Skinny Coconut Rice Pudding

I had to go into the city today (New York, that is) to deal with some work things, so I was on the go pretty much all day. My meals were a bit rushed and nothing you haven't seen before, so rather than going through all that I thought I'd tell you about this coconut rice pudding.

Matt actually made this a few weeks ago - I can't believe it's taken me this long to share the recipe because this stuff is really good. I've said before that I'm normally not a fan of rice pudding; typically I think the flavor is pretty bland and the texture is unappealing, especially when it's soupy. This rice pudding, however, is neither bland nor soupy. It's thick, creamy, chewy and filled with the flavor of coconut. I actually like it even better when it's warm, right out of the pot...but Matt says that's weird.

I have to give all the credit to Matt on this one since he concocted this deliciousness based on MomMom's rice pudding recipe. Most rice puddings are made with half & half or whole milk, but he used skim milk and it still had plenty of richness. The original recipe also called for a lot more sugar, but he cut it down to a little less than half a cup since he added coconut. You can add even less than that if you like it less sweet - just add a little at a time and taste it while you go.

He also used sushi rice because we don't usually have white rice in the house, and even that worked fine.

This pudding is really easy to make, and you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. So if you don't have any dessert in the house and are craving something sweet, make this!

Skinny Coconut Rice Pudding

Makes 5 Servings

Ingredients
1/2 cup rice
Water
4 cups skim milk
1 egg
Scant 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp. coconut extract

Pour the rice into a small saucepan and add enough water to cover the rice. Bring to a slow boil and cook until all the water is absorbed. Add most of the milk to the pot, saving a little in a separate bowl. Beat the egg with the remaining milk, and then add the milk/egg mixture to the pot; stir well until completely combined. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring often. When rice is cooked, add sugar, coconut and coconut extract, then cook for about 5 more minutes.

Spoon rice pudding into 5 small ramekins and cover with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic is touching the rice pudding so a "skin" doesn't form). Chill in the refrigerator before serving.