Name: Torta di riso
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 450 ml milk; 300 ml pouring cream; 160 gm arborio rice; Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean; 50 gm dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped; 40 gm hazelnuts; 4 egg yolks; Finely grated rind of 1 orange; 100 gm raw caster sugar; 100 gm butter, melted and cooled; 50 gm finely chopped glacé orange; 1 egg; ¼ tsp finely grated nutmeg; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; For dusting: icing sugar; Brown sugar pastry; 250 gm plain flour (1⅔ cups); 60 gm brown sugar; 120 gm cold butter, coarsely chopped; 3 egg yolks

Torta di riso

A recipe for a light and delicately scented rice tart.

Serves 10

Prep

40M

Cook

1H 25M

Total

2H 5M

This delicately scented rice tart is lovely eaten warm from the oven, but can also be made a day ahead. It goes beautifully with pears baked slowly in a mixture of sugar syrup and plenty of Marsala with a little orange peel.

Ingredients

450 ml milk

300 ml pouring cream

160 gm arborio rice

Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean

50 gm dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped

40 gm hazelnuts

4 egg yolks

Finely grated rind of 1 orange

100 gm raw caster sugar

100 gm butter, melted and cooled

50 gm finely chopped glacé orange

1 egg

¼ tsp finely grated nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

For dusting: icing sugar

Brown sugar pastry

250 gm plain flour (1⅔ cups)

60 gm brown sugar

120 gm cold butter, coarsely chopped

3 egg yolks

Method

Main

1.For brown sugar pastry, process flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor to combine, add butter, process until mixture resembles fine crumbs, add yolks and process to combine. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, bring together with the heel of your hand, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.

2.Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick, line a 22cm-diameter tart tin, trim edges and refrigerate to rest (1 hour).

3.Meanwhile, bring milk, cream, rice and vanilla seeds to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (15-20 minutes).

4.Preheat oven to 180C. Spread chopped chocolate on a tray and freeze until required. Spread hazelnuts on an oven tray, roast until browned (4-5 minutes), rub with a tea towel to remove skins, coarsely chop and set aside. Whisk yolks, orange rind, 80gm sugar and half the butter in a bowl to combine, stir into rice mixture and set aside to cool slightly. Stir in glacé orange, hazelnuts and chocolate, spoon into pastry case, filling to 5mm below rim (there may be a little mixture left over) and set aside.

5.Whisk egg, spices, remaining butter and remaining sugar in a separate bowl, drizzle over rice mixture and bake until golden and firm to touch (45 minutes-1 hour; cover with foil if tart browns too quickly). Stand for 15 minutes, then dust with icing sugar and serve. Tart will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.