0 SWISS EASTER RICE TART - TARTE AU RIZ

As the Easter holidays are approaching, I thought that you might like to see a seasonal recipe on my blog and discover an offbeat dish instead of coming across the same old ones year after year...

In Switzerland, when the Easter period is nearing, we get to see "Rice Tarts" or "Gâteau de Pâques" in every supermarkets as well as in certain bakeries. Yet, although it seems to be quite a big thing here, at home, it has never been a custom to eat that speciality during passover. That has maybe to do with the fact that I have not been brought up in any kind of religious environment...

Anyway, this year, I thought that I'd satisfy my curiosity and learn more about our Swiss culinary traditions, so I decided to bake one of these intriguing tarts that is so popular in my country.

After a great deal of surfing in search of the perfect recipe, I came to the conclusion that if I was going to make a "Swiss Easter Tart", I was not going to use a Swiss recipe for the simple reason that I could not get a grip on any (on the web or in my personal recipe collection). My only source was, once again, going to be American (you American guys have some of the best cookbooks and recipe sites ever) and thanks to the great Nick Malgieri, I was finely going to be able to try that speciality and stop fantasizing about it!

"Easter Rice Pies" are very well-spread throughout the Northern part of Italy where they are called "Torta Di Riso" and are traditionally served alongside "Ricotta Pie" for Easter Sunday dessert, but it is less known that Switzerland also has it's own version of this lemon-scented custard tart made with rice, almond meal, milk and eggs.

While Italians line their tart shells with a filling resembling "Rice Pudding" or sweet "Risotto", we puree the rice preparation in order to get a smooth filling. The Swiss tart is also much lighter (made with milk) than our neighbor's pies which generally contain ricotta and/or cream.

Nick Malgieri's "Swiss Easter Tart" is really comforting, yet not heavy at all nor too sweet. This delightful dessert has a delicate ricy, milky, somewhat eggy (in a good way) and lemony flavor. Since the rice used is parboiled long-grain rice and it is cooked in boiling water first, the texture of this tart isn't as smooth or creamy as risotto or custard, but it is similar to that of a slightly starchy flan or omelet and is pleasantly rubbery.

A wonderful non-fussy and unusual brunch dish/dessert item that'll conquer you with it's delicacy and subtle aromas!

My blog was chosen as one of the must-see sites on this week's baking blog on the Guardian website (a British newspaper). See article here.

~ Swiss Easter Rice Tart ~
Adapted by Rosa's Yummy Yums from a recipe by Nick Malgieri.

Makes a 25cm (10-inch) tart.

Ingredients for the "Pastry":
1 1/2 Cups plus All-purpose flour and more for dusting
1 Tbs Granulated sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking powder
10 Tbs (150g/1 1/4 stick) Cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
4-6 Tbs Cold water
Ingredients for the "Rice Filling":
1/2 Cup Long-grain rice (parboiled/see remarks)
3 Cups Milk
1 Tbs (30g) Unsalted butter
1/2 Cup Granulated sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
The zest of 1 organic lemon
1/2 Cup Ground blanched almonds
1 Tbs All-purpose flour
3 Large eggs (~63g)
Confectioners sugar, for dusting

Method:
1. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the baking powder in food processor. Pulse to blend.
2. Add the butter and pulse 3 to 4 times, until butter is in pea-size pieces.
3. Sprinkle in 4-6 tablespoons cold water. Pulse 4 times.
4. Turn dough out on lightly floured work surface and knead gently a few times to form a ball of dough that you'll shape into a disk and wrap in plastic.
5. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Method for the "Filling":
6. Meanwhile, half fill a medium (3 quart/3 l) saucepan with water, bring to a boil, stir in rice, lower heat to medium and cook until rice is soft, about 15 minutes.
7. Drain rice and return it to saucepan. Add milk, remaining butter, 1/2 cup sugar and salt.
8. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture has thickened almost to a risotto consistency, about 25-35 minute.

9. Place saucepan in a large bowl of ice and water 10 minutes, to cool mixture to tepid.
10. Purée in food processor.
11. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add lemon zest.
12. Mix ground almonds with 1 tablespoon flour, add to bowl and whisk in.
13. Whisk in eggs one at a time
14. Place oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 180° C (350° F).
15. Remove pastry from refrigerator and place on lightly floured surface. Lightly dust top with flour. Use a rolling pin to press down on dough to soften it. Roll out disk to 28cm (12-inche) in diameter.
16. Transfer to a 22cm (10-inch) tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough evenly into pan and prick the base of the dough. Trim edges flush with pan. Pour filling into pastry.
17. Bake about 35 minutes, until filling is set and golden.
18. Cool on a rack.

