Sweet Rice

ARROZ DOCE A MODA DE COIMBRA / SWEET RICE

1/2 cup of medium grain white rice, rinsed
1/2 cup water
2 tbs of butter
1 piece of fresh lemon rind
6 cups hot milk
1/2 cup sugar
ground cinnamon

Add milk and lemon rind into a large pan. Bring milk to a boil and then set heat to low.

In a separate pan, water and butter and bring to a boil. Add rice and cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Transfer the lemon rind in the heated milk over to the pan with the rice. Start adding the heated milk to the rice little by little and stir often. (I like to use a large soup ladle to transfer the milk). Continue to add large spoonfuls to the rice one by one and allow to thicken slightly before adding another batch of the heated milk. Continue doing this until all of the milk has been added to the rice. This process takes approximately one hour. Stir often to make sure the rice does not stick.

After adding the last batch of milk, add the sugar to the rice, bring rice to a boil and stir. Continue to simmer until the rice and milk thicken to a consistency similar to that of oatmeal.

Remove lemon rind and pour sweet rice onto a large, shallow serving plate. Spread the rice flat and allow to cool.

Pinch ground cinnamon between fingers and make the pattern of your choice on the sweet rice. Crisscross patterns are traditional.

Serve at room temperature and refrigerate the uneaten portion. (Personally I like sweet rice best when it is still warm. Even after it has been in the refrigerator, I like to warm it up in the microwave).

NOTE: River brand medium grain white rice is recommended for this recipe.