Cherry Vanilla Rice Pudding

My mom got me hooked on rice pudding not too long ago. The little containers she buys are a bit expensive, so I decided to make my own. Instead of raisins (which I’m not very fond of) I decided to use dried cherries, since it’s what I had in the pantry. You could easily substitute the cherries with raisins or cranberries, or any other kind of dried fruit!

1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup long-grain rice
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup dried cherries
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Stir in the milk, heavy cream, sugar and cinnamon. Continue to cook on low heat, covered, for about 60 minutes or until mixture becomes thick. Stir every 20 minutes so that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once pudding is thickened, add the cherries. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from heat and serve warm, or place in fridge and let cool before serving.

Yields 6 servings.