Rice à l’impératrice

Rice à l’impératrice:
By the Chef on Safari

The Rice à l’impératrice is based on three essential ingredients – Short- Grain Rice, Fresh crème and Crystallized Fruit.

I had just finished tiding the kitchen of a very special client with whom I had just cooked an evening meal for. The number of guests was 6 mainly friends from one of the many societies that she belongs to, when the hostess came in and asked if I could explain to her how to recreate the exquisite dessert that they had all just enjoyed. Well I said that if she would like to join me over a coffee I would explain the creation of the Rice a l’impératrice.

Well for a start there is no premixes used in the dish it’s all fresh ingredients, although with the crystallized fruit you could use some packets of the free-flow variety.

Riz À L’Impérarice

Ingredients

15g Gelatine
125g Crystallized Fruit plus extra for decoration
3 Tbsp Dark Rum
250g Short-grain Rice
2 ltr milk
1Tbsp unsalted Butter
300g Caster Sugar
4 Eggs (Size 6)
250ml Fresh Crème
2 Vanilla Pods
1tsp Vanilla Sugar
Salt

Soak 15g of gelatine in 2 Tbsp warm water. Dice 125g crystallized (candied) fruit and soak in 2 Tbsp rum.

Add 250g short-grain rice to 1 ltr boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. Drain, and then add the rice to 1 ltr boiling milk containing a vanilla pod, a pinch of salt, and 1 Tbsp unsalted butter. Cook gently for 20 minutes until the rice is just beginning to soften.

Now add 200g caster sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the crystallized fruit.

While the rice is cooking, prepare a custard crème with ¼ ltr milk, half a vanilla pod, 4 eggs (size 6), 60g caster sugar, and a tiny pinch of salt. While the custard is still hot, add the soaked gelatine and stir until dissolved. Then rub the custard through a fine sieve and flavour with 1 Tbsp of rum. Leave the rice and the custard to cool to room temperature.

Whip 1 cup of fresh crème with 3-4 Tbsp of very cold milk until thick, then add 1 tsp vanilla sugar and 2 Tbsp of castor sugar. Mix the custard into the chilled rice, and then very carefully fold in the crème. Pour into a Savarin mould and keeping the refrigerator until required.

Unmould onto a serving platter and decorate with crystallized fruit.


Well after a bit more of a chat, another coffee and the securing of another night to look after her family and friends, I stepped out into the chill of the evening. Driving away I thought about how much chefs are respected in this world and how much of a gypsy lifestyle we all live.

Where will I be tomorrow, I don’t know somewhere out there cooking for someone who needs it I guess, maybe I’ll still be looking for that perfect dish. Who knows, because I don’t?