When summer comes again, I just need to find new light and fresh desserts to use peaches, my favorite fruit. If you are like me, cannot get enough of them, here is another a cool recipe to try.

This recipe is quite versatile, you can also saute the peaches in a pan with a little butter and sugar. Personally I love to grill them, I think the flavor stands out more. Also, you can see the rice cream at the bottom of the dish to be a little dark, it’s just because I used coconut sugar which is naturally amber color. You can use regular sugar to get a snow white cream which I think is prettier in the plate. This dessert is also vegan which can be interesting for those who are lactose intolerant but can also be made using regular milk as well. For coconut milk, I used the light one which has 45 calories per servings and that comes in a large paper box, not the one in a can.

For the ice cream, I used a vanilla ice cream made with coconut milk that is delicious (usually I don’t like to advertise brands on this blog, but this one is really , on top of it, it has no added sugar, so if you are like me and that you don’t have a sweet tooth and no taste for sugar, this ice cream is perfect.

Ingredients for 2 people

For the rice cream

• 70 g white round rice
• coconut milk, one pint or more (depending on the rice absorption)
• 2 tbs coconut sugar (or more to taste)
• 1 vanilla bean, cut in half and scarped

For the peaches

• 2 large peaches, cut in 6 quarters
• 2 tbs raw unsalted pistachios
• vanilla ice cream made with coconut milk
• agave nectar or honey for drizzling

Preparation

Start by cooking the rice. In a pot, add vanilla bean to milk and bring the mixture to a to a boil at medium temperature. Add rice and sugar and let cook the rice until tender at low temperature. Add milk if necessary and adjust sugar. stir once in a while ensuring the rice does not stick to the pot. When the rice is cooked, let it cool and mix in a blender to obtain a smooth cream. Place in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, grill peaches in a skillet or grill pan. Grill on both sides.

In a plate, place 3 tbs rice cream, top it with grilled peaches. Spoon ice cream in the middle, sprinkle with pistachios and agave nectar.

You might say that this is not real risotto since it’s made with brown arborio rice, so as with any brown rices, you don’t get the creaminess of regular arborio. Honestly I love the texture of brown arborio, it’s chewiness, nutty flavor and wholesomeness. Of course, you can use regular arborio rice if you prefer a more traditional risotto, or short brown rice if you cannot find brown arborio. Then of course, cooking time needs to be adjusted. Brown rice take longer too cook, so be patient. Usually, I keep the water where I cooked the broccoli to cook the rice, it will add extra broccoli flavor. In case your kids are reluctant to eat vegetables, you can try to hide them like in this risotto, it certainly will do the trick.

Ingredients for 4

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1.6 cups (or 300 g) brown arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• vegetable broth
• 2 cups broccoli
• 3 tbs heavy cream
• 3 tbs freshly grated parmesan (reggiano)

Preparation

Start first by cooking the broccoli. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil, add broccoli and cook until tender. Drain and keep cooking water aside. Keep a few broccoli florets for decoration. Mash broccoli with potato masher until you obtain a very fine mash or puree, the texture needs to be somehow like a cream.

Put broccoli cream back at low heat and add cream . Mix well and adjust with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Heat olive oil in a pot, add shallots and cook until tender. Add rice and coat with oil for a few minutes, then gradually add wine and broth and broccoli water. Continue process until the rice is cooked and tender but still firm.

Add cream of broccoli to the rice and parmesan. Stir well and cook for a few minutes. Serve hot

After a trip to Italy and France where I got to see my whole family for once, I came back really inspired.

We went to Cinque Terre (Liguria), then Tuscany (Lucca, Pisa, Firenze, San Gimignano and Pisa), then to my parents’ house situated in their little village of Isola di Fano (Marche). I am so glad that Italy unlike France is preserving its cuisine and traditions. France is being invaded by American food chains such as KFC, McDonalds, Subway, Starbucks and many others. I have seen a few McDonalds in Italy and that’s basically it. Italians like their caffe, tramezzini, panini, so Starbucks did not made it through yet. Let’s hope it will remains like this for a long time. Like in any other big city, and of course any touristy city, it’s not always easy to find good food in Florence, Siena, or even Paris, you have to know where you’re going and ask the locals for advice. The best meal I had was Da Tano in Fano (Marche) which is a fish and seafood specialty restaurant. Since Marche is not as touristy as Tuscany, you get to eat wonderful meals at an affordable price.

