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1
Place the carolino rice in a medium heavy-based saucepan with the 500 ml of water. Bring to the boil over moderate heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the water is largely absorbed and the rice is half-cooked — the grains will still have a firm, chalky centre when pressed between thumb and forefinger.
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2
Add the lemon zest and the cinnamon stick to the pan. Begin adding the whole milk in three or four successive stages, each addition made only once the previous quantity has been absorbed into the rice. Maintain the heat at the lowest possible setting throughout. This staged absorption, sustained over 30 to 40 minutes, is where the dish lives or dies: too rapid, and starch gelation is uncontrolled; too much milk at once, and the pudding becomes glue. The rice is ready when it moves as a single trembling, almost-solid mass and the last addition of milk has been fully absorbed.
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3
Add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring constantly and vigorously. The residual heat of the rice is sufficient; contact with boiling rice will scramble the yolks. The mixture should thicken perceptibly and take on a deep yellow colour as the yolks are incorporated.
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4
Add the butter and stir until it has melted entirely and the pudding has a uniform, glossy surface. Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon zest. Pour the pudding into a wide, low serving dish — the shallower the layer, the better the texture will set. Allow to cool to room temperature.
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5
Once the pudding is fully cool and the surface has set firm to the touch, prepare a paper stencil by folding a sheet of paper and cutting geometric shapes — lozenges, crosses, or the pattern traditional to the household. Lay the stencil flat on the surface. Sift the ground cinnamon through a fine sieve over the stencil, then lift the paper carefully and cleanly. The pattern should be sharply defined, with no smearing at the edges.