← Nouns Cooking · Spanish

Ingredients

• 1.5 l whole milk
• 1 strips of peel from 1 lemon
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 150 g short-grain rice (bomba or pudding rice)
• 150 g Sugar
• 30 g Butter
• 1 pinch Salt
• 4 tbsp sugar, for the burnt top

Method

1. Heat the milk with the lemon peel and cinnamon stick in a large, heavy pan until steaming. Add the rice and salt and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring often (and constantly towards the end) so it does not catch, until the rice is very soft and the milk has turned thick and creamy.
3. Stir in the sugar and cook for 10–15 min more, until it is the consistency of loose porridge; it thickens a lot as it cools. Remove the peel and cinnamon and stir in the butter.
4. Spoon into a serving dish or small bowls, cool, then chill for at least 2 hours.
5. Just before serving, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top and caramelise it with a blowtorch (or a hot salamander iron, as in Asturias) until it bubbles and turns amber.

Tips

• Asturians say it should be stirred ‘a thousand times’; a heavy pan and patience give the creamiest result.
• Without a blowtorch, simply dust with ground cinnamon instead.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

The Spanish Chef (Omar Allibhoy) Spain on a Fork Spanish Fiestas