Remarks:
At point 3, dough will not come together, so don't panick. It's absolutely normal.
You can replace the ground almonds by ground hazelnuts which are a lot more traditional and, if you wish, you can use orange rind instead of lemon rind as well as add a little vanilla flavor to the filling.
Use Arborio or Vialone risotto rice instead of parboiled rice. In that way, your tart will end up being more creamy.

Serving suggestions:
Eat this tart with either whipped cream, sweetened mascarpone, lemon curd or hot fruit compote (red fruits).

***************

~ Tarte Au Riz De Pâques (Suisse) ~
Recette de Nick Malgieri adaptée par Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Pour une tarte de 25cm de diamètre.

Ingrédients pour la "Pâte":
1 1/2 Tasses (192g) de Farine blanche/fleur
1 CS de Sucre cristallisé
1/2 CC de Sel
1 CC de Poudre à lever
150g de Beurre non-salé, froid et coupé en 10 morceaux
4-6 CS d'Eau froide
Ingrédients pour la "Garniture Au Riz":
1/2 Tasse (100g) de Riz long grain (parboiled/voir remarques)
3 Tasses (720ml) de Lait
30g de Beurre non-salé
1/4 de CC de Sel
Le zeste d'un citron bio
1/2 Tasse (50g) Amandes (blanchies) moulues
1 CS de Farine blanche/fleur
3 Gros oeufs (~63g)
Soucre en poudre, pour décorer

Méthode pour la "Pâte":
1. Dans le bol d'un mixer, mettre la farine, le sucre, le sel et la poudre à lever. Mixer pour mélanger.
2. Ajouter le beurre et mixer en pulsant 3 ou 4 fois, jusqu'à ce que chaque morceau de beurre ait la taille d'un petits pois.
3. Ajouter l'eau et mixer tout en pulsant 4 fois.
4. Mettre le mélange sur une surface farinée et "pétrir" légèrement afin de former une pâte, puis applatir en un disque.
5. Emballer dans du film plastique et mettre au frigo pendant au moins 1 heure.
Méthode pour la "Garniture Au Riz":
6. Pendant ce temps, remplir une casserole moyenne (3 l) avec de l'eau et porter à ébullition. Ajouter le riz et baisser la température. Cuire jusqu'à ce que le riz soit tendre, pendant 15 minutes.
7. Egoutter et remettre le riz dans la casserole. Ajouter le lait, le beurre, le sucre et le sel.
8. Porter à ébullition et baisser le feu, puis faire mijoter le mélange (à feu moyen) pendant 25-35 minute.

9. Plonger la casserole dans de l'eau glacée afin de refroidir le mélange.
10. Mettre le mélange dans un mixer et réduire en une fine purée.
11. Verser dans un bol moyen et ajouter le zeste.
12. Ajouter à la purée de riz et bien incorporer.
13. Ajouter les oeufs un par un. Battre l'apareil à l'aide d'un fouet afin qu'il soit homogène et lisse.
14. Placer une grille dans la partie inférieure du four et préchauffer à 180° C.
15. Sortir la pâte du frigo et la poser sur une surface farinée. Saupoudrer le dessus avec un peu de farine. Exercer une pression sur toute la pâte à l'aide d'un rouleau à pâtisserie afin qu'elle se ramolissent et qu'elle puisse être étalée. Rouler la pâte en un cercle de 28cm.
16. Foncer le moule et bien l'étaler. Couper les bords et piquer le fond avec une fourchette. Verser la garniture dans la pâte.
17. Cuire environ 35 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la garniture soit dorée et ferme.
18. Faire refroidir sur une grille.

Remarques:
Au point 3, ne paniquez pas si la pâte ne forme pas une boule. C'est tout à fait normal.
Pour la garniture, vous pouvez remplacer les amandes par des noisettes moulues (plus traditionnel) et, si vou voulez, vous pouvez utiliser le zeste d'une orange bio au lieu du zeste de citron et même ajouter 1 CC d'extrait de vanille.
Si vous voulez obtenir une garniture plus crémeuse, alors prenez un riz de type Arborio ou Vialone (pour risotto) au lieu du riz long grains.

Idées de présentation:
Servez cette tarte avec de la crème fouettée, du mascarpone sucré, du lemon curd ou avec une compote de fruits rouges tiède.

0 500 EUROS & 500 SECONDS - MEME

Nathalie at "Du Côté De Chez Willow" (France) has tagged me for this rather unusual meme.../Nathalie de "Du Côté De Chez Willow" (France) m'a taguée...

