Rice pudding with hibiscus-poached pears recipe

Helen Goh suggests a recipe for rice pudding served with hibiscus-poached pears, a dish she describes as having a sweet spot. The hibiscus provides a tart, berry-like flavour while staining the pears a vibrant crimson. These pears are best prepared one day in advance, as their colour and flavour intensify while resting in the syrup. Goh notes that she particularly enjoys the contrast between the tangy, cold pears and the warm, creamy rice pudding, which is seasoned with cardamom, bay, lemon and vanilla. A final addition of chopped pistachios provides both colour and crunch to the dish.

The preparation requires 10 minutes, an infusion time of 15 minutes, 1 hour and 20 minutes of cooking, and at least 4 hours of chilling time, with enough ingredients to serve 6. For the hibiscus pears, you will need 20g dried hibiscus flowers, 3 firm-but-ripe conference pears, 150g caster sugar, 2 wide strips of lemon peel, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 pinch of fine sea salt. To make the rice pudding, gather 120g short-grain rice, such as arborio or sushi, 900ml whole milk, 6-8 green cardamom pods, 4 wide strips of lemon peel, 2 fresh bay leaves, ½ vanilla pod, ¼ rounded tsp fine sea salt, 60g caster sugar, 70ml double cream, and 25g shelled pistachios.

To begin, boil 20g dried hibiscus flowers in 600ml water in a medium saute pan. Remove from the heat, cover, and infuse for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing the flowers to extract the liquid before discarding the solids. Peel the pears, halve them lengthways and remove the cores. Return the infusion to the pan with the sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and salt. Heat on medium until the sugar dissolves, then add the pears. Cover the surface with baking paper and simmer for 20 minutes until tender. Allow the pears to cool in the syrup, then cover and refrigerate for at least four hours, or preferably overnight.

For the rice pudding, combine 120g short-grain rice and 900ml whole milk in a saucepan. Add the cardamom pods, lemon peel, bay, vanilla seeds and pod, and salt, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring as the rice thickens. Stir in the sugar for four to five minutes, then remove from the heat. Discard the cardamom, lemon peel, bay and vanilla pod, then stir in 70ml double cream. The pudding should remain loose as it will thicken further. Serve by dividing the hot rice pudding into six shallow bowls, topping each with a cold pear half, a splash of extra cream and a scattering of toasted, chopped pistachios.