Gâteau de riz

There are certain desserts that you eat slowly so you can savor each bite – this is one of those desserts. Gâteau de riz (rice cake) is a simple dessert but its vanilla bean flavor mixed with fluffy rice & eggs create a moist and delectable dish. The caramel drizzled on top takes it to the next level. I would suggest making your caramel without butter so the vanilla in the rice and caramel flavor will truly mesh in harmony.

I used a chocolate garnish for a couple of the desserts to practice the presentation and while it was certainly delicious, the little chocolate used was overpowering. Never in my life have I thought, “No, don’t add chocolate to dessert” until now. With the chocolate, caramel and vanilla bean rice cake, it’s sweetness overload. The caramel and rice cake are just perfect on its own. But you’re welcome to try it with chocolate – just wanted to give you my opinion.

Making the rice cake itself is pretty simple but it gets complicated when making your own caramel. I had a caramel recipe I tried first but I didn’t like the flavor pairing so I tried a new one. I found the caramel recipe from Haniela’s. She does an amazing job in explaining how to make her caramel (link:https://www.hanielas.com/thick-caramel/) . I added a cornstarch flurry (1 tbsp of corn starch mixed with 1 tbsp of water. Add to your caramel right after you add in the final ½ cup of cream) to mine because I wanted the caramel a little thicker. This recipe is a great foundation for any caramel flavors you’d like to try in the future. I can see myself having a few different flavors of caramel in the fridge to have on-hand when needed: coating fresh popcorn for movie night, drizzling on top of vanilla bean ice cream or straight out of the jar when it’s been a day!

If you mess up the caramel (which I did many of times when I first started making caramel), just know each time you’ll get closer to perfecting it. The first time I made caramel it took me 3 tries. When I finally made it, I wanted to call everyone I knew because it felt like such a big accomplishment. And it’s true – nothing compares to homemade caramel. The store-bought caramel just tastes “’off” now. I can’t explain it but homemade is so much better.

So I hope you enjoy making this dessert and the great news with the caramel, you can make it in advance and store for up to a month. If you’re entertaining, you just have to worry about making the rice cakes – either same day or day before is fine. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or message me on any of my social channels. Happy to help! Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Rice Cake Ingredients:

7 oz rice
1 vanilla bean
4 cups milk
2 eggs
¾ cup caster sugar
3 tbsp + 1 tsp heavy cream

Vanilla Bean Rice Cake Directions:

Rinse rice under cold water, strain and place in medium size pot.
Cover the rice with warm water; just enough that it’s completely covered in water.
Bring it to a boil and continue to boil for 4 minutes. Then drain afterwards. Set aside.
Add 4 cups of milk to the medium size pot.
Add the split vanilla bean and place with milk. Boil the milk and vanilla bean.
Once it starts to boil, add the rice you set aside. Then set temp to low for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the vanilla bean pod.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and cream together in a separate, large bowl.
Add the milk, rice mixture in with the eggs, sugar and cream.
Place in your serving dishes and place in a water bath. (see video for tutorial)
Cook on 350° F for 30 minutes.
Cover with parchment paper so the rice cake stays moist.
After it has cooled, invert and serve with your homemade caramel below.

Caramel Ingredients:

-1/2 cup water
-1 ¾ cup sugar
-1 cup heavy cream
-3 tbsp butter (I would omit butter for this specific recipe)
-1 tsp vanilla bean paste. (I used vanilla extract to taste)

Caramel Directions:

In a nonreactive 3 quart pan combine the sugar (1cup and 3/4cup), water (1/2cup).
Stir with a wooden spoon. Cover the pot, heat sugar, and water on low heat until sugar is completely dissolved. 3-5 minutes.
Remove the lid, swirl the pan to see if all the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat to medium and bring the sugar syrup to a simmer. DO NOT STIR. The mixture will appear cloudy at first. It will clear up as it starts to boil.
To remove any sugar spots on the sides of the pan, either brush the sides with a pastry brush dipped in water or cover the pot again for 2-3 minutes. Steam/condensation will wash down the sides of the pan clean.
If there are any stubborn areas, use a pastry brush. It is important to keep the sides of the pan clean. This helps to prevent sugar crystallization and grainy caramel sauce.
Keep an eye on the caramel. Once you see the sugar syrup is changing color, it is important to monitor it closely as it can burn in seconds.
Continue to cook until the caramel turns amber color, then remove from the heat and pour in about 1/2 of warm heavy cream (1/2 cup, 60 grams, 60 ml).
The mixture will foam up significantly, stir it, and then pour in the remaining heavy cream (1/2 cup, 60 grams, 60 ml). Stir in the room-temperature butter (3 tablespoons, 45grams).
The mixture will be thin and very HOT!
Pour it into a heatproof dish and let it cool slightly, about 20-30 minutes.
Then stir in 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Bean Paste.
Alternatively, flavor with other flavorings as desired. Use sea salt, coffee, maple, and pecan flavoring sparingly.
Cover the bowl/container with cooled caramel sauce, plastic wrap, and a lid. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Once the caramel and rice cake have chilled, invert the cake onto a plate. You can either top with caramel or place caramel on the plate, then put the rice cake on top. Have fun with the presentation. No matter how you decorate it, it will be beyond delicious. Enjoy! 