Dessert Arancini

VeganMofo Day 30: Fusion Challenge!

My fusion challenge creation is meant to be a melding of Italian arancini and rice pudding. I'm not sure if this qualifies as true fusion as rice pudding is something found in a lot of cuisines around the world... 

Meanwhile, arancini (little oranges) are fried rice balls, usually made of left over risotto with some sort of filling in the center. If anything at least, this a fusion of a savory dish with a sweet one.

For the rice pudding, I used arborio rice and prepared it just as you would a risotto, but with coconut milk instead of broth and added sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and candied ginger.

For the filling, I made cream cheese balls and rolled them in ground hazelnuts. 

After the risotto cooled, I flattened it out into rounds and placed the cheese balls in the center.

 

The initial risotto came out a tad bit stodgy, which I think helped make the balls easy to roll up.

 

I coated the balls with a mixture of panko bread crumbs, shredded coconut, and ground nuts.

I was a little nervous as to whether they would hold up while frying, but they did.

...and the centers:

The outside is crunchy and crisp from the panko and the coconut. The rice is just sweet enough with lovely spice and dried fruit. I couldn't taste the cheese in the middle very much, but it's always fun to find a creamy center. Served with some plain yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup, they make a nice pudding...or breakfast if you don't mind deep fried ones.

And finally, a fond farewell to VeganMofo 2015 (I hate good-byes). I'm so thankful to be part of a global vegan community. I've found so many wonderful blogs and people, and I hope to keep up with them throughout the year. Well done everyone!   xoxo