madbaker | Tarting up

This week's Resolution Recipe: Milanese Rice Tart.

1 1/4 lb fresh rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 3/4" pieces
1/2 cup sugar

pastry:
1 1/3 cups white flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, in pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla (I used about 1.5)

filling:
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup cream (I might just change that to 2.5 cups half and half...)
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 tsp vanilla (I used about 3)

Heat oven to 325. Arrange rhubarb slices in a single layer in a shallow glass pan. Sprinkle with sugar and cover the pan with foil. Bake just until tender, about 25 minutes. (If you overcook the rhubarb it will fall apart.) Cool in the pan, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the tart.

In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, and salt; pulse 3-4 times to blend. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until the consistency of cornmeal. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk and vanilla. With the motor running, pour the egg mixture down the feed tube and process just until the ingredients form a ball.

Remove dough to a work surface and press with the heel of your hand until it is smooth and cohesive. Shape into a 5" disk and wrap and refrigerate for an hour to relax the dough. Remove, let warm up slightly, and roll between two sheets of plastic wrap to get a 13" circle, about 1/8" thick. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap and invert (pastry side down) into a 9 1/2" tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently peel away remaining plastic wrap and fit pastry into pan, pressing carefully into corners. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350. Bake empty tart shell for 15 minutes, until the dough is dull on top and firm in the center, pricking after 5 minutes if needed to have the dough fit snugly. Remove from oven while preparing the filling:

Whisk together egg, egg yolk, and sugar. Combine the milk, cream and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, add rice, and stir to blend. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir as needed. Pour 1/2 cup into the egg mixture and stir to combine, then return to remaining hot rice and stir until blended. Stir in vanilla. Spoon into the pastry shell, spreading evenly. Return to the 350 degree oven for 15 minutes longer, until the filling is set and the pastry is light golden. Set aside to cool.

Remove the rhubarb from the pan gently and place in a circular pattern on the tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

What worked: This was elegant, and despite the length of the instructions it wasn't terribly difficult. It was tasty and I liked the crust, which was different from my usual pie/tart crust. The roasted rhubarb added a nice tang to the tart.

What didn't: It wasn't honestly that exciting. There was a fair amount of rhubarb juice/sugar left over - I didn't want to drench the tart, so I siphoned it off to use later. I forgot to use some in my oatmeal this morning, though.

Will I make it again? At first I was thinking no, but I've reconsidered. This might be very good with fresh raspberries, blackberries, or plums - something with tang. Maybe also with some thinly sliced almonds to add a bit of crunch. I won't be in a hurry to do so, but I'll throw it in the keepers pile.