Week 21 of Dave Raymond’s Modernity course, covers “The Lost Generation: Literary Converts” We often reflect what these great authors wrote, but we don’t always remember what they ate, like Rice Pudding.
C.S. Lewis is a giant among christian writers, known for works such as Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters, but also for his children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis mentions food a good bit in each Narnian book, and in real life was quite fond of simple British cuisine. He enjoyed foods like fish and was not very partial to sweets, preferring strawberries and cream to a fancy dessert. But he did enjoy rice pudding on winter nights, stating after a dinner party, “What a typically female choice for a snowy evening – fruit salad! It wd. be cruel to ask for splendour in a poor society, but why not an honest rice pudding?”
Rice Pudding
*Serves 3
- 1 1/2 c. Milk
- 1/2 c. Heavy cream
- 1 stp. Vanilla extract
- 4 tsp. Sugar
- 1 tsp. Lemon zest
- 1/3 c. Arborio or other short grain rice
- Nutmeg
- Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease two 4 inch round ramekins and set aside.
- In a large saucepan heat the milk and cream slowly. Warm the milk mixture but don’t let it boil. Add vanilla, stir, then remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Evenly split the rice and sugar and spread over the bottoms of the ramekins. Pour 1 c. Milk mixture in each ramekin and gently stir. Add 1/2 tsp. Of lemon zest to each and stir again. Generously shake a layer of nutmeg over the top.
- Place a cookie sheet in preheated oven and place ramekins on sheet. Let cook for 45 min.-1 hour, until thick and creamy. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes, then serve.
