Roast Rhubarb and Rice Pudding

I really, really like rice pudding. It reminds me of growing up in Perth, with its deliciously cold winters (well, cold by my standards). It was one of those things that mum seemed to just whip up in no time...though now that I’ve made it myself, I fear that this ‘whipping up’ was all in my head.

I decided to combine the rice pudding with rhubarb, to cut through the creaminess a little. And also because I’ve never cooked with rhubarb before and I desperately wanted to, so when I saw it at the local store, I snapped it up faster than you can say ‘Look! Rhubarb!’

Roast Rhubarb:

6 stalks rhubarb

Handlful of red berries (I used raspberries and strawberries)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp orange zest

2 tbs honey

1. Preheat oven to 280˚C.

2. Peel and chop the rhubarb. (My boyfriend, the apprentice chef, tells me it’s important to peel it as if you don’t, it can be quite stringy. Unfortunately, if you do, you also lose a little bit of that lovely red colour. So that’s why I threw in some red fruit!)

3. Put the rhubarb and berries into a roasting pan.

4. Sprinkle over with sugar and orange zest, and then pour over honey.

5. Cook until soft (for me this took 30 minutes)

Rice Pudding:

1 cup rice, preferably medium grain.

2.5 cups milk (I used skim milk)

4 tbs honey, or sugar to taste.

2 tsp vanilla.

1. Cook the rice according to packet instructions.

2. When rice is cooked, add in the milk, honey and vanilla and leave to simmer on medium heat, stirring often until the milk is absorbed.

3. Allow to cool before handling.

Assembly:

1. Spoon rice into glasses or bowls

2. Top with roast rhubarb mixture.

I also roasted some pistachios and added them too, for a little bit of crunch.

This recipe makes about four, but I suppose it does depend on what size glasses you chose to serve the puddings in!

I loved the combination of rice and rhubarb, and couldn’t stop eating either out of their various cooking pots. On the downside, the recipe doesn’t keep very well, so I suggest that if you are pressed for time, only make the rhubarb ahead as the rice tends to become grainy and loses its creaminess in the fridge.