Rice Casserole with Meringue (Radetzky Rice)

Ingredients

• 400 ml freshly pressed orange juice
• 2 lemons (juice)
• 300 g peeled round grain rice
• 120 g sugar
• 80 g soft butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 packet vanilla pudding powder (40 g)
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 25 g almond sticks
• 750 g sour cherry spread (or apricot)
• 3 egg whites
• butter (for greasing)
• 3 egg whites
• 100 g sugar
• 1 untreated lemon (grated zest)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.

2. 2.

   Mix 200 ml water with orange and lemon juice in a pot, bring to a boil. Add rice, season lightly, simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes until it absorbs liquid. Drain if necessary and let cool slightly.

3. 3.

   Beat butter with sugar and egg yolks until fluffy. Mix pudding powder with baking powder and almond sticks, then fold into the batter. Whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Combine rice and whipped egg whites with the yolk mixture and gently fold together.

4. 4.

   Grease a casserole dish with butter, fill half with the rice mixture, spread cherry (or apricot) spread on top, then cover with the remaining rice mixture. Bake in the hot oven for about 40 minutes.

5. 5.

   Remove from oven but leave it on before turning off the heat. Let the casserole cool briefly, then cut out round portions (~8 cm diameter) using a cookie cutter and place them carefully onto a greased baking sheet.

6. 6.

   Whisk egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in grated lemon zest, pipe the meringue mixture into decorative dollops over each rice portion using a piping bag with a round tip. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes at the same temperature until the meringue spots turn slightly golden.