Rice Pudding with Cherry Sauce

I've been cooking kheer since many years. Kheer is an Indian rice/vermicelli pudding served with choice of dry nuts fried in clarified butter. This rice pudding is with a little twist to the regular Indian 'Kheer'. 

Cherries are in season and I wanted to incorporate these beauties in which ever way possible. My first attempt of this experiment turned out yummicious. 

Ingredients

For Pudding:

4 (+1) cup milk

1/3 cup rice

1/4 cup sugar

2, 1 inch cinnamon sticks

Few blanched, sliced almonds

pinch of salt

For Cherry Sauce:

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted

2 tsp sugar (adjust to taste)

1/3 cup water

A splash of red wine (optional)

1 inch stick of cinnamon

Method

• Wash rice and set aside.
• Heat a thick bottomed sauce pan and add 4 cups milk, cinnamon stick to it. Add rice and let it cook on a low flame.
• Keep stirring to avoid the milk sticking to the bottom.
• Cook until the rice is well cooked, if required, add 1 additional cup of milk to it. Add sliced almonds.
• Add sugar, mix well and remove from heat. Discard the cinnamon stick from the pudding.
• Add cherries, sugar, cinnamon stick, water, red wine to another sauce pan and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
• Serve the chilled rice pudding with the warm cherry sauce and lots of love.