Baked rice pudding with hazelnuts and honey
Rice pudding has something of a bad reputation that’s not entirely warranted. Made properly – with milk not cream, and with the addition of some 21st-century touches of flavour – it can be one of the most exquisite, comforting puddings imaginable. Think about your timings with this recipe, as it involves leaving the pudding to rest for an hour after cooking so the lovely creamy texture can develop.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Tbs. risotto or pudding rice
- 18 oz. full fat milk
- 3 Tbs. caster sugar
- 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
- 1½ Tbs. honey
- 1¼ Cups hazelnuts
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 300˚F.
- Roast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 7 to 8 minutes.
- When you remove them from the oven, pour them into a clean tea towel, make a little pouch with the cloth and rub the hazelnuts together until the skin rubs off.
- Next roughly chop the nuts and put to one side.
- You might be wondering how 4 Tbs. of rice to 18 oz. of milk can work, but trust me it will – please don’t be tempted to add more milk.
- Rinse the rice in cold water to remove the dusty starch from the surface – this prevents the pudding becoming too thick.
- Place the drained rice in a large saucepan with the milk, vanilla extract and sugar.
- Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer very gently, stirring every few minutes, for 15 minutes.
- Simmer for five more minutes, stirring slowly all the time to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from the heat and add 1 Cup of the chopped hazelnuts.
- Pour into a shallow ovenproof dish.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and then leave to rest for at least one hour.
- Scatter with the remainder of the nuts and drizzle the honey over the top.
