There are almost as many rice puddings as there are savoury rice recipes. If you were also put off by that dazzlingly white, school dinner gloop, fear not, this is a much more luxuriant baked dessert, gently spiced and finished with sweet wine and cream. It can be enjoyed warm or cool, on its own or with a spoonful of jarred fruit or some vivid pink spring rhubarb.

Prep 5 min
Cook 2 hr 10 min
Serves 4

50g butter, plus extra for greasing
50g soft light brown sugar
100g pudding rice
1 litre whole milk (see step 4)
1 unwaxed lemon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon, or a small length of cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
½ vanilla pod, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2 tbsp sweet fortified wine –eg pedro ximenéz or cream sherry, madeira, tawny port (optional)
150ml double cream

1 A note on the cooking vessel

Heat the oven to 160C (140C fan)/325F/gas 3. Find a wide baking dish or ovenproof pot large enough to hold about 1.2 litres of liquid (if in doubt, fill the dish with water, then tip into a measuring jug). Butter or grease the dish lightly.

2 Melt the butter and sugar

Put the butter (or dairy-free alternative) in a medium saucepan on a gentle heat and add the sugar (this isn’t a very sweet rice pudding, because I like to serve it with fruit or jam, but feel free to increase the amount, or swap in white sugar, or four tablespoons of honey, golden syrup or another sweetener, if you prefer). Stir to dissolve.

3 Add the rice

Tip in the rice (pudding rice is just a starchy short-grain rice that’s usually found in the vicinity of tinned rice pudding, custard and so on at the supermarket, but if you can’t find it, you can use risotto or paella rice instead, though it’ll probably be more expensive) and stir to coat with the butter and sugar.

4 Pour in the milk

Keep stirring until the rice turns semi-translucent (but has not taken on any colour) and has started to swell slightly. Add the milk (almond milk also works well here – indeed, medieval rice puddings were often made with it on fast days; soy or coconut milk also works). Scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any stuck grains.

5 Add the flavourings

Finely grate in half the lemon zest, leaving behind the white pith; if you can’t find an unwaxed lemon (organic fruit is never waxed), give it a good scrub with hot water first. Stir in the nutmeg, cinnamon and bay leaf, then slit the vanilla pod down its length and scrape out the seeds into the pan; drop in the empty pod, too.

6 Bake the rice pudding

Bring the milk to a very gentle simmer, then add a pinch of salt and the wine, if using. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream. Pour the rice pudding mix into the greased dish and bake for about two hours, until set but still slightly wobbly; check on it regularly towards the end of the cooking time.

7 Serving suggestions

Remove and leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving – like most dairy-rich dishes, rice pudding is best enjoyed warm or at room temperature, rather than hot from the oven, when the flavour will be muted. Serve with seasonal fruit (right now, baked rhubarb is perfect, as is sliced citrus), jam, jarred or tinned fruit, or compote.

8 Variations on the theme

Think of this recipe as a template that you can vary according to taste. Swap the spices for ginger, saffron, cardamom, say, and the vanilla for flower waters, the lemon zest for orange or lime, the wine for rum or whisky, add dried fruit, crystallised ginger or citrus peel, nuts or cocoa nibs … You can’t go far wrong.

9 And if you want rhubarb …

To bake rhubarb at the same time, cut 500g into chunks of an even length, trimming off any brown ends, then wash. Arrange in a single layer in the base of an oven dish and sprinkle over two tablespoons of sugar or honey, plus a splash of water. Cover and bake for 35-45 minutes, until tender but not mushy.