We can add as many things to the rice spread as we desire. You can spice it up with spices like vanilla and add fruit or nuts, but it will always remain a rice strudel. Think of it as an old friend who will always be the same old friend you will be happy to see, even in a new guise.

Fluffy rice pudding always cheers up

These days, when dishes look like works of art, we all crave something authentic and homemade. Something that doesn't pretend to be more than it is. Something so humble that it brings back memories of your grandmother, mother, or aunt who knew how to make you the best rice noodles, even for cartoon time. Just think how impatiently you waited for the rice to cool and to bite into that beautiful golden-brown skin that was the best part of this simple dessert. To make it all even sweeter, you added a fruit topping, homemade jam or syrup.

This simple rice dessert used to be a rich man's dish

Did you know that rice grits weren't always considered a frugal dish? Rice pudding originates in ''rice pudding'' - a dessert that began in the kitchens of kings and queens. Rice was an expensive import, so it was reserved for the elite. The history of rice pudding as we know it today dates back to the 17th century when it was prepared on English estates as a dessert for wealthy guests. Initially, a sweet rice pudding based on rice, milk, cream, and eggs, today there are many different recipes, including raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, vanilla paste, vanilla sugar, nuts, and fruit toppings.

The Forme of Cury (1390) - England's oldest surviving recipe book - gives the first recipe for ''rice cake'', which later led to the modern rice cake. This dish was sometimes not sweet but savory and served in stuffed sausage skins. It was not until 1615 that an Old English cookery book recorded a recipe for rice grits with the addition of eggs, currants, cinnamon, sugar, and strawberries.

Today, rice grits are famous all over the world.

A unique way of making gnocchi, based on milky rice, has been developed in Europe. Unlike English pudding, rice grits are made by boiling the rice and baking the mixture in the oven. It is usually made with rice, milk, eggs, sugar, and butter. After the milk rice has been cooked, all the ingredients are mixed and baked in the oven at 180 °C until soft and fluffy. (Anyone who doesn't like that slightly crispy crust on their rice grits doesn't know what's good!) Some recipes also include extras such as cottage cheese (rice grits with cottage cheese), apples (rice grits with apples), vanilla pudding, sour cream, fruit, and nuts.

Rice grits are a popular dessert, usually served warm (some people like them cold) and sprinkled with vanilla sugar for a more tempting taste. Alternatively, add a teaspoon of vanilla paste on the side to dip the juicy center, further enhancing the vanilla flavor.

With the right topping, you add the "icing on the cake."

Before serving, cut the rice strudel into even pieces to make it look like a rectangular cake and garnish it further. Only your imagination can limit you here.

BAM TIP: You can top it with raspberry sauce and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Refreshing and has just the right amount of sweetness; BAM Raspberry Dressing with 70% raspberries will delight even the most demanding gourmets. There's nothing like the bombastic topping and the blending of soft milky, and sour-sweet flavors as the fruity topping soaks into the pores between the rice grains.

Also, the rice spread goes well with various fruits, whipped cream, or other sweet additions as desired. If you want to make an extra memorable impression on your guests or get the children to love this dessert (and you with them), decorate the plate with vanilla paste to bring all the flavors together. BAM vanilla paste with authentic Madagascar bourbon vanilla concentrate, which contains vanilla seeds and is entirely alcohol-free, is ideal for this.

The rice pudding is easy to prepare

The best thing about rice grits is that they are straightforward, uncomplicated to make, and not unhealthy if you don't add ''half a tonne of sugar''. The base is milky rice, but round grain (arborio) works best and should always be rinsed well before cooking. To ensure that the rice spread is not too dry, always ensure that the milky rice is sufficiently liquid while it is still warm, as the rice will absorb liquid as it cools. Bake for about 40 minutes. Depending on how much of a golden-yellow crust you want on top of the rice strudel, we suggest that you bake the strudel for the last 10 minutes on the top only so that the crust is even more pronounced. However, if the grated rice gets too ''hot'', you can bake it with foil for a few minutes.

The rice grits can be served warm or cold. It can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for at least three days or frozen and thawed briefly in the microwave or a conventional oven when you fancy an authentic dessert.

BAM TIP: Do you have leftover rice from lunch? Please don't throw it away; leave it in the freezer overnight and use it the next day to make a rice spread. Just soak the rice you cooked in water in whole milk to which you have added butter and vanilla paste and cook over moderate heat for about 15 minutes until you have a soft, milky paste. Then follow the recipe!