Danish Sweet Rice Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add the egg, sugar, salt and vanilla. Whisk gently to combine. Set aside.
• Quarter each stick of butter and cut into 9 or 10 pieces. Toss the diced butter and flour together in a medium bowl.
• (Optional method) Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor. Cut each stick of butter into 1/4 inch slices and mix into the flour. Pulse machine 8 to 10 times, just to cut the pieces of butter into 1/2 inch pieces. If there are any larger pieces, break them with your fingers.
• Add the flour and butter mixture to the wet ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until the flour is completely moistened. Transfer the dough to a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a heavily floured surface, pat it into a rectangle about 8 x 6 inches, and then roll it into a larger rectangle about 14 x 24 inches. Brush off any excess flour and fold both edges in so that they meet in the center. If the dough is sticking underneath, release it with a long flexible metal palate knife. Dusting off any excess flour and fold the dough in half when the edges meet. This is called a "book or 4-fold". Rotate the rectangle of dough 1/4 turn on the table. This is called a "turn". Roll into a rectangle measuring about 24 x 12 inches, loosening the dough underneath with a the metal spatula, reflouring as necessary. Brush off any excess flour and give it another book fold. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and repeat this process two more times, rolling the dough out each time to 12 x 24 inches. There are 4 book folds in all. After the final turn, shape the package into a rectangle measuring about 9 x 6 inches. Brush off any excess flour, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Put milk, eggs, rice, sugar and salt into baking dish (nice glass cooking bowl or dish) and place in a hot water bath.
• At the top of custard, add a few dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Add vanilla bean (if using) and cinnamon stick.
• Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove vanilla bean and cinnamon stick after one hour of cooking. Pudding is done when rice is soft and custard is set (a slight jiggle).
• Remove lid for the last 10 minutes of cooking to give a light golden color.
• Put an almond in the rice pudding just before serving: According to the old Danish legend, whoever finds the almond at Christmas will have series of lucky adventures.
• Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan bring the milk and rice to a boil slowly on medium heat.
• Simmer until rice is cooked through and not crunchy.
• Add vanilla and sugar.
• Let cool.
• While cooling, whip the cartons of whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
• When rice has cooled add the whipped cream.
• At this time it is customary in our house to add a piece of an almond as well.
• Garnish with tangerine sections, shredded chocolate or chocolate curls.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup of flour. Divide into 2 equal parts, and roll each half between 2 pieces of waxed paper into a 6 x12 inch sheet. Refrigerate.
• In a large bowl, mix together the dry yeast and 3 cups of the remaining flour. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar and salt. Heat to 115 degrees F (43 degrees C), or just warm, but not hot to the touch. Mix the warm milk mixture into the flour and yeast along with the eggs, and lemon and almond extracts. Stir for 3 minutes. Knead in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is firm and pliable. Set aside to rest until double in size.
• Cut the dough in half, and roll each half out to a 14 inch square. Place one sheet of the cold butter onto each piece of dough, and fold the dough over it like the cover of a book. Seal edges by pressing with fingers. Roll each piece out to a 20x 12 inch rectangle, then fold into thirds by folding the long sides in over the center. Repeat rolling into a large rectangle, and folding into thirds. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove from the refrigerator one at a time, and roll and fold each piece two more times. Return to the refrigerator to chill again before shaping. If the butter gets too warm, the dough will become difficult to manage.
• To make danishes, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. The dough can be cut into squares, with a filling placed in the center. Fold 2 of the corners over the center to form a filled diamond shape. Or, fold the piece in half, cut into 1 inch strips, stretch, twist and roll into a spiral. Place a dollop of preserves or other filling in the center. Place danishes on an ungreased baking sheet, and let rise until doubled. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Danishes can be brushed with egg white for a shiny finish.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bottoms are golden brown.