Lighter creamy vanilla rice pudding

• butter↗¼ tsp tsp

  for greasing

• short-grain (pudding) rice↗85g g
• light muscovado sugar↗1 tbsp tbsp
• golden caster sugar↗2 tsp tsp
• semi-skimmed milk↗700ml ml

  plus 50ml

• vanilla pod↗½
• half-fat crème fraîche↗3 tbsp tbsp
• fresh raspberries↗

  to serve (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Grease a 1.2-litre (about 5cm deep) ovenproof baking dish (see tip, below left) and stand it on a baking tray. Tip the rice into a pan with both the sugars and all the milk. Split the ½ vanilla pod horizontally, scrape out the seeds into the pan and drop in the pod. Heat the milk, whisking. As it is about to come to the boil, immediately remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into the dish, scraping out all the rice and seeds from the bottom of the pan.

2. 2

   Bake for 30 mins, then remove and stir. Return the pudding to the oven for another 30 mins. Stir again and return for a further 25-30 mins until the rice is cooked and has absorbed enough of the milk to give the mixture a creamy consistency.

3. 3

   Remove the pudding, let it sit for 1-2 mins, then stir in the crème fraîche to make it extra creamy. Serve with raspberries, if you like.