Rice, are you done?
In the 19th century, in classic French cuisine, rice was used in savoury dishes simply as a supplementary ingredient, useful as a base for soups; its use was primarily in sweet dishes along with eggs. On the other hand, rice as a basic foodstuff, accompanying a sauce, was a reality for most soldiers in the Grande Armée.
Until the Second Empire, rice had to be imported to France, mainly from Italy. It was not until 1864 that it began to be cultivated in the Camargue region.
Rice pudding
Ingredients
250g rice2l full-fat milk
4 eggs
80g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
Period Recipe
Wash your rice and cook it in some water. Add some sugar, some grated lemon and some milk and then cook until the rice is well cooked and thick. Take four eggs; separate the yolks from the whites. Mix the yolks into the rice; whisk the whites strongly, take your saucepan off the heat and add the whipped egg whites, stirring well. Pour your rice into a dish; colour with an egg yolk, and put it into a hot four de campagne*. * A 'four de campagne' is a lid with a gutter in it in which you can place hot coals in order to be able to cook something both below and above (in a fire the heat comes from below). La cuisinière de la campagne et de la ville..., Paris, 1825Bon appetit
Thoroughly wash the rice in running water.Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pan and add the vanilla pod, split lengthways. Bring to the boil and add rice. Cook over a gentle heat, covered, for about 35 min. Do not stir rice during cooking.
Five minutes before the end of cooking time, add 80g sugar and stir well.
You can serve the rice pudding with a caramel topping.
Once cooking time has elapsed, remove the vanilla pod, turn rice out into a bowl, add the egg yolks and then the whisked egg whites.
Put into a moderate oven (180°C) for about 30 min.