This recipe is so delicious, and for a made from scratch pudding, about as easy as you can get. I love raisins in this, but you don't necessarily have to use them. The original recipe calls for whole milk, but I used 1% with no problems. Also, as I'm out of lemon zest, and lemons, for that matter, I used a bit of orange zest in its place, and you know, I think I like it better! Whatever you choose, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

The Best Rice Pudding,Scaled for 2 servings, from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

1 cup Water

½ cup Long Grain Rice

⅛ tsp Salt

1 Tablespoons Butter

¼ tsp Lemon Zest (or Orange Zest)

2 cups Whole Milk (or whatever's in your fridge)

¼ cup Sugar

¼ Vanilla Bean, split open (I used a splash of vanilla extract)

½ cup Golden Raisins (I used a mix of red and golden raisins)

Directions:

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Stir in lemon zest, salt and long grain rice and return to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer the rice, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, place it in a bowl and rise out pan. Add 2 cups of milk, butter, sugar and vanilla bean to the pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the milk doesn’t burn. Add the cooked rice and raisins to the hot milk. Stir often, until the milk cooks down and the rice is creamy, about 20 minutes. Place in a large bowl or serving dishes to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature.