Risengrøt (Norwegian Rice Porridge)

This is a recipe to make either the night before the Winter Solstice or Christmas Eve night. Make sure you leave out a portion for the Tomte (house spirit). 

Ingredients:

- ¾ cup, plus 1 tablespoon white rice

- 5½ cups high fat milk or cream (you can sub coconut milk for dairy free)

- 1 tbsp vanilla

 - 1/4 cup white sugar

topping:

- unsalted butter (if you are dairy free leave this out and just top with a bit more coconut milk)

- ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan with the vanilla and sugar. When it is warm to the touch, remove it from the heat. 

2. Place the rice in a heavy-bottomed pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Take about 1 cup of milk at a time and pour over the rice, and stir it until it is absorbed. Continue to add another cup of milk until almost all the milk has been absorbed into the rice and the consistency is creamy and thick, but not too thick.

3. Remove from the stove. Serve immediately in bowls. It is traditional to top each bowl with a piece of butter and a sprinkling of cinnamon.