A few shots from Florence

A few shots from Siena

A few shots from Pisa and Lucca where it rained

Going back to my recipe, I wanted to use my beautiful artichokes in a risotto, I haven’t made a risotto in ages, and a risotto recipe is long over due, but since I had already cooked saffron rice, I decided to use it instead. I am not really a big rice eater even though I do enjoy it whenver I eat it…it’s one of those ingredients that I keep forgetting, just like potatoes.I used basmati rice, but any long grain rice would work well. Of course, a saffron risotto using arborio rice is also another great alternative.

Ingredients for 4

• 10.60 oz (or 300 g) basmati rice or any other long grain rice
• 1 dose of saffron
• 20.30 fl oz (or 600 ml) vegetable broth
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 lb baby artichokes, cut and trimmed
• 3 tbs dry white wine
• 4 tbs fresh or frozen peas
• 3 tbs freshly grated parmesan + extra for shaving
• black truffle oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Steam rice with vegetable broth using a pot or a rice cooker. If using arborio rice, cook it like a risotto, adding broth and wine gradually until absorption of the liquid.

In a pan, heat olive oil, add garlic, stir. Add artichokes, salt pepper and wine. Cover and let cook at medium heat until artichokes are tender but still firm. Add peas, cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes. When the rice is cooked add artichoke/peas mixture. Stir parmesan cheese and mix carefully.

Divide in dishes and top it with shaved parmesan, sprinkle some truffle oil and black pepper.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2012/10/rice-timbale-with-artichokes-and-peas-parmesan-and-truffle-oil/feed/ 2 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2012/08/life-is-a-coconut-coconut-rice-balls-stuffed-with-shrimps-zucchini-and-lemongrass/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=life-is-a-coconut-coconut-rice-balls-stuffed-with-shrimps-zucchini-and-lemongrass http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2012/08/life-is-a-coconut-coconut-rice-balls-stuffed-with-shrimps-zucchini-and-lemongrass/#comments Thu, 30 Aug 2012 04:52:24 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=15207 La vie est une noix de coco – Boulettes de riz à la noix de coco farcies aux crevettes, courgettes et citronnelle

Yes, life is a coconut, after the hard work of breaking the shell, you get the good stuff – I am on a coconut craze lately, and I make everyone around me eat coconut. It’s delicious in anything sweet or savory, I just cannot get enough of it. In this recipe, you need some kind of sticky rice, a non sticky rice such as basmati would not work very well. When making the balls, it will fall apart, and you won’t be able to stuff them. Jasmine rice would be better, or if you like the real sticky rice, you can use it too.

I inspired myself from the Italian risotto balls called “supplì“, those delicious rice balls stuffed with mozzarella and fried. Of course, these are more exotic (for me they are, since I did not grow up with Asian flavors) and are perfect when you feel like something different. They should be about 1.5 inches in diameter, a little bigger than a walnut.

Now there are different ways to cook these balls, one way is to steam them, the other way is to bake them. You can chose the method that is more appealing to you. In my case, I rolled them in panko breadcrumbs mixed with shredded coconut and I baked them. If you steam them, no need to roll them in that mixture. I am not a fan of frying, and always bake instead of frying unless, I have been requested a very specific dish, for which I have no other choice. But if you are into frying, you can try it out.

For the stuffing, you can substitute the zucchini with shiitake mushrooms, and of course play with the stuffing if you are in the mood for playing.

For coconut milk quantities, or other liquid when I cook rice, my Cambodian childhood friend taught me to measure the rice/liquid ratio “à vue d’oeil” as we say in French (with naked eye). There needs to be 1 cm (about 0.40 inches) of liquid above the rice. In this case, the metric system makes a lot more sense (as in many other cases!). I will never get used to imperial system.

