cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
Riz au Lait: A simple French dish made from pantry staples - BBC
Almost the moment that lockdown was announced in France, chefs started posting recipes for French comfort food desserts on Instagram, hoping to spread a bit of sweetness among their fellow citizens. But while crepes, yogurt cake and madeleines all certainly emerged, the recipe to feature most frequently, from the feed of Michelin-starred Stéphanie le Quellec to those of renowned pastry chefs Christophe Michalak and Yann Couvreur, was the humble riz au lait (rice pudding) – a custard-like dessert made by slowly cooking rice with milk and sugar.
“It’s really a childhood dessert in French culture,” said Marine Gora, co-founder of Gramme restaurant in Paris. “I’d say everyone probably has a childhood memory associated with riz au lait.”
According to culinary historian Patrick Rambourg, riz au lait has long featured on French tables – if not specifically as a comfort food dessert, or even a dessert at all. While riz au lait recipes date as far back as the 14th Century, the concoction, then often made with broth (or almond milk on lean days when the Catholic Church forbade meat and dairy), was usually served to the bedridden or ailing thanks to its nourishing qualities and digestibility. But above all, riz au lait was generally a dish served to the aristocracy.
Almost the moment that lockdown was announced in France, chefs started posting recipes for French comfort food desserts on Instagram, hoping to spread a bit of sweetness among their fellow citizens. But while crepes, yogurt cake and madeleines all certainly emerged, the recipe to feature most frequently, from the feed of Michelin-starred Stéphanie le Quellec to those of renowned pastry chefs Christophe Michalak and Yann Couvreur, was the humble riz au lait (rice pudding) – a custard-like dessert made by slowly cooking rice with milk and sugar.
“It’s really a childhood dessert in French culture,” said Marine Gora, co-founder of Gramme restaurant in Paris. “I’d say everyone probably has a childhood memory associated with riz au lait.”
According to culinary historian Patrick Rambourg, riz au lait has long featured on French tables – if not specifically as a comfort food dessert, or even a dessert at all. While riz au lait recipes date as far back as the 14th Century, the concoction, then often made with broth (or almond milk on lean days when the Catholic Church forbade meat and dairy), was usually served to the bedridden or ailing thanks to its nourishing qualities and digestibility. But above all, riz au lait was generally a dish served to the aristocracy.