Baked rice pudding with rhubarb

Rice pudding is the ultimate in comfort food. Coconut milk gives this version a contemporary twist and when topped with vanilla-baked rhubarb, it is a winter pudding you will want to make time and time again.

• serves

  6-8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1:40 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• melted butter, to grease
• 110 g (½ cup) Arborio rice
• 375 ml (1½ cup) milk
• 270 ml can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 10 g (2 tsp) butter
• toasted flaked coconut or roasted coconut chips (see Baker’s tip), to serve (optional)

Baked rhubarb

• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways
• 75 g (⅓ cup) caster sugar
• 1 bunch rhubarb, trimmed, washed and cut into 7 cm lengths (you will have about 550 g trimmed weight)
  

Instructions

To make the baked rhubarb, preheat oven to 200°C. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, place into a medium bowl with the sugar, and toss to evenly combine. Add the rhubarb and toss to coat in the vanilla sugar. Transfer the rhubarb and vanilla bean to an ovenproof dish just large enough to arrange the rhubarb in a single layer. Sprinkle with any remaining vanilla sugar left in the bowl. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, give the dish a shake and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender when tested with a skewer. Remove from the oven and set aside while baking the rice pudding (see Baker’s tip).

Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C. Combine the rice, milk, coconut milk and caster sugar in a bowl. Stir with a fork until well combined. Transfer to a 1-litre (4 cup) ovenproof dish and dot with the butter. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven for 1 hour–1 hour 10 minutes, whisking occasionally with a fork so the rice cooks evenly, or until the rice is just tender and the pudding is the consistency of a wet risotto.

Serve the warm rice pudding immediately, topped with the rhubarb. Drizzle with rhubarb syrup and sprinkle with the coconut, if desired.

Baker’s tip
• Roasted coconut chips are available from the dried fruit and nuts section of selected supermarkets.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. Read our interview with her or for hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Trish Heagerty. Food preparation by Wendy Quisumbing.

This recipe is from our online column, Bakeproof: Comfort puddings.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.