Teurgoule

Recipe dating from the 18th century, it would have appeared following bad harvests. Fearing a famine, the intendant of the Caen region had rice imported but, being a new food, nobody knew how to cook it. It was then placed in a "terrinée" or "terreine", the old name for the "terrine", a container for dairy products. The preparation is cooked for long hours, thus obtaining a creamy rice pudding, sometimes a little sticky, hence its name teurgoule, "which sticks to the ghoul". Cinnamon was added, an exotic spice brought by the merchant ships to Normandy. Today the teurgoule is the most comforting and convivial dessert of all.

For a dish of 3 liters or 6 people:

• 2 liters of whole milk
• 170 g round rice
• 170 g of sugar
• 1 sachet of vanilla sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 160°C.

Pour all ingredients into a bowl and mix.

Bake for 4 to 6 hours in the oven.

Stir during the first two hours to have a very homogeneous and creamy teurgoule.