A classic 19th-century pudding, as given by Eliza Acton in
Modern Cookery
(1858,
p288):
Pick and wash very clean four ounces of whole rice, pour on it a pint and a half of new milk, and stew it slowly till quite tender; before it is taken from the fire, stir in two ounces of good butter, and three of sugar; and when it has cooled a little, add four well-whisked eggs, and the grated rind of half a lemon. Bake the pudding in a gentle oven from thirty to forty minutes.
As rice requires long boiling to render it soft in milk, it may be partially stewed in water, the quantity of milk diminished to a pint, and a little thick sweet cream mixed with it, before the other ingredients are added.
I first saw this in Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course
(1978,
p590), which reproduces Acton's recipe, with only three eggs and the
addition of a little grated nutmeg before baking, and suggests 150°C
as the oven temperature.
For an alternative take on the same recipe, here's Alexis Soyer's
version from Soyer's Culinary Campaign
(1857,
p520):
Put in ½lb. of rice in a stew-pan, washed, 3 pints of milk, 1 pint of water, 3oz. of sugar, 1 lemon peel, 1oz. of fresh butter; boil gently half an hour, or until the rice is tender; add 4 eggs, well beaten, mix well, and bake quickly for half an hour, and serve: it may be steamed if preferred.