{"id":3935,"date":"2018-01-31T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2018-01-31T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=3935"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:47","slug":"torta-di-riso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2018\/01\/31\/torta-di-riso\/","title":{"rendered":"Torta di Riso (Italian Rice Tart)"},"content":{"rendered":"

January 31, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

Torta di Riso is an Italian specialty.\u00a0 It is basically a rice pudding baked inside of a pastry crust; a Rice Tart, so to speak.<\/p>\n

I first had Torta di Riso more than 20 years ago while visiting Italy with my husband and his parents.<\/p>\n

We ate meals at the homes of many relatives.\u00a0 I often arrived with a spiral-bound notebook to jot down the inevitable recipes that would be discussed around the table or the recipes I begged for after being served something wonderful.\u00a0 That notebook is a mashup of American and Metric measures and English and Italian words for ingredients.\u00a0 It became a bible of sorts for recreating many of the dishes I ate on that trip.<\/p>\n

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My father-in-law\u2019s Zia (Aunt) Mery made the first Torta di Riso that I ever tasted.\u00a0 Her recipe is below (adapted for American measures).<\/p>\n

After having it at Zio (Uncle) Beppe and Zia Mery\u2019s house, I started noticing Torta di Riso in many places in Tuscany.<\/p>\n

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My father-in-law with his Uncle Beppe and Aunt Mery, from whom this recipe for Torta di Riso originated in their garden in Tuscany, 1994.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alkermes liqueur originated in Tuscany so it is particularly appropriate to use it as the liqueur in Torta di Riso.\u00a0 Alkermes is nearly impossible to find in the United States, however.\u00a0 One can make a perfectly traditional Torta di Riso using rum in place of Alkermes but the resulting confection won\u2019t be pink.<\/p>\n

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According to CooksInfo<\/a>, \u201cAlchermes was invented in the Frati Convent at Santa Maria Novella in Florence. Its making was kept secret, but the recipe was reputedly stolen by spies from the nearby city of Siena, which Florence was often at war with.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Recipes for alkermes (also spelled alchermes) are closely guarded but the process basically involves infusing alcohol with spices and flavorings like cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, star anise, rosewater, and orange zest.\u00a0 The red color comes from cochineal, an insect that is the foundation for natural red food coloring.\u00a0 The resulting infused alcohol is sweetened and diluted with water.<\/p>\n

The pastry crust is pasta frolla, a slightly sweetened pastry, leavened with baking powder, and often flavored with vanilla and lemon zest.\u00a0 This is Mery\u2019s recipe for pasta frolla but I also have one from Zia Fidalma that makes about half the quantity.<\/p>\n

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Torta di Riso was a big hit at my father-in-law’s birthday dinner last week. So were the cocktails, wine, and champagne!<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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If you don\u2019t have access to Alkermes, you can use rum.\u00a0 In fact, torta di riso is not always pink.\u00a0 Many that I saw in Italy were white.<\/p>\n

If you want to try to make your own Alkermes you can find a recipe here<\/a>.\u00a0 Amazon even sells the dried cochineal insects that provide the traditional scarlet color.<\/p>\n

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If you have a favorite family recipe and a bit of a story to tell, please email me at santafecook@villasentieri.com<\/a> and we can discuss including it in the blog. I am expanding the scope of my blog to include traditional recipes from around the country and around the world. If you haven\u2019t seen Bertha\u2019s Flan<\/a> or Melinda\u2019s Drunken Prunes<\/a>, take a look.\u00a0 They will give you an idea of what I\u2019m looking for.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Torta di Riso (Italian Rice Tart)<\/h2>\n
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This classic Italian dessert is basically a rice pudding baked inside of a pastry crust. Alkermes is a traditional Tuscan liqueur used in a number of sweets, including torta di riso, for its color and spice-like flavor. If you don\u2019t have Alkermes, use rum. Not all versions of torta di riso are brightly colored. Vanilla powder is a natural vanilla product, not artificial. Use vanilla extract if vanilla powder is not available.<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>30 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span> 15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span> 15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>12<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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