Rice Pudding With Caramel Apples (dorie Greenspan)

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 sweet apples, such as gala, fuji, braeburn, or jonagold peeled
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces at room temperature
• 1/2 cup apple cider, at room temperature
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

Recipe

• 1 to make the rice pudding. bring about 3 cups of water and the salt to a boil in a medium to large saucepan. stir the rice and boil for 10 minutes. drain, and rinse out the pan.
• 2 put the milk and sugar in the pan and bring to a boil. stir in the rice, reduce the heat to medium/medium-low, and cook at a steady simmer, stirring frequently. pay particular attention at the beginning, because the milk has a tendency to bubble up exuberantly and will bubble over even in a tall pot if you don’t catch it and stir it down in time. stir in the vanilla at the end.
• 3 to make the apples. cut the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices and then cut each piece crosswise. sprinkle the sugar in the center of a medium nonstick skillet. moisten with a splash of lemon juice and then turn the heat to medium high. when the sugar melts, bubbles and start to color, either tilt the pan or stir the sugar with a fork or wooden spoon. as soon as the sugar is a nice amber color, pull the pan away from the heat. stand away, because the mixture will splatter, and add the butter, swirling to mix it inches.
• 4 put the skillet on medium heat, pour in the cider, and add the salt. bring the cider to a boil, then add the apples. cook, stirring often for 5 minutes, or until the apples are tender. pour in the heavy cream and boil for 1 minute more, then turn the apples and caramel sauce into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool. the apples are ready to serve when they are just slightly warm or at room temperature. (don’t taste them as soon as they’re cooked: the caramel is very hot.).
• 5 put a little of the caramel sauce in the bottom of each bowl or glass (martini glasses look great), top with rice pudding, and finish with apples and a little more sauce. if you’d like, add a dollop of whipped cream.