Cheryl Duffy

After 30 years in business, Jammin’ Bread, a beloved neighborhood restaurant, closed its doors in 2021. It was a local hangout for my like-minded friends, and you could always count on seeing someone you knew when you dined there. The loss of the family-owned business, when Cheryl moved to Georgia, was difficult because I no longer had my foodie friend to share ideas with. 

A few months after the shop closed, Kris Lovekin, a mutual fan of Jammin Bread, asked if I had Cheryl’s recipe for rice pudding. I reached out to Cheryl, and without hesitation, she shared how it was made. I loved that she was always generous with her knowledge and interest in creating dishes that made people take notice. Here is her famous Rice Pudding Recipe. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 C Balsamic rice (Cooked)
• 3 C Half and half
• 1 Vanilla bean split
• 1/2 C Granulated sugar (plus 1 Tablespoon)
• 8 Egg yokes

Directions

Pre-cook Rice and while it is warm. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Warm the Half and half, scrape the inside of the vanilla bean to obtain the seeds. If you don’t have a vanilla bean, you can use vanilla extract instead (add it when pouring the mixture over the rice).

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until it is light in color.

Add the warm half & half (a little at a time) to the egg mixture, to temper them. The trick is to add a little at a time while whisking the entire time. The idea is to raise the temperature of the eggs slowly so you don’t scramble them. 

Place rice into an oven-safe bowl. If you are using the vanilla extract, this is the time to add it to the egg and cream mixture. 

Slowly pour the custard over the rice. Place the bowl into a water bath (medium warm water). 

Place the custard and rice mixture into the oven and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes until the center of the pudding is set. It may take longer. Note: Cheryl used a convection oven at 300 degrees, so the timing may need to be adjusted a little longer.

Let cool to room temperature before covering and placing into the refrigerator.