What would I do if I had 500 seconds left to live and 500 euros to spend? Well, that's a difficult question regarding the fact that it would not leave me with much time to act or think!/Que ferais-je si il ne me restait plus que 500 secondes à vivre et que j'aurais 500 euros à dépenser? Et bien, c'est une question assez difficile étant donné que j'aurais peu de temps pour réfléchir ou agir!

I guess that I would give these 500 euros to my boyfriend who would make good use of them. Otherwise, if I had all my life in front of me, I'd either suscribe to culinary magazines, buy cookbooks, food, kitchen ustensils and CDs, put them on the side or travel a little. Money isn't my friend, so I'd be happy to receive such a useful gift!

Je pense que je donnerais cet argent à mon compagnon qui en ferait bon usage. Autrement, si j'avais la vie devant moi, je m'achèterais des livres de cuisine, de la nourriture, des ustensiles de cuisine, des CDs, je m'abonnerais à des magazines, je mettrais cet argent de côté ou je voyagerais un peu. Et comme, l'argent n'est pas mon ami, ces 500 euros seraient les bienvenus!

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #197

This week, Breadchick and LB at "The Sour Dough" (USA) is happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #197...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

Cats can be cooperative when something feels good, which, to a cat, is the way everything is supposed to feel as much of the time as possible.
~ Roger Caras ~

0 CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

Nature is undeniably waking up and there are irrefutable signs of spring everywhere: lambs, buds growing fatter everyday, blossoming flowers, black birds singing in the morning as well as in the evening, cats fighting, crows tearing off branches in order to make their nests, snow melting, etc...

During our walk, last Sunday, I was able to capture a few of those little details which tell us that winter is ending and the warmer days are slowly coming back. Enjoy!

0 LEMON BUTTERMILK TART

Anything citrusy or tart drives my tastebuds crazy! I really like the tingling sensation that tangy and lemony-/grapefruitty-/orangy-tasting food provides...

So, it is no wonder if I am the kind of person who could kill (well, maybe not exactly) for a mouth-watering slice of "Lemon Tart", one of my all-time favorite desserts.

At first, I wanted to make "Lemon Curd Tartlets", but since I had a lonely and soon-to-be expired carton of buttermilk in fridge, the idea of whipping up "Chess Pie" (a Southern US - Dixie - dessert speciality) soon sprung into my mind. But, I had to make a compromise because I still craved the paletable flavor of freeshly grated lemon zest. So I looked for a recipe that would combine both buttermilk and lemon. That's how I stumbled upon Emeril Lagasse's "Lemon Buttermilk Tart" recipe on Food Network...

As usual, I decided to adapt it slightly by replacing the Meyer lemons by ordinary ones and by using my own shortcrust pastry recipe instead of the one Emeril Lagasse proposed. the result was amazing!

This perfect "Lemon Buttermilk Tart" recipe is very easy to bake and is so good. The filling is really luscious and one would not think that it's made with buttermilk...

This heavenly tart isn't too sweet nor extremely sour, yet it has a very pleasant lemony aroma and a well-balanced acidity level which combine perfectly well with the buttery and slightly salty flavors of the pâte brisée (shortcrust pastry). The texture of the filling is creamy, light and delicate, and it contrasts perfectly with that of the crust which is delightfully flaky. Perfect in all senses!

An ambrosial dessert which will send ripples of joy throughout your entire body. Each forkful is pure bliss!

~ Lemon Buttermilk Tart ~
The "Lemon Filling" was adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe, courtesy of Food Network and the "Shortcrust Pastry" recipe is by Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Makes an 25cm (10 inch) pie or two 13x18cm (5x7 inches) rectangular tarts.

Ingredients:
1x Prepared pie dough (see recipe/see remarks)
3/4 Cup (180ml) Buttermillk
1/2 Cup (105g) Castor sugar
2 Large eggs (~70g each)
6 Tbs Lemon juice
2 Tbs All-purpose flour
Zest of one organic lemon

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200° C (400° F).
2. On a lighly floured surface roll the pie dough to an 28cm (11-inch) circle.
3. Transfer to a greased 25cm (10-inch) tart pan with a removable bottom (optional) and press the dough against the sides, and then prick the base of the dough.
4. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Line the shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.
6. Bake for 10 minutes.
7. Remove the paper and weights, and bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before filling.
9. Reduce the oven temperature to 160° C (325° F).
10. To prepare the filling, whisk the buttermilk, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, flour, lemon peel in a medium bowl.
11. Pour into the cooled crust and bake until the filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes (see remarks).
12. Cool completely then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours.

