flipBaked Rice Pudding, for the Victory Table
Baked Rice Pudding, for the Victory Table
Why this dish? On the evening of a victory — imagine after the German surrender signed before him at Luneburg in May 1945 — a man as sober as Montgomery does not celebrate with champagne, which he never touches. Rice pudding, the comforting sweetness of British nurseries and messes, is exactly the 'feast' that suits his temperament: modest, warm, without excess.
Rice slowly cooked in sweetened milk until creamy, scented with a touch of nutmeg and topped with a golden skin from the oven. The quintessential British comfort dessert, a discreet celebration for a man wary of ostentation.
You expected champagne? You'll be disappointed: I don't drink it, and I won't drink it even on a night of victory. To celebrate the thing, let them serve me a good rice pudding, like they made in the nursery: rice simmered in milk, a little sugar, a grating of nutmeg, and into the oven until the skin turns golden. That is my way of celebrating — modest, warm, and with a perfectly clear head in the morning for the continuation of operations.
- •Short-grain rice (pudding rice) — a handful (base)
- •Milk — abundantly (cooking)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Butter — a knob (richness)
- •Nutmeg — a grating (flavour)
Baked Rice Pudding, for the Victory Table
Rice slowly cooked in sweetened milk until creamy, scented with a touch of nutmeg and topped with a golden skin from the oven. The quintessential British comfort dessert, a discreet celebration for a man wary of ostentation.
Why this dish? On the evening of a victory — imagine after the German surrender signed before him at Luneburg in May 1945 — a man as sober as Montgomery does not celebrate with champagne, which he never touches. Rice pudding, the comforting sweetness of British nurseries and messes, is exactly the 'feast' that suits his temperament: modest, warm, without excess.
You expected champagne? You'll be disappointed: I don't drink it, and I won't drink it even on a night of victory. To celebrate the thing, let them serve me a good rice pudding, like they made in the nursery: rice simmered in milk, a little sugar, a grating of nutmeg, and into the oven until the skin turns golden. That is my way of celebrating — modest, warm, and with a perfectly clear head in the morning for the continuation of operations.
Ingredients (period version)
- Short-grain rice (pudding rice) — a handful (base)
- Milk — abundantly (cooking)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Butter — a knob (richness)
- Nutmeg — a grating (flavour)
Ingredients
- Short-grain pudding rice — 80 g (base)
- Whole milk — 600 ml (cooking)
- Sugar — 50 g (sweetness)
- Butter — 20 g (richness)
- Nutmeg — 1 pinch, grated (flavour)
Method
- Butter a baking dish and pour in the rice, sugar, and milk.
- Stir, dot with small pieces of butter, and grate nutmeg over the top.
- Bake at 150 °C for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring once or twice during the first hour.
- Let the skin form and brown at the end without further stirring.
- Serve warm, as is or with a spoonful of jam.
How it was made : Baked rice pudding was a common family and institutional dessert in Britain, economical in ingredients and therefore suited to rationing. Its slow oven baking formed a characteristic golden skin, the most coveted part. It was served both in the nursery and in the officers' mess.
The contemporary twist : A spoonful of plum jam traced like a medal ribbon across the golden skin — the 'decoration' of the victory pudding.
Bernard Montgomery · Charactorium
