BAKED PUMPKIN RICE CUSTARD

Steps:

• 1. Pre-heat oven to 325 and find 2 pans, one for the custard and a larger one it can fit in that will have water added to it so it will cook as a custard and not overheat and cook the bottom unevenly more than the top. This is known as a "bain marie" method of cooking. For this recipe, you want a pan for the custard that is at least 3.5" high for the custard. I use a stoneware rectangular pan that is 7.5x11.5x3.5, but you can use an oval casserole pan or a larger 10x10 or 11x11 square pan as long as 3.5" deep. Basically you want something that will hold 2.5 quarts. ( You don't want to use a standard`13x9 lasagna pan for the custard, it is too big and will not produce a deep enough custard. I do use this size when I double this recipe though!!) Finally, the pan with the water doesn't have to be 3.5" deep, just about 2" deep. It's all about physics. Trust me. Moving on...
• 2. Put your dry rice in a sieve (AKA a fine woven sifter) and rinse for a minute or two under cold water using your hands to move it around to help remove the fine dust. You want the water that is running below it to be mostly clear. This keeps your rice from sticking together when cooking. Toss your drained rice into a rice cooker or like me, a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Add to the rice: the water, salt and butter. Set the burner heat on high and bring it so it just bubbles, then cover and turn heat down to medium-low. Don't lift that cover for 15 minutes. After that, check it and scrape bottom of pan to make sure all is well. Re-cover and let finish for another 3 minutes then remove from that burner and let rest for 10 minutes covered. I have a rice cooker but honestly don't have room on my counters or in my closets to keep it around just to make a cup or two.
• 3. While rice is cooking, get a large bowl and toss in 4 eggs and with a fork (or a hand-whisk) and mix the eggs so that they are smooth before adding the milk products. Add the 1/2&1/2 and the milk and mix together well with the eggs. Add the 2/3's can of pumpkin and the sugar. You want this sugar to dissolve as much as possible before you assemble the custard. White Domino Granulated Cane Sugar dissolves fast, where as some of the organic pure unbleached cane sugar can dissolve more slowly or not enough even after baking 1.5 hours. While my family doesnt notice, the chef does. Use what you prefer. I use both in my custards. For THIS recipe, I used Domino white granulated sugar because I was going for something more delicate in texture. Moving on.....
• 4. Now add all the spices, vanilla, and salt to the mixture above. Keep your cinnamon hanging around because you will need that at very end to sprinkle on top before baking. Cover your bowl with some saran wrap and let sit.
• 5. After your rice has finished sitting for 10 minutes, remove it immediately and layer it loosely and evenly into the bottom of your custard pan.
• 6. Sprinkle top of rice with 1/4 cup of yellow raisins. If your family loves raisins, you can add a couple extra tablespoons more. Keep in mind, they will plump while cooking and are much larger entities in the end product. If you don't like raisins, don't worry, just forget them! They are optional.
• 7. Uncover your bowl of your milk mixture and stir it well to make sure all the ingredients are dispersed. Then immediately and slowly pour it over the rice/raisin mixture.
• 8. Carefully put the rise custard into a larger pan and fill with water so that half of the depth of the outside of the custard pan is covered with water. Now, sprinkle a few pinches worth of cinnamon on top of the custard. Take note that these two pans are now kind of heavy, so you want to be extra careful as you put it in oven.
• 9. Pull out the bottom rack in your preheated oven. Place custard on it and slowly return rack to oven. Don't worry if some spills into the second pan. Goal: don't burn yourself, that's more important. Set timer for 1 hour and 30 min and turn the oven light on so you can watch. I have a convection setting on my oven and for those of you that do, go ahead and turn on the convection setting. It doesn't really speed up the time (in this scenario) but it does disperse the heat evenly. After the timer goes off, check your custard by jiggling the pan a bit. If it is really jiggly, cook for another 15- 20 min. If it is slightly jiggly, cook for another 10 min. If at any point you think that your custard looks too dark on top, cover with foil loosely or even better, just put a small cookie sheet on top of the custard leaving a few spaces on the corners for steam to continue to release. I usually don't have to do anything, but once in a blue moon the top looks browner than i like, so I pass on that tip. In the end, you can just press your finger on top and if it feels firmish like a med-well steak, it's done. The other alternative is to stick a sharp knife in the middle of the custard and if it comes out clean, it's done. Take note: a slightly jiggly custard is OK after cooling in fridge for 4 hours, but my family can't wait that long and they like it warm. So... I make sure it is firm right when it comes out of the oven. Set your custard on a cooling rack on a counter or table - not on the hot oven you just cooked it in. I actually help it cool by taking a toothpick and poke gently all over the top of the custard about 10 pokes. This helps the steam from inside release. Let cool for 1/2 hour to and hour and serve with whipped cream. I prefer letting this cool in fridge completely, especially since this is a pumpkin custard. Whatever works best for you and your family. ENJOY this special Pumpkin version of baked rice custard.
• 10. Final tips: 1. Please don't use short grain rice, it is designed for sticking together. It makes great Japanese california rolls, but not great for custard. 2. You can buy Jasmine rice frozen that cooks in microwave for 3 minutes. Don't use this either. When it is in the custard it melds into a more solid brick of rice that settles at the bottom versus dispersed individual rice grains. I've tried it a couple times now and it just doesn't work. Sorry! 3. If you want to buy your rice with your next Chinese take-out order, it does work but use it that night, not the next day after its been sitting in the fridge drying out. You need the rice to be moist and not in clumps. When you are cooking at 325 degrees, you would think that would be enough to get it moist enough again, but NOPE, it will not be tender enough for the custard.