And it's lovely rice pudding for dinner again!

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

She's crying with all her might and main,

And she won't eat her dinner – rice pudding again –

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

– from Rice Pudding, When We Were Very Young, by A.A. Milne

Yes, we are having lovely rice pudding for dinner (actually for dessert), but it's not like we have it again and again. If fact, I can't remember ever making it before. But every time I think of rice pudding, I can't help but think of poor Mary Jane, who evidently doesn't like it very much and can't seem to clearly communicate her great dislike. So, she simply throws a fit. (Hmmm...sounds like someone I used to know.)

The book this poem first appeared in was one of my mother's favorites, then one of mine, and now one of Maggie's, Jack's and Mary's. 

To left-over cold white rice, my mother used to add multiple tablespoons of white sugar and 2% milk and serve it to my sisters and me for breakfast, all the while reciting the poem about poor Mary Jane. 

I thought again of rice pudding this week when I ventured to make homemade almond milk by simply soaking a cup of organic, raw almonds overnight in water, draining them, then adding the wet and soaked almonds to my blender along with 3-1/2 cups of water and hitting the puree button for one minute or two. 

I thought the almond milk would make a nice creamy base for rice pudding. And then I remembered Laurie Colwin's essay on rice pudding where she advises adding lemon peel as the pudding cooks. So I did. And it was lovely, and I wouldn't mind having it again and again. 

__________________

Rice Pudding

BY A. A. MILNE

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

She’s crying with all her might and main,

And she won’t eat her dinner—rice pudding again—

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

I’ve promised her dolls and a daisy-chain,

And a book about animals—all in vain—

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

She’s perfectly well, and she hasn’t a pain;

But, look at her, now she’s beginning again!

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

I’ve promised her sweets and a ride in the train,

And I’ve begged her to stop for a bit and explain—

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

She’s perfectly well, and she hasn’t a pain,

And it’s lovely rice pudding for dinner again!—

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

__________________

    Here's an adaptation of Laurie Colwin's rice pudding. She calls for baking the pudding; I just cooked it on the stovetop, much like risotto, adding 1/2 cups of (almond) milk as the rice absorbed the previous 1/2 cup, using a total of 4 cups for 1/2 cup of rice.  Mine was creamier. I also added 1 teaspoon of vanilla once the rice was fully cooked. 

Lemon Rice Pudding

Adapted from Laurie Colwin & Jane Grigson. Makes 4 servings of 1/2-cup.

1 medium lemon, preferably Meyer lemon
1/4 cup jasmine rice
2 tablespoons sugar 
Pinch of salt
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Peel the lemon with a vegetable peeler, being careful not to take any of the white pith away with the rind. Cut the peel into fine strips. Mix the peel with the rice, sugar, and salt in a 9-inch pie dish. Stir in the milk and cream.

Bake uncovered for about 2 hours, stirring every 30 to 45 minutes. As the milk reduces, it will form a thin layer on top of the pudding; simply break this up and stir it in.

Final baking time will depend on your oven, the pie dish, and how thick you prefer your rice pudding. When ready, the rice will be completely cooked and tender but the pudding will still be soupy and thin. As it cools, however, it will firm up considerably.

Eat hot, warm, or cold.