Italian Dark Chocolate Rice Cakes with a Molten Center | Sformatini di Riso al Cioccolato Fondente con Cuore Morbido

Sep 29

11 min read

Sformatini di Riso al Cioccolato Fondente con Cuore Morbido (Italian Dark Chocolate Rice Cakes with a Molten Center)

Rice cooked in milk is the most domestic thing in the Italian sweet repertoire. A molten center is a restaurant trick, timed to the minute. Put them together and you get a small baked pudding with the body of a rice cake and a heart of dark chocolate that runs across the plate when the spoon goes in.

There is no wheat flour anywhere. Carnaroli starch is the only structure, and a frozen ganache heart is the only clock.

Yield: 6 sformatini. Prep: 45 minutes. Freeze: 4 hours minimum. Cook: 35 minutes for the rice, 16 minutes in the oven. Difficulty: intermediate. Course: dolce al cucchiaio.

The Story

Rice came to Italy through the Po valley in the fifteenth century, planted on the flooded plains between Vercelli, Novara and Pavia, and within a few generations it had stopped being an exotic import and become the staple of a whole region. Italian pastry absorbed it almost at once. Bologna has its torta di riso, baked flat and cut into diamonds for the feast of Corpus Domini. Massa Carrara makes a lemon scented version. Florence sells the budino di riso, a small tartlet of milk rice, by the tray at breakfast. None of these were invented by chefs. They are what a farming region did with a cheap grain, milk and a little sugar.

Chocolate arrived along a different road. Turin took it up in the seventeenth century under the Savoy court, and when Napoleon's blockade made cocoa scarce the city stretched it with local hazelnuts, which gave the world gianduia and made Piedmont the chocolate capital of Italy. Dark chocolate in an Italian dessert is therefore not a French borrowing. It has a domestic address, and that address is only a short drive from the rice fields of Vercelli.

The molten center is the one modern element, and it deserves an honest origin. Enclosing a frozen ganache inside a batter so that it stays liquid through the bake was popularized by the French chef Michel Bras in 1981 and spread through Italian restaurant kitchens during the nineties. This recipe puts that trick back into an Italian body. It is not a traditional dish and does not pretend to be one. It is what happens when a Po valley rice pudding is asked to behave like a plated dessert.

The name explains the method. Sformatino comes from sformare, to unmold, and the small unmolded pudding is an old Italian habit, savory in Emilia and Piedmont, where vegetable and cheese flans come out of buttered molds at the family table, and sweet in the pasticcerie. Carnaroli, a twentieth century cross prized for holding its shape, is the grain of choice because a rice dessert needs grains that stay distinct while their starch does the work of flour. Humble grain, careful technique and one small dramatic gesture: that is exactly what an Italian restaurant dessert does best, and it is why this dish reads as Italian even though its heart is French in origin.

Ingredients

For the frozen ganache hearts

Dark chocolate, 70 percent cacao, chopped, 3 1/2 oz (100 g)
Heavy cream, 1/3 cup (80 ml)
Unsalted butter, softened, 1 tbsp (14 g)
Honey, 1 tsp (7 g)
Fine sea salt, 1 pinch

For the rice

Carnaroli rice, 3/4 cup (150 g)
Whole milk, 3 cups (700 ml)
Heavy cream, 1/2 cup (120 ml)
Granulated sugar, 1/3 cup (70 g)
Lemon zest, in 3 wide strips
Vanilla bean, split, 1/2
Fine sea salt, 1/4 tsp (1.5 g)

For the chocolate mixture

Dark chocolate, 64 percent cacao, chopped, 4 1/2 oz (130 g)
Unsalted butter, cubed, 3 tbsp (42 g)
Egg yolks, large, 3
Egg whites, large, 2
Granulated sugar, 2 tbsp (25 g)
Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted, 1 tbsp (6 g)
Dark rum, 1 tbsp (15 ml), optional

For the molds and finishing

Soft butter, 1 tbsp (14 g), and cocoa powder, 2 tbsp (12 g), for six 6 oz (180 ml) ramekins
Heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks, 1/2 cup (120 ml)
Confectioners sugar, 1 tbsp (8 g)
Candied orange peel, finely diced, 1 tbsp (15 g), optional
Flaked sea salt, a few crystals

Preparation

Freeze the ganache hearts

The day before, bring the cream, honey and salt just to a boil and pour over the 70 percent chocolate. Wait one minute, stir from the center outward until glossy, then stir in the butter. Chill in a shallow container until firm, about 2 hours. Scoop six balls of 1 tbsp (20 g), roll them between cold palms and freeze on a lined tray for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until solid to the center.

Cook the rice in milk

Combine the milk, cream, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. Add the unrinsed Carnaroli and cook uncovered over low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom every few minutes, until the grains are tender and the milk coats the spoon heavily.

