A twist on two beloved classics, this crème brûlée rice tart transforms humble white rice into something truly luxurious.
CRÈME BRÛLÉE RICE TART
PREP TIME: 1 HOUR | RESTING TIME: 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES | COOK TIME: 1 HOUR | YIELD: 12 MINI TARTS
For the sweet shortcrust pastry
180 g flour
25 g castor sugar
2 ml salt
118 g butter, cold, cut into small blocks
57 g cold water
For the salted caramel sauce
200 g hot cream
160 g sugar
80 g butter, at room temperature, cut into 1 cm x 1 cm blocks
Pinch of Maldon salt
For the crème brûlée rice filling
250 g Spekko White Rice, cooked and cooled
300 ml cream, divided
30 ml sugar
3 egg yolks
2 vanilla pods, split and seeds scraped out, or 10 ml vanilla paste
Extra castor sugar, for brûléeing
For the sweet shortcrust pastry
Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a bowl and mix.
Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the cold water in a steady stream. The dough should be crumbly but hold together when squeezed. If too dry, add a little more water.
Bring the dough together on a work surface to form a ball.
Wrap the dough in biodegradable food wrap and rest in the fridge for about 2 hours.
Once rested, preheat the oven to 160°C.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm thickness.
Using a cookie cutter slightly wider than the tart shells, cut out 12 circles.
Press the dough circles into lightly greased tart cases. Dock the pastry with a fork, then place the tart shells in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until evenly baked and lightly golden. Do not allow them to take on too much colour—they will bake again later.
Remove the shells from their cases and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the salted caramel sauce
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the sugar until a dark caramel forms.
Carefully pour in the hot cream and stir.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a few blocks at a time.
Add the salt and mix well.
Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a piping bag. Set aside.
For the crème brûlée rice filling
In a large bowl, mix the cooked rice with 50 ml of the cream and the seeds from 1 vanilla pod (or 5 ml vanilla paste). Set aside.
Heat the remaining cream with the remaining vanilla seeds or paste over low heat until just boiled.
In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, and salt together until pale.
Slowly pour half of the hot cream into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
Return the tempered mixture to the saucepan with the remaining hot cream.
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
Once cooled, mix the custard into the rice.
To assemble the tarts
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Pipe about 5 ml of salted caramel into the base of each tart shell.
Spoon in the rice filling, leaving a small space at the top.
Place the filled tarts on a tray and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Sprinkle a generous layer of castor sugar over each tart.
Using a blowtorch, melt the sugar until a crisp, caramelised top forms.
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