I don't know about you, but I love watching people cook food. Whether it's cheering for my favorite cheftestant on an episode of Top Chef, catching a food demo at Hollander's, or hanging out and watching my mom work her magic in her kitchen, I'm always inspired when I watch confident, competent cooks in action. So inspired, in fact, that I am lobbying Bravo to move Top Chef to an earlier time slot because I keep finding myself in my kitchen at 10:30 at night trying to "quickly whip up" some complicated recipe during the commercial break.

So of course, when my friend Dee invited me to her home for a hands-on cooking demonstration, I didn't have to think twice. I get to hang out in the kitchen with friends, drinking wine and learning how to cook Italian specialties? Sign me up.

The class was led by chef Sandina Polger, who runs a catering and cooking instruction business called Dinner with the Mrs. We tackled several delicious dishes that evening, but far and away my favorite was Sandina's Torta di Riso.

Torta di Riso, which translates to a very mundane-sounding (but certainly not mundane-tasting) "rice pie," is a northern Italian staple. Many of the best-known torta di riso recipes are rich dessert dishes featuring ricotta and citrus, but Sandina presented us with a savory risotto tort that works well as either a first course or a light dinner. It was simultaneously creamy and crispy, and the sauteed pine nuts and parmesan added just the right amount of decadence. I'm still craving it, two months later.

Torta di Riso courtesy of Sandina Polgar
Serves 12

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup fresh bread crumbs
10 cups chicken stock (homemade is always best)
1 white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley and oregano
3 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

*I added ¼ cup pine nuts sautéed in 6 tablespoons of browned butter with frizzled sage leaves as a garnish*

1. Butter an 8-inch springform pan and coat with bread crumbs, shaking out excess. Set aside. In a large saucepan, heat stock to boiling, then lower to a simmer.

2. In a large, heavy saucepan over low heat, melt three tablespoons of the butter. Add onion, garlic and half of the herbs and cook until soft and transparent. Increase heat to medium and add the rice. Stir well to coat all the grains.

3. Add the wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until mostly evaporated. Add one cup of the hot stock and simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mostly absorbed, 2-3 minutes. Add remaining stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. Always wait until one ladleful is nearly absorbed before adding the next. Continue until rice is creamy and firm but not hard in the center. The total cooking time should be about 16-20 minutes, but you must taste rice to determine doneness. Add remaining herbs about halfway through cooking time.

4. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoon butter, Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into pan and cool completely. Refrigerate overnight.

5. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake torta for about 30 minutes, or until heated through (test by inserting a knife through the center for 15 seconds and checking its temperature).

6. Unmold torta carefully onto a plate, sprinkle additional grated cheese over top, slice and serve in wedges. Drizzle pine nuts and butter over each wedge, and top with a frizzled sage leaf.

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Drink section for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com or follow her on Twitter.