Baked Vanilla Rice Pudding with Early Rhubarb

Preparation

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  <strong>Early Rhubarb
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  </strong>
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  1. Chop the rhubarb into short lengths and place them in a large saucepan. Grate in the lemon zest and add the juice of half of the lemon. Sprinkle in the brown sugar.
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  2. Cook the rhubarb very gently over a low heat, occasionally turning or moving the pieces without stirring, to prevent it from falling apart.
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  3. Cook at a low simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the pieces are soft but still whole.
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  Spoon into a dish and allow to cool.
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  4. The rhubarb will still be quite tart
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  add a little more sugar if you have a sweet tooth. If you are using later outdoor grown rhubarb, you may need to cook it for a little longer.
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  <strong>Baked Vanilla Rice Pudding
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  </strong>1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, 150 degrees fan oven. Butter 4 individual ramekins.
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  2. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla extract and heat gently. Stir in the brown sugar.
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  3. Spoon the pudding rice into the buttered ramekins, dividing it equally between them. Pour in the milk and cream mixture, stir with the rice and dot on the top with small pieces of butter. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for about an hour, or until the tops are golden brown, almost all of the milk has been absorbed and the rice is soft.
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  Serve warm, accompanied by a large spoonful of the rhubarb.<strong>
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  </strong>