Belgian Rice Pie

This Belgian rice pie is a top dessert in the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg). Especially popular in the Maas-Rijn region. There are many rice pie recipes but this one is often preferred for its soft crust, creaminess and aroma.

Also called a Verviers pie or dorêye! Its origin is unsure but the rice pie was mostly made in the city of Verviers where it became well known.

The town used to be an important European trade hub where international grains, such as rice, landed.

Crust dough:

  • 160 g flour
  • 10 g yeast
  • 80 g lukewarm whole milk
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 40 g real butter
  • 1 egg yolk

Rice filling:

  • 40 cl whole milk
  • 20 cl cream 35%
  • 95 g round white rice
  • 95 g sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract


Pastry cream:

  • 50 cl whole milk
  • 125 g sugar
  • 40 g cream powder (custard powder)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Extra:

  • 2 beaten eggs (separately)

Crust dough:

  1. Put the flour in a bowl and make a wide hole in it. Break the yeast apart and put it in the middle of the flour. Sprinkle the sugar over the yeast and the salt on the flour, away from the yeast.
  2. Make sure the milk is lukewarm, pour it over the yeast in the flour. Mix until it dissolves. Let it rest for 5 or 10 minutes.
  3. Add the yolks and continue mixing with your finger, gradually add more flour until you get a light paste. Add the butter in pieces. 
  4. Knead well for at least 5 minutes or until you have a smooth dough. The dough sticks in the beginning but will detach as you keep kneading.
  5. Roll a layer of dough to a thickness of 2 mm. Use enough extra flour on the surface to avoid sticking.
  6. Use the rolling pin to roll off the sheet of dough from the surface. Roll the sheet out over the pie pan (a flared one is fine too). Let it rest for 5 minutes.
  7. Tuck the dough sheet into the corner of the pie pan while lifting up the dough over the pan rim. Push the dough against the sides of the pan and fold over pan rim.
  8. Roll the rolling pin over the pie rim to cut away excess dough. Put away in the frig.

Pastry cream:

  1. Warm up the milk in a saucepan and dissolve the sugar in it.
  2. Put the cream powder in a small bowl and mix the yolk with the vanilla extract.
  3. When milk boils pour half of it on the cream powder and stir well with a whisk until everything dissolves. Add the yolk-vanilla mixture and stir again.
  4. Pour this back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Stir on medium heat and keep stirring until you get a custard making folds. When you see a few bubbles pop the custard cream will be ready. 
  5. Pour into a tray for faster cooling and cover with clingfilm to avoid surface hardening.

Rice filling:

  1. Pour milk and cream in a high saucepan with lid. When it boils turn fire down to low heat and add the rice.
  2. With whisk, stir every now and then to avoid the rice sticking to the pan bottom. Let simmer for about 25 - 30 minutes.
  3. The filling is ready for processing when the rice is tender and resembles a heavy rice pudding.
  4. Take the pan off the fire and add sugar and vanilla. Blend with a whisk.
  5. Let the rice filling cool. For faster cooling fill kitchen sink with some cold water and put the pan with rice in it. Stir while it cools.
  6. When rice is cold add 260 g of the pastry cream and 1 beaten egg. Blend well with a whisk. 
  7. Take the pie pan with dough out of the frig. Pour in the rice-custard batter, spread evenly with spatula.
  8. Beat 1 egg, gently cover rice custard with the egg batter using a wide pastry brush.
  9. Shove the pie pan in the middle of the oven and bake at 180° for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Tools used: Bowl, scale, sauce pan, pastry brush, 24 cm pie pan, rolling pin.