Rice Puddings (Budini di Riso)
Many say that the mark of a really good pasticceria is their budini di riso, a classic breakfast item amongst the line-up at any pastry shop. It’s not that they are difficult to do. Actually, they are really quite easy. I believe it’s more about the care put into them and the balance of sweetness, as it’s so disappointing to get a sickly-sweet budino di riso. The short pastry case should be thin, ever so slightly sweet and on the soft, blonde side. The rice pudding should be moist but firm, not hard and not too sweet, as the pretty, powdery icing sugar that coats the top supplies enough sweetness.
To get the right shape, it’s ideal to have a friand pan or deep, oval pastry cups. Failing that, you can simply use a regular muffin tin.
Makes about 8 budini.
Ingredients 12
100 g arborio rice
500 ml milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp sugar
Pinch salt
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
125 g unsalted butter, cold, chopped
250 g plain flour
80 g sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 lemon, zested
To Serve
icing sugar, (confectioners’ sugar), for dusting
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Method 8
To make the rice filling, place the and in a saucepan over low–medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently until the rice is soft and the mixture is thick and creamy, about 20 minutes (keep a careful eye on it that it doesn’t overflow or burn). Take off the heat, add the , and let it cool slightly before adding the , , , the and and . Leave to cool completely.
To make the pastry, first chop the cold into small pieces. If using a food processor, pulse the , and butter until you have a crumbly, sandy texture and there are no more visible pieces of butter. If mixing by hand, rub the butter into the flour and sugar until you achieve the desired result. Mix in the beaten and extra along with the , until the pastry comes together into a smooth, elastic ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
After resting the pastry dough, place on a lightly floured work surface, and roll out the pastry to a thin 2–3 mm (about 1/8 in) sheet.
Cut out rounds and press into eight oval pastry cups or an eight-hole friand pan, leaving a few millimetres (abbout 1/8 in) of pastry overlapping the lip of the cup.
Fill with the cooled rice filling.
Bake the budini for about 30 minutes or until light golden and firm. Let them cool a little in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust with before serving. These are best eaten the day they are made (possibly warm) but you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
