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1
Preheat the oven to 450.
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2
Lightly oil a large, rimmed baking sheet.
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3
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan.
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4
Add the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes.
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5
Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
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6
Stir in the water and bring to a boil.
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7
Cover and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the water has been completely absorbed, about 10 minutes.
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8
Scrape the rice into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
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9
Stir the Gruyere, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and all of the chopped herbs into the rice.
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10
Season the rice with salt and generously season with coarsely cracked pepper.
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11
In a medium stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm peaks form.
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12
Stir one-fourth of the whites into the rice to loosen the mixture, then stir in the remaining whites.
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13
Roll the rice into 1 1/2-inch balls.
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14
In a shallow bowl, toss the panko with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
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15
Dredge the rice balls in the panko crumbs and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
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16
Bake the rice balls in the upper third of the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
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17
Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to a platter and serve.
