Combine 2 1/2 cups of the milk, 1 cup of the water, the rice, sugar, butter, the anise seed (to taste) and the salt in the pot. Lock the lid onto the machine and bring to high pressure (9 to 11 psi).

“Do you always make everything from scratch, the old-fashioned way?” That’s a question I’m asked often by people who love to cook. My answer has two parts, just like the question itself. I begin by ...