As it gets to winter time here in the UK, you start craving warmth; cosiness, jumpers, boots and food. The latter being much more comforting, typically heavier food than the rest of the year, which is why a lot of our well-known British food is the way it is (pies of all kinds, puddings, and other lovely fat-based foods) - to keep us all warm through the work and harsh winters. Luckily these days (or unluckily, depending how you look at it), a lot of us get to crawl into a heated office and crawl back into a nice heated home for most of the day. But, we are animals and as it gets cooler, we naturally pack it away.
So, I thought I'd share my recipe for an ultra creamy, warming rice pudding - a traditional British dessert. Unfortunately, many Brits are put off by this pudding because it was a badly done go-to for school dinners, but I don't have that problem(!). I also hope those that do, can trash those horrible memories and pretend this is a new dessert with absolutely no association to bad school dinners. (Let's hope!). For this recipe, you will need to love all things creamy!
Creamy Rice Pudding
Serves: 4 good eaters
Time: 1.5 - 2 hours
Ingredients
100g pudding rice
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
40g caster sugar
70ml double cream
800ml whole milk
1 bay leaf (dried or fresh)
10g unsalted butter (and a bit more for greasing)
A good grating of nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan) (300°F).
Grease a dish with butter, all up the sides and bottom (I used a 7.5inch x 3inch dish but you can use any dish deep or wide enough to hold the contents with an inch or so from the top just so the transfer to the oven isn't one big spillage).
Pour in the rice, liquids (milk, cream, vanilla), sugar and bay leaf.
Grate a good amount of nutmeg onto the top and gently stir the mixture around (the nutmeg should mostly stay on the surface).
Dot small specks of butter over the top, then place in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring halfway. The time depends on the consistency you prefer it. I prefer mine to be quite thick and creamy with a little wobble whereas some like it quite runny. Do as you like but you can easily judge this by checking how much it wobbles in the oven.
Enjoy!