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Tropical Rice Pudding

This is a simple, yet totally memorable, way to serve rice pudding as a special dessert. The coconut cream and tropical fruits make a perfect ending to a Latin- or Island-themed menu. You can find sweet brown rice at natural food stores.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 cup sweet brown rice
2 cups cold water
Pinch of sea salt
2 (14-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk (not light)
1/2 cup light agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 mango, sliced
1 banana, sliced
6 slices pineapple
Lightly toasted unsweetened coconut, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place rice, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and cook covered over low heat for 40 minutes. Do not uncover until the rice is done. Remove from the heat and uncover.

    Step 2

    Stir 1 can of coconut milk and the agave nectar into the rice and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Skim the cream off the top of the second can of coconut milk and set aside. (Use the rest of the coconut milk for another purpose.) To serve, spoon the rice pudding onto individual plates or into bowls.Arrange the mango, banana, and pineapple slices around the pudding and drizzle coconut cream on top. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve.

Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.
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