Rice Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-litre cylinder, charlotte, or brioche mould
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Balloon whisk or electric hand mixer
• •Large serving fork
• •Thin-bladed knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the rice

   Have the vanilla-flavoured Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) finished and its grains intact. If it has just been made, spread it gently in a wide bowl and leave it until barely warm; a hot base cooks the whites on contact. If it was chilled, let it lose its chill naturally and lift it once or twice with a fork to make it supple. Do not beat or stir it smooth. Smooth rice is precisely what this pudding must not become.

   The linked rice preparation already contains its milk, sugar, butter, flavouring, salt, and yolks. Keep that component whole rather than repeating or altering its formula here.
2. 2

   Line the mould

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter a 1-litre cylinder, charlotte, or brioche mould generously, reaching into every ridge and corner. Add the bread raspings, turn the mould until they coat the butter evenly, then tap out the loose excess. The lining gives the delicate pudding a dry butter-gold skin and enough structure to leave the mould cleanly.

3. 3

   Beat the whites

   Put the measured 112 grams of egg white in a spotless bowl, keeping the small unmeasured remainder nearby. Whisk until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. The source asks for a stiff froth, not a dry heap. If they become dull, clumpy, or difficult to lift, stop. Ça se rattrape: add the reserved raw white and whisk only until the mixture turns glossy and supple again.

4. 4

   Fold with a fork

   Add one quarter of the beaten whites to the rice and lift through it with a large fork to loosen the base. Add the remaining whites in two portions, cutting down through the centre, lifting rice from the bottom, and turning the bowl after each stroke. Never stir around the bowl. Stop as soon as no large pockets of white remain; a few fine streaks are safer than broken grains. If the rice begins smearing against the bowl, stop folding and mould it at once. The pudding may be slightly denser, but forcing it further is how paste happens.

5. 5

   Poach in bain-marie

   Spoon the mixture lightly into the prepared mould without pressing it down, then level the top with two or three strokes of the fork. Set the mould in a deep roasting pan and pour hot water around it to reach halfway up the sides. This bain-marie, a gentle water bath, is the poaching treatment specified for Tapioca (No. 2493) and carried through Sago Pudding (No. 2494). Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pudding is risen, resilient beneath a light fingertip, and no longer liquid at the centre. If the top colours too quickly, lay a loose sheet of parchment over it.

6. 6

   Rest and unmould

   Lift the mould from the water and let the pudding stand for 7 to 8 minutes, exactly long enough for its structure to settle without fastening itself to the mould. Run a thin knife only around the upper edge, cover with a warm serving plate, and invert decisively. If it clings, wrap the mould in a warm damp towel for 30 seconds and try again. Serve with crème anglaise, sabayon, or fruit sauce, following the accompaniments named for Tapioca (No. 2493) and Sago Pudding (No. 2494). À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use the Carolina or Patna-style long-grain rice called for in Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404). Short-grain rice willingly releases starch, admirable in other dishes but dangerous here, where each grain must remain itself.
• •Raspings are very fine crumbs grated from thoroughly dry white bread. Plain fine breadcrumbs are the honest home equivalent. Panko is too coarse and leaves hard patches against the tender pudding.
• •Weigh the egg white if you can. A quarter of the original brigade formula needs 112 grams, or three and three-quarter large whites. Measuring from four eggs preserves the proportion without asking you to divide an egg by optimism.
• •Crème anglaise makes the richest accompaniment, sabayon the lightest, and a tart raspberry or apricot sauce gives the best contrast when the pudding is served cool. Bring the sauce separately so each person chooses their own generosity.

Advance Preparation

• •Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) may be completed earlier the same day. Cover its surface and let it return nearly to room temperature before folding in the whites; a cold, rigid base makes the grains break.
• •The mould can be buttered and coated with raspings a day ahead, then covered and chilled. Let it stand at room temperature while the rice loses its chill.
• •Crème anglaise or fruit sauce may be made a day ahead and kept cold. Sabayon should be prepared close to serving so it keeps its volume.
• •The finished pudding may be chilled for up to 2 days and served cool with fruit sauce. For the lightest, most tender texture, bake and unmould it on the day you serve it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 165g)