Provincetown Portuguese Cookbook

Doces

Rolled Cookies | Rocks | Sweet Potato Pastries | Egg Cookies | Sighs | Mariana's Tea Biscuits | Sherried Cookies | Egg Cake | Russian Tea Cakes | Andrew's Fudgies | Molasses Cookies | Brigadiers | Torta de Viana | Honey Bread | Crème Caramel à la Portugaise | Port Flan | Maria's Portuguese Sweet Rice Pudding | Del's Sweet Rice Pudding | Brazilian Fresh Corn Pudding | Almond Tart | Joyce's Choice Cheesecake | Milk Sweet

Pudim d'Arroz Doce

Maria Brito Janoplis

Egg yolks figure prominently in the desserts of Portugal. Bakeries all over the country feature tiny pastries like pasteis de nata, which are brilliantly yellow, indicating that egg yolks are the main ingredient. So it goes with Maria Brito Janoplis's sweet rice pudding.

The daughter of the man who owned the Portuguese Bakery when I was a child, Maria's sweet rice with its 10 yolks is not for the calorie conscious.

Maria made this pudding as a gift for her friends, family and neighbors. When my mother-in-law passed away, Maria, who was her next-door-neighbor, was promptly on the doorstep the next morning with a large bowl of this delicious pudding.

Lovingly and slowly prepared like a good Italian risotto, it is also one of the best sweet rice puddings I have ever eaten. Maria's daughter, Michelle Janoplis Lisbon, says it takes approximately two hours to prepare.

1/2 gallon whole milk

2 cups water

1 cup River rice

3 tsp. lemon extract

11/2 cups sugar

10 egg yolks

Dash salt

Cinnamon

At medium low heat, cook the rice, lemon extract, salt and water until the liquid is almost gone. Add the milk, 1 pint at a time, letting it cook about 15 minutes so the rice has a thick and rich consistency before the next pint is added. Remember to stir the rice constantly. When adding the last pint of milk, add the sugar and cook 15 to 20 minutes more. When done, remove from the heat and add the egg yolks (add some of the hot rice to the yolks before adding them to the whole mixture to prevent curdling). Mix the yolks into the pudding and pour into a serving dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cool.

Serves 8, except in our house where two of us can demolish it almost on the spot.