Remarks:
For the pie dough, I used only 250g flour, 25g lard (pork fat), 100g butter, 1 Tsp salt, 2 Tbs sugar and enough water in order to obtain a ball of dough.
You can replace the lemon by lime, Meyer lemon, grapefruit or orange (juice and zest).
Don't overbake (step 11), otherwise the filling will crack.
If you are using smaller pans, then bake your tarts less than 20-21 minutes (see step 11).

Serving suggestions:
Slice the tart and place on dessert plates.
Decorate with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on the side and garnish with powdered sugar or grated coconut.

My other sweet lemon recipes:
Italian Ricotta Cookies (see recipe)
Lemon Bars (see recipe)
Lemon Curd (see recipe)
Lemon Meringue Pie (see recipe)
Lemon Mousse Verrines (see recipe)
Lemon Ricotta Muffins (see recipe)
Mailänderli Cookies (see recipe)
Perfect party Cake (see recipe)
Quartorte (see recipe)
South African Lemon Cookies (see recipe) Tiramisù Mousse & Lemon Curd Tart (see recipe)
Tiramisù Mousse & Lemon Curd Verrines (see recipe)
Upside-Down Honey Cheesecakes (see recipe)
Vanilla & Lemon Buttercream Cupcakes (see recipe)
Zesty Ricotta Tart (see recipe)

***************

~ Tarte Au Citron Et Au Babeurre ~
Recette pour la "Crème Au Citron" basée sur la recette de Emeril Lagasse, trouvée sur le site Food Network et la recette pour la "Pâte Brisée" par Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Pour une tarte de 25cm de diamètre ou deux tartes rectangulaires de 13x18cm.

Ingredients:
1 Quantité de pâte brisée (voir recette/voir remarques)
3/4 Tasse (180ml) de Babeurre
1/2 Tasse (105g) de Sucre cristallisé
2 Gros oeufs (~70g each)
6 CS de Jus de citron frais
2 CS de Farine
Le zeste d'un citron bio

Méthode:
1. Préchauffer le four à 200° C (400° F).
2. Sur une surface farinée, étaler la pâte afin qu'elle fasse 28cm de diamètre.
3. Mettre la pâte dans la plaque à tarte. Une fois étalée, piquez le fond du plat avec une fourchette.
4. Entreposez-la au frigo pendant 20 à 30 minutes.
5. Couvrir la pâte avec du papier sulfurisé et répartir sur le fond la grenaille adaptée a cette utilisation ou, à défaut, des noyaux ou des haricots secs.
6. Cuire pendant 10 minutes.
7. Retirer les poids/la grenaille avec le papier sulfurisé et cuisez la pâte jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit dorée, pendant environ 10 à 15 minutes.
8. Retirer du four et laissez refroidir sur une grille avant de remplir le fond de tarte.
9. Baisser la température à 160° C (325° F).
10. Dans un bol moyen, mélanger ensemble, à l'aide d'un fouet, le babeurre, le sucre, les oeufs, le jus de citron, la farine et le zeste.
11. Verser cette préparation dans le fond de tarte et cuire pendant 25 to 30 minutes (voir remarques), jusqu'à ce que la garniture soit épaisse.
12. Laisser complètement refroidir sur une grille, puis mettre au frigo pendant au moins 3 heures, jusqu'à ce que la tarte soit froide.

Remarques:
Pour la pâte, j'ai utilisé seulement 250g de farine, 25g de saindoux, 100g de beurre, 1 CC de sel, 2 CS de sucre et suffisemment d'eau pour former une boule de pâte.
Vous pouvez remplacer le citron jaune par de la lime, un grapefruit ou même une orange (jus et zeste).
Ne pas trop cuire la tarte (une fois remplie), autrement la garniture craquera (voir étape 11).
Si vous utilisez de plus petits moules, alors ne cuisez pas vos tartes plus de 20-21 minutes (voir l'étape 11).

Idées de présentation:
Couper la tarte en portions égales et mettez chaque part dans une assiette à dessert.

Décorez avec de la crème fouettée sucrée et garnissez avec du sucre en poudre ou de la noix de coco rapée.

