Tarte au Riz (Belgian Rice Pudding Tart)

Pastry

• 250 g Plain flour
• 25 g Caster sugar
• 1 pinch Fine sea salt
• 125 g Unsalted butter, cold
• 1 Egg

Rice filling

• 900 ml Whole milk
• 150 g Short-grain rice
• 90 g Caster sugar
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 25 g Unsalted butter
• 2 Egg
• 1 pinch Fine sea salt

1. Make the pastry: put the plain flour, caster sugar and fine sea salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold unsalted butter until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, then mix in 1 egg to form a dough; add a tiny splash of cold water only if needed. Shape into a disc and chill for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the rice pudding: bring the whole milk just to a gentle simmer in a saucepan. Stir in the short-grain rice and cook on low, stirring often, for 30 to 35 minutes until the rice is tender and the mixture is thick and creamy. Stir in the caster sugar, vanilla extract, unsalted butter and a pinch of fine sea salt, then take off the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 23 cm tart tin or cake tin, pressing it neatly into the corners. Trim the edge and chill the lined tin for 10 minutes while the oven heats.
4. Whisk the remaining 2 eggs in a bowl, then whisk them into the warm (not hot) rice pudding until fully combined. Spoon the filling into the pastry case and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the centre is just set with a slight wobble and the pastry is golden.
5. Cool the tart in the tin for 30 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely before slicing so the filling firms up. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. If you like, dust with a little extra caster sugar just before serving.

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