Who would have thought that the unassuming art of baking would be the trigger of much discovery with my husband?   To uncover his likes and, more interestingly, his dislikes.

To my upmost surprise, I have been firmly told he does not like marshmallow.  If I ever get a baking request, it often is for some of the most simple and unfussy treats such as chocolate chip cookies, brownies or apple pie.  And finally, he is well and truly addicted to pulla – easily devouring an entire loaf by himself in a couple of days.

And the surprises keep coming!

My socks were blown off when I was blankly told my husband had never eaten homemade rice pudding.  What?  Really?  (Between you and me, I quietly think he has repressed a childhood dessert memory or two.  I mean seriously?  Rice pudding?  It is a staple, particularly for children, no?  How could he not have eaten it?)

So, I thought what better way to introduce this humble dessert to my husband, than with the sure-to-be-delicious Ladurée recipe.  Though, this rice pudding is definitely not child friendly.  To spice things up, I decided to soak the sultanas in brandy before folding into the final rice mixture.

With or without the brandy addition, the pudding is very rich — hence the small serving size.  As such, it seems such a delicate dessert, even though it is a very straightforward recipe.

{ Brandied rice pudding } adapted from Ladurée Sucre cookbook

* Ingredients *
60g sultanas (or golden raisins)
Brandy
50g Arborio rice
600ml milk
Pinch of fleur de sel
35g sugar
2 egg yolks
30g butter

* Directions *
Soak the sultanas in brandy.  Separately, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and cook rice for 1 minute, then drain.  In another saucepan, heat the milk and salt to a boil.  Add rice and sugar.  Cook on a low heat for 20 minutes until the rice has absorbed a large portion of liquid.  In a bowl, place the egg yolks.  Pour a little of the rice into the egg and mix vigorously.  Pour back into the remaining rice mixture in the saucepan.  Drain the raisins and add to the mixture along with the butter.  Stir to combine.  Allow the mixture to reach a boil, and then remove from the head.  Pour the pudding into a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool.  Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Serve cold.