It’s definitely comfort food, but I have the feeling that, measure-for-measure, it probably contains fewer calories than a bar of chocolate or a shop-bought cheesecake. Anyway, who cares? It’s delicious. And besides, the leftover compote can be the cornerstone of your nutritious breakfast the next day with porridge, or just oats, or yoghurt.
60g arborio or pudding rice
a knob of butter
40g golden caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
600ml semi-skimmed milk
(cream, nutmeg, raisins are optional)
a mug and a half of frozen summerfruit berries from the freezer department
2 dessertspoons sugar
180 degrees/90 minutes approximately
Rub a knob of butter around a large Pyrex bowl and leave what is left at the bottom of the bowl. Add the rice, sugar, vanilla and milk. You could add a cinnamon stick, raisins or nutmeg too, if you like. Microwave on high for about a minute, just to get it started.
Put this into the oven (180 degrees) for an hour. After an hour, carefully lift up the skin and give the pudding underneath a little stir. If it’s drying out, add a little more milk (or even cream); if not, just stick the skin back over and give it another half an hour. Turn the oven down if the top is burning, rather than golden.
Meanwhile, put your frozen berries and 2 dessertspoons of sugar into a small pan and warm over a medium heat, giving them the occasional stir.
It’s practically health-food, probably.
