Spoil yourself with Baked Rice Pudding

BAKED RICE PUDDING

It's Saturday afternoon, there are rain showers around, so it seems the perfect opportunity to do some long, slow cooking and make this very economical and very satisfying dessert. There are so many variations of this baked rice dessert out there, however when I am cooking for my family this is the recipe that I always use otherwise it just wouldn't measure up. My Mum made it, her Grandmother made it, and now I make it. It is great comfort food, and puffs up beautifully when first cooked. However, be aware that the the delicious nutmeg infused skin will deflate when it is removed from the oven. This doesn't affect the taste at all. All you need is some time to cook it, and some very basic ingredients. Whilst it requires a slow oven, it can be cooked on the lowest oven rack if you are slow cooking a piece of  lamb or pork at the same time. It can be served with stewed aromatic fruits if desired, however it is delicious just on it's own. I earn some serious brownie points when I take the time to cook this for Mr. HRK.

My tip is that if you aren't a real sweet tooth or you are cutting calories before Christmas, halve the amount of sugar and it is still delicious. However I really think the full cream milk needs to be used in this recipe.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons short-grain or Arborio rice
300 ml water
600 ml full cream milk
3 tablespoons sugar
nutmeg, freshly ground if possible but not essential

1. Place the rice in a pie or casserole dish and add water.
2. Cook slowly in the oven (150 deg. C) until rice absorbs the water. (Allow about 30 minutes)
3. Add milk and sugar to the hot dish and mix well. Sprinkle well with nutmeg and add a few small pieces of chopped butter on top as well if you wish
4. Bake in a very slow oven for about 1 hour. When a brown skin forms  the rice mixture is creamy it is cooked.
5. Serve cold with stewed fruit.