Rice Pudding, Honey, Cinnamon and Whey
/Summary: After making fresh ricotta, you're always left with several cups of lovely whey. I never knew what to do with it so would toss it guiltily, but recently on Food52, one cook made polenta with her leftover whey. This got me thinking about other uses and this recipe was born.
Yield: about 2 cups; 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups whey (leftover from making fresh ricotta)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon
- ⅓ cup arborio or jasmine rice (or a blend of both)
- toasted walnuts for topping, if you'd like
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
In a 1.5 quart Pyrex dish, whisk together the whey, cream, sugar, honey and cinnamon. Stir in the rice.
Place dish, uncovered, in a 9x13 pan filled with 2" of water (you're making a water bath), and put the whole thing in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove the Pyrex (with the rice pudding in it) from the pan and bake alone for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 45-60 minutes. Then put in the refrigerator. All of this cooling will help the pudding set although, ultimately, this is not a stiff rice pudding.
To serve, spoon into bowls and top with toasted, crumbled walnuts if you like.