Ingredients for about 7-8 balls

For the rice

• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup rice
• coconut milk
• 3 tbs shredded coconut, unsweetened (+ 2 tbs)
• 1 cup panko
• 1 egg beaten
• salt
• chili sauce for dipping

For the stuffing

• 1 shallot, chopped finely
• lemongrass (2 inches stem), cut finely
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 6 large shrimps, uncooked and cut very finely
• 1/2 zucchini, grated
• 1 tbs cilantro, finely chopped
• sichuan pepper
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• salt

 Preparation

For the rice

Heat olive oil in a pan, add onions and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add rice and transfer to a rice cooker or a pot. Add salt and coconut milk. Steam rice for about 15-20 minutes until cooked. Remove from stove and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

For the stuffing

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onion, lemongrass and ginger and cook for about 10 minutes at low heat. Add garlic and stir well. Add shrimps. Using your hands, squeeze water from zucchini and add to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes at medium heat. remove excess water if any. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper. stir well, then add cilantro. Mix everything well.

Using your hands, take a good amount of rice and place some of the stuffing in the middle, and form a ball.

Mix panko with shredded coconut.

Dip a ball in the beaten egg, then in the panko/coconut mixture.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400F for about 15 minutes, until the balls turn golden brown. If you want to steam them, omit the panko mixture and steam in a bamboo steamer.

Serve with chili sauce.

Lately I have not been too well, that’s why I haven’t been posting any recipe on a regular basis like I used to, and my desire and energy for cooking has gone down, hopefully it will pick up at some point. I have no motivation for sitting in front of my computer either, but I sincerely miss everyone, people I met through this blog have been incredibly supportive, kind and generous. Thanks so much for anyone who reads my blogs and leaves genuine comments, they mean a lot to me. I apologize if I have had a difficult time to catch up with everyone, I have had very low energy level and some health issues, but hopefully will get back to my regular routine soon.

I started writing this recipe about three weeks ago and never managed to finish it, it took me forever…so here it is after such a long time. This salad is composed with a well balanced mixture of grains, vegetables, and proteins, such a nutritious and flavorful dish.

I call this a salad since it has a dressing but it can be called anything you like, and can be consumed lukewarm or cold. The particularity of this dish is that I mixed eight varieties of grains and seeds such as brown rice, oats, lentils, pumpkin seeds, etc… for a mixed variety of textures. Maybe you’ll think this look more like a bird meal to you than a gourmet salad. It is definitely questionable, but after you taste it, you will think bird ingredients can taste incredibly tasty.

The grains have been enhanced with vegetables, and seafood which complement the grains quite well. This is nothing complicated, you just need various grains in your pantry.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 200 g of mixed grains such as:
• brown rice
• wheat flakes
• sorghum rice
• buckwheat
• pearl barley
• black rice
• pearl rice
• red lentil
• 1 tbs roasted pumpkin seeds
• 10 large shrimps
• 4 medium artichokes
• 3 tbs dry white wine
• 70 g cannellini beans cooked  (either dried or canned)

Ingredients for the herb-lemon vinaigrette

• 3 tbs avocado oil
• juice of one lemon
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp tarragon, chopped
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp chives, chopped
• 1 tbs red onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• one pinch cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Mix all grains together and steam them. You can steam them the same way you would steam rice, even if there are many varities of grains, some of them cook a little faster than others but it does not make a big difference cooking them all together. You can use a rice cooker or use the regular technique using a simple pot.

Trim artichokes, removing the hard leaves around, and cutting off the top of the artichoke. Cut in quarters and place in a container filled with water and lemon juice to prevent the artichokes from darkening.

In a pan, heat olive oil, add 1 garlic clove, then drain artichokes and add to the pan, stir for a few minutes, coating the artichokes with garlic and oil, then add wine, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover with a lid and cook at medium heat until artichokes are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Saute shrimps in olive oil, add salt and pepper and set aside.

