Sweet Rice Puff Pastries

Sweet rice puff pastries are a tasty and delightful snack to enjoy. Here’s how to prepare them.

Ingredients

• 250 g of short-grain rice
• 500 ml of milk
• Peel of 1 lemon (yellow part only)
• 1 vanilla pod
• 100 g of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 roll of rectangular puff pastry
• Some melted butter
• Powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Put the rice in a saucepan with the milk, lemon peel, and the split and seeded vanilla pod.
2. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat, simmering gently until the rice has absorbed all the milk and is softened, which will take about 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove the lemon peel and vanilla pod, then add the sugar to the rice and let it cool.
4. Once the rice is cool, incorporate the beaten eggs and mix until uniform.
5. Unroll the puff pastry and cut it into squares or rectangles.
6. Brush each piece of puff pastry with some melted butter, place a spoonful of the rice mixture in the center, and close the puff pastry, sealing the edges.
7. Arrange the puff pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush them with a little more melted butter.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C for about 20 minutes or until the puff pastries are golden brown.
9. Remove from the oven and let the rice puff pastries cool on a wire rack.
10. Before serving, sprinkle the puff pastries with powdered sugar.

Curiosity

In Italy, sweet rice is often used in traditional pastry preparations, especially in the North, where rice is a very common ingredient, thanks to the extensive cultivation in the Po Valley. The sweet rice puff pastries can be a different and tasty way to take advantage of the versatility of this grain.