Recipes of the tradition: Florentine rice pudding

You can't visit Italy without stopping by pastry shops and bakeries to sample local specialties. In Florence, there are some gastronomic delcacies that are only available in certain seasons, while others can be enjoyed year-round. This is the case with Tuscan rice pudding (budino di riso), or rather, Florentine rice pudding, a shortcrust pastry basket filled with a soft rice filling and custard cream flavored with citrus and vanilla. It's called a pudding because of its incredibly soft texture, but it's not really a dessert to be eaten with a spoon. It's an elegant yet simple pastry, perhaps less appealing than cream filled bomboloni and croissants, yet it surprises with its creaminess and sweetness.

In Florence, you can find them in every pastry shop, but if you want to make them at home, you'll need to be a little patience. They're simple in appearance, but require several steps for the three preparations: the shortcrust pastry, the rice, and the custard cream.
This recipe has ancient roots, an evolution of Artusi's rice cake recipe. Here are all the steps to make it at home!

Florentine Rice Pudding
(Time: about 2 hours; Serves: 12)

Ingredients

• 950ml milk

• 335g flour

• 150g Originario rice

• 150g butter

• 165g powdered sugar

• 100g granulated sugar

• 3 egg yolks + 2 whole eggs

• Zest of 2 oranges

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 vanilla pod

• A pinch of salt

Preparation
The Shortcrust Pastry
Knead 300g flour with 150g butter, 1 egg, 2 egg yolks, 85g powdered sugar, the grated zest of 1/2 orange and a pinch of salt.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour.

The Rice
In a saucepan, heat 600g of milk with the granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, the seeds from a vanilla pod (put the pod apart), and the grated zest of an orange and 1/2 lemon.
Add the rice and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, add a small knob of butter, and let cool.

The Pastry Cream
• Bring 350g of milk to a boil with the vanilla pod and the grated zest of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon. Throw out the vanilla pod.

• Place 35g of the flour and 80g of sugar in a bowl. Add 1 egg yolk and 1 whole egg and whisk together.

• Pour a small amount of hot milk over the beaten eggs and stir immediately to combine. Then add the remaining milk.

• Return the mixture to the heat and cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently, until creamy. Let cool.

Assembly and Baking
• While the custard cream cools, roll out the shortcrust pastry (about 3-4 mm thick); cut out 12 discs, about 9 cm in diameter, and place them in 12 muffin molds.

• Mix the cooled custard and rice together and spoon the filling into the shortcrust pastry cases or use a piping bag to smooth the surface.

• Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160°C (320°F) and bake for another 10 minutes.

• Unmold the puddings and dust with powdered sugar once they have cooled.

Enjoy!