Make Ahead
Tuscan Rice and Custard Torta (Torta di Riso alla Carrarina)
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76 Reviews
Mcotillo64
July 11, 2023
All I can say is OMG! I'm not an adventurous guy, so I followed the recipe to the letter. And it was fantastic! My grandmother and mother used to make just the rice and I loved it. Until now. Thank you for this. I'll be making it a lot.
dandread
March 30, 2023
I can't wait to try this recipe it looks exactly like the rice pie my grandmother made. Can I use medium grain rice instead of the Arborio rice? Thank you!
gmariondelo
March 2, 2023
This looks amazing! Do you think I could make this dairy-free by using oat milk?
Emiko
March 2, 2023
I haven't tested it but I would think it would work out fine -- perhaps even rice milk!
Orlando
May 23, 2021
This turns out less a custard and more a quiche: a sweet quiche with rice at the bottom. I can't help but think the texture would be much improved with a version of custard without egg whites.
Jeanne
May 26, 2020
Amazing! Made with brandy and lemon. This was a crowd favorite and will be made regularly.
Sabrina
July 23, 2019
Well I just attempted making this. It is in the oven now. I’m praying it turns out edible because going in it looked like milky egg soup. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Barbara D.
April 21, 2019
Made this exactly as the recipe dictated and it was creamy perfection. Guests all raved. The pie became an instant Easter tradition. Thank you!
Roland H.
March 17, 2019
Made this tonight, but it tasted a bit eggy, as opposed to custard. I cooked it probably longer than I should have (about 10 minutes) to get the brown finish and then put it under the broiler for a minute or so. Could that explain the eggy flavor?
Patty
March 9, 2019
Wow is this good. Kind of like an elegant rice pudding, only better. I used orange zest and brandy. Can’t think of anything to make this more delicious. Will be a great addition to my Easter Brunch this year.
jenncc
June 7, 2018
I have had this on my "To Make" list for some time and finally made it today. I had no problems with curdling/scrambling of the custard and thought the texture was wonderful, however I did find it too sweet. I will certainly make this again cutting the sugar by at least 1/4 cup. Mine needed the full 60 minutes in the oven but did not brown as nicely as the photo.
Diane
March 30, 2018
If you wanted to cook the rice in milk how would you do it
Emiko
March 30, 2018
The same as with water but with milk -- be aware that you'll want plenty of milk and keep a careful eye on it once it starts to come to a simmer as it can froth up and overflow! You can see the similar instructions in first step here: https://food52.com/recipes/27154-tuscan-rice-fritters-frittelle-di-riso
PMD
March 12, 2018
My Tuscan mother made a similar dish at holiday time but it was much denser. She'd fill an 11 x 13 glass pan with the mix (anise flavor, of course! then cut into diamond shapes for serving. Always browned nicely in her gas oven. I'm looking for the ingredient measures for this version.
Emiko
March 13, 2018
I don't know if it's this one but I've been recently testing a recipe from Artusi's 1891 cookbook for "budino di riso" which is a rice cake more than a "pudding" -- very similar to this Carrara version, but as you say, denser. His has raisins and rum in it (aniseed would be very good too, very typical of Tuscan desserts!). You can find this recipe copied exactly out of Artusi's cookbook online, in Italian. It was a very popular cake in my Tuscan mother in law's household, they made it regularly.
Monica P.
March 11, 2018
too liquidy...can't go into the cake type of pan ( detachable bottom) because it will come out , needs some extra rice, otherwise tastes great
Emiko
March 11, 2018
Next time if you don't have an air tight cake tin, you can wrap the outside of it in several layers of aluminium foil. Works a treat! ;)
ejm
April 26, 2017
Just made this , cut the sugar to a scant 1 cup, used Amaretto, just a small glug, and doubled the vanilla - tastes great! When it was cooked (about 55 min) the top was not browned so used the broiler for about 1 minute. The custard layer is a bit curdled looking - next time might use a water bath or lower heat for longer cooking time as it all went in ok - tempered the eggs etc. A lovely easy recipe. Thanks
Deneb Z.