Loosen and season the base

Take the pan off the heat while the mass still moves when tilted. Rice keeps drinking as it cools, so stop one stage looser than you want. Remove the zest and vanilla, scraping the seeds back in. Taste for salt. The base should be less sweet than a plain rice pudding, since the chocolate brings its own sugar.

Melt in the chocolate

With the rice around 160°F (70°C), add the 64 percent chocolate and the cubed butter together and stir until uniform and dark. Sift in the cocoa and add the rum. If the rice has cooled below 130°F (55°C) the chocolate seizes into grains, so warm the pan over the lowest heat for 30 seconds first.

Temper the yolks

Whisk the yolks in a bowl, add two spoonfuls of the warm chocolate rice and whisk at once, then scrape everything back into the pan. Yolks dropped straight into a base at 160°F (70°C) scramble on contact. Let the base cool to about 105°F (40°C) before the whites go near it.

Whip the whites

Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the lower third. Whip the whites to very soft peaks, add the 2 tbsp sugar in three additions and stop when the meringue is glossy and falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon. A stiff meringue will not fold into a mixture this heavy and bakes into pale streaks.

Fill the molds around the hearts

Fold a third of the meringue into the chocolate rice to slacken it, then the rest in two additions, and stop when the streaks vanish. Brush the ramekins with soft butter, dust with cocoa and tap out the excess. Fill each one third full, set one frozen heart in the exact center, and cover with mixture to 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) below the rim. Do not press the heart down, and work quickly, because it starts to soften on contact.

Bake until the edge releases

Bake on a tray, spaced apart, for 16 to 18 minutes. Judge by the edge: the outer 3/4 inch (2 cm) should be set and domed, the surface matte and the rim just pulling from the ceramic, with a slight wobble at the center. Skip the skewer. Rest exactly 2 minutes before unmolding. A sformatino slightly underbaked at the edge is still excellent, while one baked ninety seconds too long has no molten heart at all.

Plating

Decide before the timer rings whether to serve in the mold or turned out. In the ramekin is safer: set it on a plate over a folded napkin and dust with confectioners sugar. Turned out looks better: run a thin knife around the wall, invert a plate over the ramekin and lift the mold away.

Keep the plate nearly empty. Put a quenelle of softly whipped cream beside the sformatino, never on it, where its weight would break the crust. Set two or three crystals of flaked sea salt on the dark surface. Serve within four minutes on a gently warmed plate, and say so at the table. A small spoon of finely diced candied orange peel on the opposite side gives the bitterness of the chocolate something citric to argue with.

Professional Technique

The frozen heart is the clock of this dessert. It is prepared apart, portioned and frozen solid so that it can do one job: absorb heat. A ganache core at 0°F (minus 18°C) sitting in batter at 375°F (190°C) does not simply warm through. It first spends a large share of the incoming energy melting the frozen water and fat crystals inside it, and while that happens its temperature barely climbs. That stall holds the center back while the edge, which touches hot ceramic, gains structure. A merely refrigerated core has no stall and bakes along with everything else.

Everything else follows from that. Size decides how long the clock runs: about 1 tbsp (20 g) in a 6 oz (180 ml) mold leaves a wall of rice roughly 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick around it. Larger and it thaws from the sides and breaks the crust; smaller and it is spent before the edge is set. Position decides where heat reaches it last: the heart sits at half height, wrapped in batter on every face, so the first spoonful finds liquid and not a floor of cooked base.

The same logic decides how you read doneness. The center cannot be trusted, because a liquid heart looks raw by design and a skewer only confirms it. The edge is the real signal. When the outer band is set and the rim starts to release from the mold, the clock has run out and the heart is at its softest. Two more minutes and it passes from molten to firm, then to truffle. Time the bake on the edge, never on the middle.

Texture and Moisture Control

Three consistencies share one small mold: a set outer layer with the crumb of a baked custard, a zone where the grains are still distinct, and a liquid heart. The gradient is controlled by how loose the base was at filling. If the mixture stands stiffly on the spoon before the meringue goes in, slacken it with 2 tbsp (30 ml) of warm milk, or the edge bakes dense and the contrast with the heart becomes a wall.

The molds are small and uncovered, so moisture leaves fast. Filling to 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) below the rim shelters the top behind the ceramic. If your oven runs hot, tent the tops loosely with foil for the last 4 minutes, but never cover from the start, because trapped steam softens the crust that holds the heart in.

Serving temperature matters as much: outside near 140°F (60°C), heart near 105°F (40°C). Scalding chocolate tastes flat and bitter because heat mutes its aromatics, and the 2 minute rest is when that gradient settles. The cocoa dusting in the molds also forms a dry barrier, so the starch cannot grip the ceramic and tear the pudding on release.

Professional Mise en Place

Almost everything difficult happens the day before. At service only folding, filling and a short bake remain.

