Rice pudding with red wine poached pears

Rice pudding is one of the coziest homemade desserts, it doesn’t take much time and skills to make it and it’s always a crowd pleaser. There are plenty different flavour combos and options to it; this time I’m sharing a creamy and tender rice pudding recipe with a slight vanilla flavour and red wine poached pears. It will definitely get you rolling your eyes and ask for one more bowl of this goodness 🙂

By the way, poached pears are great just on their own! You can serve them with simple custard or a scoop of ice cream.

The pudding does also go well plain, without the pars and wine syrup. It would really go well as a breakfast hearty option, or when you have leftover cooked rice which you do not know how to utilize.

Anyway, it’s up to you how to have it, I’ll list all the details and recipes below. The recipe serves 6.

 

Rice pudding with red wine poached pears

Red wine poached pears:

• 3 hard-type pears, peeled, tails remain
• 1 c/8.8 oz/ 250 ml dry red wine
• 1/3 c + 2 T/ 3 oz/ 90 g white sugar
• 1 medium cinnamon stick
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 star anise
• ½ vanilla bean

Put all the ingredients but vanilla bean in a small saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthways in half, scrape out the seeds and add them, together with the bean, to the saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to minimum and cook the pears for 30-40 minutes, turning them occasionally. Remove the pears from the pan, let cool. Set the wine with spices over medium-low heat and reduce for 15 minutes, until it slightly thickens. Remove from heat, let cool. Discard the spices.

Rice pudding:

• 2/3 c/ 5 oz/ 150 g short- or medium grain rice
• 3 T/ 1.4 oz/ 40 g mixed brown, red and wild rice (optional, or substitute for white rice)
• 1¼ c/ 10.6 oz/ 300 ml water
• 3½ c + 2T/ 29.3 oz/ 830 ml light cream
• 2 T/ 25 g white sugar (1)
• 2 t maple syrup
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2½T/ 20 g corn starch
• 2T + 2t/ 40 ml milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1T/ 10 g white sugar (2)

Wash both rice types thoroughly, put in a big saucepan and fill with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and cook for 10-15 minutes, until almost all liquid is absorbed. Add the cream to saucepan together with sugar (1) and maple syrup.

Split  the vanilla bean lengthways in half, scrape out the seeds and add them, together with the bean, to the saucepan. Increase the heat to medium and let the contents come to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and cook for further 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice is done.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and milk and add to rice, stir well and continue cooking for another couple of minutes, until it thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool a little.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar (2) with a balloon whisk until incorporated and light. Slowly pour the mixture into the pudding, stirring vigorously. Return the saucepan to a low heat and cook it, stirring, until it thickens, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, discard the vanilla bean.

To serve:

• handful shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped
• handful pomegranate seeds

Serve pudding warm or cold, with pear halves, sprinkled with pistachios, pomegranate seeds and drizzled with wine syrup.