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Croquettes of Rice
Put a quarter of a pound of rice, one pint of milk, three table-spoonfuls of finely-sifted sugar, a piece of butter the size of a small nut, and the thin rind of a lemon, into a saucepan. Any other flavouring may be used, if preferred. Simmer gently until the rice is tender and the milk absorbed. It must be boiled until thick and dry, or it will be difficult to mould into croquettes. Beat it thoroughly for three or four minutes, then turn it out, and when it is cold and stiff, form it into small balls, dip these in egg, sprinkle a few bread-crumbs over them, and fry them in clarified fat till they are lightly and equally browned. Put them on a piece of clean blotting-paper, to drain the fat from them, and serve them piled high on the dish. If it can be done without breaking them, it is an improvement to introduce a little jam into the middle of each one; or jam may be served with them. Time, about one hour to boil the rice, ten minutes to fry the croquettes. Sufficient, a dozen for a dish. Probable cost, 4d., without the jam.
A sweet rice croquette of the standard Victorian kind — thick rice pudding, chilled, crumbed and fried. The whole recipe turns on how dry you cook the rice.
- QuantitiesA quarter pound of rice is about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of pudding rice or other short-grain white rice; one pint in an English book of this date is 20 fl oz, so use 2 1/2 cups milk. "Butter the size of a small nut" is roughly 2 teaspoons.
- The hinge: cook it dryThe rice must be stiff enough to hold a shape cold, not merely creamy. Simmer uncovered over low heat until a spoon drawn through leaves a clear track and no free milk pools — closer to a paste than a pudding. Underdry rice will slump in the fryer and shed its coating.
- TimingAn hour is generous for modern rice; 30-40 minutes of gentle simmering, stirring often near the end, is usually enough. Judge by texture, not the clock, and add a splash more milk if the grains are still chalky.
- Chilling"Cold and stiff" means properly cold. Spread the beaten rice on a plate or tray to speed it, then refrigerate at least two hours, or overnight. Shape the balls with wet hands.
- CoatingSprinkling crumbs over the egged balls is a light dressing at best. Roll them fully in fine dry breadcrumbs, then chill again for 20 minutes so the crust sets before frying.
- Frying fat and temperatureClarified fat means clarified butter, lard or beef dripping — any neutral oil with a high smoke point works. Bring it to 350-360F and fry in batches; ten minutes is far longer than needed, and two to three minutes is enough to brown a chilled ball through.
- Blotting-paperSubstitute paper towel or a wire rack; modern papers are not intended for hot fat.
- The jamA teaspoon of stiff jam pressed into the centre and sealed over works better than a runny one, which will burst the crust. Serving jam alongside, as the book allows, is the reliable route.
- YieldA dozen croquettes; the book says only that a dozen makes a dish. Serve hot; they turn dense as they cool.
Sweet fried croquettes of thickened rice belong to the long European tradition of using a stiff rice pudding as a moulding paste — the same principle behind Italian arancini and the French croquettes de riz that appear in nineteenth-century pastry manuals. The recipe drills two transferable skills: reducing a starch until it will hold a shape, and the egg-and-crumb coating that protects it in hot fat. The costing — fourpence for a dozen — is the point of such a dish in a Victorian household manual: rice, milk and sugar were cheap and shelf-stable, and a dozen hot croquettes piled on a dish made a creditable pudding out of almost nothing. Lemon rind was a common flavouring of the period, when vanilla was comparatively expensive.