Moroccan Rice Pudding

Ingredients:
3.5 ounces rice
2 1/2 T unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
2 3/4 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split
1/3 cup of caster sugar or vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon organic orange zest or a strip of organic lemon peel
a pinch of salt
2/3 cup chopped dates
2 teaspoons of rosewater
dried organic rose petals, garnish

Preparing the rice pudding:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Wash the rice in a strainer under cold water and drain.

Rub the inside of an oven-proof dish with a little butter. Put the milk, cream and vanilla bean in a saucepan and heat gently until bubbles just start to appear around the edges. Stir in the rice, sugar, citrus zest and salt, and simmer for five minutes. Stir in the dates and rosewater, pour into the greased dish and dot the top with butter. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir gently, then return to the oven, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove and stir again, scraping up any bits of rice which have stuck to the bottom.

At this point, if you prefer a pudding without a skin, put a lid or foil back on the pan; if you want the skin, don't bother. Return the rice pot to the oven for another hour, or until the rice is tender and creamy – keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't dry out; add a bit more milk if it does.

Serve with the rose petals sprinkled over the top.

Serves 4