April 25, 2017
Can the alcohol be omitted altogether as we don't take alcohol? What liquid to use in place of it?
Emiko
April 27, 2017
You could simply replace it with milk, or leave it out all together. It's really just to add some aroma to the custard.
Pamela's K.
April 21, 2018
I used Orange Blossom water as well as Rose water, and both were wonderful.
Laura K.
April 25, 2017
My grandmother used to make this at Easter in a square dish. I am very happy to have this recipe now. It reminds me of her. Thanks!
erin
July 3, 2016
Far too much liquid for my pie pan. :(
culture_connoisseur
October 23, 2016
Put the rest in ramekins to have a little taste with the extra.
Tracy P.
June 28, 2016
I made this yesterday. It came out perfect! I used brandy and lemon zest and served it with with fresh strawberries and blueberries. I am going to make another one today as there is only one slice left; my family had it for dessert last night and breakfast this morning. I agree with the previous post, make sure the milk is warm, not hot, and add it slowly.
Mine also browned very nicely on top. I have a gas oven, an old Magic Chef, but gas nonetheless and I wonder it this makes a difference in how well backed goods will brown evenly? Just a thought.
This recipe is a keeper!
Mine also browned very nicely on top. I have a gas oven, an old Magic Chef, but gas nonetheless and I wonder it this makes a difference in how well backed goods will brown evenly? Just a thought.
This recipe is a keeper!
Janet
June 25, 2016
For those having problems with the custard scrambling.
In step 3, where is says to "add warm milk", do so very slowly, tempering the raw eggs to keep them from cooking. Also make sure your milk is just warm, not hot.
This recipe looks so very yummy, can't wait to make it!
In step 3, where is says to "add warm milk", do so very slowly, tempering the raw eggs to keep them from cooking. Also make sure your milk is just warm, not hot.
This recipe looks so very yummy, can't wait to make it!
culture_connoisseur
May 21, 2016
This is a fantastic recipe. I don't drink alcohol, so I substituted with orange blossom water. It smelled heavenly and I put the excess in a few souffle cups and had a little taste.
Brenda
April 29, 2016
This looks great. I am looking for a creamy key lime pie recipe with this kind of crust. Can anyone help me. Thank you
mawhorts
September 4, 2015
I made this for the first time tonight - I've been wanting to try this for weeks. I made a tart-sweet pluot sauce to go with it, and it was very good.
My oven is wonky so it cooked too slowly and the custard got a little scrambled as well. Or could it be something about the reaction of the eggs, milk, and rum? (The milk was only slightly warm, not hot.) Next time I'll try tempering in the milk as I do when I make creme brulee.
My oven is wonky so it cooked too slowly and the custard got a little scrambled as well. Or could it be something about the reaction of the eggs, milk, and rum? (The milk was only slightly warm, not hot.) Next time I'll try tempering in the milk as I do when I make creme brulee.
Tammy A.
August 6, 2015
I made this for the first time today and it didn't go well :(
The top didn't brown and so I left it in for longer to cook and then the custard scrambled. I think next time I will use a kitchen blow torch and put it under the grill to brown it up instead
The top didn't brown and so I left it in for longer to cook and then the custard scrambled. I think next time I will use a kitchen blow torch and put it under the grill to brown it up instead
Emiko
August 7, 2015
Oh that doesn't sound right at all! But I'm not sure a blow torch or grill will help it if it has scrambled. It's hard to know from over here but the only thing I can think of is perhaps the components were already scrambled when it went in the oven? For example, the milk shouldn't be hot but warm (think body temperature, like when warming milk for a baby) as that can possibly scramble the raw eggs?
DJean
August 2, 2015
Any thoughts on making this with a nut milk (like almond), instead of dairy?
Emiko
August 6, 2015
Not sure about this myself but perhaps you could research making custard successfully with nut milk and do something similar here (because in the end this is a baked custard of sorts)?
