The Great Rice Pudding Debate

Plain rice pudding or rice pudding with raisins and brown sugar and cinnamon….. the debate rages on…. both sides adamant that their way is THE way to eat rice pudding. Our household is no different…. By the way... this picture is the rice pudding with raisins and brown sugar.... the recipe shows the plain variety.

My early childhood was spent growing up in parts of New York City…. so the New York delicatessen shaped my view of what I think rice pudding should be. All the delis I grew up with sold wonderful rice pudding by the pound. They’d have these big trays of it … creamy yellow with meringue on top. Sooooo good.

In fact those of you that know the brand Kozy Shack…. that is the quintessential New York deli rice pudding (the plain variety). The story goes that a young delivery man got his first taste of deli rice pudding at a deli he where he was making a delivery…. and as the saying goes… it was love at first bite… He bought the recipe, pots and pans…. and started his business… Kozy Shack.

Now my other half, Warren, grew up all over the place and his experience with rice pudding was with raisins and brown sugar and cinnamon…. so he’s always looking for those darn raisins….

So my solution is …. I make a big batch and divide it… some for us purists…. and some for those heathens that insist on all that other stuff….. actually truth be told… I do like the raisin and brown sugar variety…. just not as much….. shhhh…. we just won’t tell Warren.