Ingredients
Yeasted pastry
- 300 gplain flour
- 120 mlwarm milk
- 60 gbutter, softened
- 1egg
- 10 gfresh yeast, or 4 g instant
- 30 gsugar
- ½ tspsalt
Rice pudding
- 150 gshort-grain rice
- 1 litrewhole milk
- 120 gsugar
- 1vanilla pod
- 1strip lemon peel
- a pinch of salt
- 30 gbutter
To finish
- 3eggs, separated
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 2 tbspsugar, for the whites
To serve
- warm or cold
- with coffee
Directions
- Make the dough first, since it needs to rise. Warm the milk to blood heat and mix it with the yeast and a spoonful of the sugar. Mix the flour, sugar and salt, add the yeast mixture and the egg, and bring it to a dough. Knead 5 minutes, then work in the softened butter a piece at a time.
- Add the butter after the gluten has begun to form, or it coats the flour and the dough never develops. Knead until smooth and elastic, then prove for about an hour until doubled. Rinse the rice briefly, but do not wash all the starch off.
- Boil the rice in plain water for 5 minutes, then drain it. Rice put straight into milk cooks slowly and unevenly because the fat coats it. Use a heavy-based pan and stir often, scraping the base. Simmer very gently for 30 to 35 minutes until the rice is completely soft and the mixture is thick. Add the sugar only in the last ten minutes.
- Stir in the butter and take out the vanilla pod and lemon peel. It must be cold before the eggs go in, or they will scramble on contact. Press it up the sides and leave it slightly thick, since this is a bread dough rather than a thin pastry.
- Prove it in the tin for 30 minutes while you finish the filling. Now beat the egg yolks into the cold rice pudding, with the cinnamon. Whisk the egg whites with the 2 tablespoons of sugar to soft peaks. Fold the whites gently into the rice mixture. Do not overmix, and stop while it still looks slightly streaky. Pour the filling into the proved case and level it.
- Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 40 to 45 minutes. It is done when the top is deep golden and puffed and the centre has only the faintest wobble. Cool it in the tin for 20 minutes, then on a rack. It is served warm or at room temperature rather than hot, and it firms up as it cools.
- Dust it with cinnamon or icing sugar if you like, though many Verviers bakeries leave it plain. Serve it in generous wedges with coffee. It keeps two days and is best on the day it is made, since the yeasted base softens.
Technique
- The yeasted base is what distinguishes Belgian vlaai from French tarts.
- Verviers bakeries compete over it and it is a genuine local speciality.
- It is best on the day it is baked.
Substitutions
- Shortcrust pastry, which is quicker and gives a different tart entirely.
- Any short-grain or pudding rice.
Variations
- Made with a shortcrust base.
- With raisins soaked in rum through the filling.
- With a lattice of dough over the top.
History
The signature tart of Verviers in Wallonia, where bakeries have built a local reputation on it.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tarte au riz?
Tarte au riz is a dessert from Belgium: yeasted pastry case filled with baked cinnamon rice pudding. The signature tart of Verviers in Wallonia, where bakeries have built a local reputation on it.
How long does Tarte au riz take to make?
Tarte au riz takes 40 min plus 1 hr 30 min rising of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Tarte au riz?
Yes, within limits. Shortcrust pastry, which is quicker and gives a different tart entirely. Any short-grain or pudding rice.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tarte au riz?
Add the butter after the gluten has begun to form, or it coats the flour and the dough never develops. Knead until smooth and elastic, then prove for about an hour until doubled. Rinse the rice briefly, but do not wash all the starch off.
