Chef Juliette
Almond Pudding
Six almond-lined moulds, gently poached until softly risen, with white-wine sabayon scented by orgeat. The lesson is simple and exact: the bain-marie must tremble, never boil.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Rice and Chocolate Pudding
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2503, Rice and Chocolate Pudding, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Tender grains, dark chocolate, and a lifted crumb baked in one buttered dish, with chocolate custard softened by whipped cream alongside. The whole pouding rests on folding the whites without crushing the rice.
Desserts
French
Comfort Food
Birthday
Make Ahead
20 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr total
Yield4 servings
Pouding de riz au chocolat (rice and chocolate pudding) teaches restraint in folding. The rice grains must remain whole while the beaten whites lift everything around them, giving you a pudding that is tender and generous rather than heavy. Stir it vigorously and you lose both textures at once.
The original recipe assumed a brigade pantry with Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) already made in quantity and a separate crème anglaise au chocolat waiting for service. The honest home equivalent is one pound of that finished rice preparation, one shallow pie dish, and a small bowl of custard lightened just before serving. The large-batch base is brigade scaffolding and stays in its own entry. The two ounces of chocolate, three whites, and gentle oven are the dish itself, so none of those proportions move. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The finished pouding rises softly, settles a little as it rests, and reveals distinct rice grains held in an airy chocolate crumb. Fold the whites slowly and stop before every pale wisp disappears. That is the one step that decides the dish.
Pouding de riz au chocolat belongs to the French grand-kitchen entremets table rather than to any one province. In brigade practice, one vanilla- or citrus-scented rice base was prepared in quantity and branched into many sweets; this version took chocolate, egg whites, and a baked finish, a structure that passed naturally to the bourgeois home table. Its parboiled, untouched grains distinguish it from riz au lait, which is meant to soften into its milk rather than keep each grain whole.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Rice Preparation for Entremets
Quantity
1 lb (454 g / about 2 cups) Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404)
brought to lukewarm room temperature
dark chocolate, 60 to 70% cacao
Quantity
2 oz (57 g / about ⅓ cup finely chopped)
finely chopped
large egg whites
Quantity
3 (about ⅓ cup / 90 g)
at room temperature
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
softened, for the dish
prepared crème anglaise au chocolat (chocolate custard)
Quantity
¾ cup (180 ml / about 190 g)
cooled
heavy cream
Quantity
6 tablespoons (90 ml / about 90 g)
cold
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Rice Preparation for Entremetsbrought to lukewarm room temperature | 1 lb (454 g / about 2 cups) Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) |
| dark chocolate, 60 to 70% cacaofinely chopped | 2 oz (57 g / about ⅓ cup finely chopped) |
| large egg whitesat room temperature | 3 (about ⅓ cup / 90 g) |
| unsalted buttersoftened, for the dish | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| prepared crème anglaise au chocolat (chocolate custard)cooled | ¾ cup (180 ml / about 190 g) |
| heavy creamcold | 6 tablespoons (90 ml / about 90 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •1½-quart (1.4-liter) shallow ovenproof pie dish
- •Heatproof mixing bowl and small saucepan for the bain-marie
- •Electric hand mixer or balloon whisk
- •Flexible spatula
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the dish
Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with a rack in the middle. Butter a shallow 1½-quart (1.4-liter) ovenproof pie dish generously, carrying the butter right to the rim. If the Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) has been chilled, warm it very gently until it is supple and merely lukewarm. Cold rice makes the chocolate set into hard threads, while hot rice will weaken the egg-white foam.
- 2
Combine rice and chocolate
Melt the chopped chocolate in a dry heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, keeping the bowl clear of the water beneath. When the chocolate is smooth and glossy, remove it from the heat and fold it through the Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) with a fork or flexible spatula, lifting gently so the grains remain whole. If the chocolate begins setting into streaks before it disperses, set the bowl back over the warm water and continue folding slowly. Ça se rattrape. Do not add milk or beat the mixture.
- 3
Fold in the whites
Beat the egg whites in a perfectly clean bowl until they form a fairly stiff, glossy froth and a lifted peak bends only at its tip. Fold one-third into the chocolate rice to loosen it, then add the remainder in two portions, cutting down through the center and lifting the mixture over itself. Stop while a few fine white wisps remain. They will disappear in the oven, while continued mixing will crush the rice and drive out the air.
Grease or yolk prevents the whites from rising properly. Wipe the bowl and whisk with a little vinegar, then dry them before you begin if there is any doubt. - 4
Bake the pouding
Spoon the mixture into the buttered dish and level it lightly without pressing. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set, the top looks dry and softly risen, and the center retains a gentle tremble when the dish is nudged. If the surface darkens before the center sets, lay a loose sheet of foil over it. Rest for 10 minutes before serving hot. The pouding will settle slightly, which is its nature, not a failure.
- 5
Lighten the custard
Whip the cold cream to soft peaks, making a crème fouettée (whipped cream) that holds its shape but remains supple. It should expand to approximately the same volume as the crème anglaise au chocolat. Fold the crème fouettée into the cooled custard in two additions until the sauce is airy and pourable. If the cream becomes grainy from overwhipping, fold in a spoonful of the measured custard to smooth it before combining the rest.
- 6
Serve hot or cold
For hot service, spoon the rested pouding directly from its baking dish and pass the lightened chocolate custard separately. For cold service, cool the pouding completely, cover, and chill for at least 3 hours before serving with the cold custard alongside. Give each person enough sauce to pool around the pudding without drowning its texture. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Keep the source ratio exact: two ounces of chocolate and three egg whites for every pound of prepared rice. More chocolate sounds generous but weighs down the foam and hides the distinct grains that define the pouding.
- •Use bar chocolate rather than cocoa powder. The chocolate's cocoa butter melts directly into the rice preparation and preserves the original structure; cocoa powder would absorb moisture and make the pudding dry.
- •A shallow pie dish is better than a deep soufflé mold here. The center sets before the edges toughen, and the broad buttered surface gives everyone a little of the softly baked top.
- •Hot, the pouding is loose and especially fragrant. Cold, it becomes firmer and more distinctly chocolate. Both are proper, but keep the lightened custard separate until it reaches the table.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare the Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) and the crème anglaise au chocolat a day ahead, then chill them separately. Bring the measured rice gently to lukewarm room temperature before adding the melted chocolate.
- •Once the egg whites are folded in, bake the pouding immediately. An unbaked mixture left standing loses the air that gives the dish its lightness.
- •For cold service, bake the pouding up to two days ahead, cool it completely, cover, and refrigerate. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate custard no more than 4 hours before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 210g)
Calories
500 calories
Total Fat
28 g
Saturated Fat
17 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
90 mg
Sodium
150 mg
Total Carbohydrates
52 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
29 g
Protein
11 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Entremets (Sweets) - Puddings
Browse the full collection
Chef Juliette
English Almond Pudding
Butter worked to a true pommade carries almonds, eggs, orange-flower water, and cream into a tender pouding, gently set in a bain-marie and brought to the table in the very dish that baked it.
Chef Juliette
Biscuit Pudding
Pouding aux biscuits turns crushed ladyfingers, hot milk, kirsch-soaked fruit, butter, and yolks into a tender pudding, with five late-folded whites keeping every spoonful light beneath warm apricot sauce.
Chef Juliette
Cabinet Pudding
Liqueur-soaked biscuits, jewel-bright fruit, and vanilla custard are packed into one mould and poached without a bubble. Fill slowly, and every slice holds its cabinet of colours.