Ginger-Coconut Rice Pudding

HELP! Mark is making Valentine's day dinner and he assigned the dessert portion of the evening to me. Any suggestions for something super fantastic? Mark loves coconut and is a big fan of foods of the southern variety. Here's the catch - I have to be able to prepare it on Sunday night because I am afraid to be in the kitchen with him. Email me at corcoranstreetkitchen@gmail.com or post in the comments. Now back to your regularly scheduled post...

Rice pudding is my dad's favorite dessert and he makes it at least once a week. This is a minimum. I think he's probably made it 4 times in one week before. The man knows what he likes. I was also bitten by the rice pudding bug, but this happened later in life. I really fell in love when I ate it for dessert at a little Indian restaurant around the corner from my office. This version is made with coconut milk and is super creamy and not very sweet. I prefer coconut rice pudding over a dark rum or vanilla version with raisins any day. I especially love sprinkling it with toasted coconut at the end for crunch. Since the coconut milk is so thick already, I even used skim milk to make this version. I don't stipulate skim because I am a health nut. I use it because I am lazy and can't be bothered to go to the store to get whole milk. I use skim for my cereal, therefore I use it wherever else I can get away with it too. Never fear...there is butter to make sure it is still decadent. I like to eat rice pudding warm, but you can serve it cold too, depending on your preference. This is a fun and easy take on the classic so if your Valentine is a rice pudding lover, maybe you can make this version for them on Monday (hello, mom...are you reading this??). Ginger-Coconut Rice Pudding
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups rice
1 can coconut milk
2 cup skim milk
2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. white rum
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 hunks ginger
1/4 cup coconut flakes (garnish)

1. Pour both milks, butter, and sugar into a medium-sized pot and turn the heat on low.
2. Peal the ginger pieces and place them in the pot.
3. Add the rice, cover, and simmer on a low heat for 20-25 minutes until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is soft when you bit into it.
4. Toast the coconut flakes in a dry pan on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until slightly golden.
Keep a close eye on the pan because the flakes will go from golden to burnt-to-a-crisp in a matter of seconds.
5. Dish up the rice pudding and top with toasted coconut
You can make the rice pudding in advance and reheat for dessert if you want. Just add some water when you reheat it so it doesn't get too thick.