Rice Pudding With Caramel Apples (Dorie Greenspan)

This recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s newest cookbook, “Around my French Table”. It's a delicious, comforting dessert, with or without the apples. The slight tartness of the apples and the decadence of homemade caramel sauce pair nicely with a creamy and not too sweet vanilla rice pudding. COOKING NOTES: Watch the pudding closely in the last 10 minutes, don’t cook it until all the milk is gone or you’ll have a stiff pudding. If you are going to chill it add more vanilla extract as the cold will mute flavors. Press a plastic wrap on the surface and let the pudding cool to room temperature. DO AHEAD: Pudding can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Caramel apples can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Stir over medium heat until just warm before using.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Pudding

• 1  pinch salt
• 1⁄2 cup arborio rice
• 4  cups  whole milk
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1 1⁄2-2  teaspoons vanilla extract

• Caramel Apples

• 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

Directions

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.