SummerSimo Travel Troubles Notes and The Purring Page

One of the oldest recipes may be the Cremona-style rice cake, which originated in Cremona. This cake is prepared with rice cooked in milk, sugar, eggs, butter, and lemon zest, and in some variations it may also include raisins or candied fruit. The recipe may date back several centuries, but there is no precise dating of the oldest recipe for rice cake.

Here is a possible traditional recipe for Cremonese-style rice cake, inspired by classic Italian cuisine:

**Ingredients.

• 250g rice
• 1 liter of whole milk
• 200g sugar
• 3 eggs
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 50g butter
• Raisins (optional)
• Icing sugar (for garnish)

**Preparation.

1. Cook rice in milk with lemon zest until rice is well cooked and milk is absorbed.
2. Once cooked, add butter and allow to cool.
3. Separate the yolks from the egg whites. Whip the egg yolks with the sugar until frothy.
4. Combine the rice-milk mixture with the yolk-sugar mixture. Add previously soaked raisins, if necessary.
5. Whip the egg whites until stiff and gently incorporate them into the mixture.
6. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured baking dish.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 40-45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown.
8. Once baked, allow to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

This is a traditional recipe that may vary slightly from family to family or region to region in Italy.

Enjoy!