SRC October: Zesty Sicilian Rice Fritters

It's Reveal Day for the Secret Recipe Club Group A!  My favorite day of the month!

This month I had the pleasure to be assigned the blog Recipe Taster.  I was unfamiliar with Al's blog, but quickly fell in love with it.  Al presents food in a sophisticated and artistic way - every plate, I am mesmerized by the artistry and creativity that unfolds.  And not to mention my mouth just completely waters at every sight!

I was really craving something new and sweet, so when I saw these rice fritters, I knew I had found my match!  It's basically little balls of sweet and delicious rice pudding, deep fried, and drizzled with a delicious orange honey sauce.  Yeah, I had to work out extra hard after having quite a few of these babies! 

Ingredients:
Recipe adapted from Recipe Taster's blog

Fritters:

150g short grain rice, as for rice pudding
400g milk
150g cream
zest from 1 orange
zest from 1 lemon
3 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder 
Vegetable oil, for frying

Honey sauce:

6 tablespoons honey
juice of 1 orange
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer.  Stir in the orange zest, lemon zest, rice, and sugar.  Bring back to a simmer, stirring every now and then.  Cover with a lid and turn the flame to low.

Stir the rice pudding occasionally to be sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.  This will become particularly important toward the end of the cooking process when the pudding will become thicker. If the pudding becomes too dry before the rice is cooked, add extra milk.

The rice is cooked when the pudding looks quite dry and thick. Turn off the heat and let it come to room temperature, stirring it every now and then.

In a separate bowl beat the egg with a fork and mix in the cold rice pudding a little at a time, breaking all the clumps.

In a deep enough pot, bring 1inch of vegetable oil up to frying temperature (180C should suffice). When the oil is almost ready, stir the baking powder into the rice mix. Using two spoons scoop some of the rice batter and shape it into quenelles or little balls.

Fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. 

To make the sauce, combine the honey, orange juice, and cinnamon in a small saucepan under medium heat.  Stir until flavors meld together, about 3-5 minutes.

Drizzle sauce on top of fritters and dust with powdered sugar.  Enjoy!

Thanks Al for this sweet and tasty treat!

Want to join SRC?  Find out how, here!