Combine rice, whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
1 cup short-grain rice, 4 cups whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides to prevent sticking. The rice should be tender and the milk reduced by about half.
1 cup short-grain rice, 4 cups whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream
In a separate bowl, temper the egg yolks by slowly ladling ½ cup of hot pudding into the yolks while whisking constantly. Add another ½ cup, then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
3 egg yolks
Cook the pudding over low heat, stirring constantly for 3 to 5 minutes more until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat immediately once custard consistency is reached to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Stir in vanilla extract and optional raisins. Let the pudding rest off heat for 10 minutes to thicken further. Serve warm or refrigerate for chilled pudding.
¼ cup raisins, 1 tsp vanilla extract