In a large container, mix steamed grains with artichokes, cannellini beans, shrimps, pumpkin seeds. Pour vinaigrette on top by mixing all ingredients together. Stir well and serve. You can serve at room temperature or cold.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/07/salad-of-grain-medley-with-cannellini-shrimps-artichokes-in-a-herb-lemon-dressing/feed/ 28 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/03/a-far-away-cousin-of-vegetable-paella-saffron-vegetable-brown-rice-with-mixed-vegetables/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-far-away-cousin-of-vegetable-paella-saffron-vegetable-brown-rice-with-mixed-vegetables http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/03/a-far-away-cousin-of-vegetable-paella-saffron-vegetable-brown-rice-with-mixed-vegetables/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:36:26 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=8320 Un cousin éloigné de la paella végétarienne – Riz brun au saffran et méli mélo de petits légumes

It’s time for some rice…rice and potatoes are two ingredients I rarely use, French people eat a LOT of potatoes, at my parents my mom rarely made them, Italians are more pasta eaters than potato eaters. A while ago, I started buying all the different kinds of rices I ran into, from black rice, to bamboo rice, any shape and color rice I saw. It seems like the excitement faded away, but I don’t want to leave rice aside, because I love it. It’s nutritious, healthy and can make wonderful side dishes.

The world of food has so many items to explore than sometimes, you get caught trying out new ingredients, and leaving aside the ones you know too well.

This rice has a rich and deep yellow color you get with combining saffron and paprika or pimenton as they say in Spain but I found Spanish pimenton to have a more smokey flavor.

Basically the rice is steamed in a vegetable broth with saffron and paprika, so it comes out almost orange. Such a vibrant color to have in ones plate.

Plain white rice is great with spicy dishes, it enables to decrease the powerful and strong flavors of the spices and balances everything perfectly. Sometimes I enjoy some more intricate rice dishes like this one, you can just eat it as a main dish and as is, because it’s a whole meal in itself and full of fragrant flavors. I certainly don’t want to call this vegetarian paella, which would be so wrong, but it has some similarities in some of the spices and cooking method, even though I did not use a paella tray, nor used Spanish rice.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 5.29 0z (or 150 g) brown rice
• one dose saffron
• 1/4 tsp Spanish pimenton
• vegetable broth (rice x 2)
• 1 shallot
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs mixed oregano, very finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut in very small cubes (1/4 inch)
• 1 cup fresh peas (or frozen)
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, cut in small chunks (1/2 inch)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a rice cooker or regular pot, mix broth, rice, saffron, pimenton and salt. Let it sit for a few minutes until the saffron has dissolved.  For broth quantities, I use about twice the amount of rice, in this case, since it’s brown rice, which takes harder to cook, I use about 3 times its quantity. If using rice cooker, broth needs to be at 2 cm above the level of the rice.

Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and let them soften. Add all the mixed vegetables and stir well. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked but still firm, add garlic and oregano and cook for a few additional minutes to get the flavors out.

Mix in the rice, stir well until all the vegetables are well incorporated into the rice.

Riso verde is a specialty I used to eat at our family restaurant in Italy, I haven’t eaten it anywhere else. My dad’s relatives have un’albergo-ristorante (an hotel and restaurant) Al Lago in San Lazzaro that also has a restaurant where they make wonderful specialties like this one.  All their pasta, tagliatelle, gnocchi, cannelloni, etc…are homemade, therefore many locals go there to celebrate special events such as weddings, baptims and have traditional “gargantuesques” meals. Last time I was there was for my cousin’s wedding but riso verde was not part of the menu to my big disappointment. You can also find some tourists during the summer in San Lazzaro, but being a small little town in Pesaro Province, and not as touristy as Rimini or some other bigger cities on the Adriatic Coast, the summers are usually not as invaded by tourists trying to indulge on local cuisine.

I have always loved this riso verde, basically it’s somehow a risotto, but they call it simply “riso” (rice). Usually as any other “primo” meaning first dish, it’s served by itself, and not as a side dish. To really appreciate it, you should really savor it on its own, and with nothing else to distract you from its wonderful taste and texture.

I was tempted to dress it up but then I resisted and I decided to leave it as it’s served at Al Lago. I added a little extra spinach, the original recipe has less spinach, and a little more cream, so has a lighter green color. You can adjust the spinach and cream quantity. I kept mine on the healthy side, but nothing prevents you from adding a little less spinach and a little cream. In Italy, they use Panna, which is a thick cream, heavy cream or crème fraîche can be substituted but it has a little more of a tangy flavor.

