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Today I am starting a new series of posts - Food TV Face-Off.  Each week I will pick two similar Food Network recipes from two different chefs and make them.  I will then declare a winner.  Today’s test was rice pudding.  The two recipes I choose were Ina Garten’s Rum Rice Pudding and Dave Lieberman’s Arborio Rice Pudding. 

Let’s start with an overview of each recipe.  There were a few key differences that I would like to mention at the outset - Ina’s rice pudding was made with basmati, Lieberman’s rice pudding was made with arborio, I omitted the rum in Ina’s recipe to make the recipes more similar.  The cook time were listed as the same at 35 minutes each.

I found the arborio rice grains gave the pudding a much better texture.  Arborio rice is known for its creaminess and in this recipe that was very important.  I found the basmati rice did not hold up as well to the cooking time.  The texture was no where near as silky.  Ina’s recipe called for a whooping 5 cups of half and half, Lieberman’s used whole milk.  I was surprised to find the half and half did little for the richness of the dish.  Lieberman’s rice pudding was just as creamy, if not creamier than Ina’s.(see above point about arborio rice)  Lieberman’s recipe called for a few dashes of cinnamon and what a difference it made.  The cinnamon was a delicious contrast to the sweetness of the dish.  Both dishes were tasty, but Lieberman’s won hands down.

WINNER: DAVE LIEBERMAN’S ARBORIO RICE PUDDING!

Tune in next week for out next Food TV Face-Off.  Feel free to send me ideas about what dishes I should feature next week.