Rice à l’Impératrice

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5 L fluted Bavarois or charlotte mould
• •2 L heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Electric hand mixer or balloon whisk
• •Wide mixing bowl or shallow tray
• •Chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the jelly crown

   Rinse a 1.5 L Bavarois or charlotte mould with cold water and leave its inside damp; do not grease it. Chill the empty mould for 10 minutes. Warm the red-currant jelly over low heat just until fluid, never boiling, then pour it into the base and tilt the mould until the jelly settles into an even layer about 3 mm thick. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, until completely firm.

2. 2

   Cook the vanilla rice

   Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, add the rice, and blanch it for 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Put the rice into a clean heavy saucepan with the 2 cups of milk, 7 tablespoons of sugar, the vanilla seeds and pod, and the salt. Bring it just to a simmer, cover partially, and cook over the lowest heat for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes, until every grain is swollen and tender and nearly all the milk has been absorbed. The rice should be thick and creamy, not dry. If the milk begins to scorch, do not scrape the bottom. Transfer the unburned rice immediately to a clean pan and finish it over gentler heat; the bitter layer stays behind.

   Stir enough to prevent catching, but not as though you were making risotto. The finished entremets should still show distinct, tender grains.
3. 3

   Cool and flavor

   Remove the vanilla pod and spread the rice in a wide bowl or shallow tray. Let it cool, turning it gently now and then. When it reaches about 35°C / 95°F, still pliable but no longer hot, fold in the apricot jam followed by the candied-fruit salpicon. Continue cooling until the rice is no warmer than 27°C / 80°F. Do not cover it while warm, or trapped heat will linger precisely where you do not want it.

4. 4

   Bloom the gelatin

   Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the cold water in a small bowl and leave it untouched for 5 to 10 minutes. It should absorb all the water and swell into a soft sponge. Proper blooming prevents hard gelatin beads from appearing in the finished Bavarois.

5. 5

   Cook the crème anglaise

   For the crème anglaise (pouring custard), heat the 3/4 cup of milk until small bubbles gather at the edge. Whisk the yolks with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar until smooth, then pour in the hot milk gradually while whisking. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 82°C / 180°F and coats the back of a spoon. Take it off the heat at once. If a few tiny curds appear, whisk in 1 tablespoon of the measured cold cream and pass the custard through a fine sieve immediately. Small curds can be rescued; firm scrambled pieces mean the custard went too far and must be remade.

6. 6

   Build the Kirsch Bavarois

   Stir the bloomed gelatin into the hot crème anglaise until fully dissolved, then strain the mixture into a clean bowl. Set the bowl over ice water and stir until the custard cools to about 27°C / 80°F and begins to gain the body of light cream. Stir in the Kirsch. Whip the remaining cold cream to soft peaks that bend at their tips, then fold one-third into the custard to lighten it and fold in the rest. If the gelatin sets into soft lumps before the cream goes in, rest the bowl briefly over lukewarm water and stir just until smooth, then cool it again.

7. 7

   Fold rice and Bavarois

   Check the rice again. It must be at or below 27°C / 80°F, with no pocket of warmth hiding in the center. Fold one-third of the Kirsch Bavarois into the rice to loosen it, then add the remainder in two broad, gentle folds. Do not beat. Warm rice melts the whipped cream and turns the mixture loose and glossy. If that happens, ça se rattrape: set the bowl over ice and fold slowly until the gelatin begins to restore some body, then mould it at once. It will be slightly denser, but it will hold.

   Trust the thermometer here. A bowl can feel cool at its rim while the rice remains warm underneath, and that hidden warmth is enough to flatten the cream.
8. 8

   Fill and chill

   Make certain the red-currant jelly layer is fully set, then spoon the rice mixture gently over it. Press only enough to remove large air pockets, keeping the Bavarois light, and smooth the surface. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. The refrigerator is the honest home equivalent of surrounding the mould with ice, and it asks nothing more of you.

9. 9

   Unmold and serve

   Chill the serving platter. Wrap the sides of the mould with a towel dipped in warm water for 5 to 8 seconds, loosen the top edge gently with a fingertip, then invert onto the platter. If the entremets resists, repeat the warm towel for another 3 seconds rather than shaking it. Slice with a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. Serve it cold on the platter, not on the old service napkin, with its red-currant crown left completely visible. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use short-grain pudding rice or Arborio. Both absorb enough milk to become tender while keeping a visible grain, but don't stir Arborio as you would for risotto; this entremets needs creamy rice, not a flowing starch.
• •Cut the candied fruit into an even 5 mm salpicon. Candied cherries, orange peel, citron, and angelica all belong if you can find them, but three good fruits are better than a gaudy mixture that tastes only of sugar.
• •Kirsch means dry cherry eau-de-vie, not sweet cherry liqueur. Its clean cherry scent cuts through the cream and preserves the formula's character.
• •Metal moulds conduct the brief warmth needed for a clean release more predictably than thick ceramic. If using silicone, support it on a tray while filling and peel it away slowly after chilling.
• •Keep the finished entremets refrigerated and serve within 2 days. Cover it closely once set so the rice does not absorb refrigerator aromas.

Advance Preparation

• •Make and mould the entire dessert the day before serving. An overnight rest gives the gelatin an even set and makes unmolding calmer.
• •The candied-fruit salpicon can be cut and the red-currant jelly layer set earlier in the day. Keep both covered in the refrigerator until needed.
• •Do not freeze the finished entremets. Freezing damages the cream's texture and can make the rice weep as it thaws.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)