EPISODE 5: FLOWERS
In the new episode of Ana Cooks, Zagreb Loves, the beloved chef Ana Ugarković prepares a Bavarian rice cake with pomegranate, oranges, and pistachios just for you.
Ingredients:
Base:
270 g of petit beurre, digestive or similar biscuits
50 g of butter, melted
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
For rice:
125 g of rice
500 ml of milk
grated zest of 1 orange or lemon
40 g of sugar
For the cream:
325 ml of milk
90 g of egg yolks (about 5 yolks)
50 g of sugar
10 g of gelatin sheets
2 tablespoons of Maraschino liqueur
325 ml of heavy cream
70 g of chocolate
1.5 kg oranges
seeds of one pomegranate
30 g of shelled pistachios
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
Grind the biscuits for the base. Mix them with the melted butter and heavy cream to form a “dough,” then press it evenly into the bottom of a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10–15 minutes until it hardens and turns golden. Let it cool.
Grease the inside of the cake ring with butter. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and let it cool slightly. Cut several strips of parchment paper and coat them with a thick layer of chocolate. Using these strips, with the chocolate side facing inward, line the entire cake ring.
Cook the rice in the milk with the grated zest of an orange (or lemon) and sugar. Let the rice absorb all the liquid and become soft.
Heat the milk until boiling. Whisk the egg yolks with sugar. While stirring, slowly pour a little hot milk into the yolks to gently warm them. Then return everything to the milk and cook over low heat, stirring continuously (do not let it boil), until the cream thickens slightly. Strain through a sieve into the cooked rice and let it cool.
Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Soak the gelatin in cold water and, once softened, dissolve it in warmed Maraschino liqueur. Immediately pour the gelatin into the rice and egg yolk mixture, stir well, then pour in the whipped cream. Pour this mixture into the mold lined with the chocolate strips and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Decorate the cake with orange segments, pomegranate seeds and pistachios. Remove the cake ring and carefully peel off the parchment paper before serving.
