Although rice pudding was often on school menus, it was never as good as my mother used to make. I would generously pass the bland and gloopy dessert to my friends who were always most delighted. This traditional rice pudding recipe is baked in the oven at a low temperature in order to cook for longer. I love topping it with preserved fruit, even dare I say tinned peaches which are a personal favourite of mine.

Traditional rice pudding with poached peaches

Ingredients:

  • 600ml whole milk
  • 70g pudding rice
  • 30g sugar
  • 10g salted cubed butter
  • 1 scraped vanilla pod
  • The zest of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp whipped cream (optional)
  • 1 tin (420g) peaches

Preheat your oven to 140 degrees C

Method:

  1. Place the milk, sugar, rice and vanilla in a medium sized saucepan.
  2. Once the whole lot has come up to a boil, pour everything into a deep baking dish. Place the dish in the oven (no cover necessary as the rice needs to colour on top).
  3. After 45 minutes, give the rice a stir and scatter the butter on top.
  4. Leave to cook for a further 35 minutes until the rice has lightly browned on top, and there is no liquid left in the dish.
  5. Best served lukewarm or cold with a sprinkle of lime zest.
  6. For extra indulgence, fold in a little whipped cream before eating.
  7. Serve with the tinned peaches

Matching Wines

For a best budget sparkling wine, I suggest the Villion Blanc de Blanc, Méthode Cap Classique, Viljoensdrift from South Africa. This 100% Chardonnay is full of lemony flavours, which is a perfect match for the freshly zested lime sprinkled on top of this homely pudding.

Banyuls is a favourite of mine; a Grenache-based fortified red wine full of black fruit aromas. The Coume del Mas Galateo 2011 from the Languedoc-Roussillon region is rich and full-bodied, yet less sweet and syrupy than a typical dessert wine; rather pairing with peaches try soaked prunes.

Wines to drink with traditional rice pudding by Michel Roux Jr.

Villion Blanc de Blanc, Méthode Cap Classique, Viljoensdrift, South Africa NV – Wonderfully lemony, absolutely full of zest – almost like a refreshing, sparkling lemon curd in a way. It is beautifully sweet, reminiscent of honey suckle. The combination of these flavours is almost comforting which perfectly suits the nostalgic essence of this dessert.

RRP: £13.70 from Tanners Wines

Banyul, Coume del Mas Galateo, 2011 – This deep red dessert wine has gloriously warm and spicy flavours with dark, woody notes on the nose. Paired with the creamy rice pudding, it drinks beautifully with earthy fruits such as soaked prunes or honeyed figs.

RRP: £24.10 from Hedonism Wines

Brioche and Butter Pudding

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Brioche and butter pudding – recipe by Michel Roux Jr

Cannelé

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Canelé – recipe by Michel Roux Jr

Gateau de Savoie

Gateau de Savoie, Michel Roux Jnr.
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Gateau de Savoie, chestnut purée and Chantilly cream – recipe by Michel Roux Jr.

Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr
Columnist
Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’  Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen.  Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’.  Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel.  ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.