From the November 13th, 1934 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, found via the Steve Rogers’ New York. Origenally submitted by Department of Agriculture and Markets, Albany N.Y.
Delicate Rice Puddling
This pudding will make an appitizing dessert, and supply substantion nutriants. recipe was prepared for this paper by the Department of Agriculture and Markets, Albany, N.Y. It sevres 6
½ cup rice.
½ cup raisins.
½ cup sugar.
3 eggs.
1 quart milk.
2 tablespoons butter.
1 quart milk.
½ teaspoon salt.
A few gratings nutmeg.
Boil milk, raisins and rice very slowly in a double boiler about 1 ½ hours. Beat the yolks of the eggs with the sugar, stir it into the rice, add the butter, pour into a pudding dish, spread with the whites, which have been stiffly beaten with 2 tablespoons of sugar, over the top. Place in a very slow oven long enough to brown the meringue.
I wonder if the Department of Agriculture and Markets was trying to promote the consumption of milk. I assumed that it meant only 1 quart of milk, and the second 1 quart is a typo. Even so, the milk-to-rice ratio is kind of impressive. Luckily the egg yolks helped thicken it (though it did get a bit soupier in the oven).
I do not actually own a pudding dish, so I improvised (and hey, pyrex is period).
I’m not actually familiar with this sort of rice pudding, so I’m not sure how this compares to other recipes. In my mind rice pudding is supposed to have rose or cardamom. My partner from the Midwest just says warm rice pudding is a bit weird to him.
The raisins got nice and plump, instead of being all chewy. It was rich and creamy, with a nice mouthfeel, though a bit blandly sweet. Might have benefitted from a bit of spice or vanilla. I like the merengue as textural contrast. It made the whole thing feel a bit fancy. Tasty enough, but not really anything I would consider a health food.
