Rice Pudding Time

Suppose you were a little kid forty years ago and your parents owned a deli in Smithtown. A deli in which they spent most of their waking hours. Not being able to always arrange for, or afford, a babysitter, you would have spent a great deal of time in the back of the deli. Your crib would have been soda and beer cases piled-up so you couldn't get out. You would have learned how to peel potatoes and carrots at an early age. You would have helped your mother dredge fishcakes through bread crumbs. You would have eaten rice pudding nearly every time you were at the deli and not tired of doing so.

Many years later your father would give you the little black book of deli-sized recipes typed by your mother. Your father would still make rice pudding for you every time you visit. You would make rice pudding for yourself for your birthday. You would realize that a photo essay about making rice pudding is not interesting as photos of boiling white liquid and boiling yellow liquid are boring. So, you settle for a photo of the finished pudding, with meringue on top, as well as the original, deli-sized recipe.

The finished pudding.

Divide the ingredient amounts by four to make the amount of pudding pictured above. Bonus Jello recipe on top!

Comments

[corie]

You grew up in Smithtown? Which deli? I grew up in Mount Sinai :)

[joe]

My dad was a partner in Winkler's Deli on Main St. That was in the 60s. I think there is an Italian butcher shop, or Tae Kwan Do place there now. We lived in Oakdale, though. I vaguely recall Mount Sinai being east of Smithtown. Isn't it near Port Jeff?

[corie]

Yep, right next door to Pt. Jeff, between that and Miller Place. Pretty much a speck on the map.

[lazykitchenhand]

Love that rice pudding. My mother made it every week for years, minus the meringue.

[Jason Brett]

Hi my name is Jason Brett. My Grandfather was William Winkler, he owned many delis on Long Island. Your name must be Shoemacker.