Holidays are about connection, tradition, and enjoyment.
As a way for you to focus on the joy of sharing meals with others, we’re offering up this delicious and cozy holiday dessert recipe, thanks to Christine Geier – a dietitian with Northern Health.
Wild rice pudding with caramel sauce
“Rice pudding with caramel sauce is one of my favourite holiday and winter desserts,” said Christine Geier. “It’s warm, comforting, and full of delightful textures - the creaminess of the pudding, the subtle nutty crunch of wild rice, and the sweet, rich caramel sauce. A treat I truly enjoy!”
Ingredients
For the pudding:
- ½ cup wild rice
- 8 cups (2 litres) milk (2% or whole milk will make for a creamier pudding)
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs (tempered before adding)
- For the caramel sauce:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 6 pieces
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cook the wild rice.
- Combine ½ cup wild rice with 3 cups water. Boil, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes until tender. Set aside.
Make the pudding.
- In a large pot combine cooked wild rice, milk, vanilla, sugar, and uncooked white rice.
- Simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the mixture thickens.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.
- Slowly add a small amount of the hot pudding mixture to the eggs while whisking constantly. This is called tempering and prevents the eggs from cooking instantly from the hot mixture.
- Stir the tempered eggs back into the pudding and mix until smooth and creamy.
Make the salted caramel sauce.
- In a medium heavy-duty, stainless-steel saucepan (do not use nonstick) over medium heat, cook the sugar, stirring constantly
Melting the butter with a wooden spoon or heat-safe silicone spatula. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. On my stove, this takes about six minutes. Stir constantly, especially around the bottom edges, and be careful not to let it burn.
- Once the sugar is completely melted, reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added. (If you’re nervous about splattering, wear kitchen gloves). Cook and stir constantly until the butter is melted and well combined. If you notice the butter separating or if the sugar clumps up, remove the pan from heat and vigorously whisk to combine it again. Keep whisking until it comes back together, even if it takes 3–4 minutes. It will eventually - just keep whisking. Return to heat when it’s combined again.
- Very slowly and carefully pour in the heavy cream, stirring constantly. Since the heavy cream is colder than the hot caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and steam when added. When all of the heavy cream has been added, stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and let it boil for one minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils. If you’d like to be precise and use a candy thermometer, the temperature should reach 220°F (104°C).
- Remove from heat and stir in the salt. The caramel will be a thin liquid at this point. Allow to slightly cool and thicken before using. Caramel thickens considerably as it cools.
Serve!
- Spoon warm pudding into bowls and drizzle generously with caramel sauce. Enjoy!
*Don’t have wild rice but still want the crunch? Omit the wild rice and skip step one. Add shredded coconut after the pudding is cooked instead.
Holiday eating tips
- Enjoy social eating: Holidays are about connection, tradition and enjoyment. Focus on the joy of sharing meals with others.
- Give yourself permission: Allow yourself to enjoy the variety of foods available during the holidays.
- Eat regularly throughout the day: Skipping meals or ‘saving calories’ for a big dinner often backfires, leading to overeating and discomfort. This cycle reinforces negative feelings about food and body image.
- Remember: Eating regularly - before you get too hungry - helps you stay steady, choose foods more intentionally, and enjoy eating without stress.
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