Arroz de Leche Torte

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This Mexican rice pudding, Arroz de Leche is rich, creamy and delectable.  Serving it as a slice of torte is more appealing and elegant than presenting a lump of something in a bowl, especially during the Christmas season or a formal dinner.   It’s a traditional dessert served for the Christmas Posada.    What’s a posada?

Las Posadas is a wonderful 400+ year old Christmas celebration in many Latin countries. For 9 days, from December 16th-24th, the faithful prepare for Christmas by acting out and reliving the days Mary and Joseph experienced as they journeyed to Bethlehem.  Mary and Joseph traveled from place to place seeking rest, only to be continually rejected, causing the Baby Jesus to be born in a stable manger.  On each of the nine nights, a different quality will be meditated upon: humility, strength, detachment, charity, trust, justice, purity, joy, and generosity. The nine nights of posadas leading up to Christmas are said to represent the nine months that Jesus spent in Mary’s womb, or alternatively, to represent nine days journey that it took Mary and Joseph to get from Nazareth (where they lived) to Bethlehem (where Jesus was born).  

The word posada means “inn” or “shelter” in Spanish.  The tradition involves family and friends or community, singing, enjoying a warm meal, and spreading holiday cheer all around.  The celebration begins with a procession in which the participants hold candles and sing Christmas carols. The procession will make its way to a particular home a different one each night.  Sometimes there will be individuals who play the parts of Mary and Joseph who lead the way, or images representing them are carried. At the beginning of a posada, people are divided in two groups, the ones “outside” representing Mary and Joseph, and the ones “inside” representing innkeepers.  Then everyone sings the posada litany together, re-enacting Mary and Joseph’s search, going back and forth until they are finally “admitted” to an inn and the host invites the participants to enter their home.  After this tradition, the party proper starts and includes the breaking of a piñata. 

The tradition of piñatas in Mexico came from Las Posadas. The first piñata shape was a 7 pointed shining star.  The breaking of the piñata symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and the candy and fruit inside the piñata stands as the temptation against wealth and earthly pleasures. Blindfolded participants represent Faith.  Thus, the piñata is rooted in theological virtues.

 

 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

3 ½ cups whole milk

½ cup sugar   (split between rice and cream cheese)

½ cup short-grain rice

Zest of 1 orange or lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons water

12 oz cream cheese

24 lady finger cookies

Ground sugared cinnamon for topping

 

 

Preparation

Place the butter, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, rice, zest, vanilla and cinnamon stick in a 4-quart saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes.  Combine the egg yolk and water, then stir into the saucepan.  Simmer 10 minutes longer.  

Remove from the heat, transfer to a separate container, and chill in the refrigerator.  Stir every 8 to 10 minutes to prevent the rice from settling at the bottom. Remove the cinnamon stick. 

In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar and beat to a smooth and creamy texture,  Fold the rice pudding into the cream cheese to make a homogenous mixture. 

 

 

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. 

 

Line the bottom of the pan with a layer of ladyfingers followed by a layer of about ⅓ of the filling and repeat the process to the top of the pan. Finish layering with lady fingers.   Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until the filling sets firm. 

 

 

 Place the loaf pan upside down over a serving plating dish and remove the torte.  Sift sugared cinnamon over the top, slice and serve.

 

Note

Torte, trifle, charlotte are so similar in form I’m not sure what to call this cake so I chose torte.  For extra flavor, dip the lady fingers in rum or  brandy.  You can substitute vanilla cookies for the ladyfingers and get more layers in the torte.

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