Equipment and tools

Heavy saucepan, 3 quart (3 liter), for the rice
Six ramekins of 6 oz (180 ml) and a tray that holds them
Pastry brush, fine sieve and a large flexible spatula
Mixer for the whites and an instant read thermometer
Small scoop of about 1 tbsp (20 ml) and a lined freezer tray

Prepared ahead

Frozen hearts, up to 1 month, sealed
Rice base, up to 2 days, refrigerated and rewarmed with a splash of milk
Molds buttered and dusted with cocoa, up to 1 day, refrigerated
Oven at 375°F (190°C) for a full 20 minutes before baking

Service setup

Hearts stay in the freezer until the molds are one third full
Whites whipped last and never held standing
Timer at 16 minutes, checked by eye at the edge
Cream whipped during the bake and held cold
Plates gently warm, sieve of sugar loaded, spoons on the table

Chef Tips

Roll the hearts slightly smaller than feels right. Cores much larger than 1 tbsp (20 g) sit too close to the wall, thaw from the side and break through the crust, emptying the pudding into the ramekin.

Use Carnaroli rather than Arborio. It holds its shape over 35 minutes in milk, and the diner should still feel the grains. Arborio collapses into a smooth paste.

Make the rice base two days ahead. Cold rice is easier to judge, because it has finished absorbing. Rewarm it with a splash of milk, and only then add the chocolate.

Bake one sformatino alone as a test, 20 minutes before the rest. Ovens vary more than this dessert allows, and one sacrificed portion shows exactly what your oven does to a frozen heart.

Chill the buttered and cocoa dusted ramekins for 15 minutes before filling. A cold coat clings to the wall instead of sliding, and the sformatino releases cleaner. Keep the whipped cream cold too, so the quenelle holds its shape on a warm plate.

Weigh the chocolate rather than measuring it by eye. The difference between 64 and 70 percent cacao is real, and swapping them changes both the sweetness of the body and how firmly the heart sets in the freezer.

Common Mistakes

Using a refrigerated heart. Without the freezer stall it bakes along with the batter and you get a solid chocolate rice cake. Freeze at least 4 hours.

Rinsing the rice. It removes the surface starch that thickens the milk, and the sformatini spread instead of holding.

Adding chocolate to cold rice. Below 130°F (55°C) it seizes into gritty grains. Add it near 160°F (70°C).

Whipping stiff whites. They shatter on folding and bake into pale blotches. Stop at glossy, soft peaks.

Judging by the center. A liquid middle looks underbaked by design. Read the set edge and pull them at 18 minutes.

Holding them warm. Residual heat firms the heart within ten minutes. Bake to order and serve at once.

Overfilling the molds. The mixture rises, spills over the rim and bakes onto the tray, and the crust thickens so much that the heart cannot flow. Stop 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) below the rim.

Pressing the heart down. A core pushed to the bottom sits on hot ceramic and thaws first from below, so the heart runs out or vanishes. Drop it at half height and cover it.

Wine Pairing

Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG: The Piedmontese answer to dark chocolate. It is lightly sparkling and low in alcohol at around 6 percent, with rose petal and wild strawberry aromas. The carbonation lifts the fat of the ganache between spoonfuls, and its sweetness stays below the pudding's, so it refreshes instead of cloying.

Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG: A sweet red from dried grapes, with cherry, plum and cocoa notes that mirror the chocolate. Its soft tannin and lively acidity give the rich heart a counterweight, and the dark fruit finds the bitterness of the 70 percent ganache.

Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC: Aged for years in small sealed casks, it turns amber and nutty, tasting of dried figs and walnut. Choose a drier example and serve it near 57°F (14°C). It plays the aromatic partner and picks up the toasted edge of the cocoa.

Romagna Albana DOCG: In its passito style Albana is honeyed and quietly tannic for a white, a rare combination that gives it enough grip to stand beside 64 percent chocolate. Expect dried apricot, orange marmalade and a faint resinous herbal note. It is the regional choice, since Emilia Romagna has baked rice into desserts for centuries.

Recioto di Soave DOCG: A white passito from Garganega with apricot and candied citrus. Its high acidity is unusual in a sweet wine and stops the cream and rice from coating the mouth. Choose it when you want the milk and vanilla forward.

Storage & Reheating

These are best within minutes of baking. Leftover baked sformatini keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the mold at 300°F (150°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, loosely covered with foil. The heart will be soft and truffle like rather than fully molten, since it has already set once. Keep them in their molds while they chill so they hold their shape. Avoid the microwave at full power, which overshoots and firms the heart in seconds; if you must, use 50 percent power for 30 seconds.

Baked sformatini freeze wrapped for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Unbaked hearts keep in the freezer for 1 month, and the rice base for 2 days refrigerated. Whipped cream is made fresh.