Some pastry creations have the power to surprise while comforting. These chocolate, coffee and rice pudding tartlets are among them. Imagined by Stanislas Ricou and Sarah Houis, the talented pastry chefs of Pâtisserie Brix in La Rochelle, they elegantly reinvent a great childhood classic: rice pudding. Published in the book “Le riz au lait, c’est mon dessert préféré” by Philippe Toinard, this recipe blends tradition and modernity with remarkable precision.
Beneath their apparent simplicity, these tartlets hide a true symphony of textures and flavours. The almond pâte sablée provides a crunchy, lightly golden base. Next comes a rich, melting coffee hazelnut praline that coats the palate with roasted notes. The soft hazelnut sponge adds a gentle, comforting touch, before giving way to a wonderfully creamy vanilla rice pudding. Finally, a chocolate and coffee chantilly crowns the whole, light and smooth, for a perfect marriage of intensity and sweetness.
Every bite tells a story: that of a familiar dessert rediscovered in a new light. Rice pudding, the childhood memory par excellence, finds its way here into a tart of contemporary inspiration, where technical mastery is put at the service of pure pleasure.
Whether you’re a lover of chocolate, of coffee, or simply curious about new sensations, these tartlets by Ricou and Houis are a promise of indulgence. A recipe both refined and accessible, to make for an exceptional dessert or simply for the pleasure of sharing a sweet moment.
Ingredients & method
7 components · Full recipe
Almond shortcrust pastry (start the day before)
Ingredients
- 65 g (2.3 oz) icing sugar
- 25 g (0.9 oz) Pariani almond flour
- 60 g (2.1 oz) eggs (1 large egg)
- 170 g (6 oz) plain flour
- 100 g (3.5 oz) butter
- 20 g (0.7 oz) egg yolks (1 large yolk)
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
Method
1
Place all the dry ingredients and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. The mixture will become sandy.
2
Add the egg yolk and mix again.
3
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper. Prick the dough and leave to rest in the fridge for at least one hour.
4
Grease 8 cm (3.1 in) diameter tart rings.
5
Cut 6 strips 2.5 cm (1 in) wide and 25 cm (9.8 in) long, plus 6 circles of 7 cm (2.8 in) diameter.
6
In greased 8 cm (3.1 in) tart rings, place a pastry circle at the bottom, then a strip along the inside edge. Press together with your fingers and trim any excess pastry at the top with a knife.
Hazelnut coffee praline
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) Pariani hazelnuts
- 25 g (0.9 oz) instant coffee powder
- 125 g (4.4 oz) caster sugar
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
Method
1
In a saucepan, make a dry caramel with the sugar then pour it onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
2
Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 150°C / 300°F for 15 minutes.
Soft hazelnut sponge
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) Pariani hazelnut flour
- 30 g (1.1 oz) light brown sugar
- 50 g (1.8 oz) eggs
- 11 g (0.4 oz) icing sugar
- 11 g (0.4 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 47 g (1.7 oz) butter
- 25 g (0.9 oz) plain flour
- 2.8 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
- 50 g (1.8 oz) egg whites
- 8.3 g (0.3 oz) light brown sugar
Method
1
In a bowl, mix together the pre-toasted hazelnut powder, the zest of one lemon, the brown sugar, the egg, the icing sugar and the double cream.
2
Melt the butter in a saucepan until it turns a hazelnut colour (stir continuously). The butter is ready when it has a delicious nutty aroma and stops ‘singing’. Add it while still warm to the remaining ingredients, continuing to mix.
3
Add the sifted flour and baking powder.
4
Whisk the 50 g (1.8 oz) of egg whites to stiff peaks, adding the 8.3 g (0.3 oz) of brown sugar to stiffen them, then fold them gently into the first mixture using a rubber spatula.
5
Pour the batter onto half a baking tray lined with baking paper and smooth with an offset spatula.
Crème anglaise
Ingredients
- 175 g (6.2 oz) whole milk
- 40 g (1.4 oz) egg yolks (about 2 large yolks)
- 20 g (0.7 oz) sugar
- 1/2 Madagascar vanilla pod Norohy
- 2.5 g (0.1 oz) cornflour
- 50 g (1.8 oz) full-fat whipping cream
Method
1
In a saucepan, heat the milk with the split and scraped vanilla pod and seeds. Leave to infuse, covered, for 10 minutes.
2
In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar then add the cornstarch.
3
Pour the hot infused milk over it, removing the pod, then return everything to the saucepan and continue cooking until it reaches 82°C / 180°F.
Rice pudding
Ingredients
- 500 g (17.6 oz) whole milk
- 1 Madagascar vanilla pod Norohy
- 100 g (3.5 oz) short-grain rice
- 33 g (1.2 oz) sugar
Method
1
Par-cook the rice in boiling water for 2–3 minutes. Drain.
2
In a saucepan, heat the milk with the split and scraped vanilla pod and seeds.
3
Add the rice and sugar and cook over very low heat, stirring constantly to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Milk chocolate and coffee Chantilly cream (make the day before)
Ingredients
- 240 g (8.5 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 13 g (0.5 oz) glucose
- 7 g (0.2 oz) crushed coffee beans
- 0.5 g (0 oz) powdered gelatine
- 3 g (0.1 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatine)
- 70 g (2.5 oz) Valrhona Jivara milk chocolate
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatine in the water.
2
In a small saucepan, heat 80 g (2.8 oz) of cream with the glucose then infuse the crushed coffee beans for 15 minutes.
3
Reheat the cream then add the rehydrated gelatine.
4
Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave.
5
Strain the coffee-infused cream and pour it in 3 stages over the melted chocolate, stirring with a spatula to create an emulsion, then add the remaining 160 g (5.6 oz) of cold cream while blending with an immersion blender.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Mix the rice pudding with the crème anglaise.
2
In each tartlet, place 6 g (0.2 oz) of praline then the hazelnut sponge in the centre. Press down gently.
3
Fill with 30 g (1.1 oz) of the rice pudding and crème anglaise mixture.
4
Whip the Chantilly cream and put it in a piping bag fitted with a very fine Saint-Honoré nozzle (you can also cut the bag yourself if you don’t have the nozzle).
5
Pipe the Chantilly cream in a straight line over the top of the tartlet then decorate with a little praline.
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