A Dessert to Make You Cry

That's right. My recipe for a traditional rice pudding with a Greek twist may actually cause you to cry. It's another GrecoSoCo recipe--my take on a traditional Southern rice pudding. If you're in a hurry, here's the printable recipe, otherwise, scroll down for a teeny touching story.

Rice Pudding? Yes, I've taken the traditional recipe and added lemon zest and just a hint of cinnamon for a creamy, dreamy after-dinner treat. It's an easy make-ahead dessert that will make anyone over fifty cry. If not, it will give them warm and fuzzy feelings for a week, and they may ask for seconds. This pudding will trigger memories of family dinners of long ago, when mamas and grandmamas cooked dinner from scratch almost every night. Often, when there was rice left over from dinner, you'd turn that rice into rice pudding. That was back when all home cooks could eyeball ingredients and quantities, and everything always turned out just right. 

Believe it or not, there was a time when what we now call dessert was a special treat, which is why rice pudding was so welcomed. It used up leftovers and gave everyone a little sweet treat. Now, we cook the rice just to prepare this edible trip of nostangia as a treat anytime we want a quick, inexpensive, delicious and comforting dessert.

Of course, I use Carolina Gold (or Charleston Gold) rice from Marsh Hen Mill. It's authentic to South Carolina (where I live) and is grown and harvested in the state by Marsh Hen or their farmers.

The cooked rice

Combine & whisk together eggs, sugar, cornstarch