1. The rice. Bring 2 c water to boil in med saucepan, add cinn stick and lime zest, cover and simmer over med heat for 5 min. Pour in rice, let mix return to boil, stir once, then cover and cook over med-low heat for 20 min, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

2. The pudding. Stir in milk, sugar, and salt and simmer over med to med-low heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid shows the First signs of thickening, 20-25 min. Take from the heat and remove the cinn stick and zest. Beat the egg yolks until runny, stir in the vanilla and a few T of the hot rice, the stir yolk concoction back into the rice mixture, Mix in Half the raisins, then spoon the rice pudding into a decorative 8"square baking dish.

3. Browning and finishing the pudding. Preheat the broiler and dot the rice pudding w/butter. Set the dish under the heat long enough to brown the top, 3 or 4 min. Sprinkle with remaining raisins and the ground cinnamon, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook's Notes:

Timing and Advance Preparation The rice pudding can be ready in an hour, much of which won't involve your direct participation. It may be prepared through Step 2 a day or two in advance, then buttered and broiled shortly before serving.

Historical Notes:

Arroz con leche

This dessert is softer and more connamony than our baked rice pudding. The flavors are simple and close to home, but it's easy to develop a thoroughgoing love for it, spoonful after spoonful. Mexican people everywhere serve it as regularly as they do flan; it's creamy and, in its own way, light and soothing.

This is an especially pretty and tasty recipe, based on one from Zelayaran's Las 500 (quinentos) mejores recetas de la cocina mexicana. (The 500 best recipes of the Mexican Kitchen). Pronounced: Lahs keen-yen-toes may-hor-ays ree-setahs day lah ko-cheenah may-hi-kaanah. It would be welcome after a hearty soup like Menudo (may-noo-doe) or Shrimp-Ball soup; it travels well to potlucks. Leftovers, thinned with milk and warmed, are very good for breakfast.

Rice pudding brings to my mind the volatile, chancy crowd of Mexico City's Garibaldi Square, where this dessert, only one of the attractions, sits in huge, milky masses stuck with a raisin or two for decoration. Or sometimes I am reminded of the well-used walkways around the Oaxacan (wah-hock-can) market, where ladies sell it in paper cups at sundown. Or I picture any of a dozen other typical scenes: from rude, makeshift street stands to well-appointed traditional restaurants-where arroz con leche (air-rose cone letch-ay) (roll those double R's baby) is the thing you have.

Above text quoted from Authentic Mexican by the Baylesses.

holly "Holly D. Iles" <holly@bga. Com>