Teurgoule

Ingredients

• 200 g round rice, plump, starchy round variety — not arborio, not long-grain
• 2 litres whole milk, full-fat, non-homogenized preferred
• 150 g sugar
• 1 generous tbsp ground cinnamon, Ceylon (true) cinnamon preferred; if using cassia, increase by 50%
• 1 pinch fine salt

Method

1. 1
   Set the oven to 110–120 °C. Combine the round rice, whole milk, sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt in a deep earthenware terrine at least 12 cm deep — the narrow, tall form is deliberate, maximizing the ratio of caramelized skin to creamy interior. Stir briefly to distribute the grains and dissolve the sugar. The mixture will look thin and pale; this is correct.
2. 2
   Place the uncovered terrine in the centre of the oven. After the first hour, the surface will have begun to set and a pale skin will be forming. Do not stir again from this point forward. This is where the dish lives or dies: any disturbance to the surface after the first hour collapses the forming skin and prevents the thick, mahogany-brown caramelized crust that defines teurgoule.
3. 3
   Leave the terrine undisturbed for a minimum of 5 hours total, ideally 7 — or overnight in a cooling oven. The rice will absorb the milk entirely, the sugars will caramelize on the surface, and the cinnamon will perfume every grain. The finished top is a dark, toffee-coloured, chewy skin; beneath it sits a creamy golden pudding; the bottom layer is denser and slightly more caramelized where the rice compressed during the long bake. The skin should be deep mahogany-brown and firm to a gentle press.
4. 4
   Remove the terrine from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature, or serve slightly warm. Crack the skin at the table with a large spoon, as one cracks crème brûlée, and distribute it among the diners alongside spoonfuls of the creamy interior. The scent released when the skin breaks should be one of toasted cinnamon and caramelized milk.