The One With Riz Au Lait

Sometime since about January I have been meaning to attempt making the French dessert riz au lait. The standards were set extremely high as my French mum made the last batch that I consumed such an abundance of. Last week I perused the Internet for some simple yet still French style recipes and came across a blog that I have since come to read and enjoy often.

This particular recipe came with a story about memories with a grandmother so I was even keener on attempting this one. The first skepticism, however, came when the recipe’s first ingredient was Arborio rice. Lucikly, a dear friend and cousin helped me in my search for this. Thanks Price Chopper for providing. Also feeling skeptical of the vanilla bean and seeding it I continued my Internet search for some tips. Feeling confident in at least knowing what a vanilla bean looked like I made my way back to Price Chopper and was yet again successful in my search. Finding things in grocery stores always proves to be a chore so I consider both of these findings great successes.

Finally having all the necessary ingredients, enough rest, and a night with no plans I decided to indulge in some French cooking fun. I enthusiastically split open the vanilla bean and seeded it like a pro. It is insanely simple but it was a proud moment nonetheless. The smell of the vanilla, mixed with milk and cream, immediately made me want to melt into the pot that I had just added it to. Vanilla is my most favorite scent and I knew the dessert was going to be delectable. Twenty minutes later after countless stirs, a fair amount of sniffs, and uncontainable excitement I added the sugar and waited a whole two seconds before I started eating my own bowl of homemade riz au lait.

The first spoonful melted away all my cares of today, took me back to the holidays with my French family, and more than satisfied my eager taste buds. I know that my French family waits until Christmas to eat this dessert, but I am uncertain that I can say the same for me. Christmas will most definitely be a time for riz au lait, but I cannot say that it will be a specialty just for the day. Mom’s coffee café will have to remain the dish that we reserve strictly for Christmas.

Bon appétit!