Rice Paste-For Sweets

A short entry for a flour-free tart pastry, worth reading closely because the proportions are unusually lean and the method depends on the rice being cooked to a stiff mass rather than a porridge.

• Ground riceEssentially a rice flour, though ground rice is sold as a coarser grind than fine white rice flour. Either works; the coarser grind gives a slightly sandy bite, the fine one a smoother paste.
• Quantities in metricA quarter pound of ground rice is about 115 g, half an ounce of butter about 15 g, and one egg roughly 50 g. That is very little fat for the volume of starch, so expect a short, crumbly paste rather than a flaky one.
• "The smallest quantity of water"The hinge of the recipe. Use just enough to hydrate and swell the grains into a thick, stiff paste that pulls away from the pan. Any more and you cannot strain it dry enough to roll.
• StrainingTurn the cooked rice into a fine sieve or a square of muslin and press out the free moisture while it is still hot. Wet paste will not hold a shape and will steam rather than bake.
• The mortarPounding is what makes this work: it breaks down the swollen grains into a cohesive dough. A food processor does the same job in seconds. Beat in the butter and egg while the rice is warm so the butter melts through evenly.
• Handling and bakingWith no gluten there is no elasticity, so roll it between sheets of baking paper or press it directly into the tin with your fingers, patching cracks as you go. The recipe gives no oven instruction; bake in a moderate oven and watch it, as the paste browns slowly and burns before it looks dark.
• YieldThe recipe states no yield; this quantity makes a small amount of paste, enough for one modest case or a few tartlets. Best eaten the day it is made.