Arroz Con Leche

Step 1

Fill a medium pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add rice. Set aside 20 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, combine whole milk, sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks in a large heavy-bottomed pot (at least 4 quarts) and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes. If mixture starts to boil, reduce heat so it is just barely simmering.

Step 3

While milk mixture cooks, drain the rice, rinse it and set it aside. Fill the medium pot halfway with fresh water and bring to a boil. Add drained rice to the boiling water, turn down heat, and simmer 6 minutes. Drain rice again.

Step 4

Add drained rice to the milk mixture and continue to cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened considerably, another 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly (mixture will thicken more as it cools), then remove cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean. Serve warm, room temperature or cold, sprinkled with ground cinnamon to taste.