Mes autres recettes sucrées à base de citron:
Italian Ricotta Cookies (voir la recette en EN)
Lemon Bars (voir la recette en EN)
Lemon Curd (sVoir la recette en EN)
Lemon Meringue Pie (voir la recette en FR)
Lemon Mousse Verrines (Voir la recette en FR)
Lemon Ricotta Muffins (voir la recette en EN)
Milanais (voir la recette en FR)
Perfect Party Cake (voir la recette en FR)
Quartorte (voir la recette en EN)
South African Lemon Cookies (voir la recette en EN)
Tiramisù Mousse & Lemon Curd Tart (voir la recette en EN)
Tiramisù Mousse & Lemon Curd Verrines (voir la recette en EN)
Upside-Down Honey Cheesecakes (voir la recette en FR)
Vanilla & Lemon Buttercream Cupcakes (voir la recette en FR)
Zesty Ricotta Tart (voir la recette en FR)

0 TAGGED AGAIN - À NOUVEAU TAGUÉE

Miette of the great blog "Miettes" from Strasbourg in France has tagged me with this meme. So, here I am answering the questions!/Miette du superbe blog "Miettes" (Strasbourg, France) m'a tagguée. Alors, voici mes réponses!

Firstly, I have to show you a picture of me at the age of my birthdate.../D'abord, je dois mettre une photo de moi à l'âge du jour de mon anniversaire...
I was born on the 25th of December, so here is a picture of me at the age of 25 (sorry for the poor quality). i prefer the way I look (haircut) now, though.../Je suis née le 25 décembre, alors voici une photo de moi à 25 ans (désolé pour la mauvaise qualité). Je préfère le look (coupe de cheveux)que j'ai aujourd'hui...

What is my job?/Quel est mon métier?
I'm a casual receptionist at a Mission in Geneva./Je suis une réceptionniste (sur appel) pour un consulat à Genève.

My passions in life?/Mes passions?
Eating; cooking; baking; blogging; photography; art; listening to music; watching series, documentaries and films; meeting like-minded people; cats and animals; going out for walks; reading (although, lately, I haven't read much apart from cookery magazines and cookbooks...); surfing the net (in search of recipes, sites/blogs, information, music, etc...); doing nothing; learning; etc.../Manger; cuisiner; boulanger/pâtisser; bloguer; photographie; l'art; écouter de la musique; regarder des séries, documentaires et des films; rencontrer des personnes partageants les mêmes goûts/idées que moi; les chats et les animaux; faire des balades; lire (bien que dernièrement je n'ai lu que des billets sur les blogs que je visite et des revues/livres de cuisine); surfer sur internet (à la recherche de recettes, sites/blogs, d'informations, de musique, etc...); rien faire; apprendre/me cultiver; etc...

My last bought item?/Mon dernier achat ?
Heart-shaped jelly window stickers for the kitchen./Des décorations (en forme de coeurs) en gel pour la fenêtre de ma cuisine.

A song I really like?/Une chanson que j'apprécie particulièrement?
Too many! My favorite songs of the moment are "Three shades Of Black" by Hank Williams III, "Playboy" by Indochine, "Kunstprodukt" by Miss Construction and "My Darkest Night" by Blutengel./Trop! Mes chansons favorites du moment sont "Three shades Of Black" de Hank Williams III, "Playboy" de Indochine, "Kunstprodukt" de Miss Construction et "My Darkest Night" de Blutengel.

The musique I like?/La musique que j'aime?
Metal, Gothic, Blues, EBM, Country (old-style), Punk, etc... I also like the sound of birds chirping, of my cats purring, of the wind in trees, of thunder, of silence, of food frying in a pan.../Metal, Gothic, Blues, EBM, Country (vieux-style), Punk, etc... J'aime aussi le chant des oiseaux, le ronronnement de mes chats, le sifflement du vent dans les arbres, le grondement du tonnerre, le silence, le bruits de nourriture qui frit ou grille...

The sounds I hate?/Celle que je déteste?
The ringing of phones, the yodeling of my cats in the morning, my cats frenetic scratching of their litter box, the screeching noise produced by a knife when it slips across a plate.../La sonnerie du téléphone, le yodel de mes chat de bonne heure le matin, le grattage frénétique de mes chats de leur litière, le bruit d'un couteau sur une assiette...

I would like to tag the following people/Je souhaiterais partager ce tag avec:
Jessica at "In Search Of Dessert" (USA)
Glamah16 at "Coco Cooks" (USA)
Ana Powell at "Magic Flavours" (UK)
Maria & josh at "Two Peas On Their Pod" (USA)
Palaisdeslys at "Palais Des Lys" (France)
Marion at "Tomaten Quiche" (Germany)

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #196

This week, Othello at "Paulchens FoodBlog?!" (Austria) is happy to announce that he is hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #196 together with his mom...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

"If there is one spot of sun spilling onto the floor,
a cat will find it and soak it up."
~ Joan Asper McIntosh ~