Chocolate, eggs and Swiss Easter Rice Tart

As Easter approaches, chocolate shop windows and supermarket shelf space are filling with bunnies carrying eggs in baskets or in sacks slung over their back, pushing eggs in a wheelbarrow, pulling them in a cart, or sitting on a nest of eggs. Aside from selling a lot of chocolate, what’s the idea?

From pagan times, both hares and eggs have been associated with the coming of spring. The hare was the sacred animal of the Germanic goddess of spring, Ostara, and eggs were revered as symbols of new life, the rebirth of nature, and the fertility that is spring.

The Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ has incorporated from ancient times not only the name Easter, but the hare and egg symbolism, with of course plenty of add-ons as time went by.

It was said for example that foxes, roosters or storks brought or laid Easter eggs. In Switzerland, tradition had it that the cuckoo did. But by the 17^th century, in parts of Germany the hare himself was supposedly the one doing deliveries - and that has since become the standard association.

Cake, chocolate and sugar representations of hares and eggs first became popular in southern Germany in the early part of the 19^th century. The forms of hares are now used interchangeably with those of rabbits (including the kinds of little bunnies sold in pet shops) by bakers and chocolate makers in all countries where Easter is celebrated.

That’s for sweets. Real eggs share the same birth symbolism, of course, hence the tradition of decorating them at this time of year, also a very old one. For Christians, it may also have been a way of using the eggs that couldn’t get eaten during Lenten fasting by turning them into gifts, decorations and games.

Games revolving around decorated hard-boiled eggs include the Swiss-German Eiertütsch or egg smashing, where two people - each holding an egg with the pointier side facing upwards - smash them together. The ‘loser’ is the one with the cracked egg, which he or she gets to keep and eat. The ‘winner’ has to keep on playing until someone cracks their egg.

The Osterfladen or gateau de Pâques is the favorite Easter bake in Switzerland. You notice these round cakes in stores because they have a bunny on them produced by putting a bunny stencil on top of the cake and then powdering the surface with icing sugar.

American pastry chef Nick Malgieri, who is an expert on Swiss food, was nice enough to give me permission to use his recipe for Swiss Easter Rice Tart, and here it is. It doesn’t mention a bunny stencil, but you’re free to improvise - cutting an outline of a bunny out of a piece of paper is easy to do.

Nick Malgieri’s Swiss Easter Rice Tart

More commonly a pastry shop specialty than a dessert prepared by home cooks, this rice tart is popular throughout Switzerland. The key to getting the right consistency for the filling is to overcook the rice from the outset. It needs to become smooth and creamy in order to be pureed later on. The ground almonds add richness and flavor to this rice pudding baked in a crust.
One 10-inch [25.4 cm] deep tart, about 8 to 10 servings.

Pastry Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 10 pieces
3 tablespoons cold water

Rice Filling
1/2 cup long-grain rice, such as Carolina
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup blanched almonds, finely ground in a food processor
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
Confectioners’ sugar for finishing

One 10-inch [25.4 cm] tart pan with removable bottom

1. For the dough, combine the dry ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times to mix. Add the butter and pulse 3 to 4 times, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add the water and pulse only 3 to 4 times. The dough will not form a ball. Invert the dough to a floured surface and carefully remove the blade. Gently press and squeeze the dough together and form it into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. You may keep the dough refrigerated for up to 2 days before continuing.
2. For the rice filling, bring a large pan of water to a boil and add the rice. Stir occasionally until the water returns to a full rolling boil. Lower the heat to a low boil and cook the rice until it is very soft and the grains of rice split at the ends, about 15 minutes. Drain the rice, but do not rinse it.
3. In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the cooked rice with the milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Decrease heat to low and cook the rice until it has reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Cool the rice mixture and puree it in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
4. Pour the pureed rice into a bowl and stir in the lemon zest. In a separate bowl, combine the ground almonds and flour, then stir the almond-flour mixture into the rice. Stir in the eggs one at a time, stirring smooth after each addition.
5. Set a rack in the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees [176.7 C].
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a floured surface. Gently press the dough with a rolling pin in close parallel strokes to soften it. Roll the dough to a 12-inch [30.48 cm] disk. Fold the dough in half and transfer it to the pan, lining up the fold with the diameter of the pan. Unfold the dough into the pan and press it well into the bottom and sides of the pan. Use a bench scraper or the back of a knife to sever the excess dough at the rim of the pan.
7. Pour the rice filling into the pan and smooth the top.
8. Bake the tart until the dough is baked through and the filling is set and golden, about 35 minutes.
9. Cool the tart on a rack.

Serving: Remove the side of the pan and slide the tart from the metal pan base to a platter. You may need to loosen the bottom of the tart with a long, thin spatula or knife. Dust the tart with confectioners’ sugar immediately before serving.

Storage: Keep the tart at room temperature on the day it is baked. Wrap and refrigerate leftovers. Bring them to room temperature before serving again.

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Check out my interview with Nick Malgieri posted on March 20, 2009.

Visual: an early 20th century American Easter postcard (collection of the author)