RICE PUDDING with STRAWBERRIES and PISTACHIOS

Rice pudding is one of those old-school comfort foods, most often cooked and eaten in winter. There’s no reason you can’t enjoy it in summer too, although in this case I’d serve it chilled, scattered with the season’s best strawberries.

Preparation Time 10 minutes | Cooking Time 1 hour 15 minutes, plus chilling | Serves 4–6

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced

120 g (4¼ oz) short-grain rice, such as arborio

560 ml (19¼ fl oz/2¼ cups) single (pure/pouring) cream

560 ml (19¼ fl oz/2¼ cups) milk

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

2 egg yolks

250 g (9 oz) strawberries, hulled, cut into wedges

1 teaspoon icing (confectioners’) sugar

Few drops of lemon juice

Coarsely chopped pistachios and mint leaves, to serve

Preheat the oven to 110°C (225°F). Melt the butter in an ovenproof saucepan over a low heat, add the rice and stir for a minute or two to coat the rice in the butter and lightly toast. Add the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds and 80 g (2¾ oz/¹/₃ cup) of the sugar and simmer, stirring frequently, for 10–15 minutes.

Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 50 minutes–1 hour, stirring the rice mixture every 15 minutes or so to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

Whisk the yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl for 1–2 minutes until light and fluffy, then stir into the rice mixture. Return to the stove top and stir continuously over a medium–high heat for a minute or two to thicken slightly. Discard the vanilla bean and refrigerate to chill.

To serve, combine the strawberries, icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and toss to coat, then spoon the strawberries and their juices over the rice pudding. Serve scattered with pistachios and mint leaves.