Caramel Rice Pudding

150 g / 3/4 cup granulated sugar

60 g / 1/4 cup water

56 g / 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in/1 cm cubes

120 g / 1/2 cup heavy cream

920 g / 4 cups whole milk

95 / 1/2 cup jasmine rice

70 g / 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar

4 g / 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the caramel sauce: In a medium pot, combine the sugar and water over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, to help encourage the sugar to dissolve and eventually melt. When the sugar starts to come to a simmer, stop stirring.
If any sugar has washed up on the sides of the pot, use a pastry brush dipped in cool water to brush it away. Continue to cook until the sugar is a medium amber color, about 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Immediately stir in the unsalted butter and cream. This may cause the mixture to bubble up and create steam - never fear, keep stirring until it comes together. If it doesn’t appear smooth, return it to the stove over low heat and stir until the mixture comes together.
Remove about 65 g / 4 tablespoons of the caramel sauce to reserve for serving, then whisk the milk and brown sugar into the sauce.
Make the rice pudding: Stir in the rice and salt to the milky caramel mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Continue to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender and absorbs most of the liquid, becoming thick, 20-25 minutes.
Serve the rice pudding warm, or pour it into a heatproof bowl, cover directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve chilled. (To speed this process up, I sometimes pour it onto a baking sheet to cool more rapidly.)