Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Now that the weather is getting cooler here in Sydney, I'm starting to crave warm, comforting desserts. Rather than churning out ice creams and other chilled sweets (though I'll still eat them!), I'm thinking crumbles, pies and warm puddings.

Sir D was actually the one who introduced rice pudding to me, since I never ate it as a child. He craved rice pudding one chilly night so we decided to have a go at making it ourselves rather than settling for the canned stuff.

This rice pudding is super easy to make and only requires a few ingredients. You do need a bit of patience to cook it though as the rice pudding needs to be constantly stirred while it's on the heat, but it's definitely worth the time.

We've tried a couple of rice pudding recipes, but this one is our favourite because the rice doesn't become too gluggy, and it is just the right amount of sweetness for me. I like mine warm with a generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon over the top for some extra spice. It's pure comfort food and perfect for the chilly weather to come!

Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)
Makes about 8 servings, adapted from this recipe

250g medium grain rice
1.25L (5 cups) full cream milk
1 cinnamon stick
1 x 395g can sweetened condensed milk
Ground cinnamon

1. Heat milk with cinnamon stick and bring to the boil. Add the rice, and stir constantly over low heat until rice is half cooked.

2. Add the condensed milk and continue stirring until rice is cooked. Test by squashing a rice grain. Spoon into individual serving dishes and dust with ground cinnamon.