Michelle S.
August 2, 2015
I would not try this in a 9in round pie pan. I tried and there way way too much liquid.
linda
August 2, 2015
This was really good - made a test one for my mom to see how it turned out (great!) and will be bringing another one to a friend's house tomorrow! If you love custard, you'll love the top of this torta.
Boleyn
August 1, 2015
This was seriously good! I didn't have a round 9 inch pan, so baked it in a sugar-dusted 9x5 silicone loaf pan. It baked up beautifully in the same time and slid out of the pan just fine. The rectangular slices were nice actually. I will make this again, albeit with less sugar (200 gr instead of the 220 gr I used this time). Leaving out the liquor was no problem, by the way, the lemon added a lovely taste to this. Will surely make again! Thank you.
dbourdo
July 31, 2015
Any tips on baking this in individual ramekins? Would that work? Thoughts on baking time?
Emiko
August 6, 2015
I'm sure you could do this individually, I would just go by eye on the baking time as it would entirely depend on the size of the ramekins you have too -- you want the top to be golden brown.
Lori
July 31, 2015
Is it possible to make it without alcohol?
Ginny I.
July 31, 2015
I bet that would be fine. Probably could add a tablespoon or two of juice if you wanted a little more flavor.
Emiko
July 31, 2015
Absolutely! It's just a traditional addition for some extra flavour but you don't even need to substitute anything else -- the citrus zest and vanilla are great on their own too.
Gabriela L.
July 31, 2015
This looks very delicious. We don't have Arborio or carnaroli here. Can I just use Japanese short grain rice instead? Thank you.
Lisa
July 30, 2015
I like your recipes. Simple, few ingredients, such as your watermelon pudding and this one. But my Tort did not come out this pretty. It was not white-likely due to the golden rum I used. I could not get top the caramelized color you have in the photo.
Emiko
July 31, 2015
Oh that's too bad -- that caramelised top is an essential "look" of the cake. Actually you shouldn't take it out of the oven until it has that browned top. Perhaps it needed just a little more time? Or just a thought, but is your oven maybe a little slow on top (I only ask because I had an oven once that only cooked from the bottom -- burnt bottoms and pale tops on anything I ever tried to cook in it!)?
boulangere
July 29, 2015
In Italy, a serving size would be easily half what is pictured here.
Emiko
July 30, 2015
Ha, well you might find it difficult to convince my Tuscan in-laws of that (especially, my mother in law -- this is her favourite dessert ever!)! ;) P.S. I think it might just be the trick of the eye, as it's a very small plate, actually a saucer for a dainty tea cup, that this slice is sitting on!
Francesca M.
July 29, 2015
I made it today and the flavor was good, though it turned out a tad too sweet for me, but I think that keeping it in the fridge will dull the sweetness for tomorrow. I am curious… did the original recipe have less sugar?
Emiko
July 29, 2015
As a rule, I always use less sugar than other recipes call for! The original recipe called for 300 grams instead of 250. I love desserts but I can't take it when overly sweet.
PW
July 29, 2015
Can't wait to make this. I've seen an Italian woman make this where she half-cooked her rice right in the milk, would this be a good idea to adapt for this recipe?
Emiko
July 29, 2015
I've done many Tuscan rice pudding recipes (normally a filling for pastry or then deep fried for fritters -- I have that recipe here on Food52 too) where the rice is cooked in the milk but it is usually cooked through. Here the rice is cooked in water until just al dente (about 10 minutes), where it is soft but has still just a little bite to it. I haven't tried it less cooked than that or cooked in the milk for this dessert because you really need a very liquid mixture for this and cooking the rice in milk creates a thick, creamy mixture (like for rice pudding) -- nothing worse than risking having hard rice in a light, wobbly custardy-dessert I would think -- but, saying that, why not give it a go?
Foodiewithalife
July 26, 2015
This reminds me of a recipe my used to make growing up. Sounds like heaven!
Christina
www.foodiewithalife.com
Christina
www.foodiewithalife.com
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