Rice pudding tart

Chefs and home cooks alike are embracing this age-old, traditional recipe by adding new twists

Filling a crisp pastry tart with creamy rice pudding may seem like an unusual idea, but it’s actually a traditional dessert in many countries around the world, and has been for centuries. Italy’s version is made with arborio rice and often laced with vin santo, while in Poland you’ll find a rich version made with cream cheese. We’ve been seeing these tarts pop up on menus and in cookbooks recently, and renowned pastry chef Dominique Ansel even featured a particularly delicious version on his summer menu, with buttery pastry and a generous slick of raspberry jam. Our take includes lemon zest (which is a staple feature in a rice pudding tart) as well as sweet blueberry jam and lemon curd.

Lemon & blueberry rice pudding tart

SERVES 8 PREP 20 mins plus chilling and cooling COOK 1 hr 10 mins EASY V

500g ready-made shortcrust pastry plain flour, for dusting

For the rice pudding 500ml whole milk 125ml double cream 3 lemons, zested 100g caster sugar 100g pudding rice, rinsed 4 tbsp lemon curd 100g mascarpone 75g blueberry jam

2 eggs, beaten

For the compote 100g frozen blueberries 1 tbsp blueberry jam

1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a circle the thickness of a £1 coin. Line a deep 20cm tart tin with the pastry, leaving about 2cm hanging over the edge. Prick the base with a fork, then chill for 30 mins.

2 To make the rice pudding, put the milk, cream, lemon zest and sugar into a pan. Bring to the boil, then pour in the rice and stir. Simmer, covered, over a low heat for 15 mins, then uncover and cook, stirring, for 25-30 mins until the rice is cooked but retains some bite. Remove from the heat and stir in half the lemon curd and mascarpone, then leave to cool slightly.

3 Meanwhile, cover the pastry with a slightly scrunched sheet of baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for 15-20 mins more until golden. Leave to cool, then trim the edges with a serrated knife and set aside.

4 Whisk the jam until smooth and spoon into the base of the pastry case, spreading it out. Stir the eggs into the rice pudding and tip into the case. Bake for 20 mins until just golden and set with a slight wobble. Leave to cool completely.

5 Meanwhile, make the compote. Combine the blueberries, 1 tbsp water and the jam and microwave for 1-2 mins, stirring occasionally, until syrupy. The blueberries should be soft but still holding their shape. 6 Remove the tart from the tin, put the rest of the curd in a piping bag and pipe over the top, then drizzle over most of the compote. Serve with any extra compote on the side.

PER SERVING 636 kcals • fat 38g • saturates 18g • carbs 63g • sugars 30g • fibre 3g • protein 9g • salt 0.5g