Chefs' Recipes

George Calombaris's risogalo tart

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for risogalo tart.

By George Calombaris
  • 3 hrs preparation
  • 35 mins cooking plus resting, cooling
  • Serves 6
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Risogalo tart
"Risogalo is that classic Hellenic dish," says Calombaris. "This is a version inspired by my days at secondary school treating myself to a custard tart. If you're having a party, this will work just as well in a bigger version. If you don't want to make the condensed milk custard you can cook the rice in the condensed milk itself and then you get this really creamy, really beautiful rice." Start this recipe at least several hours ahead so the caramel custard has time to set.

Ingredients

  • 3 bananas, thickly sliced into rounds
  • To serve: 1½ tbsp unflavoured popping candy
  • To serve: small mint leaves
Sweet pastry
  • 80 gm softened butter
  • 60 gm caster sugar
  • Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean
  • 1½ tbsp lightly beaten egg
  • 165 gm plain flour
  • To serve: icing sugar
Rice pudding
  • 500 ml milk (2 cups)
  • 125 ml pouring cream (½ cup)
  • 50 gm carnaroli rice
  • 1 small piece each thinly peeled lemon rind and orange rind
  • 1 each star anise, cinnamon quill and whole clove
  • 75 gm caster sugar
  • 50 gm currants, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes, drained
  • Finely grated rind of ½ lemon, juice of ¼
Caramel sauce
  • 60 gm caster sugar
  • 60 ml pouring cream (¼ cup)
Caramel custard
  • 50 ml pouring cream
  • 30 gm thick dulce de leche (see note)
  • 25 ml milk
  • 1 egg yolk
Golden rice
  • For deep-frying: vegetable oil
  • 25 gm wild black rice
  • ¼ tsp edible gold powder (see note)

Method

Main
  • 1
    For sweet pastry, beat butter, sugar and vanilla seeds in an electric mixer until pale (3-4 minutes), then beat in egg. Add flour and a pinch of salt, beat to just combine (the dough will be very soft), then turn out. Roll out between 2 pieces of baking paper to 3mm thick and about 26cm x 40cm. Place on a tray, cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Preheat oven to 180C. Roughly cut out six 13cm-diameter rounds from pastry and line six 9cm-diameter tart tins. Prick bases all over with a fork, trim edges and freeze for 10 minutes. Bake until crisp and golden (10-12 minutes), then cool and store in an airtight container until required.
  • 2
    For rice pudding, bring milk, cream, rice, rinds and spices to simmer in a saucepan, stirring continuously, until rice is tender and thick (18-20 minutes), then stir in sugar. Discard spices, cool rice to room temperature, then stir in currants, grated lemon rind and juice.
  • 3
    For caramel sauce, pour sugar into a small frying pan over medium-high heat, swirling pan occasionally but not stirring, until caramelised (3-5 minutes). Add cream (take care, hot caramel may spit), stir to combine and boil for 1 minute, then add tsp sea salt. Stand for 5 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve and set aside.
  • 4
    For caramel custard, stir cream, dulce de leche and milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat until combined, then bring to the simmer. Whisk yolk in a bowl until pale, pour cream mixture over and whisk to combine. Return to pan and stir continuously until mixture thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon (3-5 minutes). Strain into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
  • 5
    An hour before serving, add sliced banana to caramel sauce and set aside to marinate.
  • 6
    For golden rice, preheat oil in a small saucepan to 200C. Add rice and as soon as it puffs and rises to the surface, remove with a metal sieve (1-3 minutes; take care, hot oil may spit). Drain well on absorbent paper, transfer to a small airtight container, add gold powder, seal and shake to coat evenly. Store in container until required.
  • 7
    To serve, remove banana from caramel sauce, place on a foil-lined metal tray and caramelise with a blowtorch. Fill pastry tarts with 2 pieces of caramelised banana, top with rice pudding, then caramel custard. Top with popping candy and extra caramelised banana, drizzle with caramel sauce, scatter with golden rice, mint and icing sugar, and serve.

Notes

Note Dulce de leche is available online at micasafinefoods.com.au, or select retailers. Edible gold powder is available from cake suppliers and select kitchenware shops.
Drink Suggestion: 2003 Hatzidakis Vinsanto, Santorini. Drink suggestion by Andrew Phillpot