Rose & Steve's Recipes

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=== Tuscan Rice and Custard Torta ===
===(Torta di Riso alla Carrarina)===

  * butter, for greasing pan
  * 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) of sugar, plus extra for dusting
  * 1/2 cup (100 grams) of short-grain risotto rice (such as Arborio or carnaroli)
  * 2 pinches of salt, dived
  * 6 large eggs
  * 1/4 cup (60 milliters) of liqueur such as rum, brandy, or sambuca
  * Zest of 1 lemon or orange
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or the seeds of half a vanilla bean)
  * 2 cups (500 milliters) whole milk, warmed slightly


Prepare a 9- or 10-inch (23- or 25-cenimeter) solid-bottomed round cake pan or pie dish by greasing well with butter and sprinkling with sugar to cover (if not making a gluten-free dessert, you can sprinkle with a dusting of flour instead of sugar).

Cook the rice with a pinch of salt in boiling water, as you would pasta. Remove after about 10 minutes—it should be al dente.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, rum, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until combined. Add the warmed milk and the rice. (do so very slowly, tempering the raw eggs to keep them from cooking. Also make sure your milk is just warm, not hot).

Pour the custard into the prepared pan. The rice should settle evenly along the bottom. Bake at 350° F (180° C) for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown with some darker splotches and firm, not liquid, when gently touched (a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean).

Remove and let cool in the pan. Serve cold or at room temperature and store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for 3 days at most.
    
This mixture is extremely runny. Do not use a springform or loose-bottomed cake tin: You will end up with the raw mixture dripping (or running!) all over your oven. The recipe is adapted from Paolo Petroni's "Il Grande Libro della Cucina Toscana." 

From Food 52, comments read:
cut the sugar to a scant 1 cup, used Amaretto, just a small glug, and doubled the vanilla - tastes great! When it was cooked (about 55 min) the top was not browned so used the broiler for about 1 minute. The custard layer is a bit curdled looking - next time might use a water bath or lower heat for longer cooking time as it all went in ok - tempered the eggs etc.

 I used brandy and lemon zest and served it with with fresh strawberries and blueberries.