NIGELLA RICE PUDDING RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Put the rice, milk and salt into a heavy-based saucepan – I use one of 18cm diameter – and finely grate the zest of the lemon into it. Over high heat, and stirring regularly, bring to the point where it looks like it’s just about to boil, though do not let it actually boil. Turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook the milk and rice for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the rice is cooked and the milk is absorbed. Keep an eye on it, as you don’t want the milk to start boiling, nor do you want the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan.

  2. Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the 75g of butter until melted. Scrape the contents of the pan into a bowl large enough to take all the remaining ingredients. Leave for about 1 hour to cool. Once it’s at room temperature, you can move on, so heat the oven to 160ºC/140ºC Fan, and butter a 20cm springform cake tin.

  3. Separate the eggs, letting the whites fall into a large grease-free bowl (which could be the bowl of a freestanding mixer) and drop the yolks into a wide measuring jug (or a bowl). Whisk the whites until stiff, and set aside for a moment. Add the sugar to the yolks, and whisk – I use a balloon whisk with vigour, rather than an electric one here – until pale and moussy.

  4. Add the vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of juice from the zested lemon to the yolks and sugar, and then pour gradually into the cooled rice, folding it in well as you go.

  5. Dollop a large spoonful of the stiffly whisked whites into the rice bowl and stir briskly to lighten the mixture, and then fold in a third of the remaining whites gently but thoroughly, then another third, and when that’s incorporated, fold in the rest. Pour and scrape this mixture gently into the prepared tin.

  6. Grate nutmeg over generously and bake for 45 minutes; by then the top will have set, with no hint of wobble underneath.

  7. Sit on a wire rack for about 1 hour, until it’s just slightly warm. To ease the unmoulding, slip a small spatula all around the edges, unclip the tin, and transfer the cake, still on its base (unless, like me, you don’t mind risking damage trying to remove it), to a flat plate.

  8. Serve each slice drizzled with a little of the glistening sauce mentioned in the recipe intro, or with the rhubarb compote on p.127 of Cook, Eat, Repeat when in season.

  Store: Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 3 days. Must be refrigerated within 2 hours of baking. Eat cold.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease an ovenproof dish (mine measures 26x17x5cm, though any ovenproof dish of the same depth, with a 1.5 litre/2⅔ pints capacity would be fine) with butter.
• Put the butter, yoghurt, sugar, rice flour, ground almonds, salt, baking powder and eggs into a food processor. Finely grate in the zest of the lemon and blitz until you have a thick batter. Pour the elderflower cordial through the funnel of the processor, with the motor still going, until combined.
• If you don’t have a processor, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until smooth, light and airy, then beat in the yoghurt. Mix the flour, ground almonds and salt together, and add just 1 teaspoon of the baking powder. Beat 1 egg into the butter mixture, and then beat in a third of your dry ingredients, and carry on until you’ve added all the eggs and dry ingredients. Finally, beat in the elderflower cordial.
• Pour and scrape the batter into your prepared dish and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top of the pudding is a deep golden brown. Check after 20 minutes and loosely cover with foil if it’s getting too dark.
• While the pudding is in the oven, prepare the drizzle. Mix the elderflower cordial with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (from the zested lemon) in a jug.
• When the pudding is cooked, prick the sponge using a cake tester or a piece of uncooked spaghetti and drizzle with the elderflower lemon syrup. Eat warm with double cream.