Budino di Riso

Ingredients

• 250g plain 00 flour
• 125g cold butter, cubed
• 90g icing sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk, for the pastry
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• A pinch of salt
• 500ml whole milk, for the rice
• 100g Arborio or other short-grain rice
• 70g caster sugar, for the rice
• 1 vanilla pod
• A strip of lemon peel
• 250ml whole milk, for the pastry cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 60g caster sugar, for the cream
• 25g cornflour
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Before you cook

• Cut the butter into small cubes and keep it in the fridge until the moment you need it
• Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds
• Butter eight tartlet tins about 10cm across
• Separate the eggs for the pastry cream

Steps

1. Rub the cold butter into the flour, icing sugar, lemon zest and salt until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Add the whole egg and the yolk and bring the pastry together quickly without kneading it.
3. Flatten the pastry into a disc, wrap it and chill it for 1 hour.
4. Put the 500ml of milk into a heavy pan with the vanilla seeds and pod, the lemon peel and the 70g of caster sugar.
5. Bring the milk to a bare simmer.
6. Add the rice and cook it uncovered over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until the grains are very soft and the milk has almost all gone.
7. Spread the rice on a plate to cool and remove the vanilla pod and lemon peel.
8. Heat the 250ml of milk for the pastry cream until it steams.
9. Whisk the three yolks with the 60g of sugar and the cornflour until pale and thick.
10. Pour the hot milk onto the yolks in a steady stream, whisking constantly.
11. Return the mixture to the pan and cook it over medium heat, whisking, for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens to a firm custard.
12. Scrape the pastry cream into a bowl, press cling film onto the surface and cool it.
13. Fold the cooled rice, the pastry cream and the rum together into a thick, spoonable filling.
14. Heat the oven to 175C.
15. Roll the chilled pastry to 3mm and line the tartlet tins, trimming the edges.
16. Prick the bases with a fork.
17. Spoon the filling into the shells, mounding it slightly.
18. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is sandy gold and the filling is set with dark freckles on top.
19. Cool the budini in their tins for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack.
20. Dust them with icing sugar and serve at room temperature.