Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
1 to 2 hours
Serves
Serves 4
Dietary
Vegetarian

Ingredients
For the rice pudding
- 1.5 litres/2½ pints milk
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 1 vanilla pod, seeds removed and pod reserved
- 2 lemons, zest only (removed in thick strips using a potato peeler)
- 100g/3½oz butter, cubed
- 150g/5½oz pudding rice
- 150g/5½oz caster sugar
- pinch salt
For the gingerbread crisps
- 1 readymade Jamaican ginger cake, cut into thin strips lengthways
For the caramelised pears
- 200g/7oz caster sugar
- 1 conference or Williams pear, peeled and diced
- 50ml/2fl oz poire Williams or pear liqueur
Method
For the rice pudding, put the milk, cream, vanilla seeds, pod and lemon zest in a large bowl. Cover and leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes before passing through a sieve.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the rice and add the sugar and salt. Pour in the infused milk mixture. Cover and simmer over a low heat for around 2 hours, or until the rice is soft and creamy.
For the gingerbread crisps, preheat the oven to 100C/80C Fan/Gas ¼. and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Arrange the gingerbread strips on a baking tray and cover with another tray. Toast in the oven for an hour, or until crisp. Set aside to cool.
To make the caramelised pears, heat the sugar in a deep saucepan until it dissolves and turns a golden caramel. (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully. Use a deep pan to avoid bubbling over.) Carefully stir in the pear and poire Williams.
Divide the rice pudding between four warmed bowls and spoon over the caramelised pears. Decorate with the gingerbread crisps and serve.