Known as “riz au lait”, the typical French rice pudding is made with the simplest of pantry ingredients: rice, sugar and a lot of milk, simmered or baked together until creamy. No eggs, no cornstarch, no gelatin. The starch of the rice does all the work and thickens the mixture until it’s amazingly rich. It is one of the ultimate French comfort foods, and I never tire of making and eating it. 

The Rice Pudding

I have already shared two of my favourite “riz au lait” recipes here on this blog – one that is slow-simmered and one that is slow-baked. Both recipes hail from Normandy, so they obviously use cow’s milk (a cherished ingredient in that region). But a few days ago, I decided to try a slow-simmered version that is made not with cow’s milk (sorry, Normandy) but goat milk! It turned out incredibly delicious, and I immediately knew I had to share this new version on the blog.

Goat milk has a naturally stronger taste than cow’s milk (more of a “from the barn” taste), but I was surprised of how subtle it shows in this rice pudding. It is just sharp enough, but not overwhelming (nothing like pungent goat’s cheese, if you’re wondering).

The texture of this goat milk rice pudding is everything a Normandy-style rice pudding should be… creamy, milky and so comforting. The use of goat milk brings such a lovely tartness, and I couldn’t resist topping it off with a seasonal strawberry Brunoise and a spoonful of honey (goat milk and honey:  this pairing is a no brainer, right?).

The Strawberry Brunoise

If you are not familiar with the term “brunoise”, do not fret! As per often in French, it is just a fancy cooking word that is actually very, very simple to achieve.

“Brunoise” refers to a culinary knife cut, in which the ingredient (traditionally a vegetable or fruit) is first julienned (cut in thin sticks) and then diced into cubes of 3 mm or less (1/8-inch), by American standards. In France, a brunoise cut is smaller and each dice should be no more than 1 to 2 mm on each side (1/16 inch).

But if you’ve follow this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I am not really into strict rules, and that for me, cooking like a French is more based on a philosophy rather than a set of skills … More than being a fancy cutting technique, I really enjoy the brunoise cut (especially for delicate fruits like strawberries) because I feel it respects the produce by letting it simply shine on its own.

Here the strawberry brunoise is fresh, raw, colourful and simply tossed into a little honey for an extra hint of sweetness (and when it comes to seasonal strawberries, I believe you really don’t need any more than that!).

The strawberries and honey are a perfect pairing with the tanginess of the goat’s milk. It brings freshness and natural sweetness to this old-timey, ultimate French comfort dessert. A perfect blend of feel-good textures and Summer-fresh taste!

Cooking Notes:

• Goat milk contains less lactose than cow’s milk, which may make it a better option for those with mild lactose sensitivities. 
• This Normandy-style rice pudding calls for the use of crème fraiche (a prominent ingredient in Normandy cuisine). Although rarer than in France and Europe, crème fraiche can be found in most grocery stores in the US/Canada. If you can’t get your hands on crème fraiche, you can substitute it for sour cream (it will gives you the same consistency but with a slight tartness).
• Or take a look back at this recipe to see how to make your own  home-made crème fraiche.
• If the rice pudding is a bit dry and doughy at the end of the cooking time, mix in 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold milk, it will make it creamy once again.

Goat Milk Rice Pudding with Strawberry Brunoise

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 people Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 1h15min 1h15min

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.7/5

( 3 voted )

Ingredients

2/3 cup (130 g) of arborio rice
5 cups (1.15 litres) of goat milk (2%)
1/2 cup (100 g)  sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, or 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp of crème fraiche (or sour cream)
12-18 strawberries
2 tbsp honey

Instructions

For the rice pudding:

Rinse the rice very well under cold water.
In a large saucepan, stir together the goat’s milk, sugar and the “caviar” you’ve scraped out from the inside of the vanilla bean (or use vanilla extract), and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and then add the rice.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring once in a while with a whisk (to ensure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom).

Once the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is cooked (it should even feel a bit overcooked), remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraiche (or sour cream). The final consistency should be very creamy.
Let cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

For the strawberry brunoise:

Wash and stem the strawberries. Dice the fruits into cubes of 3 mm (1/8-inch, by American standards) or 1-2 mm (1/16 inch, by French standards). Mix the strawberry brunoise with the honey.

For serving, spoon the rice pudding equally in four ramekins or bowls and top off with two/three spoonfuls of the strawberry brunoise.

 

 

If you try this Goat Milk Rice Pudding with Strawberry Brunoise, please let me know!  Leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram tagging @pardonyourfrench or using #pardonyourfrench. I’d love to see what you’ve come up with.  

Bon Appétit!

You might like: 

• Creamy Vanilla Rice pudding from Normandy 
• Slow-Baked Rice pudding with Cinnamon