Aleigh's Lemon Poppy-Seed Rice Pudding

I always love to think outside of the culinary box when cooking and it seems the more I cook, the more brazen I get. So when I asked Allison, a fellow foodie, what she wanted for her birthday treat and she said she liked the idea of something with lemon and poppy-seeds, I wanted to make her something out of the ordinary. With Allison's blessings, I opted for to go flour-less. I had seen a recipe in last November's issue of Food & Wine for a lime and poppy-seed rice pudding* that I thought with just a little tweaking, would make both of us happy. The upgraded the rice to arborio, omitted the mango, simply substituted lemon zest for the lime and lo! a delicate, new lemon poppy-seed dessert gem was born. So the next time you want a lemon and poppy-seed confection but a muffin, scone, or cake just won't do, try this pudding. Delishy!

Lemon Poppy-Seed Rice Pudding

• 3 quarts of whole milk
• 1 lb of arborio rice (Risotto quality rice)
• 1 14oz can of unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 whole vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 2 Tbsp poppy-seeds
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cups of heavy or whipping cream
• Zest of one lemon

1. In a large, heavy pot, combine milk, rice, coconut milk. Mix well and let sit for 30 minutes. Add vanilla bean (entire bean and scraped seeds) and poppy seeds. Mix well and bring to a simmer over a moderately high heat. When it starts to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the rice is tender (approximately 50-75 minutes).

2. Add the sugar, cream, and lemon zest and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and cover with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Yields about 12 cups

* The adapted Food & Wine recipe can be found here