The trick here is to mash to spinach into a purée type of a texture so when you mix it with the risotto, you see no spinach particles. The green color of the spinach needs to be blended with the rice.

Also, I would not use a cooking wine but a nice dry white wine more like Vernaccia or some Northern Italian wines.

Ingredients for 2

• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 shallot, chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach or 1/3 lb frozen
• 1 cup (to be adjusted) dry white wine
• 1 cup (to be adjusted) vegetable broth
• 2 tbs parmigiano reggiano
• 1 tbs heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Preparation

First start preparing the spinach. If using fresh spinach, wash them well, and boil in salted water for about 5-7 minutes. Drain well squeezing extra water, and chop them finely first, then with a little cream, place in a blender and reduce into a purée type of consistency. Set aside.

In a pot, heat olive oil, then add shallots. Let them brown then add rice. Stir rice to coat rice with the olive oil. Add gradually wine and broth and keep stirring.  Add spinach 10 minutes before rice has finished cooking. Add cream and continue stirring. At the end add parmigiano. Stir well all ingredients so that risotto has absorbed flavors. Serve hot.

I think by now I must have tried almost all the different kinds of rice on the market, going from basic to fancy. The funny thing is that I am not a big rice eater but when I see a kind I never tasted, I buy it.

For me, rice is that ingredient I enjoy but that I rarely cook. Then when I eat it, I am thinking I should make it more often. Time goes by, and rice is still left in the pantry.

This time, I found this beautiful coral red basmati at Whole Foods and was curious about its taste and texture, and after one month of staring at it, I decided to make something out of it. I liked its “marketing” name “coral red” is quite a pretty name for a red rice and thinking about it I bought it mainly because I was seduced by its name which I found quite sexy. Americans are certainly great at marketing!

I love rice bowls, they’re nutritious and you can make a “one-meal” bowl, besides whole rices are perfect for that. Coral red basmati rice does not taste exactly like regular basmati, It has a pretty color but is less aromatic.

French people are not big rice eaters, they eat a lot more potatoes as primary carbohydrate and of course bread. I remember a commercial on TV when I was a child for Uncle Ben’s rice “Le riz qui ne colle jamais“, “the rice that never sticks”, in his little plastic bag, and that was the only rice I would eat. My mom creamy risotto was so unappealing comparing to Uncle Bens! I was fascinated by its TV commercial of this old and big Southern American guy with a thick American accent and his “Uncle Bens! le riz qui ne colle jamais!”.

Ingredients for 4

• 280 g coral red rice (about 70 g per person)
• 1 large bunch mustard greens, chopped
• 24 large uncooked shrimps
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
• 2 shallots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 small piece ginger, grated
• 1 tbs mustard seeds
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs olive oil

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, brown shallots, 1 garlic clove, ginger and mustard seeds. Stir well and let all ingredients brown.

Steam rice in a rice cooker or regular pot.

Cook mustard greens in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes, until cooked. Drain, squeeze extra water and chop finely.

Add shrimps to onion, garlic, ginger mixture and cook for about 5 minutes until shrimps are cooked, add peas and mustard greens, salt and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes. (If using fresh peas, they need to cook longer)

Add rice and stir well. Add 1 garlic clove crushed and 1 tbs soy sauce, stir well, let it cook for another 5 minutes and serve as a side dish or as a full meal.

I haven’t realized Thanksgiving is coming soon, then I am leaving to visit my family in France shortly after, not sure I will have time to make it to Italy but we’ll see. It’s been one year I did not go home, and I am starting to have the one year “itch”. I remember I made this rice for Christmas for my parents guests, many years ago as a side dish to stuffed quails with ris de veau (sweatbreads) and everyone loved the whole thing. It was the time I still could eat a bird.

My mom would always invite this longtime Italian girlfriend (from the same town in Italy) with her French husband and son for Christmas and I was not looking forward to it. Those guys were the snobbiest, uptight and annoying people I have ever seen, always criticizing and making fun of others. But every year, my mom would feel so guilty to let them spend Christmas by themselves, so she invited them at home, and we would spend January 1st in their home. That was like a punishment to me! So the first time I made this rice was for them as a side dish. At least something came out of those Christmases. My mom always had this sense of “duty” or “obligation” to take care of people and sometimes it can be overwhelming. I bet everyone has those memories of some family dinners and having to deal with some unpleasant parents’ friends.

