Rice pudding with apricots

Method
Prep:15min  ›  Cook:1hr15min  ›  Ready in:1hr30min 

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F, gas mark 3). Pour the milk into a saucepan, and add the sugar and orange zest. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the milk is almost boiling.
2. Put the rice and sultanas in a shallow 1.5 litre (2¾ pint) ovenproof dish. Pour over the milk mixture and stir.
3. Bake the pudding for 30 minutes, then stir well. Leave to bake for a further 45 minutes or until the rice is tender and the pudding is creamy.
4. Meanwhile, to make the compote, combine the apricots, orange juice and cinnamon stick in a heavy-based saucepan. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the juice is reduced.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick from the compote. Sprinkle the top of the rice pudding with a little cinnamon, then serve hot, with the compote.

Some more ideas

Cook the rice pudding as in the main recipe, then leave to cool completely. When cold, spoon into 4 lightly oiled, individual moulds or teacups, packing the pudding down firmly. Chill for about 1 hour, then turn out carefully onto serving plates. Serve with the chilled apricot compote. * Make a sweet semolina pudding with a plum compote. Heat 850 ml (1 pint + 8½ fl oz) milk with 2 tbsp clear honey and a thinly pared strip of lemon zest. Stir in 100 g (3½ oz) semolina. Stir until boiling, then add 55 g (2 oz) sultanas and reduce the heat so the mixture is just simmering. Cover the pan and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 20–25 minutes or until thick and smooth. To make the plum compote, combine 300 g (10½ oz) red plums, the juice of 1 orange and 1 tsp finely grated fresh root ginger in a heavy-based saucepan, and cook gently, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the plums are very tender.

Plus points

Dried fruit is naturally sweet, so using it in a pudding means the sugar can be reduced to a minimum. * The combination of rice and milk works well nutritionally. Rice is a good source of starchy carbohydrate, fibre, B vitamins and iron, and milk is a good source of protein and calcium. As full-fat milk is used in this recipe, the fat-soluble vitamin A is also supplied.

Each serving provides

A, B12, calcium * B1, B2, B6, C, niacin, copper, potassium, zinc