fruit into halves. Scoop fruit from passion fruit half and spoon over top of pudding in 1 bowl; repeat with remaining servings.
Nutritional information (per serving assuming 6 portions): Calories 670 (72 percent from fat), fat 53.6 g, protein 7 g, carbohydrates 41.2 g, fiber 1.2 g, sodium 247 mg, calcium 38 mg Source: "In the Hands of a Chef" by Jody Adams and Ken Rivard (Morrow, $34.95)