It’s a very simple dish but quite tasty and always a beautiful and refined accompaniment to a fish or meat. What is called “à la forestière” in French is mainly a dish that has mushrooms, “forestière” meaning from the forrest (forêt = forrest). Rice à la forestière is a French classic, so this one has been modified and made it into a more modern and light version with a twist. The nutty flavor of wild rice enhanced by walnuts is delightful.

Ingredients for 4

• 300 g wild rice
• 2 carrots
• 2 shallots
• 1.5 cups cremini or wild mushrooms
• 1.5 tbs walnut, chopped
• 1/5 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil

Preparation

Cook rice for about 40 minutes until cooked. You can either use a rice cooker or cook it in a pot the traditional way.

In a pan, heat olive oil, add shallot and carrots. Cover with a lid and let the mixture cook, then after 10 min add mushrooms, cool for an additional 10 min or until the water has evaporated. Add cooked rice, stir and adjust with salt and pepper. Add walnuts and parsley. Mix well and serve.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2009/11/a-wild-side-wild-rice-a-la-forestiere-with-mushrooms-carrots-and-walnuts/feed/ 12 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2009/11/something-to-deal-with-traffic-riz-au-lait-with-strawberry-compote/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=something-to-deal-with-traffic-riz-au-lait-with-strawberry-compote http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2009/11/something-to-deal-with-traffic-riz-au-lait-with-strawberry-compote/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:08:55 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=4932 Une petite douceur pour se remettre du trafic – Riz au lait à la compote de fraises

My Friday afternoon was spent driving back and forth from San Francisco to the East Bay. I completely forgot that on Friday afternoons when it rains the freeways are completely insane and the traffic is worse than Paris périphérique aux heures de pointe (during rush hours). I had to drop off some food for some clients on the other side of the bridge and I thought I was never going to make it. A trip that usually takes 30 minutes, took me 2 hours. Besides I am a terrible driver, never had an accident, just a few bumper scratches but I always feel something might happen because I have no concept of space. I have no idea if the car is two meters or three meters behind me.

So when I got home, I made myself a small sweet treat, to calm my adrenaline rush from all the freeway movement.

I don’t know if “riz au lait” is something very popular in the US, I have never seen it served anywhere, maybe it’s considered an “unsophisticated” or rudimentary dessert, I don’t know. In France, riz au lait is something very common, that every household knows how to make. Now I like riz-au-lait with some fruit compote or caramel, or something underneath the rice.

The tricky part is to keep the rice in a creamy vanilla sauce. Rice tends to absorb the liquid, then you might end up with some dry rice which is not very good. You need a lot of milk (and preferably whole milk) and let to rice simmer at very slow heat for about one hour. I used reduced fat milk and tasted great too. There are as many versions of riz au lait as there are cooks in France, so this one is just my version. You can flavor it with cinnamon if you like it. I am a vanilla fan so I don’t want to spoil the natural vanilla flavor with cinnamon.

Ingredients for 4-6

• 5.30 oz (or 150 g) round rice, I used arborio
• 4.2 cups (or 1 liter) whole milk or reduced fat milk
• 4 tbs heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean split
• raw sugar to your tastes
• 2 tbs chopped walnuts
• 1 lb strawberries
• 1 or 2 tbs light brown sugar

Preparation

Rinse the rice under running water. Bring a water to a boil and cook rice for about 6-7 minutes. Drain. Bring milk and cream to a boil with vanilla bean split. Add rice and let it simmer at very low temperature for about one hour making sure it does not stick. After 30 minutes, add sugar and stir.  Add chopped walnuts.

Wash and cut strawberries, cook at medium temperature with light brown sugar until strawberries turn into a sauce.

You can eat the rice lukewarm or cold.

Place some strawberries at the bottom of a cup then add rice on top. Decorate with fresh strawberries and walnut bits.