Rice Pudding

So I get a call at work on Thursday from my dad to say he found a dirt cheap flight to DC from Knoxville and wanted to fly up. Sure! His favorite thing to do up here is go to Irish pubs with us and drink Smithwick's which he can't get back home. He first tasted Smithwick's on one of his many trips to Ireland so a few years ago when he found out that the DC area would be getting this beloved beer he's been flying up to once or twice a year to see us and get his fill of his favorite Irish beer.

We also take him out for dinner and have found a place he really likes, Ray's the Steaks. And what's not to like about Ray's? I also get to have fun in the kitchen fixing a dish or two of his favorite foods. This time I fixed rice pudding. I found a recipe on the Saveur website. This one took Rice pudding to a new level by taking the cooked pudding and putting it in a baking dish with caramelized sugar in the bottom then baking it. But when I tasted the rice pudding as it cooled, I thought it tasted good enough to stop right there. Maybe next time, I'll go the next step but for now, we'll just enjoy this as it is.

Rice Pudding (adapted from Saveur)
1/8 cup dark rum
3 cups half and half
1/2 cup arborio rice (I used a generous 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup plus 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, separated

Combine milk, rice, 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice absorbs all the liquid (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
(This is where I stopped the recipe)

Pour 1/2 cup sugar into a skillet (shake so the sugar spreads evenly), and place over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until sugar begins to melt, about 2 minutes, then stir with a wooden spoon until golden and just beginning to foam, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully pour into an 8" baking dish. Working quickly, before caramel sets, tilt to coat the bottom and sides of the baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 375. Stir egg yolks and rum into the rice. Beat egg whites until foamy. Slowly add 1/2 tbsp. sugar, beat until soft peaks form and fold into the rice mixture. Transfer to the caramelized pan, set pan in a shallow pan of water and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool slightly in pan, then turn out onto a platter. Serve.