Rinse and drain the long-grain rice. Boil the milk with salt, pour in the long-grain rice and soften. Swell the long-grain rice and cool.
Cream butter, sugar and egg yolks, season with the grated lemon peel. Mix in the long grain rice. Fold in the beaten egg whites.
Fill 2/3 of the rice pudding into a greased form. Place the apricot halves on top and dust with powdered sugar. Spread the remaining long grain rice evenly over the top. Bake in the oven heated to 180 °C for about 45 minutes.