Rice Pudding Tartlets

Do you have any siblings ? And if so, are you the oldest ?

I tend to ask that question a lot. I'm not too sure why, maybe it's because I'm waiting for the other person to go "yes I do have one/two/seven siblings and I'm the oldest." Complete with an eye roll. I think many oldest siblings can relate.

Having brothers and sisters in the house is always an awesome feeling - it's merrier and louder (unless you're all as quiet as mouses, although I haven't met anyone who doesn't have a chatterbox in the family yet) and you get to do stuff together like watch movies and play hide and seek and annoy your parents to bits. But then when you're the oldest of the lot, you tend to get the most responsibilities, ie watching over the little ones in the absence of an adult and making sure they don't get into a fight and pull each other's hair out. That used to be mine. Until I got older and learnt how to drive. Then I became my sister's personal chauffeur. And caterer too, apparently.

I don't usually mind, seeing as I'm the one with the driving ability so I don't actually have to rely on anyone when I want to go out. The only hard part is having to accommodate my schedule so I can pick her up at two o' clock on the dot because she gets annoyed when I'm (or any of us, in fact) is even a nanosecond late. Ditto with the catering. She's a late riser, unlike me so when I pack her breakfast (or brunch) for her, she's still asleep. She'll totter around the house for a few hours after she wakes, from brushing her teeth to showering to ambling downstairs, till which by the time would have been a few hours after I set the packet of noodles down on the dining table. But if I decide to wait till she's ready then take her out to pack some food so she can get it, you know, warm, I'm met with icy glares and curt answers because she claims to be too hungry to do anything before she's eaten. Whaaat.

Any complains submitted to the authority, err, parents are unfortunately, taken with a pinch of salt. They just sort of pat me on the head and say "well, you are the older one." Which, to my nineteen year old self, seems about as good an explanation as wanting cakey brownies because you don't like dense ones. Wait I don't think that even makes sense.

But I digress. I am somewhat older than I was when I first heard my cousin say "她还小，让她一点” which basically means "she's still young, give her some respect." I was only eight or nine at the time and I couldn't wrap my kiddie brain around the fact that I was supposed to respect both my elders and the youngsters. But I did look up to him at the time, so whatever he said, I took very seriously. For many years, I did my best to show what I believed was a respectful attitude towards my family, the young and old ones alike. And while I do get into trouble for some stick-my-foot-into-my-mouth situations, I'd say I'm good so far. I mean, I am still living at home and no one has killed me yet.

Is there a moral to this thing ? Yes, I suppose there is. If you're the oldest and you have to do the most chores/errands/odds and ends, do it and bite your tongue. Swallow your pride, whatever. Trust me, you'll only regret the things you didn't do. And if you're the youngest, or one of, don't make the older sibling take a bajillion trips in and out of the house just because you want to get home before your lunch does.

I shall stop talking now and show you the rice pudding tartlets I made. Yes, it's rice pudding and yes, it's in a tart shell. Before you think ohmigod she put carbs in my carbs let me just say that these are quite small and the ingredients aren't all that fattening. There's milk and egg in them and everybody knows that those are basically miracle foods, what with the protein and calcium and all. Plus, when these puddings could have been fried into submission and made into some sweet arancini, they're more modestly baked and served with some jam. The pudding is quite light and it's not too sweet. The pastry is a dream to work with. They are good. And this is coming from someone who will only take her rice in risotto form.

Rice Pudding Tartlets (recipe adapted from here)

Makes 8 tartlets, plus some pudding leftover.

For the pudding:

500ml whole milk

150g pudding rice (I used arborio)

1 whole orange

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp brown sugar

4g baking powder

1 large egg, separated

For the pastry:

100g all purpose flour

50g rice flour

75g brown sugar

75g butter

4g baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg yolk

1. To make the pastry, sieve the flours into a bowl and whisk in the sugar, salt and baking powder. Dice the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives, or use your fingers to rub it in until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and 2 tbsp of cold water, mixing just until it forms a soft dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill while you're making the pudding.

2. Zest the orange and squeeze out the juice. Put the zest into a pot with the milk and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and cook till it becomes soft and sticky, it'll take 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice, vanilla extract and 1 1/2 tbsp of the sugar. Leave to cool while you roll out the pastry.

3. Preheated oven to 170C. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's a 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles and use them to line the cavities of a standard muffin tin - you should get about 8 shells, reroll the scraps and use it all. Put this back in the fridge to chill.

4. Mix the yolk into the pudding along with the baking powder. Whisk the white until frothy, then gradually add the sugar and whisk until stiff and glossy. Fold the whites into the pudding, taking care not to deflate the mixture too much.

5. Spoon the pudding into the tart shells, filling them quite full. If you have any leftover, just plop them into some greased ramekins (I got three extra). Bake the tartlets for 40 minutes, until golden at the edges and the bottoms (you can lift one out to check). Serve them warm or cold, with some jam since they aren't too sweet ;)